Synopsis
Africa is a complex continent of peoples. The West so often treats Africa as if it were one country, and its interventions, therefore, often misfire. Richard Dowden teases out the web of history, myth, rivalry, alliance, ambition, and protest that comprises the current reality for the bankers of Kenya or the oilmen of Nigeria, the judges of Congo or the herdsmen of Sudan, even the Chinese miners in Zimbabwe. Their daily challenges, innovations, and dreams provide a sweeping, illuminating and often uplifting portrait of modern sub-Saharan Africa.
The New York Times - Nicholas Kristof
Dowden is at his best when looking at grand themes—like the degree to which Africa is more promising than journalists or aid workers often acknowledge…journalists tend to cover Africa in stark and simple contrasts, but countries live and grow and falter in grays. So it's refreshing to encounter not only Dowden's hopefulness, but also his reliance on shading and nuance, on the recognition that the world does not have to feel sorry for Africa to care about it.