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A review by andrew61
Segu by Maryse Condé
4.0
One of the joys of trying an around the world book challenge is finding books that portray a world that as a reader i will never physically experience but a good writer is able to vibrantly bring it to life.
So with this book I was transported to North west africa in 1797 , a time of significant change which was particularly interesting given the current tensions in the region and the Middle East.
Segu is a kingdom within what is now Mali and the ruling tribe is The Bambarra who have a sophisticated hierarchy and worship their own gods. Dousika is a nobleman in the kings court with several sons from his wives and concubines. Court intrigue leads to his fall from grace and the book then tells the story of his sons and family over the subsequent forty years. This story is set at a time when Islam is slowly emerging as the dominant religion and one son Tiekoro visits a well drawn Timbuktu with his half brother Siga to study in an Islamic school despite the Bambarra's mistrust of Islam and the opposing tribe who practice the religion. As we see news of the ransacking of historic manuscripts from Timbuktu today these scenes of an advanced society resonated. Another son is captured for the slave trade and ends up in Brazil before returning to Africa and again the story is so full of historical threads that the book was a gripping read, the growth of Islam plays out around the European struggle to colonise Africa and exploit its mineral resources as well as the exploitation for slavery. Similarly as Islam acieves dominance towards the end of the book different Islamic groups fighting among themselves in brutal war had echoes of current struggles.
It was wondeful to read a historical family drama in such a setting and the author, herself a descendant of the Bambarra tribe, weaves a brilliant narrative which allows the reader to enjoy a unique but important story. It creates a picyure of an Africa that is rarely seen as western novels so often portray Africa as the undeveloped savage. At 500+ pages however it is a long read and I did have to go back to the family tree frquently but I'd recommend it to readers of historical fiction as a read far more interesting than the glut of Tudor and plantagenet fayre which dominate the bookshelves.
So with this book I was transported to North west africa in 1797 , a time of significant change which was particularly interesting given the current tensions in the region and the Middle East.
Segu is a kingdom within what is now Mali and the ruling tribe is The Bambarra who have a sophisticated hierarchy and worship their own gods. Dousika is a nobleman in the kings court with several sons from his wives and concubines. Court intrigue leads to his fall from grace and the book then tells the story of his sons and family over the subsequent forty years. This story is set at a time when Islam is slowly emerging as the dominant religion and one son Tiekoro visits a well drawn Timbuktu with his half brother Siga to study in an Islamic school despite the Bambarra's mistrust of Islam and the opposing tribe who practice the religion. As we see news of the ransacking of historic manuscripts from Timbuktu today these scenes of an advanced society resonated. Another son is captured for the slave trade and ends up in Brazil before returning to Africa and again the story is so full of historical threads that the book was a gripping read, the growth of Islam plays out around the European struggle to colonise Africa and exploit its mineral resources as well as the exploitation for slavery. Similarly as Islam acieves dominance towards the end of the book different Islamic groups fighting among themselves in brutal war had echoes of current struggles.
It was wondeful to read a historical family drama in such a setting and the author, herself a descendant of the Bambarra tribe, weaves a brilliant narrative which allows the reader to enjoy a unique but important story. It creates a picyure of an Africa that is rarely seen as western novels so often portray Africa as the undeveloped savage. At 500+ pages however it is a long read and I did have to go back to the family tree frquently but I'd recommend it to readers of historical fiction as a read far more interesting than the glut of Tudor and plantagenet fayre which dominate the bookshelves.