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A review by bluli
How to Write about Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina
5.0
Thanks to the wonderful booktuber books by leynes, I discovered this little masterpiece.
If you are a Westerner and want to write about Africa, this essay tells you exactly what you need to do…
It is wonderfully satirical and it will only take you about 5 minutes to read.
You can click on the link in the book description or listen to Leynes reading it on YouTube.
I tried to find a few good quotes to make you want to go and read it. Turns out that every single line is brilliant. Still, I managed to narrow it down to 5:
„Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans.“
„Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. […] Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching, and describe how you learn to enjoy it—because you care.“
„Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa“
„Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies.“
„Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.“
If you are a Westerner and want to write about Africa, this essay tells you exactly what you need to do…
It is wonderfully satirical and it will only take you about 5 minutes to read.
You can click on the link in the book description or listen to Leynes reading it on YouTube.
I tried to find a few good quotes to make you want to go and read it. Turns out that every single line is brilliant. Still, I managed to narrow it down to 5:
„Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans.“
„Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. […] Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching, and describe how you learn to enjoy it—because you care.“
„Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa“
„Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies.“
„Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.“