The African Experience

This book examines the role that Africa has played on the world stage, the African Union, the African leaders' efforts to take care of their own problems and lessen their dependence on the United States and European countries.

Covering the entire span of human history across the African continent, this book begins in the Garden of Eden in the highland interior of East Africa and ends with the disintegration of apartheid. In the first chapter the author introduces us to our earliest tool-making ancestor (known affectionately as "dear boy"), in the last the author ponders the changes we are likely to see as the political elites of Africa begin to review the operation of their single-party systems. The human colonization of the continent - the origins of food production, the formation and diffusion of African languages, the achievements of Ancient Egypt, the impact of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, slavery, the caravan trade, exploration and colonization, the economic, political and social developments which gave rise to the modern nation states - this book looks at all these aspects in an overview of the history of Africa.

This book provides an introduction to Africa -- covering its physical attributes, history, social structure, and culture.It emphasizes norms, values, and historical experienceas the key variables that define who the people are, rather than labeling them as "tribes." Describes the main traditional cultural forms and institutionsfound in Africa. Explores the geographyand demographyof the African continent. Takes a critical look at how the Africans have done since they inherited or recovered political powerfrom the European colonial masters -- the problems they have encountered, the forces that have influenced leaders in their choice of strategies in nation-building or economic development, political and economic reforms.

The State of Virginia recognizes the 1619 landing of Africans at Point Comfort (present-day Hampton) as a complicated beginning. This collection of new essays reckons with this historical fact, with discussions of the impacts 400 years later. Chapters cover different perspectives about the "20 and odd" who landed, offering insights into how enslavement continues to affect the lives of their descendants. The often overlooked experiences of women in enslavement are discussed.

Gyekye offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the African cultural experience in modern times, and shows how Western philosophical concepts help in addressing a wide range of specifically African problems.

Text and artwork by Simon Combes. Foreword by David Shepherd. Available to the trade for the first time. A safari in Africa can be one of the great highlights of our lives, and Simon Combes has lived his life on one. He is one of the finest painters of wildlife alive and with this book makes his mark as a writer as well. The story of his life contained in this volume is an enthralling one: the son of an expatriate raised in colonial Kenya, a military career that spanned both sides of that nation's independence, a safari guide and artist with an eye for the adventure that is Africa. Simon's art has been published by the The Greenwich Workshop since 1980.