Charles Onyango-Obbo writing in Naked Chiefs:
I think Binyavanga Wainaina settled one of the vexing questions about Africa: how to write about the continent (or not to write about it, for it is the same thing really) with his wonderful essay “How To Write About Africa”.
the first true Pan Africans. Image courtesy of naked chiefs
That still left unsettled a few other issues, especially the basic one; what is Africa, is it a continent of 54 countries, is it one huge geographical mass, is it a history, is it a consciousness, is two sub-continents – one Arab the other, well, Black Proper – or is it a cultural expression? Clever people; writers, economists, political scientists, aid workers, and other such folk are almost going to war over this. The politically correct position is that Africa is complex, and each of the countries is different, and it is wrong and simple-minded to overgeneralise. Yes, and No.
The answer as to whether Africa is one big country (a messy one at that), or several countries in a continent, some terrific, others hopeless, has been coming to me slowly...[continue reading]
