Read Around Africa Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Africa.
Best books from Africa (1154)
221.
Congolina : De erfenis van Nele Marian by Nadia Nsayi NL
Country: Africa / 
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Nele Marian is een van de eerste schrijvers van Afrikaanse afkomst in Europa. In de jaren dertig verscheen haar dichtbundel Poèmes et Chansons, waarin ze koloniaal onrecht op aangrijpende wijze beschrijft. Het behoort tot de belangrijkste werken uit de Congolese literatuur. Toch is haar naam amper bekend. Nadia Nsayi dook in de archieven en bezocht symbolische plaatsen om het complexe leven van Nele Marian te reconstrueren met de grote geschiedenis op de achtergrond. Ze staat stil bij Marians werk en erfenis en legt opvallende parallellen met haar eigen leven. Congolina is een uniek verhaal, w... continue
222.
The Shameful State by Sony Labou Tansi EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Set in a fictitious African nation, this novel by the distinguished writer Sony Labou Tansi takes aim at the corruption, degeneracy, violence, and repression of political life in Africa. At the heart of The Shameful State is the story of Colonel Martillimi Lopez, the nation's president, whose eccentricity and whims epitomize the "shameful situation in which humanity has elected to live." Lopez stages a series of grotesque and barbaric events while his nation falls apart. Unable to resist the dictator's will, his desperate citizens are left with nothing but humiliation. The evocation of this de... continue
223.
The Power of Women : A Doctor's Journey of Hope and Healing by Dr Dr Denis Mukwege EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Nobel laureate, world-renowned doctor and human rights activist, Dr Mukwege has dedicated his life to caring for victims of sexual violence. Over the past two decades living and working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has stood up to soldiers and warlords and survived multiple assassination attempts, never swaying from his mission. In this book, Dr Mukwege interweaves his own story with the experiences of the women he has treated, the people he has worked with, and survivors of sexual violence whom he has met during his years of advocating for women's rights on the international st... continue
224.
Mask Off : Masculinity Redefined by J. J. Bola EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
What is masculinity? Dominating the world around us, from Trump's twitter outbursts to deadly gun violence, from male suicide rates to incels on Reddit and 4chan, masculinity is perceived to be 'toxic', 'fragile' and 'in crisis'. In Mask Off, JJ Bola exposes masculinity as a performance that men are socially conditioned into. Using examples of non-Western cultural traditions, music and sport, he shines light on historical narratives around manhood, debunking popular myths along the way. He explores how LGBTQ men, men of colour, and male refugees experience masculinity in diverse ways, revealin... continue
225.
Shut Up You're Pretty by Ta Mutonji, Tea Mutonji EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
A high-wire collection of darkly humorous stories about a young woman floating in and out of her skin, trying on identities imposed on her by others.
226.
The Villain's Dance by Fiston Mwanza Mujila EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
"The Democratic Republic of Congo, otherwise known as Congo-Kinshasa or DRCongo, has had a series of names since its founding. The name of Zaire best corresponds to the experience of the novel's characters. The years of Mobutu's regime were filled with utopias, dreams, fantasies and other uncontrolled desires for social redemption, the quest for easy enrichment and the desecration of places of power. Among these events: Zairians' immigration to Angola during the civil war boycotting the borders inherited from colonization, as if the country did not have its own diamonds, and the occupation of ... continue
227.
The Selfless Act of Breathing by JJ Bola EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Michael Kabongo is a British-Congolese teacher living in London when one day he suffers a devastating loss, and his life is thrown into a tailspin. As he struggles to find a way forward, Michael spontaneously decides to go to America and become someone new, living the life of his dreams--until his money runs out.
228.
As Long As Trees Take Root in the Earth : And Other Poems by Alain Mabanckou EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
A hopeful, music-infused poetry collection from Congolese poet Alain Mabanckou. These compelling poems by novelist and essayist Alain Mabanckou conjure nostalgia for an African childhood where the fauna, flora, sounds, and smells evoke snapshots of a life forever gone. Mabanckou's poetry is frank and forthright, urging his compatriots to no longer be held hostage by the civil wars and political upheavals that have ravaged their country and to embrace a new era of self-determination where the village roosters can sing again. These music-infused texts, beautifully translated by Nancy Naomi Carls... continue
229.
Unter derselben Sonne : Roman by Nadège Kusanika DE
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Das mitreißende Debüt einer jungen Frau, die sich zwischen zwei Welten behauptet. »Lisolo« bedeutet auf Lingala, einer der Nationalsprachen des Kongo, Geschichten zu erzählen. Und Geschichten hat Nadège Kusanika viele zu erzählen: von ihrer Kindheit im Kongo, von Süßkartoffelblättern und Mango mit Pili Pili, von undurchdringlichem Nebel und unendlichem Sternenhimmel, von Plastiksandalen auf ewig staubiger Erde. Aber auch Geschichten von Hunger und Armut, vom Ankommen in einem fremden Land und vom Hineinwachsen in die deutsche Gesellschaft. »Unter derselben Sonne« ist ein Roman, der mit Sanfthe... continue
230.
The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez by Sony Lab'ou Tansi EN
Country: Africa / Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Sony Labou Tansi's surreal portrait of a despised and incompetent regime is a biting, burlesque fable, incisive in its description of postcolonial life. History has been silenced in this modern African state: only the voices of the dead cry out for justice. It is a cry answered by Estina Bronzario, the Woman of Bronze, determined to act against the political and moral corruption of male-dominated society. Murders escalate, crowds ebb and flow, and the years roll by. But all the while, the police never come... 'Central Africa's greatest writer.' New York Times 'No greater genius than Sony Lab'o... continue