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Like many white South Africans of his generation, Rian Malan fled his country to dodge the draft. He felt incredibly guilty for this act, but would have felt equally guilty for not doing it: "I ran because I wouldn't carry a gun for apartheid, and because I wouldn't carry a gun against it." Malan, the product of a well-known Afrikaner family, returned to South Africa and produced My Traitor's Heart, which explores the literal and figurative brutalities of apartheid. Death is a constant presence on these pages, and the narrative is driven by Malan's criminal reportage. This acclaimed book intends to illuminate South Africa's poisonous race relations under apartheid, and few books do it this well.
Book Description
A classic of literary nonfiction, My Traitor's Heart has been acclaimed as a masterpiece by readers around the world. Rian Malan is an Afrikaner, scion of a centuries-old clan and relative of the architect of apartheid, who fled South Africa after coming face-to-face with the atrocities and terrors of an undeclared civil war between the races. This book is the searing account of his return after eight years of uneasy exile. Armed with new insight and clarity, Malan explores apartheid's legacy of hatred and suffering, bearing witness to the extensive physical and emotional damage it has caused to generations of South Africans on both sides of the color line. Plumbing the darkest recesses of the white and black South African psyches, Malan ultimately finds his way toward the light of redemption and healing. My Traitor's Heart is an astonishing book -- beautiful, horrifying, profound, and impossible to put down.
Customer Reviews:
An insight into the tortured soul of a typical liberal wooftah.........2007-02-28
White liberal draft-dodger hard at work. He's a good writer and the book's a painful look into the heart of a white liberal. My admiration goes rather to those who fought to defend their country.... but it's an insight into the tortured soul of a typical liberal wooftah. Why people put themselves thru all this inner torment I have no idea - have a beer and get over it, bloke! If you'd just done your time in the armed forces like pretty much every other south african had to do instead of taking the chicken run, you wouldn;t be going thru all this turmoil.
memoirs of an Africaaner-1970-1990.......2006-02-24
Before a recent visit to S. Africa, this book was recommended as an introduction to the political climate in S. Africa, especially after Apartheid. This very personal account told by Rian Malan, whose ancestors were directly responsible for the formation of the Apartheid society, traces his teenage rebellion against Apartheid, his career as a liberal newspaper reporter and his ultimate rejection of the violence that the new government has spawned. Be prepared for graphic descriptions of violence committed by both whites and blacks.
A good introduction to the complicated history of S. Africa and leaves the reader with questions regarding the future of that sad country.
A Rare Look into the Afrikaner Mind..........2006-01-27
I really enjoyed this book, although I do have some problems with it. First and foremost I will recommend it because I think it offers amazing insight into the psychology of Afrikaners and should be read-by any serious student of South African History. It is a valid historical document in that sense, because it is an honest and well-written, and sometimes deeply moving, biographical account of a "liberal" Afrikaner who has to struggle with his progressive ideals and his residual prejudices.
Rian Malan is a fascinating individual who fully accepts the humanity of all his fellow men and loves people of all colors-but in a way he has also rather unapologetically bought into the idea of some deep and maybe unsurpassable "cultural differences" between "us and them". This involves repeating a traditional refrain about how outsiders "don't understand" how "they" really are. While I agree that outside observers tended to see things in only one dimension, I also think that Malan is somewhat won over to the colonial discourse of "Darkest Africa", that place where savagery reigns.
What about white savagery? Although Malan talks about some white atrocities and even explicitly says they are savage-e.g., a white man forces a black man to castrate himself at gunpoint and then flicks the testicles away with a stick-and although he suggests the Afrikaner is also "savage", he never seems to make this part of "white" South African character. It is always that the whites are acting from fear, because they are "swamped". But clearly the countless cases of white human rights atrocities cannot be attributed to fear. Somehow the violence of "natives" becomes assimilated to their "culture" in his mind-some ancient "African" culture outside observers can't understand, but white inhumanity, no matter how many instances of it there are, and there are countless, is not portrayed the same way, as an offshoot of "culture" that is somehow independent of environment. Whites are always granted a context for their actions; Zulus are simply doing things the way Zulus "always have".
Still, I do think it's a beautiful book in a number of ways, despite these serious flaws, and if you want to know how some Afrikaners think, I think this is a book to look at. I recently talked to a white South African and found his discourse to be similar to Malan's-talk of fear, talk of "strange cultural rites", talk of profound differences that are unbridgeable, upsetting things I generally disagree with, but this discourse is part of the white South African self-understanding. And although poverty and crime are very real in South Africa, I still believe that white South Africans often have a self-justifying ideology that simply refuses to look at what they've done to bring about the problems of modern South Africa and prefers to look at the problems they are faced with, as if they emerged from a vacuum. (Obviously, I'm not excusing anyone's violence of any kind here, just making a point).
This is only human that people prefer to avoid examining their own consciences, and Malan has more humanity, kindness, compassion and insight than most people do anywhere, but you will see what I mean about his essentializing of difference if you read the book, and you should. He loves these "native" men and women, he jokes with them, he finds some brilliant, and at the end of the book he accepts that he has to let go of his fear if he wants to move forward. But he has somewhat convinced me prior to these last pages that he isn't really ready to make that leap, and that his faith in building a new nation could be easily shattered, as of course it will be, if you think in terms of black and white.
Magnificent, brooding work.......2004-12-24
This book came out when I was working in South Africa. It explores in an uncompromising way two rival phenomena: the hopes of 'white liberalism' and some harsh realities of South Africa's 'African-ness' which many urban liberals at that point seemed to pretend either were not there or were somehow only a function of apartheid.
The passages on Creina Alcock, a 'white' South African who stepped far away from her background to live as a Zulu are are especially poignant, even stunning. I visited Creina in her remote hut on the strength of this book and was astonished by her courage and wisdom. Rian captures this extraordinary story in a moving if (for the average reader?) pessimistic way
This book has universalist insights for anyone interested in whether Civilisations really do Clash. Rian Malan was on to something very profound in this book. It is vivid and appalling in places, and not always easy reading. So what? These issues are as difficult as anything we face. Read it, lots of times.
Disturbing.......2004-02-29
This book is an investigation into the attitudes of a liberal who was raised in South Africa. In the book, Malan tells us that his original charge was to write the history of his racist ancestors, who were among the first Boer settlers in the region. But when Malan began his project, he found he needed to first explore and develop his own perspective on race in South Africa before he could begin. And once he began doing this, he never really got around to the history project.
The book is divided into 3 sections. In the first, Malan describes his own childhood and adolescence, leading up to his forced flight from South Africa, with a major focus on his youthful love for Blacks (especially in the abstract). The second part of the book details a number of violent murders that Malan investigated upon his return to South Africa in 1986 to write this book. In this section, Malan describes the intense violence that was occurring in South Africa at the time, and how all Whites, even doctors providing humanitarian services in the townships, became targets for Black rage. He also explores violence between rival Black political groups. In the closing section, Malan visits a White woman named Creina Alcock, who lived on the border of Msanga, a tribal homeland, where she and her husband had struggled to build a sustainable rural development project with the local Blacks. The woman was widowed after her husband was killed while trying to negotiate peace talks during a tribal disturbance in Msanga.
The book doesn't have a strong narrative thread- -instead it seems that Malan was trying to communicate some of his own confusion and ambivalence about racial questions by presenting so many stories and sides of the picture, and flipping rapidly from one to the next. The loose organization is effective to some degree; the reader slowly comes to understand the enormity and complexity of South Africa's problems. Yes, many Whites provoked anger from Blacks by their abominable behavior and laws. Blacks in turn responded with violence that was so overwhelming that even those Whites who tried as hard as they could to do the right thing were in mortal danger. And the worst and most senseless violence seemed to occur in Black communities that had no White involvement at all. The entire society was so focused on violence that as one White living on a farm in a rural area told Malan "The guy with the bigger stick wins." In closing with Creina Alcock's story, Malan tries to leave us with a little hope. He argues that Alcock's and her late husband's love for their community has made a marginal difference in the social structure, despite the ongoing attacks on them and thefts of their property by children they had adopted and raised as their own, and even the murder of Alcock's husband. With the infinitesimally small improvements that the Alcocks managed to make in their community by giving their entire lives over to the project, how many millions more Alcocks would it take to turn such a country around, and where might they come from?
Customer Reviews:
SO good!.......2006-07-04
This book is SO GOOD! I've had it for about five years, but every time I take it off the shelf I learn something new. Highly recommended for any Orisa devotee, a follower of African traditional religions, or anyone interested in the African diaspora. It would be a great gift even to the illiterate, as the photographs are amazing. I think this book sold for about $500 originally, and even at that cost it would have been worth every penny.
A Stellar Publication of Relgious Art from African Diaspora.......1997-03-18
This book, the companion piece to the exhibition of the same name, is a blessing. Thompson, professor & head of the department of African Art at Yale, directed this incredible exhibition in 1993 at NYC's Museum of African Art.
From Ifa in Nigeria, to Santeria in Puerto Rico, to Obeah in Jamaica, to Vodun in Haiti, he and his companion scholars and curators have contributed in a healing circle across the Middle Passage.
Shattering damaging, racist mythologies of these religions, _Face of the Gods_ fosters an understanding for these misunderstood religions while maintaining a respectful distance.
Complete with analyses, interviews, and color photographs.
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful images of every day Africa
- A celebration in words and images
- Faces of Africa, my impression!
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Faces of Africa
Carol Beckwith , and
Angela Fisher
Manufacturer: National Geographic
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African Ceremonies: The Concise Edition
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African Elegance
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Vanishing Africa: A Photographer's Journey
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Passages: Photographs in Africa
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Africa
ASIN: 079226830X
Release Date: 2004-09-14 |
Book Description
Faces of Africa is for everyone who loved African Ceremonies, but longs for more of Beckwith and Fisher's unique eye on Africa and the faces of its beautiful inhabitants. Structured by theme, the book looks at portraits of people who are painted, beaded, draped in beautiful cloth, veiled, and most impressively, ready for marriage. Drawn from every part of the massive African continent, the portraits bridge the distance between very remote tribes to nomads to Islamic Africans. Whether decorated with colored beads or lavish gold, the beauty of Africans shines through in these intimate and rare portraits.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful images of every day Africa.......2006-12-21
This is one of my favorite illustration of Africa; jovial, moving, colorful and passionate, the best introduction to the many tribes and cultures of the African continent. The ceremonies of the Surma tribe in Ethiopia and the Samburu tribe in Kenya are beautiful and rich photographic testimony of African culture. Everyone should own this illustrative account of Africa.
A celebration in words and images.......2006-02-23
What a delight for the eyes this book is! I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into each photograph. The accompanying text is beautifully crafted and I almost want to commit each entry to memory. When I visited Africa, I instantly fell in love with its people, its landscapes and the authenticity of life on this breathtaking continent. This book allows me to marvel at, and to cherish, the traditions and rituals which frame the lives of the African people.
Faces of Africa, my impression!.......2005-09-21
The book is a stunning display of the many facets of African tribal life and customs. The typography, while certainly aesthetic, is sometimes bordering on the unreadable by the use of coloured text on a black background.
I was disappointed, however, that the book virtually fell apart after having had it for barely 1/2 hour. The pages simply came away from the spine! I have had it repaired at a local bookbinders for very little cost but this shouldn't happen with a book of that quality and price. Those complaints aside though, it's a pleasure to own this book!
Trevor Pickles
Average customer rating:
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Face to Face: Making Dance and Theatre in Community
Judi Fisher , and
Beth Shelton
Manufacturer: Spinifex Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1876756268 |
Book Description
Six years ago the Preston Creative Living Centre, a small community agency in the diverse northern suburbs of Melbourne, embarked upon a risky but exciting venture. It marshalled resources for people to engage in artistic and community processes together and became a performance venue for a series of vital and engaging performances. Over this time the space has become alive, filled with people and activity. This book is about the partnerships between organisations, artists, and communities for community artmaking. It is the story of one organization’s experience with community performance-making, from the philosophy that informs choices, to the nitty-gritty of work.
Book Description
A comparative study of two Kenyan NGOs, the Undugu Society of Kenya and the Green Belt Movement, demonstrates that civil society may either oppose an oppressive state or accommodate it. These examples demonstrate the disparate roles NGOs can take in the context of contemporay African politics.
Book Description
Before Tom Feelings passed away in August of 2003, he had been working on a picture book with his friend, poet Kwame Dawes. As Kwame explains, "One day, Tom gave me a folder of drawings of young people from his journeys around the world. I saw a story of resilience and pride, and wrote my poem as a response." These wonderful drawings, paired with lyrical text, offer a fresh encounter with one of our most evocative illustrators.
Customer Reviews:
An Empowering Children's Resource.......2006-06-27
An adept educator, I have used this literary work with students in grades 2 and 3. It is an empowering, poetic tool used to help children across cultures--particularly those of African descent--understand that there is an interconnected relationship between people of African ancestry throughout the world. Walk along the streets of Harlem (New York), Bahia(South America), Sierra Leone (West Africa), Loiza (Puerto Rico); Zimbabwe (Southern Africa); Jamaica (West Indies)... In each of the faces of people in such communities, we see beautiful black similarities--ancestral traces and a rich legacy. This work helps to tell the story of a people connected despite our displacement from the Motherland because of the dehumanizing institution of slavery. By no means should this work be targeted only at the adult population. Dawe's literary effort serves as a "griot tool," passing knowledge along; Brother Feelings impressively sketched illustrations serve as an empowering visual accent. A must have item for those who embrace and confirm the reality of the worldwide African extended family!
Lovely.......2006-05-16
Children's book? Not really. I think adults will understand more about this gentle, thoughtful poem accompanied by beautifully drawn faces and places. I ordered this for my public library's children's section, but it's one of those books that fit everywhere and nowhere. Read it for its beauty and forget about whether it's appropriate for children or a kids' book. It's appropriate for all even though it's not a children's book.
Add this book to your collection.......2005-08-13
This is a very powerful book. The images are breathtaking and the organization of the book gives more meaning to them. This is a visual history of being African-American. Add it to your home library for your children.
Average customer rating:
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Faces of Islam in African Literature (Studies in African Literature New Series)
Kenneth W. Harrow
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0435080253 |
Book Description
Islam has shaped the culture of more than one-third of the continent and provides a critical component in the works of many prominent African writers.
Book Description
Over the past century, Christianity's place and role in the world have changed dramatically. In 1900, 80 percent of the world's Christians lived in Europe and North America. Today, more than 60 percent of the world's Christians live outside of that region. This change calls for a reexamination of the way the story of Christianity is told, the methodological tools for its analysis, and its modes of expression. Perhaps most significant is the role of Africa as the new Christian heartland. The questions and answers about Christianity and its contemporary mission now being developed in the African churches will have enormous influence in the years to come. This volume offers nine new essays addressing this sea-change and its importance for the future of Christianity. Some contributions consider the development of "non-Western" forms of Christianity, others look at the impact of these new Christianities in the West. The authors cover a wide range of topics, from the integration of witchcraft and Christianity in Nigeria and the peacemaking role of churches in Mozambique to the American Baptist reception of Asian Christianity. The Changing Face of Christianity shows the striking cultural differences between the new world Christianity and its western counterpart. But with so many new immigrants in Europe and North America, the faith's fault lines are not purely geographical. The new Christianity now thrives in American and European settings, and northerners need to know this faith better. At stake is their ability to be good neighbors-and perhaps to be good Christian citizens of the world.
Customer Reviews:
hard for me to get through.......2006-05-03
I really enjoy christian theology but this book just didn't grab me. The information is great and that is exactally what the book is for. If you're looking for something to read for pleasure this is not your book. But if you're doing research you should definately check this out. Just don't read it when you're tierd.
Book Description
In this remarkable book, Clyde Ford restores to us the lost treasure of African mythology, bringing to life the ancient tales and showing why they matter so much to us today.
African myths convey the perennial wisdom of humanity: the creation of the world, the hero's journey, our relationship with nature, death, and resurrection. From the Ashanti comes the moving account of the grief-stricken Kwasi Benefo's journey to the underworld to seek his beloved wives. From Uganda we learn of the legendary Kintu, who won the love of a goddess and created a nation from a handful of isolated clans. The Congo's epic hero Mwindo is the sacred warrior who shows us the path each person must travel to discover his true destiny.
These and other important African myths show us the history of African Americans in a new light--as a hero's journey, a courageous passage to a hard-won victory.
The Hero with an African Face enriches us all by restoring this vital tradition to the world.
Customer Reviews:
A superb piece of non-fiction.......2007-07-30
This is an excellent book. I'd give it 100 stars if I could. Like another reader wrote, I wish I had found this book sooner. Every African and African-American should read this book. Thank you so much, Mr. Ford. I'll keep my review simple because I could go on forever. This book puts African myths in their rightful place: as legitimate, awesome, powerful stories that explain the human condition and our connection to the creator. All myths sprang from the African ones and Ford does a masterful job in explaining why myths are important to our lives today.
An Essential Book.......2007-06-07
I've read this book twice and will probably read it once more, because I learn something new with every reading. This is such an essential book for understanding not only the importance of myth, but Africa's far-reaching contribution. Ford's book traces the genesis of myth and belief systems and shows an evolution that not only surfaces in other cultures, but even in the bible. A masterful documentary that takes us all on a hero's and heroine's journey
All God's Children.......1999-03-19
Increasingly, happily (albeit painfully)the new question for modern man and woman is "Am I my black brother's (sister's) keeper?" Conversely, "Am I my white brother's (sister's) keeper?" The answer is a resounding "Yes!". This book is a tremendous contribution toward the fulfillment of that Dream, toward a universal Philadelphia (phila = love; delphia = brother): the City of Brotherly Love, genuine agape, Unconditional Agape.
A monumental work.......1999-03-04
Clyde W. Ford helps us to connect to African mythology on so many levels. It is encouraging and illuminating to finally see African mythology treated in the manner that it deserves: as vital as those of any other culture. He demonstrates the importance of myth for centering our lives and providing focus for living. His discussion of the meaning and role of myth in the preface is worth the price of the book alone.
Finally, a context for African American spirituality!.......1999-02-19
The last paragraph of the book is in my day timer as a reminder of who I am, where I came from and why and how I will always be. Ford's view of the African American story as an epic journey is liberating. He contrasts the intimacy between African diety and the common person with the separation between the western God or Goddess and their subjects. As someone who is struggling to understand the deepening division of black and white in US culture, I find this book very helpful in clarifying our root cultural differences. This also is a wonderful book to give a young person who is away from home or struggling with the questions of identity. As someone who has worked with children in multiracial families (particularly adopted children) who are struggling with a sense of place, I wish I'd had this book a long time ago.
Books:
- No Lye: The African American Woman's Guide To Natural Hair Care
- North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment
- Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life
- Patterns in Design, Art and Architecture
- Pauline Frommer's Italy (Pauline Frommer Guides)
- Phaidon Design Classics (3 Volume Set) (Design Classics)
- Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
- Professional Model Portfolios: A Step-by-Step Guide for Photographers
- Professional Practice for Interior Designers, 3rd Edition
- Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution
Books Index
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