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World » Africa

Most Recommended Books

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

“It almost feels like a cliché to say that this is one of my favourite books. But there is no way you can escape this book. It is such a part of African literature. It is an inescapable classic. It is a brilliant feat of storytelling, the economy of it, the brevity, the imagery, the ear he has for the traditional language.This is the story of Okonkwo, one of the chiefs in the village who rose from poverty and becomes one of the leading figures. He is a leader and local wrestling champion in Umuofia, a fictional group of nine villages in Nigeria, inhabited by the Igbos. He tries to stick to the tradition that he knows and is hopeless when confronted with the modern. He cannot wrap his mind around change in the form of the British and the missionaries and ultimately he is destroyed by that. Even though it is a tragic story you are still captivated by it.”

Helon Habila, Novelist

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Disgrace by JM Coetzee

“This book was written in the late 90s and although it is very difficult – especially with writers like J M Coetzee – to link the work to the man, my personal reading of the book is that it is a work of profound disappointment and sadness.”

Kevin Bloom, Journalist

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My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan

“Perhaps the most important memoir that has ever been published by a white South African. A man who stared into the irreconcilable inner turmoils that are implicit in the condition of African whiteness.”

Heather Brooke, Journalist

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Portrait with Keys by Ivan Vladislavic

“Ivan is the most interesting writer on modern urban South Africa. Portrait with Keys is a fictionalised set of little stories. I thought it was a memoir at first but in the book he has conversations with a nonexistent brother. So I decided to classify it as a novel. It’s called Portrait with Keys because everywhere in Johannesburg is locked up, often not just with one door, but with multiple doors. When you stay overnight in a house, they lock all the exterior doors and set the alarm, then go upstairs and lock interior doors just in case somebody breaks in downstairs. So those are the keys.”

Imraan Coovadia, Novelist

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Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe

“Achebe’s first novel for almost two decades is a darkly comic and poignant take on military dictatorship that has become an essential work on the subject.”

Michael Peel, Foreign Correspondent

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Browse book recommendations:

Africa

  • Egypt
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  • Nigeria
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Our experts have chosen the best African novels, fiction and literature as well as African history and works on leading African figures. Some African book recommendation lists are country specific and some based on the continent.

We have thought provoking African non-fiction recommendations, including on history and Africa economics.  African literature is increasingly getting the acclaim it deserves. If you are new to African Literature start with The Best Books on Nigeria.

Elsewhere, Cambridge academic, Toby Wilkinson chooses his best books on ancient Egypt and Humphrey Davis chooses his best book of contemporary Egyptian literature. Journalist Philip Gourevitch choooses his best books on the Rwandan Genocide. For African science fiction Rosewater was one of our best Sci Fi books of 2019.

    The best books on The Ghana, Mali and Songhai African Empires, recommended by Michael Gomez

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    The best books on The Ghana - Golden Trade of the Moors: West African Kingdoms in the Fourteenth Century by E.W. Bovill

    1

    Golden Trade of the Moors: West African Kingdoms in the Fourteenth Century
    by E.W. Bovill

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    The best books on The Ghana - Ancient Ghana and Mali by Nehemiah Levtzion

    2

    Ancient Ghana and Mali
    by Nehemiah Levtzion

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    The best books on The Ghana - Social History of Timbuktu: The Role of Muslim Scholars and Notables 1400-1900 by Elias Saad

    3

    Social History of Timbuktu: The Role of Muslim Scholars and Notables 1400-1900
    by Elias Saad

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    The best books on The Ghana - Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples by David C. Conrad

    4

    Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples
    by David C. Conrad

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    The best books on The Ghana - Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa'di's Ta'rikh Al-Sudan down to 1613 and Other Contemporary Documents by John Hunwick

    5

    Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa'di's Ta'rikh Al-Sudan down to 1613 and Other Contemporary Documents
    by John Hunwick

The best books on The Ghana, Mali and Songhai African Empires, recommended by Michael Gomez

Long before the Europeans arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries, sub-Saharan West Africa saw the emergence of a series of African empires that lasted for centuries and stretched over vast swathes of the continent. They were known as the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires. Here, historian Michael Gomez discusses what led to their greatness, what sustained them and why they fell.

    Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction

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    Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction - War and Peace (Book) by Leo Tolstoy

    1

    War and Peace (Book)
    by Leo Tolstoy

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    Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

    2

    Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
    by Susanna Clarke

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    Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    3

    Things Fall Apart
    by Chinua Achebe

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    Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction - This September Sun by Bryony Rheam

    4

    This September Sun
    by Bryony Rheam

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    Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction - Kintu by Jennifer Makumbi

    5

    Kintu
    by Jennifer Makumbi

Tendai Huchu recommends the best Historical Fiction

What is historical fiction? Does it have to be historically accurate? Zimbabwean novelist Tendai Huchu talks us through five important examples of historical novels, including three set in Africa.

    The best books on Ancient Egypt, recommended by Toby Wilkinson

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt by John Baines and Jaromir Malek

    1

    Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt
    by John Baines and Jaromir Malek

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Ancient Egypt by Barry J. Kemp

    2

    Ancient Egypt
    by Barry J. Kemp

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Tutankhamun’s Armies by John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Manassa

    3

    Tutankhamun’s Armies
    by John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Manassa

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Akhenaten by Dominic Montserrat

    4

    Akhenaten
    by Dominic Montserrat

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids by Dorothea Arnold

    5

    Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids
    by Dorothea Arnold

The best books on Ancient Egypt, recommended by Toby Wilkinson

The Cambridge Egyptologist discusses his favourite works on Ancient Egypt, from the first book he bought on the subject to an authoritative coffee-table tome.

    The best books on Being White in Africa, recommended by Justin Cartwright

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    The best books on Being White in Africa - Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe

    1

    Anthills of the Savannah
    by Chinua Achebe

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    The best books on Being White in Africa - Disgrace by JM Coetzee

    2

    Disgrace
    by JM Coetzee

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    The best books on Being White in Africa - A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd

    3

    A Good Man in Africa
    by William Boyd

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    The best books on Being White in Africa - The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer

    4

    The Conservationist
    by Nadine Gordimer

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    The best books on Being White in Africa - Mister Johnson by Joyce Cary

    5

    Mister Johnson
    by Joyce Cary

The best books on Being White in Africa, recommended by Justin Cartwright

The award-winning novelist thinks Africans want to know how it is that white men have got their hands on all the money. He picks five books on what it means and meant to be white in Africa

    The best books on The Rwandan Genocide, recommended by Philip Gourevitch

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    The best books on The Rwandan Genocide - Life Laid Bare by Jean Hatzfeld

    1

    Life Laid Bare
    by Jean Hatzfeld

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    The best books on The Rwandan Genocide - Rwanda by Rakiya Omar

    2

    Rwanda
    by Rakiya Omar

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    The best books on The Rwandan Genocide - Le Tribunal des Vaincus by Thierry Cruvellier

    3

    Le Tribunal des Vaincus
    by Thierry Cruvellier

  • Read
    The best books on The Rwandan Genocide - The Discovery of the Source of the Nile by John Hanning Speke

    4

    The Discovery of the Source of the Nile
    by John Hanning Speke

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    The best books on The Rwandan Genocide - My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan

    5

    My Traitor's Heart
    by Rian Malan

The best books on The Rwandan Genocide, recommended by Philip Gourevitch

The journalist and author of We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, an account of the Rwandan genocide, explores five books on the events that left 800,000 dead in 100 days.

    The best books on Ancient Egypt, recommended by Elizabeth Frood

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt by Jan Assmann

    1

    Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt
    by Jan Assmann

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Visual and written culture in ancient Egypt by John Baines

    2

    Visual and written culture in ancient Egypt
    by John Baines

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - The Chapel of Ptahhotep by Paolo J. Scremin & Yvonne M. Harpur

    3

    The Chapel of Ptahhotep
    by Paolo J. Scremin & Yvonne M. Harpur

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - Village Life in Ancient Egypt by Andrea McDowell

    4

    Village Life in Ancient Egypt
    by Andrea McDowell

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    The best books on Ancient Egypt - The Tale of Sinuhe and other ancient Egyptian poems by Richard Parkinson

    5

    The Tale of Sinuhe and other ancient Egyptian poems
    by Richard Parkinson

The best books on Ancient Egypt, recommended by Elizabeth Frood

Egyptologist Elizabeth Frood recommends books that take us away from the elite context of Egyptian history and focus on the ‘normal’ lives of Egyptians.

    The best books on Africa through African Eyes, recommended by George Ayittey

  • Read
    The best books on Africa through African Eyes - Awakening Giant Africa by Charles Nhova

    1

    Awakening Giant Africa
    by Charles Nhova

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    The best books on Africa through African Eyes - Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo

    2

    Dead Aid
    by Dambisa Moyo

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    The best books on Africa through African Eyes - Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop

    3

    Precolonial Black Africa
    by Cheikh Anta Diop

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    The best books on Africa through African Eyes - Africa’s Greatest Entrepreneurs by Moky Makura

    4

    Africa’s Greatest Entrepreneurs
    by Moky Makura

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    The best books on Africa through African Eyes - Defeating Dictators by George Ayittey

    5

    Defeating Dictators
    by George Ayittey

The best books on Africa through African Eyes, recommended by George Ayittey

The Ghanaian economist George Ayittey denounces the failure of leadership and Western policy in Africa and explains what “African solutions to African problems” would mean in practice.

    The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Helon Habila

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    The best books on Nigeria - A Month and a Day by Ken Saro-Wiwa

    1

    A Month and a Day
    by Ken Saro-Wiwa

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    The best books on Nigeria - Aké by Wole Soyinka

    2

    Aké
    by Wole Soyinka

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    The best books on Nigeria - Dangerous Love by Ben Okri

    3

    Dangerous Love
    by Ben Okri

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    The best books on Nigeria - Home and Exile by Chinua Achebe

    4

    Home and Exile
    by Chinua Achebe

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    The best books on Nigeria - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    5

    Things Fall Apart
    by Chinua Achebe

The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Helon Habila

The award-winning Nigerian writer, Helon Habila, picks his favourite books about Nigeria.

    Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature

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    Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature - The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany & Humphrey Davies

    1

    The Yacoubian Building
    by Alaa Al Aswany & Humphrey Davies

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    Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature - On Being Abbas El Abd by Ahmed Alaidy & Humphrey Davies

    2

    On Being Abbas El Abd
    by Ahmed Alaidy & Humphrey Davies

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    Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature - Life Is More Beautiful than Paradise by Khaled al-Berry

    3

    Life Is More Beautiful than Paradise
    by Khaled al-Berry

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    Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature - Taxi by Khalid Al Khamissi

    4

    Taxi
    by Khalid Al Khamissi

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    Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature - Metro by Magdy El Shafee

    5

    Metro
    by Magdy El Shafee

Humphrey Davies recommends the best of Contemporary Egyptian Literature

One of the leading translators of contemporary Egyptian literature, Humphrey Davies, gives us his top choices.

    The best books on Africa, recommended by Michela Wrong

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    The best books on Africa - The Worst Date Ever by Jane Bussmann

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    The Worst Date Ever
    by Jane Bussmann

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    The best books on Africa - Dreams From my Father by Barack Obama

    2

    Dreams From my Father
    by Barack Obama

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    The best books on Africa - Britain in Africa by Tom Porteous

    3

    Britain in Africa
    by Tom Porteous

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    The best books on Africa - The Antelope's Strategy by Jean Hatzfeld

    4

    The Antelope's Strategy
    by Jean Hatzfeld

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    The best books on Africa - Africa Dances by Geoffrey Gorer

    5

    Africa Dances
    by Geoffrey Gorer

The best books on Africa, recommended by Michela Wrong

The long-time foreign correspondent and author of books on Zaire, Eritrea and Kenya tells us where to turn for engaging foreign perspectives on Africa. She picks the best books on Africa.

    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa, recommended by John Carlin

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - The Washing of the Spears by Donald R Morris

    1

    The Washing of the Spears
    by Donald R Morris

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - Move Your Shadow by Joseph Lelyveld

    2

    Move Your Shadow
    by Joseph Lelyveld

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - Age of Iron by JM Coetzee

    3

    Age of Iron
    by JM Coetzee

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - Mandela by Anthony Sampson

    4

    Mandela
    by Anthony Sampson

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - After Mandela by Alec Russell

    5

    After Mandela
    by Alec Russell

The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa, recommended by John Carlin

Nelson Mandela was a most unusual and unusually astute leader, says journalist and author of Playing the Enemy, John Carlin. He chooses the best books to understand Nelson Mandela, who used forgiveness as a political tool, and South Africa, the country he brought peacefully out of apartheid.

    The best books on Egypt and America, recommended by Lloyd Gardner

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    The best books on Egypt and America - American Orientalism by Douglas Little

    1

    American Orientalism
    by Douglas Little

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    The best books on Egypt and America - Quicksand by Geoffrey Wawro

    2

    Quicksand
    by Geoffrey Wawro

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    The best books on Egypt and America - The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

    3

    The Looming Tower
    by Lawrence Wright

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    The best books on Egypt and America - The Far Enemy by Fawaz A Gerges

    4

    The Far Enemy
    by Fawaz A Gerges

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    The best books on Egypt and America - Nasser: The Last Arab by Saïd K Aburish

    5

    Nasser: The Last Arab
    by Saïd K Aburish

The best books on Egypt and America, recommended by Lloyd Gardner

The historian reflects on the past 60 years of American involvement in Egypt and tells us, after the Arab Spring, what may make the coming years different

    The best books on South African Fiction, recommended by Imraan Coovadia

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    The best books on South African Fiction - A World of Strangers by Nadine Gordimer

    1

    A World of Strangers
    by Nadine Gordimer

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    The best books on South African Fiction - Waiting for the Barbarians by JM Coetzee

    2

    Waiting for the Barbarians
    by JM Coetzee

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    The best books on South African Fiction - Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe

    3

    Welcome to Our Hillbrow
    by Phaswane Mpe

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    The best books on South African Fiction - Spud by John van de Ruit

    4

    Spud
    by John van de Ruit

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    The best books on South African Fiction - Portrait with Keys by Ivan Vladislavic

    5

    Portrait with Keys
    by Ivan Vladislavic

The best books on South African Fiction, recommended by Imraan Coovadia

The South African novelist gives us an unvarnished view of the writer’s life, and explains how literature told the story of apartheid and why comedy is the easiest way to talk about race

    The best books on Identity in South Africa, recommended by Jonny Steinberg

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    The best books on Identity in South Africa - Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk

    1

    Agaat
    by Marlene van Niekerk

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    The best books on Identity in South Africa - Another Country by Karel Schoeman

    2

    Another Country
    by Karel Schoeman

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    The best books on Identity in South Africa - The Heart of Redness by Zakes Mda

    3

    The Heart of Redness
    by Zakes Mda

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    The best books on Identity in South Africa - Black Hamlet by Wulf Sachs

    4

    Black Hamlet
    by Wulf Sachs

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    The best books on Identity in South Africa - Native Nostalgia by Jacob Dlamini

    5

    Native Nostalgia
    by Jacob Dlamini

The best books on Identity in South Africa, recommended by Jonny Steinberg

The journalist and author discusses five books with strikingly different interpretations of what it means to be South African today, whether black or white

    The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity, recommended by Kevin Bloom

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    The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity - My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan

    1

    My Traitor's Heart
    by Rian Malan

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    The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity - Disgrace by JM Coetzee

    2

    Disgrace
    by JM Coetzee

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    The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity - Country of My Skull by Antjie Krog

    3

    Country of My Skull
    by Antjie Krog

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    The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity - Portrait with Keys by Ivan Vladislavic

    4

    Portrait with Keys
    by Ivan Vladislavic

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    The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity - Notes from the Middle World by Breyten Breytenbach

    5

    Notes from the Middle World
    by Breyten Breytenbach

The best books on Post-Apartheid Identity, recommended by Kevin Bloom

The award-winning South African writer Kevin Bloom discusses five books that bring light to post-apartheid South Africa with focus on the predicament of the white South African. Do whites ‘deserve’ to feel at home in their country?

    The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Michael Peel

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    The best books on Nigeria - Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe

    1

    Anthills of the Savannah
    by Chinua Achebe

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    The best books on Nigeria - Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

    2

    Leviathan
    by Thomas Hobbes

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    The best books on Nigeria - The Trial by Franz Kafka

    3

    The Trial
    by Franz Kafka

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    The best books on Nigeria - Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

    4

    Half of a Yellow Sun
    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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    The best books on Nigeria - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

    5

    A Fine Balance
    by Rohinton Mistry

The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Michael Peel

The FT's former West Africa correspondent talks us through five books that helped him to understand Nigeria.

    The best books on Colonial Africa, recommended by Sam Kiley

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    The best books on Colonial Africa - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    1

    Things Fall Apart
    by Chinua Achebe

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    The best books on Colonial Africa - Travels into the Interior of Africa by Mungo Park

    2

    Travels into the Interior of Africa
    by Mungo Park

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    The best books on Colonial Africa - The Scramble for Africa by Thomas Pakenham

    3

    The Scramble for Africa
    by Thomas Pakenham

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    The best books on Colonial Africa - Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

    4

    Petals of Blood
    by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

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    The best books on Colonial Africa - The Will to Die by Can Themba

    5

    The Will to Die
    by Can Themba

The best books on Colonial Africa, recommended by Sam Kiley

‘Wherever you go today in the Congo, you will find monstrous warlords. But you will find far more volunteer nurses and Red Cross workers and teachers who haven’t been paid for 20 years but are still doing their job, not allowing things to fall apart.’

    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe

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    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe - Mukiwa by Peter Godwin

    1

    Mukiwa
    by Peter Godwin

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    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe - Rainbow's End by Lauren St John

    2

    Rainbow's End
    by Lauren St John

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    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe - Harare North by Brian Chikwava

    3

    Harare North
    by Brian Chikwava

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    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe - Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

    4

    Nervous Conditions
    by Tsitsi Dangarembga

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    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe - House of Hunger by Dambudzo Marechera

    5

    House of Hunger
    by Dambudzo Marechera

Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe

Via five engrossing memoirs, the Zimbabwe-born journalist Georgina Godwin talks wistfully about her country; amongst the older generation, she says, there is a feeling that Rhodesia was sold down the river by Britain and things needn’t have turned out the way they did.

    The best books on South Africa, recommended by Alec Russell

  • Read
    The best books on South Africa - The Scramble for Africa by Thomas Pakenham

    1

    The Scramble for Africa
    by Thomas Pakenham

  • Read
    The best books on South Africa - Anatomy of a Miracle by Patti Waldmeir

    2

    Anatomy of a Miracle
    by Patti Waldmeir

  • Read
    The best books on South Africa - Playing the Enemy by John Carlin

    3

    Playing the Enemy
    by John Carlin

  • Read
    The best books on South Africa - Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred by Mark Gevisser

    4

    Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred
    by Mark Gevisser

  • Read
    The best books on South Africa - After the Party by Andrew Feinstein

    5

    After the Party
    by Andrew Feinstein

  • Read
    The best books on South Africa - Shades of Difference by Padraig O'Malley

    6

    Shades of Difference
    by Padraig O'Malley

The best books on South Africa, recommended by Alec Russell

World News Editor at the FT and Pulitzer Prize nominee discusses the struggles and triumphs of South Africa – the colonial scramble, the end of apartheid, Mbeki, Mandela and rugby, ANC corruption and more

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