 “You must set forth at dawn” which is the third volume of Nobel prize-winner Wole Soyinka's memoirs. There is a set of African books collection from this author written about Nigerian tradition, cultural dispute and about Yoruba people from where he belongs. In early 1960s, at the early stage of his prominence, this endowed writer was involved in the critical Nigerian politics leading him to imprisonment. This volume of memoir is one of the mighty prison notebook.
A set of insightful experiences were placed in this book especially a depict of causal racism in 1950s that he experienced during the time of his study at Britain. When he was done with his studies abroad, he returned to the horizon of Nigeria to explore traditional drama. When he returned, he found colonialism at national borders describing the unreasonable whimsicality. He witnessed political corruption of Western Government and the assistance of British authorities fixing the pre-independence elections. In this book he composed how he was engaged and amplified his involvement in politics. As a political activist, he compiled moments as such stealing of presidential speech corresponding the Nigerian descent into Military dictatorship. He wrote about the Biafran war and deranged logic of bureaucracy within military dictatorship. He explicated corruption in the bloodline of the anticorruption soldiers. Wole Soyinka stayed very close to the focus of all events over the continent.
In this book the way he narrated wprds can be frustrating and desecrating as it involved personal experiences in his life but at the very end, it tells us something knowledgable about the history, people of Nigeria and the modern africa. This book represents anecdotes rather than any words from history, but the book never claims otherwise.
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 Death and the King's Horsemen by Wole Soyinka “Death and the king’s horseman” written by Wole Soyinka, inquires the cultural oppositions between the Yoruba traditions and the Western colonialism. The practice of ritualism in the Yoruba tradition becomes the focus point of that opposition when Elson, the king’s horseman, has to kill himself just before the king’s funeral for accompanying the honorable king into death. Basically the conflict takes place in Oyo whenever the district officer tries to stop the ritual killing. In the play, crown prince’s arrival in Nigeria supplements a tension. Such cultural practices were supposed to be wiped out by the colonialists. Accordingly the ritual killing becomes an embarrassment during the visit of the honorable crown prince outlining their unfitness for controlling the “natives”. The opposition between the Western colonialism and the Yoruba traditions performs a hierarchical relationship in between the Yoruba people and the colonialists. The dynamic power of the colonialists over house help, law enforcement etc. brings out an imbalance between the Yoruba and the colonialists. Another concern for power dynamic anticipates with Olunde (son of Elesin), Simon (district officer) and Jane (Simon’s wife). For the purpose of becoming a doctor, Simon and Jane together have endeavored to Olunde’s western education which causes an extreme difficulty between Olunde and his father Elesin.
According to Elesin, the colonialists act is an insult and his son Olunde, indoctrinated by the Western values alienates him from his own culture and traditions. Yes, despite the fact that Olunde has spent so many years in Europe, he fetches up in killing himself when his father, Elesin was arrested for stopping him from ritual killing. Does it mean that the Western education did not have any affect over Olunde? In conversation with Jane (District officer’s wife), Olunde evades to his life in Europe and narrates how the Europeans treated him. Olunde has seen the social strata back in Europe but remained indifferent.
When Elesin sees Olunde’s body, he commits suicide, but the killing attempt was not done in traditional ways. His death was compromised by the colonialists’ interference. In this play, one of the interesting aspects occurs with Amusa who is the district sergeant. There is a scene of this play; he visits to the compound and there Elesin was trying to make an attempt against any planned ritual killing. Elesin was bemocked and confronted by a market woman. In this scene, there is an apparent difference between the ways they speak. Amusa has a noted accent but the woman does not. What Wole Soyinka is trying to suggest here? Is he suggesting a fare difference between them? Colonialists usually engage different clans in oppose to each other for preventing unity among them so that they cannot stand against any colonialists. What is the case here in this scene? Why the writer impersonated this market woman with “grammatically-correct” English where Amusa was impersonated by a “Noted accent”?
This African book contrasts the cultural identity. The plot of idea and dramatic lines of the play form originality illustrating the modern civilized world and African tradition. The conception of the play and its historical background plots the presence of African background and directs the audience to view different perceptions in the same world.
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 Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness Anyone who would say that Wole Soyinka is not a great writer should be blind. Being a Nobel Prize recipient, Wole Soyinka proved his brilliance on an array of intellectual discourses. He is one of the most sought after literature icons that gave lectures in prestigious universities such as Harvard. As he started with fictional novels, he was able to appropriately set in issues of the contemporary on his works. Soon after, he delved into the real issues that the world is facing right now. His African books turned into a global piece affecting a higher number of individuals.
One of the most prominent works Wole Soyinka should be proud of is entitled The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute). This African book does not only speak of Africa but also the rest of the world. It poses the question ‘once repression stops, is reconciliation between oppressor and victim possible?’ Here in his literary work, he tries to battle slavery and political turmoil through his own ideologies and interpretation. This may not be your average African book but it entails a great deal of authenticity.
Putting it in perspective, having an African books review for this is quite of paper is a challenge since this is highly analytical and scholarly in nature. What I can say about this piece of literature is that it is made highly intellectual and not all people will be entertained. As an African books review specialist, Soyinka may have given a pretty good head start for the issue in slavery. It made debates on slavery possible and it is pretty exemplary. Though, the only downside of this paperwork is that it is done too intelligently.
Because of this piece being too analytical, more and more interpretations can be made leading to more confusion and discussions. It also turned unintelligent because it turned out to be hardly readable and understandable especially on the choice of words. Even if this piece is something to be celebrated, it still didn’t give enough meat on what the real turmoil is that’s present on the ground. Yet, Soyinka did a great job for being able to flesh out this kind of iconic artwork.
Overall, as to end my African books review on this literature, I can say that it is one of the greatest work not only by the author but also for other pieces as well. It grounded on one great issue that has been existent for decades and it is a great thing to mince it. Certainly, I have to say that Soyinka did a great job but he should at least form pieces that can be understood by everyone, not only the scholars and geniuses.
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 Myth, Literature and the African World Wole Soyinka As one of the best African novelists in the contemporary, Wole Soyinka stays very critical in detail and ensures that his facts about Africa is genuine. He does not merely include random African things, he fleshes out the rich culture and rituals that are being exercised in his area. He never fails to amaze his readers on how interesting his works become due to the new ideas that are shared by African traditions. Wole Soyinka also portrays real-life situations in his works to give light to current issues that gives an impact to Africa as a whole. It may be enclosed into another term but it is the same thing when it comes to Africa.
If you have heard of Wole Soyinka, you might have never missed his world-renowned piece entitled Myth, Literature and the African World (Canto). In this African book, Soyinka’s series of essays are compiled about Africa and its entirety. It talks about the different myths that Africa has and soon gives a clear interpretation and analysis. He also established the literature Diaspora that has been embedded on the minds of each and every African. After substantiating more on the myths and literature, he then subdues it into the whole idea of Africa’s cultures and traditions. This African book surely entails a lot of African details that is very useful for ethnography and self-enrichment.
Pacing through the pages, this African book can never be an ordinary travelling guide or pocketbook of facts. As an African books review for this literature, I can say that it has been done for the sole purpose of giving pride to the engraved virtues that lie beneath the thriving continent. It is not some know-it-all and how-tos for dummies, Soyinka carefully marvel us to a different world that we haven’t been through yet. Even the natives find it fascinating due to its strong grounds on African beliefs.
For an African books review, it is hard to look for books like this; books that share true and existing facts that enrich an individual with vivid imagination and knowledge. The book seemed strong on its first few pages but slowed when midway came. Yet, the end patterned the same excitement as how Soyinka does to his other books, fiction or not. There may be no pictures to visualize the ideologies he shared but the words are enough to keep us on the roller coaster ride.
In an overall note, if you want a book that speaks of true culture and artwork, you should read this. For me, this book has been the best book yet. With its contemporary feel plus the surge of African facts, it is a book I should keep with me all the time. This may be boring for some but if you are into true artwork, this African book is worth every penny.
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 Forest of Thousand Daemons by Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole, popularly known today as Wole Soyinka, is one of the few renowned African novelists across the globe. Being highly regarded when it comes to literature, Soyinka continues to excite his readers on the fast-paced vibe of his write-ups. When Wole Soyinka was asked how he wrote the novel Forest of a Thousand Daemons: A Hunter’s Saga, he immediately responded that he just thought about it and wrote down his idea on a piece of parchment. This little piece of crumpled paper soon turned a very stellar African book. It turned out that it was one of the best books written by Wole Soyinka.
This African book is all about an African hunter situated on a dreadful rainforest full of secrecy and mystery. Akara Ogun, the protagonist of the story, meets a lot of adversaries and superstitious objects that lead to a better understanding of his self. This 140-paged translated piece of work prided on its growing excitement and superb climactic end.
As for my African books review for this novel, I sought that the translation has given justice the real thing. The choice of words was vivid and almost similar how Wole Soyinka had written it. As the story starts to unveil, there were cloudy scenes where a mystery is tried to be fathomed. This African book started to bore me but when I landed on the 20th page, the adventure began. It started to get exciting as he ventures through the bewildered forest.
A lot of African books review remarked that the fictional creatures were the main thing that made the book a page-turner but I didn’t really buy the thought of the superstitious characters. Yet, it was introduced in a manner suited to be read because it entails a deeper interpretation that affects the protagonist along the way.
The end was a landslide. It was there where all the trivial mysteries were unleashed and all the doubts and disbelief were put to rest. By that, the protagonist garnered complete peace of mind and he learned more about his true self. Even if it wasn’t really a fistful end, it gave the impression that books do not necessarily need to end with a lose-win scenario. It can still be mysterious to keep the readers wonder and marvel with the piece of artwork.
I have to say that this African book, in general, may not be the best book published by Wole Soyinka but it was entirely exemplary. It showed a different side of Africans that makes it more fascinating for the readers. This book speaks of how life can be patterned by our own doing and that to find peace; we should embrace our own being. You may find this novel to be strange but I see it to be one meaningful manuscript filled with emotions.
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 Aké: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka is known world wide as an outstanding poet, novelist, critic and above all a Noble Price winner. But many people don't really know the writer's personal life or anything about this wonderful African author. So in Aké: The Life of Childhood, Wole Soyinka gives us, gives the world and insight to his magnificent to say the least childhood from the time he was 4 years old till the time he turned 10 years old. He gives us the chance to get to know the early life of the world renown writer that he is and to relate our own childhood to his autobiography Aké: The Years of Childhood.
I personally don't like and don't read autobiographies very often because I always think they are not that compelling, but this one is an exception. Even though it opens up with a little confusing first chapter that can almost leave the reader perplexed, the next and following chapters, flow very naturally and you are taking into the life of a little boy growing up in the land of Abeokuta in Eastern Nigeria. His adventures, worries, fears and wonders can be felt in the way Wole Soyinka very realistically puts them in a prose style very unique to him and one of those things that make him a great writer. Telling us about his own life, the writer seems to have found his purest voice, and tells his own story as no one else could have.
In this eloquently written autobiography, Soyinka shows us what life is all about growing up in a small village in Africa, more specifically Nigeria a time when colonization was at its apex and at the same time glaring away. We get an African child's perspective on the topic of colonization from a purest and unbiased point. Also we are given a an insight to a child's mind on such deep topics as Hitler and a women's role in the society. Filled with characterization, anecdotes, Yoruba (an African, Nigerian language) and many interesting and funny incidents, Wole Soyinka tells us of his changing village and Nigeria in general from a traditional, conservative African culture into a more modernized, Westernized and materialistic one as he describes the village market as changing from "procession of magicians" to rows of "fantasy stores lit by neon and batteries of coloured bulbs" where the "blare of motor-horns compete with a high-decibel outpouring of rock and funk and punk and other thunk-thunk from lands of instant-culture heroes."
I would recommend this autobiography to people of all age who can understand the kind of language used by Soyinka in this book. It is a piece of entertainment and uplifting joy that goes above an autobiography. and as the New York Times puts it "A classic of African autobiography, indeed a classic of childhood memoirs wherever and whenever produced." -- The New York Times Book Review
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 Facing The Lion by Joseph Lamasulai Lekuton Facing The Lion is a book that tells the story of Joseph Lemasulai, the writer, an African boy from Kenya, from his a cattle rearing days in his village and with his tribes men Maasai, to his missionary boarding school days, and his college and journey to the US where he now lives and teaches in Virginia. It is the dream story of each African child but from the difference that Joseph Lemasulai virtually moved from grass to grace. It is the story of a self accomplishing individual whose hard work and aspirations are paid of with the help of the mission and society in general, and who despite the success, accomplishment and journey to the far West does not forgets his roots.
In Facing The Lion, Lemasulai tells the world in a style that captures the readers attention and keeps you reading till the end, what life is like growing up in a nomadic village in Africa specifically Kenya, where life centers basically around the raising and grazing of cattle. Even though Facing The Lion is that of the Maasai tribe, it can be related to almost all African nomadic communities. And this story though specific to an individual is the story of each and every child in Africa that lives up to his dream and works hard to achieve it and at the end is rewarded accordingly and without any regrets or self pity, looks back in time and tries to relate to a culture, a people a tribe and a continent and does every effort to help make better up the livelihood of fellow tribesmen in a positive way.
Though seen as a story for kids, I find this book so interesting and inspiring that I believe even adults of all age can draw some inspiration, knowledge, reference and self discovery. This book is so captivating that you will want to finish reading it before you stop and it is a must read for all those who love to see life in the eyes of others or to live the life of others through a book. Reading this book you will literally see, experience and live the life of Joseph Lemasulai Lekuton. I personally recommend to all ages and people. Have a good read and enjoy the stories from Africa the mysterious continent. of rites and traditions. In this book you will find lots to your satisfaction.
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 Climate Of Fear by Wole Soyinka Climate of Fear: The Quest for Dignity in a Dehumanized World is an outstanding, powerful and intellectual work derived from Nobelist and human rights fighter Wole Soyinka's five seminal lectures at the Royal Institution in London in March 2004, published by Random House Trade Paperbacks in January, 2005. In Climate of Fear, Wole Soyinka tries to explain that, world politics is primarily driven by fear. He distinguishes the different kind of terror we have now and the one we had some time back during the cold war period where fear was synonymous of a dictatorial, tyrannical or abusive regime, and could hence be point at and recognized as such. And in that gear could therefore be avoided, dealt with, or simply find ways to move along with it. Because fear had a name or at least a representation.
And from this he tries to explain that the climate of fear we are living in nowadays is completely different in the light of the emergence of terrorists groups which he explain did not start in September 11th 2001 but can be traced as far back as 1989 when a UTA passenger plane was brought down over The Republic of Niger. And from Niger to Manhattan and Europe, the world have become more conscious of the new climate of fear which as Soyinka explains is brought about by terrorist groups driven by religious and political ideologies and as such cuts across races and citizens and makes everyone of us a potential target.
He moves forward to analyse the implications of this new climate of fear on the individual, the society and the state as a whole, the conflict between power and freedom and the roles they play in our every day life, and the motives behind such acts of violence. In Climate of Fear Wole Soyinka raises a handful of questions and names our contemporary conditions but fails to provide solutions to these questions or conditions. This book is a must have and must read if you want to get some insights into our contemporary world no matter how disturbing they may be and the state of mind of people living in this climate of fear. This is another master piece from one of Africa's most brilliant writers and I personally recommend it to all who loves reading well analyse and explains facts as it is not as it may favor one or two people.
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 The Slave Trade by Hugh Thomas The slave Trade written by Hugh Thomas is a 900 pages book that tries to give a detailed and documented account of the history of the South Atlantic slave trade that took place along the coast of Africa between 1440-1870. In his account of the events of a sordid and inhuman trade that somehow went on under the auspices of those whom today are considered the greatest champions of liberty such as Voltaire, Hume, Swift etc for four centuries, The author detaches himself emotionally from the volatile subject matter and focuses on explaining in a unique style why the slave trade at that time was socially, economically and politically acceptable. The book judging by it's size (900 pages) covers all aspects of the slave trade from the early days of the 16th century when great commercial houses were set up throughout Europe to the 1713 Peace Treaty of Utrecht, which gave the British the right to import slaves into the Spanish Indies. The account also includes the anti-slavery patrols of the 19th century and the final decline and abolition in the early 20th century.
Hugh Thomas in his account of the slave trade through the skillful analyses and provision of financial documents, official reports and first hand accounts, tries to show how people from all societies, from African kings and Arab slave traders to European and Americans leaders and over lords at the time where engage in the slave trade. He also paints a detailed but vivid portrait of the slave trade and how it took place, from the raiding and capturing of slaves by some African kings to the buying of the slaves by the Arab traders, their transportation to the coast lines and their selling and buying at the coast by Americans and Europeans and transportation under inhuman conditions to the New World to work in plantations, and their conditions and treatments while in the plantations.
Thomas also in a very clever manner addresses the question why England quickly changed it's policy on slave trade around the 1800's. He brings to light several individuals such as Pitt, Wilberforce, Benjamin Franklin and Marquis de Lafayette who worked in several different ways politically, and also anti-slavery philosophers such as Montesquieu, Hume, Adam Smith and Burke, who worked long, hard and seemingly against the odds for the abolition of slave trade if not slavery itself.
Thomas closes the book with the end of Cuban involvement in the trade as Britain decided as a strategy to put a complete end to the slave trade to forcibly occupy some African states, thus setting the grounds for the eventually even worser evil than the one whey were trying to end, the "colonization" of the African continent. Even though the epilogue tells us that as late as 1980, there were still over 90,000 blacks, Africans reported as slaves to Arab masters.
This book is a must read for all those who would like to know more about the slave trade for an informative or educative purpose, it is one of a kind when it comes to dealing with or relating the history of the slave trade. For every African it is a source of valuable historical and informative knowledge, for every American or European it is an eye opener to one of the most inhumane practices mankind has ever been put through and can give you a different perspective into the African continent.
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I am writing this blog post just for the purpose of clarification on what is understood to be and classified under the section of African books on this website. An African book as referred to on this website is a book written by an African author. An African author is anybody who recognizes his or himself as African either by virtue of birth or nationality.
This means that anybody no matter the race or ethnicity that takes up residence in an African country or naturalizes as an African is considered an African author and given the credits that be for all his/her work irrespective of whether they treat a theme about Africa or not. An as such all their books will be classified and reviewed as an African book. Also a book is considered an African book if it is exclusive to an African theme.
This means that all books written about Africa or treating a particular theme that is exclusive to the African continent such as the Atlantic slave trade, African languages or culture, African colonization etc, will be considered as an African book and reviewed under the African books section.
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