Starred review from November 18, 2002
As the Washington Post's Johannesburg bureau chief
from 1995 to 1999, Duke covered some of the bloodier postcolonial wars of southern Africa as well as one of the most constructive struggles: the shaping of a postapartheid government. Her interviews with Mandela and Mobutu "bookend" even more eye-opening conversations with common folk: township women struggling for clean water, AIDS nurses battling superstitious villagers and even a quiet old Zulu man impressed to meet his "first foreign black folk." A consummate journalist, Duke gives readers concise but thorough background briefings on a country's relevant history before cutting to the chase: who's taken control now, why, and what that means for the balance of power. Except for some passing comments, it's not until the end that Duke explores her own complex relationship with the Africa she so clearly loves. As an African-American, she feels connected with the struggles she's reporting, while aware that being black does not make her Angolan, Ugandan or even African. She admires the positive—Mandela's commitment to peace, Tutu's spiritual force—but is equally willing to condemn the negative—Mbeki's blind eye to the AIDS epidemic, Kabila's opportunism, Hutu genocide squads, etc. As a frontline reporter, Duke never forgets "when the elephants fight, the grass suffers": political struggles on top often mean death and destruction for the ordinary working people down below. She deftly combines solid information and personal perspective to produce a powerful, readable chronicle. Agent, Faith Childs. (Jan. 21)Forecast: This informative book will speak to readers seeking to bring themselves up to speed on the recent history of southern Africa.
November 1, 2002
In this memoir, African American journalist Duke recounts her four-year sojourn during the 1990s as a correspondent in Africa. Whether she is visiting burned-out villages, recounting the devastation left by ruthless dictators, or celebrating the contributions made by ordinary Africans, Duke gets to the heart of the continent.
January 1, 2003
As an African American, " Washington Post" foreign correspondent, Duke had a unique perspective in covering stories in various countries in Africa. On one hand, being black allowed her access to places her white colleagues couldn't safely go. But on the other, in a country like racially divided South Africa, she faced many of the same prejudices from white settlers that Africans there had been facing for centuries. In the 1990s Duke covered stories in countries all over the continent, such as Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Congo-Zaire, and South Africa. Duke saw the devastation of a plane crashing into a market in Kinshasa and the maimed street children in Angola. In South Africa she witnessed the difficulties Nelson Mandela's postapartheid government faced: from the Afrikaners' resistance to change to the difficulties faced by attempts to integrate businesses and even national sports teams. She also saw the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in action--while it acknowledges the crimes of the past, it often exonerates unrepentant offenders. An invaluable, sharp-eyed look at Africa in the 1990s.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)