My sister and I read this book in preparation for a four month trip to africa, of which two months was spent on bikes. This book was the single most useful, common-sense guide we read in all of our preparation - both for biking, and just generally getting by in Africa. Really - read this!

This is the best handy-dandy guide to tour preparation that I have ever read (and I have probably read most of them). It is written with a wealth of experience behind the pearls of wisdom and that experience comes shining through on each section.

Concentrating on Africa, Mozer has outlined all of the things that have to be considered when preparing oneself and one's bicycle for a trip to a foreign country. In addition to covering the general prep, visas, inoculations, currency, etc., the author outlines how much one can benefit from experiencing the country on its terms rather than yours. I think he sums it up perfectly, with respect to Africa, when he says "...the essential difference between western and African culture is that Africans are concerned with the form of life and westerns dwell on the content."

Mozer uses a perfect blend of sensible advice and anecdotes in this easy to read manual. Whether or not you are planning an African tour, I think this manual is worth a read.

Mr. Jacobs captures the lies and deceit that Nation states engage in when resource control is the objective. In this case..oil. The sad part is that the material costs in human lives is unforgivable.

We tend to remember Vietnam as the defining event of the late 60's and early 70's, but Biafra was and is ultimately more heartbreaking to contemplate, because it is nearly forgotten, even though millions died. Jacobs tells a story of valor and treachery, of relief pilots and aid workers who risked death everyday so that they could bring medicine and food into the oil-rich Biafran separatist enclave, which was completely surrounded by a huge and vengeful, British-backed Nigerian military machine bent on the Biafrans' extinction.

The book is detailed but doesn't plod, and we follow along as an ethnic pogrom festers into a civil war, and ultimately a holocaust. Along the way, all the vaunted fail-safes of our modern world, from the U.N., to the Red Cross, to the liberal governments of the U.S. and the U.K., actually aid and abet the Nigerians, and exacerbate the Biafrans' plight and prolong their agony. The U.S.S.R., long falsely seen as an anti-imperialist engine for African liberation, cynically plays its hand as cruelly as anyone else, providing military and technical assistance to the Federal Government of Nigeria whenever the West loses their stomach for it.

When millions are dead, and so many are culpable, one feels it's unfair to assign blame to any single party, but blame must be assigned. Everyone's responsible, all the way back to the imperialists who so ineptly drew the borders of what were to emerge as completely unworkable national entities. Perhaps "state failure" in Africa will ultimately be the force which credibly redraws the boundaries, but in Nigeria's case, that will only happen when the oil runs out. And Lord how high the cost will be.

It is great novel written by Dr. Nmutaka Okongwu. Reading this novel will teach anyone about the lessons in life and especially for those who are living abroad and now coming back to their homeland. It is well written and concise. Read it, and you will learn some valuable lessons.

Nmutaka Okongwu has done a fabulous job describing the different variables that play such a large role in the evolution of the "Ekuke Syndrome". It is truly wonderful how this book shows Afam dealing with the end results of the "Ekuke Syndrome" in the future, while also taking us back in time, through the wonderful story of Aro Ugani that plays out the origins and series of events from which the Syndrome evolved. I definitely recommend this book. It is wonderfully written and flows very well through time (you will see what I mean). I believe many have seen or lived through the ill effects of what has become of societies that looked outward instead of inward. The "Ekuke Syndrome" brings this to light and makes you think. Many will be able to relate some part of their lives to the lessons taught in the book.

For several years I had been trying to find some books of valid and substantial merit dealing with Yisra'elim or Jews in West Africa. Truly, this books is a very good collection of various accounts of people who professed to believe that varioius peoples in Africa were of Hebrew or Yisra'elee stock.

The accounts of the various customs of the Ashanti were very interesting. The story of Eldad ben-Mahli the Danite was also very insightful. The Ntora account....fascinating. The letter from the Ashanti queen mother to the queen of England concerning the Seventh Day (Shabbat) being the day of the Creator....WOW! This book really helps my research in this area. It is interesting that once I got this book, other sources started to open up to me, and to think this book was published in 1930! How has this book been overlooked for so long?

The book also does not go down the path of claiming that all Africans are Hebrews or Yisra'eleem, and does not get into a racist flare either. This book goes down the path that some or many Africans could be of Hebrew or Yisra'el stock because of the type of contact that existed in ancient times between peoples. The conclusion is very interesting also.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously researching this subject of early accounts of Yisra'eleem in Africa. After reading much of this I had to proclaim, "Barukh attah Adonai Elohim Melekh ha`Olam!"

This book is a goldmine of information that uncovers Hebrewisms in African rituals and history all over Africa. It is also connected with some very recent research by antoher Amazon.com writer, Dr. Linda Thomas of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. As an anthropologist/theologian, she studied water purification rituals among Africans in Uguleto, South Africa. These rituals are very close to those in the Old Testament. The content in Dr. Williams' book further connects these types of rituals as they occur throughout the continent Africa. It is an amazing breakthrough in research.

I have used the contents of this book in many interesting ways. Just the other day, I was talking with an 80-year old woman at church, whose mother came from Madagascar, as a slave. I was able to share with her some of the information in the book about the Hebrewisms found in the Africans of Madagascar (some of whom were brought to South Africa as slaves by the Dutch). I was able to tell her that it may be possible that her ancestors might have descended from the ancient Black Jews of Canaan, who migrated down through Africa at various points in their history, and whose Jewish rituals were discovered by various historians at various periods. She is an African American. This is not the first time that I have presented this information in order to establish the fact that Jesus Christ, and the Jews of the Old Testament in many ways, were ancestors of the Africans who were brought here, from all over the continent of Africa as slaves.

It should be in the collection of every researcher into the history of Africans on the continent and throughout the Diaspora.

A huge ebony tree stands in the center of the village of Tombakonda. Its hard trunk seems impenetrable. A beautiful young girl lives in the village and many men come to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Her father wishes his daughter to marry a man of strength. The girl wishes for a man with more gifts than just strength. With her father's permission, she sets a challenge. She will marry the man whose arrow penetrates the ebony tree. Many men try, but none succeed until one day a young hunter comes to the village who enlists the helps of friends to win his heart's desire.

Author/illustrator Nelda LaTeef uniquely captures the essence of an African folk tale, bringing it vividly to life for children of all audiences. The classic tale of wisdom and cunning to achieve one's goal serves a delightful lesson of encouragement to young readers. The combination of acrylic and collage for the illustrations lends the page a marvelous texture and depth. My young American audience, ages five and eight, found this to be a wonderfully entertaining tale that they ask for again and again. THE HUNTER AND THE EBONY TREE comes very highly recommended.

Wonderfully written for young readers ages 5 to 9 by Nelda LaTeef, The Hunter And The Ebony Tree is an authentic African folk tale brought to life in picturebook form with LaTeef's remarkable, shape-centered full-color illustrations. The Hunter And The Ebony Tree is the story of a hunter who must demonstrate intelligence, skill, and loyal friends to overcome challenges and win the hand of a wise young woman makes for enjoyable reading aloud to young folks. The Hunter And The Ebony Tree is enthusiastically recommended for family, school, and community library folk tale and picturebook collections.

I've recently read the "autobiography" "West With The Night" for a Hight School history class. While I found Markham's book to be a beautifuly spun story of growing up in colonial Kenya and life in the early 1900s, this book left me with more questions than answers. On digging deeper, I found that this book was written by her third husband, Raoul Schumacher. Also, I found that many interesting and scandalous parts of her life had been omitted from this historical tale. However, these things do not change the fact the "West With the Night" is a completly enrapturing tale of a very strong, determined woman. I only advise that you take this story with a grain of salt; and then go read the book "The lives of Beryl Markham" by Errol Trzebinski to get the real deal.

Beryl Markam's controversial "West with the Night" gives a vivid, personal view of life in colonial Kenya. A geat aviator and race horse trainer, Beryl Markham gives new life to women everywhere.

This book provides more information and insight on the daily life and culture of the people of Sierra Leone than anything else in print. Its descriptions of the terrain, climate, economy, and politics give such a life to the narrative that the reader is absorbed to the degree that it is hard to put the book down until the last page has been read. I was left wishing that the author had written more. It reads like a historical novel. It is both entertaining and educational. It is exciting and it is tragic, but most of all it is inspirational. It speaks of sacrifice and faith that result in an amazing story in which thousands of lives are changed for the better as they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

God sent the O'keefes into the poorest nation in the world, torn with strife and political corruption. In spite of all the adversity, they established 53 churches. A moving, touching true story of how God used these unselfish missionaries for twenty-four years in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

If you are at all interested in conservation, then you have to read this book. John Oates shows how the modern concept of community based conservation that looks so good on paper, in reality has been a dismal failure in West Africa. He provieds several examples from his 30 year long career in West Africa. He shows that you have to be realistic when designing conservation programs, and that many people making conservation decisions are more interested in prestige and money than they are in preserving natural ecosystems. It is sad when you read that the World Wildlife Fund conservation planners are not interested to even go see the areas that they are supposed to protect. The intrinsic value of nature is a hard sell, but finally the utilitarian view of nature seems to always lead to exploitation, and increased pressure on the areas that are supposed to be protected. He also very clearly demonstrates that the idea of using zoos for conservation is a bad one. Zoos are probabally the best way to educate the public about conservation, but are very poor ways to protect species, in fact zoos can even do more harm that good. This book really open your eyes, the situation isn't hopeless, but if conservation projects in Africa are going to work, then it has to be done with a realistic approach and the intrinsic value of nature needs to be on the fore front of the effort.

This is a must read for environmentalist, conservationists and everyone who donates money to the cause of saving endangered species. From Oates own experiences in Africa and Asia, Oates tells us how the myth of sustainable development is failing to protect species and parks. He informs us about that what is needed is a return to protecting nature for its own sake. It is a well written book that weaves personal history with the history of the conservation organizations that are telling us they are "saving life on earth." The reality is they are failing and they must change tactics and soon.

As a devotee of Oshun..I just could not put this book down. I have re-read several articles within the book. Some accounts will bring you to tears,while others will guide you straight to the river banks of Our mothers home in praise of her love for us. It is a must in your library Omo Osun! Ore Yeye O!

This work, a compilation of various pieces by a diverse group of authors, is easily the best single book on the Orisa Osun that has been presented in English. Not only are many different traditions (Ifa, Lukumi, Candomble, etc.) represented, but Osun's multifaceted presence is expressed through a variety of eyes - all sharing small pieces of a much larger whole. I was particularly impressed with the pieces by Abiodun and Abimbola and found the ideas presented to be fascinating. The book has several wonderful pictures, a great number of chants and Odu verses and a wealth of information. I waited for quite some time for this book to be released and it was well worth the wait!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the wonderful Orisa Osun!!

This book is laugh-out-loud-hilarious. The first time I read this story, I was giggling so hard that I could barely speak. A very cute story for young and old alike.

This rhythmic story to keeps cleverness of monkeys while "love conquers all". King Gorilla discovers a keg of vinegar water. He challenges anyone who can drink this new kind of water..can marry King Gorilla's beautiful daughter. (Catchy) All fail but the clever monkey(s). In the end she only marries for love.
A must-do story for you teller of tales!