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A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa

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Reporting from the ground in several trouble-prone nations, Howard French explains how sub-Saharan Africa is still being subjected to the whims of the outside world. Former rounds of slavery and colonialism are simply continuing under a new form of domination based on facilitating far-off political games, and enriching multinational corporations through the shameless appropriation of natural resources. All the while, the people of Africa continue to be exploited and forgotten by the rest of the world. French does find one (partially) happy success story in Mali, whose hardworking people have started a homegrown move toward democracy with nonexistent interest or support from outside. However, much of this book covers the violence and mayhem that still afflict much of Africa, displaying the lingering legacies of colonialism and economic exploitation.

Included here are quick examinations of the relentless political corruption in the potentially successful Nigeria, which has a strong population and political culture but also the corrupting influence of Western corporate profiteering; and the sorry subversion of democratic progress by violent local warlords in sleepy Congo-Brazzaville. French writes many pages on the catastrophic civil war in Liberia, fueled by drug-addicted teenage soldiers and genocidal competing dictators. In the process French devastatingly debunks the rebel leader Charles Taylor, who has become a supposed American poster boy for democratic reform.

The greatest part of the book is based on French's knowledge of events in Congo (formerly Zaire), including stirring eyewitness accounts of the 1997 insurrection that toppled the despicable lifetime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who had also been an American favorite. The best aspects of this book are French's very well informed (though sometimes bitter) examinations of American policy toward Africa's ceaseless problems, which are often based on pillow talk about democracy and capitalism while actually supporting bloodthirsty dictators and weaseling out of taking action during humanitarian catastrophes. This illuminating and occasionally gut-wrenching account of Africa's continuing misery does offer some rays of hope, in that there could be salvation for Africa if the outside would simply stop exploiting the continent and try to truly understand it. [~doomsdayer520~]

It would have been a gigantic undertaking to write Howard W. French's kind of book about all of Africa. Africa is, after all, a large continent with the greatest diversity in species, ecosystems, peoples, languages and histories. French does not attempt such a challenge. His primary focus is the part of Africa that he knows best, Central Africa, and its complex history since independence. While he draws some general conclusions for Africa, resulting from the colonial carving up of the continent, his concern are the events in "the heart of Africa". Given the common misconception that Africa can be regarded as one unitary region, the title "A Continent for the Taking" strikes me as somewhat unsuitable and the subtitle as misleading. Only a few chapters relate French's travels in other countries, all in West Africa, and almost all struggling with their own post-colonial catastrophes such as Sierra Leone and Liberia. One notable exception is Mali where recent history has demonstrated that democratic development is possible despite political, environmental challenges and severe poverty of the vast majority of the population. Here, French finds some of hope among the tragedies.

French feels privileged for his position given his personal background and family connections in and to the region. As West Africa representative for the New York Times between 1994 and 1998, he traveled extensively in the region. The book records one major political crisis after another: most of those happened to occur in Zaire in the last years of Mobutu's reign.

French complements his current affairs coverage with reflections on the impacts of colonial history and political power play during the Cold War. While he places the responsibility of much of the ongoing crisis in the region at the feet of the former colonial powers, especially Belgian's King Leopold, his outspoken critique is particularly poignant regarding the US and its philosophy of "African Solutions for African Problems". Supporting authoritarian strongmen and dictators, he argues, has been more important for American foreign policy than promoting nascent democracy and the protection of human rights. Despite the known brutality and rampant frauds of Mobutu's regime, he was only dropped from the list of "acceptable" African leaders when another equally ruthless strongman, Laurent Kabila, stood at the gates of Kinshasa, the capital. French was also a close and disparaging observer of the US welcome for Kabila as the new president.

French writes with great empathy and passion for the peoples living in Central Africa, the two Congos, one of them the former Zaire, as well as the displaced refugees from Rwanda. They are the real victims of the regimes and the continuing power plays by western governments. These are more interested, he suggests, in the exploitation of rich natural resources, oil, diamonds and metals, than in good governance and democratic participation by the population. For example, French follows groups of desperate Hutu refugees from one camp to another exposing the participation of the Rwandan army (post genocide) in massacres and violence against the refugees and related tribal groups in Eastern Zaire. He laments the Rwandan government's continuing profound involvement with the events in Zaire/Congo and explores the reasons why the US administration failed to intervene.

He interleaves his investigative reporting of events with descriptions of his encounters with many individuals, whether opposition leaders, artists, Hutu refugees or just plain village folk suffering from the fighting in their surroundings. His direct approach invites the reader to follow his travels into remote areas of the lush rainforests or the wide ranging savanna. He focuses our attention on the individuals he meets and their circumstances. Reflecting their perspectives on local events, he lets them convey their views directly in dialogue with him.

It is somewhat disappointing that an important book like French's, published in 2004, stops in 1998 when he left his position in the region. One can appreciate his frustration and sense his exhaustion from four years of crisscrossing the difficult terrain. Nevertheless, the reader would have greatly benefited from and expected some kind of epilogue on the various events still unfolding when he described them. Also, for those not that familiar with the contemporary history of Central Africa, a summary of historical chronology would have assisted in placing the events described more comprehensively. [Friederike Knabe, Ottawa Canada]

A well written work that delivers unusual insight into the peculiar political situation in Africa. Howard French brings to bear his deep understanding of the continent. This book is a must-read for anybody seriously interested in understanding the true socio-political dynamics of Africa. Unlike most books about Africa that are written by foreigners, it avoids the condescending know-it-all attitude that gets many Africans mad.

More importantly, French is not shy about pointing out the role played (and still being played) by many western powers and multinational corporations in fostering the instability and and conflict that has plagued Africa.

The one criticism I have is that the book deals so much with the Congo crisis and with conflicts in Africa in general, but does not adequately address key positive developments that also took place. Perhaps, Mr. French will address those in a second volume.

All in all, Mr. French deserves commendation for writing such an honest and deeply incisive book.

I became so immersed reading this book, I missed my subway stop to transfer uptown. The 7 train took me into Queens. This is a must read for anybody who wants to learn more about Africa. If we all appreciated and built on the real hope of Africa, there wouldn't be so much tragedy.

This book, combined with "The Shadow of the Sun" by Ryszard Kapuscinski illuminates a part of the world that most Americans who think they follow current events well (like myself?) really don't know much about. I recommend reading the Kapuscinski book first as it will give you a better understanding of the events related in Mr. French's book. Both are excellent and worth reading to understand what happens in Africa.

This book is a great counter argument to some of the recently popular literature that has been written on Africa by academics who have not spent significant time on the continent. (The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs, The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto, The White Man's Burden by William Easterly amongst other). French paints a vivid picture of what life is like in war-torn African countries. Understanding these realities is all that is needed to make Sachs' innovation/technology solution and de Soto's property rights solution irrelevant.

This book was recommended to me by the director of an African NGO when I started working there, like so many others, eager to help implement the most recent round of proposed solutions for African poverty. After reading it, I understand why. It is a must read for any young (actually or at heart) idealists who want to (and think they can) change the world.

Part travel memoir, part history book, and part political analysis, this richly written look at contemporary Africa should be required reading for every future politician. French, who has travel extensively in Africa and who obviously loves it deeply, not only describes the current problems many African nations face, but takes us beyond those problems back to the history that led up to them -- a history soaked in centuries of Western manipulation, greed, and convenience. The result has been a never ending spiral of ever-deepening crisis, not just political, but also economic, agricultural, and social. African nations with their own functional and growing governments and cultures were stomped to pieces by Western nations with an eye on more colonization. And when the West got tired of having to deal with them, it just "liberated" them, dumped them, and, in many places, left them in a state of absolute chaos from which they are still struggling to emerge.

This is an informed, deeply sympathetic portrayal of Africa, a continent that is endlessly fascinating and incredibly compelling. I go through periodic phases these days during which I lose all hope for Africa -- it just seems so impossibly clouded with the thick smog of several lifetimes' worth of lost chances. But French -- French has hope. And so do the people he tells us about. And that's pretty darn refreshing, not to mention inspiring. Now all we need to do is make this book required reading for the rest of the world -- and then to get off our butts and start actually listening to what Africa is trying to tell us.

Africa is a continent that the west has ignored. French's volume provides an intimate introduction to some of the problems faced in Africa. More importantly, the book provides an outstanding critique of how the complacency of the west has contributed to the problems that Africa faces. Perhaps this volume will contribute to a more open and honest dialogue about the moral responsibility that Europe and the United States have to counter the exploitation of the continent. But what I like most about French's volume is that it is told from the first person perspective. You know his biases and his emotions. But you also know his commitment to seeing justice in Africa.

An excellent book.

I will admit up front I don't know much about contemporary Africa outside of newspaper and other reporting. But I do have a fascination with the continent that got me to read Mr. French's book. I think this has been addressed by other reviewers, but this book is about what Howard French saw in his years reporting from Western and Central Africa, and not meant to be an encompassing report on African affairs.

What Howard French does talk about in his book will surely make the reader question the role of western countries, particulaly the ex-colonialists and the United States in the current state of affairs. While another reader criticized the long discussion of Zaire and the end of Mobutu's reign, I found that part particularly fascinating. He mentioned things that I frankly didn't know and am now just opening my eyes to what actually occured with the rise of Kabila. That the U.S. basically shut its eyes to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of Hutu refugees to assuage its guilt in the Rwanda genocide is scandalous. Why hasn't there been more outrage in the west?

I think this is what Mr. French wanted us to feel after reading this book. I come out of it with a greater sense of sympathy for all Africans and hope someday they will achieve the prosperity and greatness they seek and deserve.

A CONTINENT FOR THE TAKING by Howard W. French is a riveting documentary of Africa, which in essence is the forgotten continent that can lay claim to being part of the beginning of civilization. Throughout the ages, the customs and the culture of the country's inhabitants have been abused. An unforgettable are the people who were imprisoned and transported to other countries and enslaved. The history and depth of today's African countries is told vividly in A CONTINENT FOR THE TAKING.

Howard W. French gives an eyewitness account of many issues facing the countries of Africa, past and present. The book charts a journey to the Congo, Liberia, Niger, West Africa and other areas of Africa. He describes the plight of the people, political corruptions, rebel fighting, and civil war-torn villages. Mr. French takes us through page after page of the Western influences and the continuing neglect of the African people, health care crisis and the dictators who are still ravaging the countryside

The economic exploitations of hardworking natives by local warlords, and the apathy of countries are depicted as well. Western investors ravage the rich land resources with little monetary returns to the country. Although there is some international support, health care and economic development programs that are being provided for parts of Africa, you're left to conclude that it is still not enough for the entire tribal population within the country.

A CONTINENT FOR THE TAKING by Howard W. French is a wonderfully written book that reminds you of the history and culture of a proud civilization that have struggled and survived for many centuries. Photographs are displayed in the center of the book, bringing the reader closer to the faces and culture of the land and people. The pride and dignity is still evident today, regardless of the underdeveloped conditions. A must read to remind us that we are still one nation under God.

Reviewed by Kalaani
of The RAWSISTAZ™Reviewers