I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation (P.S.) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Whenever I land in Asmara, a novel read in adolescence comes to mind..." (more)
Key Phrases: Haile Selassie, Red Sea, Soviet Union (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Much like Wrong's In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz (2001), covering the reign of Zaire's brutal dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, this book taps at the world's conscience, asking who is to blame for the suffering and neglect of postcolonial African states; it takes Eritrea as case study—and victim. A veteran Africa correspondent for the Financial Times, Wrong writes in a pointedly digressive style full of narrative side roads that accommodate a daunting level of geographical and historical detail. Historical highlights include a colorful profile of the late 19th-century writer and Italian parliamentarian Ferdinando Marini that draws on his extensive memoirs about his tenure as the first civil governor of the region as an Italian colony. The early 1960s conflict, occupation and independence of this small neighbor to Ethiopia also make for a terrible, gripping story, including border disputes and bloody war with Ethiopia. A complicated history so punctuated with violence is not exactly easy to read about, but the author's extraordinary grasp of the postcolonial psyche and tormented national identity of this country makes it fascinating. Agent, Joy Harris.(June 14)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From The Washington Post

National identity is always woven out of many different strands: ethnicity, language, religion, geography, culture, economy and history. An outsider struggling to convey the essence of another nation's character may be tempted to simplify -- a temptation to which the British journalist Michela Wrong succumbs in her new book. I Didn't Do It for You portrays the east African state of Eritrea as a product of but one strand of its national tapestry: its history.

Eritrea's history, she writes, is a story "about betrayal, repeated across the generations, and how the expectation of betrayal can both create an extraordinary inner strength and distort a national psyche." Wrong's book provides a rare and convincing review of the policies and motives of Eritrea's colonial masters, but the history she recounts is less satisfying as an explanation of Eritrea's character and post-independence policies.

I Didn't Do It for You offers a highly readable, well-researched depiction of the region's serial exploitation by a parade of foreign predators. Italy ruled with "apartheid" brutality from the 1870s up until World War II (when it lost its east African colonies to the Allies), committed "mass killings" in Eritrea and resorted to "widespread use of mustard gas" against Ethiopian civilians; Britain, reluctant inheritor of Italy's surrendered colony after 1941, dismantled Eritrea's Italian-made infrastructure and shipped much of it to Her Majesty's more prized and longer held African outposts, such as Egypt, Sudan and Kenya. After 1952, the United Nations failed, as trustee of Eritrea's autonomy, to stop its annexation by Ethiopia in 1962 or even to respond to Eritrean diplomats' protests. Years later, Wrong discovered, the United Nations lost all documents related to this sorry chapter in its history, having "expunged [Eritrea] from the record." Thus the world abandoned Eritrea to decades of Ethiopian repression -- facilitated by massive foreign military aid, first from the United States and Israel, later from the Soviet Union after the Marxist Derg regime shifted Cold War loyalties in 1976. Finally, Eritrea, the underdog nation, gained its independence from Ethiopia by referendum in 1993, after three decades of rebellion.

Wrong excels as a storyteller, providing evocative descriptions of Eritrea's dramatic topography and gripping dollops of military history, especially the dramatic British defeat of Italy's best Alpine forces at Keren in 1941. She paints fascinating personal portraits, including those of the grandiose Italian governor Ferdinando Martini and the British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst, a relentless critic of her own government. The stories of Eritrean fighters such as double agent Melles Seyoum (who stole valuable medical supplies from his Ethiopian employer), a bicycle-mounted hit man known as Asmerom and John Berakis (the famous field-hospital chef who studied European hoteliers' books and served great battlefield chow to thousands at a time, making the most of limited ingredients) offer enthralling insights into the liberation struggle.

But Wrong takes her storytelling off on a bizarre tangent when recounting the perversions of "the Gross Guys," a band of Americans based at Kagnew Station in Eritrea, a massive Cold War listening post from 1953 through 1977. Her chapter -- whose title cannot be printed in a family newspaper -- delves in lurid and gratuitous detail into the drunken sexual exploits of these servicemen. Indeed, this chapter seems misplaced -- however accurate its depiction of some Americans' lewd behavior may be.

Wrong's greatest failure is her portrayal of Eritrea's colonial past as an excuse for its troubled present: "If Eritrea today so often comes across as dangerously impervious to criticism and bafflingly quick to anger, she is largely that way because colonial masters and superpowers made her so." This conclusion diverges sharply from the premise of her fine first book, In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz, in which Wrong rightly blamed the late Mobutu Sese Seko for many of the crises of post-independence Zaire (now Congo).

But for Wrong and the many "well-intentioned Westerners" whom she calls "True Believers," Eritrea, which defied the odds to expel Ethiopia's Derg regime in 1991, held a unique promise born of its peoples' perseverance, self-reliance and inventiveness. True Believers saw in Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and his Ethiopian counterpart Meles Zenawi the full potential of the much-touted African Renaissance of the 1990s. They were committed leaders, frugal and scrappy -- the antithesis of the rapacious, corrupt African big men like Mobutu or Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.

But five years after independence, "the national character traits forged during a century of colonial and superpower exploitation were about to blow up in Eritrea's face." Ethiopia and Eritrea, led by once-friendly leaders, had never bothered to demarcate their common border. In 1998, when a small skirmish occurred in the border region near the "nondescript," "one hotel, two-bar village" of Badme, Eritrea launched a massive invasion of Ethiopian-held territory. Ethiopia escalated the brutal two-year war, which claimed an estimated 80,000 lives. True Believers and sympathetic policymakers (myself included) were shocked and disillusioned. In contrast to her detailed chronicles of colonial excesses, Wrong treats this recent history superficially. "Nations that believe they cannot lose slide into war more easily than states that suspect the contest will be close," she unhelpfully notes.

After this conflict ended in 2000, many Eritreans began questioning their leader's judgment and pressing for democratic reform. Isaias responded by closing independent media outlets and holding without charge the country's most senior leaders (including government ministers) and countless others who dared question government policy.

Refusing to blame the Isaias regime for Eritrea's plunge from international darling to Zimbabwe-style pariah oversimplifies matters and, ultimately, condescends to the Eritrean people. Though Wrong writes that Eritreans "are losing the black-and-white certainties of the past," she ends her book by reprising the image of Eritrea as a youthful victim. Wrong approvingly quotes a former fighter and kidnapper: "We are like a child, going for the first time to . . . kindergarten. At the start, his mother has to stay with him. The West must stay with us now. It has to be patient. . . . Instead of slapping our government and saying: 'You did a stupid thing,' it should be saying: 'He will learn.' "

Indeed, we should all learn. Eritrea's tragic history teaches that it should not be underestimated by foreign powers or treated with condescension or pity. Nor should Western governments condone or dismiss Eritrea's post-independence failings as mere growing pains, as Wrong suggests. The Eritrean people have earned too much respect for that.

Reviewed by Susan E. Rice
Copyright 2005, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060780932
• ISBN-13: 978-0060780937
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,289 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > History > Africa > Eritrea
  #1 in	Books > Travel > Africa > Eritrea
  #5 in	Books > History > Africa > Ethiopia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for someone who has been there, August 30, 2005

By	George P. Watts "Doodlebugger" (Fort Davis, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation (Hardcover)

Michela Wrong's style of writing is captivating as she brings History to life. She develops the personalities of the people involved very thoroughly and it is almost like reading a novel. She picks a relevant theme (not obvious until read) for her chapters to coincide with each pertinent stage of recent Eritrean History. Her book is not only a lesson in History, but also pleasure to read.

I found myself remembering and reminiscing about things I had long forgotten while I lived at Kagnew Station, Asmara, Eritrea in the early sixties. I was married to an Eritrean lady for thirty-three years before I lost her in a car accident eight years ago. Because of my interest in my spouse's heritage I have read many books and reports about Eritrea over the years. The recent History of Eritrea has confused me in the past, even though I had direct accounts and opinions from my in-laws who lived through those trying times. I was never sure of the big picture, i.e., why the Russians pulled out and where the U.S. stood on all that was happening. And I was not aware of the brutal fighting between the British and Italians during WWII at the Battle of Keren. I also did not understand the extent to which the British dismantled the factories and Italian capital investment in Eritrea. Michel Wrong has provided me with answers to many questions I have lived with so long. She also summed up the G.I. lifestyle at Kagnew Station very well. There was a lot of "Aminal House" type behavior at Kagnew Station. But I think the guys she interviewed for this subject probably exaggerated a bit on just how wild a place it actually was.

While this is obviously a book that has meant much to me and my past life, I found Ms. Wrong to be an excellent author. She has written and easy-reading portrayal of events illustrating how many countries have taken advantage of a small east African nation during our time. She did choose a strange and intriguing title for her book, "I Didn't Do It for You". But I know she did it for guys like me who needed clarification about the recent History of Eritrea.
Thank you Michela!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Any information is better than none, March 29, 2006

By	Doyle Odom (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Didn't Do It for You : How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation (Hardcover)

After reading Ms. Wrongs book I have mixed feelings about it's content. I lived in Asmara for 2 years and 3 months (71-73)near Kagnew Station.

I enjoyed reading the stories of the few people she spotlighted. She does know how to spin a yarn, keeping my interest, but also there is something missing. Actually, much is missing.

The first thing I will comment on is about the Italians living under Ethiopian occupation in Asmara. I witnessed many abuses by these privileged, spoiled Italians in Eritrea. From the teenage gangs of the sons of the colonialists who hunted down and beat dark skinned Eritreans (much like the brown shirts of Nazi Germany) to the shunning of the mixed blood people (who were called Cafe-latte). I find it hard to believe that any Eritrean would welcome Italians as "belonging to Eritrea".

The antics of the "gross guys" is very misplaced. It is nothing more than the story of a few drunks who were totally insignificant in the history of Eritrea. I'm sure the experience of Eritrea was as varied as the people stationed there.

My experience was much different. My parents enjoyed the Eritrean people and the beauty of the countryside. We traveled often on weekends to Dekemhare, Keren, Masawa and many placed I have forgotten the names of. We visited orphanages, helping to repair windmills, meeting the British families devoted to the easing of suffering in this forgotten part of the world. These were the acts of kindness. Orphanage volunteers, peace corp workers, religious missions....these were ALL staffed by British and Americans....NEVER Italians.

Mrs Wrong quotes "Zazz" in a discussion about GI guilt about not serving in Vietnam. I think of greater relevance is the story of guilt which seems to be a common thread in all who were stationed in Asmara. That nagging feeling that we didn't do enough for the people we left in despair as we returned to our world.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the book because I was surprised that someone actually cared enough to attempt to write the story of this unknown land.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent background, November 27, 2005

By	Shaun M. Overton "quickdrawut" (Colleyville, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation (Hardcover)

I read this book after travelling to Eritrea less than a year ago. I wish I would have read it before going. It went a long way towards explaining the Eritreans' reserved character and the abundant desolation of its countryside through the history of the powers involved.

I give the book 5 stars. It's not 100% perfect, but the information within it is first rate. Wrong effectively sets the context for all the parties involved from their own perspectives. The reader understands throughout what each player is thinking and how these actions impact the Eritrean psyche.

My nit-picky complaint is I wish Wrong would have placed more narrative emphasis on the Eritrean side of things. Eritrean narrative appears on occasion, particularly with the pharmeceutical director and the gourmet chef from the trenches. It is the exception rather than the rule. She discusses in depth Eritrea's first colonial administrator, a WWII battle, an American base, Ethiopian history, the Soviet Union and the roles each respective country played in shaping Eritrea. Anecdotes from the Eritrean side, however, are compartively limited.

Also, the end of the book, the section which discusses the latest war and Eritrea's current political climate, felt hurried.

Overall, this is an excellent background read for anyone hoping to learn more about Eritrea and its wars. It has a few very minor shortcomings, but the book completely achieves its goal of introducing the reader to Eritrean history.