Customer Reviews

Wolof (Heritage Library of African Peoples West Africa)

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In studying ethno-linguistic groups of Subsaharan Africa, most books fall into two types. First, there are indepth ethnographic studies, most of which are out-of-print. Secondly, there are books on specific ethnic groups which are readily available, most of which are children's books.

This book on the Wolof was written for young students. As a result, it is readable in style, comprehensive in scope, and rich in imagery. All of these qualities make this work not only helpful for its stated audience, but also informative for readers of most ages.

For a study of the Wolof, also consider David Gamble, The Wolof of Senegambia, Together With Notes on the Lebu and the Serer. For the extraordinary biography of a Wolof-American woman, Anna Kingsley, see the much-anticipated work by Daniel Schafer.

I bought this on the one review available. I should have paid attention to the number of pages this book has since that would have clued me in that this book is for youth. If you're looking for something in-depth you'll be better off without this one.

When you are truly looking for books on Senegalese culture, all of these books are coming up short. Is it a secret that we Westerners can't know about?