Customer Reviews

A Day in the Life of Africa

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a very nice compliation of photographs but it unfortunately feeds the more stereotypical view of a primitive and backwards Africa. From reading this book, one would be totally unaware of the development present in major cities like Abidjan, Accra, Nairobi and Dakar. One would never expect to see skyscrapers, traffic jams (with real cars), nice homes, factories and schools. One would still be unaware of the cathedral at Yamasoukro, Ivory Coast which is the largest in the world and clearly one of the most beautiful.

While this book is a step up from images of the animals of the East African plains it sorely lacks in the "complete picture" department. It is as if a "Day in the Life of America" was depicted as downtown New York, Los Angeles and Chicago but neglected to show ANY pictures of the farms of Iowa, the ranches of Montana or national parks like Yellowstone.

Because images of Africans seen by many Americans are limited to those already contained in this book, I think the editors missed a major opportunity to increase the knowledge base of their readers. We need to fight ignorance. Most Americans will never travel to Africa. How else will they ever advance from their mental images being limited to animals, native dancers, Tarzan, poverty and starvation?

A beautiful book! But it was not what I expected. This is a book about the Africa that many of us will never see: the beauty of the people and the land. It is not about people dying of AIDS (although the subject is treated with dignity and respect). It is about people living their daily lives in cities and in the county, in day and in night, with joy and with sadness--exquisitely captured on digital cameras. This is the first Day in the Life book to be photographed with all digital cameras and it is a tribute to what these cameras can do in the hands of experienced photographers--another unexpected joy from this book.

It warms my heart to see the beautiful depiction of my homeland in the pages of this book. Africa is too often portrayed in a negative light, and this is a great opportunity for people to see other aspects of the continent that they would not otherwise be exposed to. The Western world has long ignored the AIDS epidemic in Africa, but it's time that we all start doing the little we can to address the problem. Tell everyone you know to support the effort.

Wow. The photographs are amazing - if you're familiar with the Day in the Life series, you know their quality. The photography in this book is equal to the others, and now the subject is Africa - A potent combination. On top of it all, the money goes to AIDS education programs in Africa. A perfect Christmas gift.

Ahhh. This book, obviously, is many things to many people; not unlike its bountiful subject matter--- the original mother, Africa.

It is also many things to me, each equally beautiful. Most important, it is a powerfully evocative visual link to the 3 years of memories I carry of my life in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. The photographers saw and captured a lot of what I deeply love about the peoples, the land and the life of Africa. The simple and complex beauty; the extraordinary and the mundane; the joy and the frustrations, the good and the bad. It's just life as it is lived everywhere else on the planet, and how good it is to see it presented from a part of the world that is not often shown much appreciation.

While I appreciate another reviewer's criticism of the book's failure to show more modern infrastructure of urban areas, I disagree that the omission is a disservice. True, there is a great deal of development in Africa, but what is shown in this book is still a good and true representation of the vast majority of people and their lives. Far from being stereotyped shots of suffering and drudgery, I find the photos varied and well beyond cliché as they take us into the rhythm of the lives of everyday people. It is a beautiful book. Place it on your coffee table , but keep it in your heart.

The photography in this book is phenomenal! This is a beautiful book whose photos were taken over the course of a single day by some of the worlds most well-known photographers. It depicts early morning until late at night. The quality is superb. Aside each photo is a short description of where it was taken and what it is of. I could have used a little more description, though. Profits from the sales of this book go towards AIDS research and treatment in Africa. The only complaint I have is that the photos didn't always protray the reality of poverty and destitution in some of the countries. For example, my husband had been to one of the sites in the book but said it was much dirtier when he was there. Overall, I really liked the book and learned alot by going through it.

After seeing Africa endlessly portrayed in the media either as a giant game park or a perpetual disaster area, I was pleased that A Day in the Life of Africa continues to do what this photo-book series has been doing... quite excellently... for 20 years. It employs the world's top photogs to shoot extraordinary pictures of everyday events all across Africa and all on one day. There are some amazing shots in this book. Highly recommended... and the profits fund AIDS programs in Africa. Also, one of my friends was a photographer on this project and word is, that this book was printed in very limited quantities and will be out of stock long before Christmas. Buy now.

Finally there is book that I can share with my children about the African continent. No guns, dying lions, or other calamities. The pictures give a balance of what Life is in the Continent. Every school should have a copy.

This is an absolutely heartstopping collection of photographs from everyday African scenes. I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that it only presented stereotypical portraits of African life. I agree that the collection would have been enriched with more portraits of urban life, but I don't think that this was a typical "National Geographic" variety volume.

It did have diversity, and it did show that many Africans live in modern homes. However, the sensitivity of the portraits was so deep, and their beauty so stunning, it certainly transcended "look at the natives starving/doing something weird/suffering from disease" type photography. Rather, it showed many of the marvels of Africa-from the artwork thriving in so many areas, to areas where ingenuity and industry thrive against all odds, from the thriving markets of Lagos, to the beauty of the desert. This book is so gorgeous that it is rather a testimony of love for Africa and its people-not in some patronizing way, but a true celebration of its spirit. It shows tragedy, but it shows beauty and people loving life and affirming it as well. Isn't that a balanced and fair picture?

The scope of this book is amazing! It's the huge continent in a large, colorful nutshell, covering the wide variety of life and people in the fascinating world of Africa. The photographs are beautiful and respectful to a dignified people. I found myself reading all the captions, which are full of interesting and concise information. You'll want to set aside enough time to read as well as look at the photos. I hope there are profits galore from this book to support the fight against AIDS in Africa.