Africa (Hardcover)

~ Olivier Follmi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Artist-photographer Follmi offers an incredible look at the stunning range of colors and textures of the life, people, and terrain of Africa. On a seven-month sojourn through Africa, Follmi visited Senegal, Namibia, Mali, Ethiopia, and other nations. Along with a photographer's artistic eye, his appreciation of the peoples and culture apparently granted Follmi access to some people whose culture is suspicious of photography. He records the splendor of everyday life and the crises of a continent challenged by poverty. Among the images: beautiful Himba women, with skin and hair adorned with ocher; women in a bridal party dressed in colorful cloth in Burkina Faso; elephants and leopards in the Ethosha National Park of Namibia; the waterfalls of Epupa and the Kalahari Desert of Namibia; the majesty of a cattle herder with outstretched arms; and the vibrancy of a marketplace in Mali. Follmi juxtaposes the striped headdress of a man with the stripes of zebra, the smooth bottoms of young children and the rough skin of an elephant, barrenness and verdant terrain. A gorgeous book. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Those of us who have never had the privilege of visiting Africa can take solace in this splendid pictorial journey across the immense and magnificent continent, courtesy of photographer Olivier Föllmi. A worthy companion to Föllmi’s lovely Offerings for Humanity series, which celebrates the day-to-day spirituality of an entire continent throughout the year, Africa follows India and Homage to the Himalayas in assembling the lensman’s most spectacular pictures of this rich and diverse land. From the deserts of Namibia to the savannah of Cameroon, from the Himba shepherds to the Peul nomads, this moving collection of 200 images takes readers on a voyage of discovery through the heart of African life and thought, revealing a mosaic of cultures and peoples with beauty and depth.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc." (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081094832X
• ISBN-13: 978-0810948327
• Product Dimensions: 14.7 x 11.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #824,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some limitations, but something special too, March 24, 2007

By	ChicagoLarry - See all my reviews

This is a beautiful book in spite of its limitations, and it does have one great big plus, which I'll come to. Meanwhile, there is nothing cheap about the way these great photos are printed and presented. The format is large, the design excellent (elegantly "ethnic") and the pictures cover the entire page--a few of them are striking panoramic views on 4-page fold-outs.

The words rural, tribal and cultural would describe the subject matter. If your main interest is people, particularly in those settings, this is it. But do not expect this book to cover Africa, per se, as the editorial blurb might lead you to believe. It mainly covers Mali and surrounds in the west and Namibia in the south. Plus some Chad, central, and some northern Ethiopia in the east. No South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, for example, and no northern Africa. Nor does the book acknowledge the great urban centers. It sticks to the old. And that's fine, but the editorial blurbs should be more accurate.

Most annoying is the lack of any text or captions with the pictures. You won't have a clue, unless you turn to the section in the back of the book that contains thumbnails of all the photos and a brief description of each. Personally, I call this lazy publishing. You have to keep one hand in the back of the book and keep flopping the thing over (nearly 8 lbs.) to find the thumbnail of the picture you're looking at, to read its caption.

Making it even harder, none of the pages are numbered in the main body of the book. You can't go to the thumbnails and look for the one you want numerically--although the thumbnails are page numbered.

Frankly, Alassane Ndaw's ten-page introduction seemed like pompous verbiage to me--repetitious high praise of Follmi as photographer and lots of erudite observations about the great continent of Africa, I think. Why not just say it simply?

Now for the good part. Follmi's own 13-page account at the end of the book, of his trek through these parts of Africa, is succinct and engaging. He's a great writer! His descriptions of the land itself, the animals and his encounters with the people easily mitigate whatever shortcomings the book otherwise has. It wasn't until this narrative that I felt really enthusiastic about this book. Anyone who has ever traveled to third-world countries will especially appreciate and identify with this wonderfully written account. It belongs in the front of the book not only because it's good, but because it provides some context for the captionless pictures that follow. (Put Ndaw in the back, or drop him entirely.)

This still isn't my favorite large-format book on Africa (who can top Beckwith & Fisher's prolific works? Or the two great works on the Omo Valley region of tribal Ethiopia--Giansanti's or Silvester's?), but it's a good one, and the big 50% discount makes it a good value. My copy arrived with a different dust jacket than the one pictured on Amazon, with a stunningly beautiful photograph on the front.

Later note: Wow, now only $11.00.

Still later note: But not for long... now it's back up to nearly 4 times that price. Never mind!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Rich Book, November 21, 2007

By	Jason G. Kelley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for a friend and they loved it. Incredible breathtaking photos, crisp and clear and as large as life. Also this particular edition has many more photos than a previous printing. I thuroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.