- Hardcover: 275 pages
- Publisher: Random House Trade; 1 edition (Sep 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0375402357
- ISBN-13: 978-0375402357
- Product Dimensions: 26.7 x 26.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,861,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The Companion Volume to the PBS Television Series
Wonders of the African World is an exuberant, visually stunning journey across Africa and through the history of its glorious but forgotten civilizations.
Traveling by camel, by dhow, by Land Cruiser, and on foot, the renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., takes us to twelve countries in search of Africa's magnificent past, the now neglected civilizations that in their day were as grand and sophisticated as any on the face of the earth. From Nubia's ancient empire, which for a time ruled Egypt and centuries before had established the earliest known African city, to the fabled town of Timbuktu, where during the medieval period there thrived a center of scholars that rivaled any in Europe and where books were as prized as gold, to Ethiopia's Christian kingdom, where the Lost Ark of the Covenant is said to reside under perpetual vigil, Gates reveals an Africa little known to Westerners. And as he shows us the achievements that exploiters of the continent have ignored or denied for centuries, he introduces us as well to the fascinating variety of modern-day Africans, many of whom are descended from the great peoples who built Africa's most formidable cultures, including the Asante, the Swahili, the Tuareg, and the Shona.
As Gates's compelling narrative shows, the continent's past continues to be felt in the lives of many Africans today. And in America for the descendants of those brought here as slaves, that past has been a controversial inheritance, passionately embraced by some, fiercely rejected by others. For this reason, Gates's deeply personal account of discovery is charged throughout by a question posed by Countee Cullen in his 1925 poem "Heritage" and perennially asked by African Americans: What is Africa to me? Finally, though, it is the wisdom of this book that the legacy of Africa?no less than that of Greece or Rome?belongs to all the world's civilized peoples.
Illustrated with spectacular full-page photographs specially commissioned from the internationally acclaimed Lynn Davis, Wonders of the African World is Africa as we have never known or seen it before.
With 66 photographs by Lynn Davis, 132 illustrations in black-and-white and full color, and 7 full-color maps
Wonders of the African World is an exuberant, visually stunning journey across Africa and through the history of its glorious but forgotten civilizations.
Traveling by camel, by dhow, by Land Cruiser, and on foot, the renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., takes us to twelve countries in search of Africa's magnificent past, the now neglected civilizations that in their day were as grand and sophisticated as any on the face of the earth. From Nubia's ancient empire, which for a time ruled Egypt and centuries before had established the earliest known African city, to the fabled town of Timbuktu, where during the medieval period there thrived a center of scholars that rivaled any in Europe and where books were as prized as gold, to Ethiopia's Christian kingdom, where the Lost Ark of the Covenant is said to reside under perpetual vigil, Gates reveals an Africa little known to Westerners. And as he shows us the achievements that exploiters of the continent have ignored or denied for centuries, he introduces us as well to the fascinating variety of modern-day Africans, many of whom are descended from the great peoples who built Africa's most formidable cultures, including the Asante, the Swahili, the Tuareg, and the Shona.
As Gates's compelling narrative shows, the continent's past continues to be felt in the lives of many Africans today. And in America for the descendants of those brought here as slaves, that past has been a controversial inheritance, passionately embraced by some, fiercely rejected by others. For this reason, Gates's deeply personal account of discovery is charged throughout by a question posed by Countee Cullen in his 1925 poem "Heritage" and perennially asked by African Americans: What is Africa to me? Finally, though, it is the wisdom of this book that the legacy of Africa?no less than that of Greece or Rome?belongs to all the world's civilized peoples.
Illustrated with spectacular full-page photographs specially commissioned from the internationally acclaimed Lynn Davis, Wonders of the African World is Africa as we have never known or seen it before.
With 66 photographs by Lynn Davis, 132 illustrations in black-and-white and full color, and 7 full-color maps
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This interesting account of journeys in Africa is both history and travelogue, in that the author set out to explore his African heritage and find the personal meaning of Africa for himself. Wonders Of The African World succeeds as both in its highly readable narrative.
The chapter Nubia: Black Gods And Kings, deals with a journey up the Nile from northern Sudan to Egypt while discussing the history of ancient Egypt's southern neighbour. It includes an account of the Kingdom of Kush, whose kings were also pharaos of Egypt between 712 and 664 BC, and also looks at Kerma, Meroë and the Kingdom of Napata.
Chapter two, Ethiopia: Holy Land And The Lost Ark Of The Covenant, looks at the history of this Christian land, including the Kingdom of Aksum. Salt, Gold And Books is the third chapter and it explores the road to Timbuktu. On the way, it deals with interesting subjects like the Griot (praise singer), the Dogon people, the Empire of Mali and the contemporary country.
The next visit is to the East Coast (which includes Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Pemba), with its ancient historical connections to the other cultures around the Indian Ocean. The chapter Time Of Forgetfulness focuses on West Africa, the tragic history of the slave trade, the Akan and Asante peoples, and the Kingdom of Dahomey.
The last chapter, South Africa and Zimbabwe, investigates the legends of the lost city of Monomotapa by looking at the site of Mapungubwe, at the Great Zimbabwe ruins and at the early Shona states. There is a complete map of Africa, plus a map of the area in question at the start of each chapter, all in full colour. Impressive colour photographs and a wealth of black and white plus colour illustrations enhance the text. This gripping read ends with notes and an index.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There's not much else, apart from what the other reviews have said, that I can say about this book. It is excellent. If you want to learn about African heritage and just how diverse it is dont learn from low-blow jokes on tv, learn from a respected and dilligent academic, while avoiding the mentality that usually leads Africa to being perceived as a 'cosmic blur', then read this book. I love it, and its fun to read over and over again.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Not since Alex Haley's historical "novel" was released over twenty years ago has a book so enthralled me with its information about a forgotten people. Dr. Gates has fashioned an entertaining journey into the past of Africa, a past that should be made a part of every American because of past omissions. Every page, every chapter provides the reader with insight into the development, the abuse, and the richness of the respective peoples and lands of the heretofore mislabeled "Dark Continent." It is because of this "darkness" that the book brings to "light" some of the myths and misconceptions of that area of the world. A major accomplishment in the literary field is this work. I, for one, am making plans to visit the continent to experience the wonder and power of this most intriguing land!
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