BOOK REVIEW: MARTIN MEREDITH

The State of Africa by Martin Meredith

I finished reading Martin Meredith's "The Fortune of Africa". This is an ambitious book for the level of breadth it intended to cover. 5,000 years is a very very long time. That's actually the years of human civilization (plus 1,000 more) and that's where it begins. With the Pharaohs of Egypt.

It covers development in every part of Africa for all of this period.

Usually, when people tell you they are writing a history of Africa, what they actually mean is that they are writing a history of the continent after colonialism.

Colonialism was just a part of this history. Africa has a rich history and Meredith laid it bare in this book. It cleared up so many myths and propaganda that politicians like to use. For instance, during the reign of Anwar Sadat in Egypt, an Egyptian cleric reminded him that Egypt was a land of the Muslims not the land of the Pharaohs. How funny. In Nigeria here, Muslims claim that the North was originally their land. How funny, it was only in the 17th Century that Islam became a dominant religion. In Plateau State here, Christians claim Plateau is an ancestral land of Christians. How funny. Christianity arrived in Plateau State only two centuries ago.

At the same time, there are some who claim Christianity is a white man's religion that was used to oppress their continent. Some even claim Islam is the original ancestral religion of Africa. How funny. Christianity arrived in Africa long before it became mainstream in Europe.

Beyond this, Martin Meredith also narrates how power intrigues were already going on long before the advent of colonialism. It is true, Colonialism has defined present Africa as we know it but it was successful only because there were elements within the African societies that allowed it to work.

One of the biggest achievements of this book is that it does not treat Africa as "Africa". It has become common and even I use it in this review, but Africa is not a country. Africa is a disparate group of 54 nations with thousands of different types, and they were different types for several years until the 20th Century when Europeans who have no understanding of how different these groups have developed over the years lumped them together for the purpose of easy administration. Africa is not a country. Meredith pays attention to small details including how these tribes differ and how they've responded to changes, social, religious, economic, etc

By taking a 5,000-year approach to this history work, Meredith put many things into perspective. Take for instance, when Abdel Gamal Nasser took power in 1952, it was the first time in 20 centuries that an indigenous Egyptian was taking power in Egypt. Incredible. Also, for almost all of Africa, the first time many tribes were transformed into nations was at the end of colonialism.

This is a very long book, very long. Over 700 pages. But I enjoyed it.

This is the third book of Meredith that I am reading. "The State of Africa" and "Mandela" were the other two I have read. Amongst historians, I have great respect for Meredith. Great respect. At the end of this book, my respect for him has also increased.

If you are interested in Africa, this is a book you must read. MUST.