Reading my way through the continent

When I started my journey as an HCI-NLP researcher working on African languages, I met other Africans from all over the continent. In our conversations or in reading about their languages and communities, I was struck by how similar we are on some things and how drastically different we are on others. I wanted to better understand the lives of other Africans. So I started a personal project: I set out to read a book from each African country with a strong preference for women authors. In this blog, I will list the books I have read so far and keep updating the list as I add more books to my collection.

A few notes:

1. I am trying to read with a strong preference for women authors. But unfortunately, it is not always possible.
2. I try to buy the books used at local bookstores or directly from the authors. (It is extremely hard to find books by African authors, let alone female African authors!)
3. I do NOT endorse all the authors or agree with all of their viewpoints. I read what I find when I find it. (refer to point 2 above)
4. I am open to recommendations, but finding the books is part of the journey for me 🙂

Books I have read so far:

1. Ethiopia: Abyssinian Nomad by Meskerem Haile*
2. Uganda: Decolonization and Afro-Feminism by Sylvia Tamale
3. Ghana: No Sweetness Here and Other Stories by Ama Ata Aidoo
4. Morocco: Return to Childhood by Leila Abouzeid
5. Nigeria: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6. South Sudan: Unsung Giants Who Fought to Keep Africa Free by Okoth Owity Dpap
7. Zambia: Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo
8. Kenya: Unbowed by Wangari Maathai
9. Tanzania: Memoirs of an Arabian Princess by Emily Ruete
10. Somalia: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
11. Cote D’Ivore: In the Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo (currently reading)

*I read Abyssinian Nomad when I was an undergrad. It was a gift from my then-mentor, Nahu Senya Girma. I decided to include it as part of this project as it is about the author, Meskerem Haile’s journey backpacking from South Africa to Egypt and all the cultures she enounters on her way. It felt very fitting to the theme :-)