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Amazing Peace A celebration
Overview
In this beautiful, deeply moving poem, Maya Angelou inspires us to embrace the peace and promise of Christmas, so that hope and love can once again light up our holidays and the world. "Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward,” she writes, "and speak the word aloud. Peace.”
Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, Maya Angelou’s celebration of the "Glad Season” is a radiant affirmation of the goodness of life and a beautiful holiday gift for people of all faiths.
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ISBN:9781400065585
Author:Maya Angelou
Beautiful Portraits of black beauty
Overview
BEAUTIFUL is a celebration of black beauty captured through the lens of Paris-based Cameroon-born photographer, Mario Epanya.
For just over a decade, Epanya has been working to promote diversity in fashion and portraiture, highlighting the myriad shades and textures in black skin tone and hair as well as the variety of body shapes and sizes.
His iconic images, shaping the modern face of African beauty, fashion and style have appeared in groundbreaking publications, among them New African Woman and Zen Magazine and in campaigns for the likes of L’Oreal Paris and Maybelline New York.
BEAUTIFUL presents a stunning collection of existing and never before seen portraits featuring everyday women and models of colour and it pays homage to the strong women who raised Epanya, his beloved grandmother, mother, sisters, aunts and friends – telling the visual story that black is indeed BEAUTIFUL.
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ISBN:9780995470620
Author:Mario Epanya
Fashion Illustration Africa
Overview
Discover Africa’s rising generation of fashion illustrators who are bringing diversity to the industry.
Fashion Illustration Africa is a vibrant, visually inspiring sourcebook that presents the work of 23 dynamic fashion illustrators and designers drawn from across Africa and the diaspora, whose work is shaping what has until now been a virtually non-existent commercial industry across the continent.
Given a voice by social media and the internet’s democratizing, border-crossing abilities, this is a young and digitally savvy generation who are also championing diversity in a global industry that tends to be defined by one model of beauty and style.
ISBN:9780995470606
Author:Zakirah Rabaney and Tapiwa Matsinde
Pastoralism and Politics in Northern ...
Overview
This study, based on anthropological field research over a period of thirty-four years, focuses on pastoralism, politics, policies and development in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. The authors present a detailed ethnographic view of recent events of ethnic violence in Kenya and analyses how local patterns of conflict among pastoralists were influenced by both national and regional politics, which have encouraged an increased tendency of territorialized ethnicity.
They propose ways of getting out of the ethnic trap and revitalizing a mobile livestock economy in a region where other forms of land use are impossible or much less effective. A companion volume to Islam and Ethnicity in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia, it will be of particular interest to political anthropologists, students of nomadism, pastoral economy ecology, and globalization.
Günther Schlee is director of the Department of 'Integration and Conflict', Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, Germany; Abdullahi Shongolo is an independent scholar based in Kenya.
ISBN:9781847011299
Author:Günther Schlee & Abdullahi A. Shongolo
Celebrating Friendship among Women by...
Celebrating Friendship among Women is a book about the power of women connections. A close look at the subject in Kenya reveals that genuine friendship cuts across ethnic, age, class and religious divides.
This book, which is also an autobiography, a cultural account, a historical and a do-it-yourself didactic material, is a must-read.
In it, you find yourself looking in a mirror while getting surprised about a topic that is so simple, so taken for granted, so under-explored.
At a time when Kenya is being ripped apart by negative ethnic, religious and class sentiments, Margery Kabuya’s book goes against the grain.
Faces of Africa
Overview
Following the critically-acclaimed landmark 2-volume African Ceremonies—for which they won a United Nations Award of Excellence—photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher have collaborated once again with Faces of Africa, an unparalleled collection of more than 120 photographs.
Drawn from their work over the past thirty years, this book is an inclusive look at the people and cultures from across this broad continent.
With their unique eye for Africa and its inhabitants, Beckwith and Fisher have brought forth a masterpiece in the genre—and a moving, personal tribute to some of the most beautiful people on Earth.
ISBN:9780792268307
Author:Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher
The Timbuktu School for Nomads
Overview
The Timbuktu School for Nomads: Across the Sahara in the Shadow of Jihad.
The Sahara: a dream-like, far away landscape of Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, The English Patient and Star Wars, and home to nomadic communities whose ways of life stretch back millennia.
Today it's a teeth-janglingly dangerous destination, where the threat of jihadists lurks just over the horizon. Following in the footsteps of 16th century traveller Leo Africanus, Nicholas Jubber went on a turbulent adventure to the forgotten places of North Africa and the legendary Timbuktu.
Once the seat of African civilization and home to the richest man who ever lived, this mythic city is now scarred by terrorist occupation and is so remote its own inhabitants hail you with the greeting, 'Welcome to the middle of nowhere'.
From the cattle markets of the Atlas, across the Western Sahara and up the Niger river, Nicholas joins the camps of the Tuareg, Fulani, Berbers, and other communities, to learn about their craft, their values and their place in the world.
The Timbuktu School for Nomads is a unique look at a resilient city and how the nomads pit ancient ways of life against the challenges of the 21st century.
ISBN:9781857886542
Author:Nicholas Jubber
Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania ...
Brief summary
This field guide is an abridged edition of the very successful Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania written by the same authors. It covers all 1089 bird species known from the region, including vagrants.
This book combines the format and detailed treatment of the larger version with the convenience of a field guide.
All the species are illustrated with full details of all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Concise text describes identification, status, range, habits and voice with range maps for nearly every species.
This authoritative book will not only be an indispensable guide to the visiting birder, but also a vital tool for those engaged in work to conserve and study the avifauna of these countries.
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ISBN:9780713675504
Author:Dale A. Zimmerman, David J. Pearson & Donald A. Turner
The Mayor of Mogadishu by Andrew Harding
Brief summary
The Mayor of Mogadishu: A Story of Chaos and Redemption in the Ruins of Somalia.
In The Mayor of Mogadishu, one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents, Andrew Harding, reveals the tumultuous life of Mohamoud "Tarzan” Nur - an impoverished nomad who was abandoned in a state orphanage in newly independent Somalia and became a street brawler and activist.
When the country collapsed into civil war and anarchy, Tarzan and his young family became part of an exodus, eventually spending twenty years in North London.
But in 2010 Tarzan returned, as Mayor, to the unrecognizable ruins of a city now almost entirely controlled by the Islamist militants of Al Shabab. For many in Mogadishu, and in the diaspora, Tarzan became a galvanizing symbol of courage and hope for Somalia.
But for others, he was a divisive thug, who sank beneath the corruption and clan rivalries that continue, today, to threaten the country’s revival.
The Mayor of Mogadishu is a rare an insider’s account of Somalia’s unraveling and an intimate portrayal of one family’s extraordinary journey.
ISBN:9781250072344
Author:Andrew Harding
Questions for Ada by Ijeoma Umebinyuo
Brief summary
The artistry of QUESTIONS FOR ADA defies words, embodying the pain, the passion, and the power of love rising from the depths of our souls.
Ijeoma Umebinyuo’s poetry is a flower that will blossom in the spirit of every reader as she shares her heart with raw candor.
From lyrical lushness to smoky sensuality to raw truths, this tome of transforming verse is the book every woman wants to write but can’t until the broken mirrors of their lives have healed. In this gifted author’s own words—"I am too full of life to be half-loved.” A bold celebration of womanhood.
The Zanzibar Chest
Brief summary
Hartley, an acclaimed frontline reporter who covered the atrocities of 1990s Africa, embarks on a journey to unlock the mysteries and secrets of his own family's 150-year-colonial legacy in Africa.
A beautiful, sometimes harrowing memoir of intrepid young men cut down in their prime, of forbidden love and its fatal consequences, and of family and history.
And the collision of cultures over the enduring course of British colonialism in Africa that defined them both.
ISBN:9781594480119
Author:Aidan Hartley
Good Morning Mr Mandela A Memoir
Brief summary
Good Morning, Mr. Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman’s life, beliefs, prejudices—everything she once believed—were utterly transformed by the man she had been taught was the enemy.
It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young secretary in her twenties who rose from a job in a government typing pool to become one of the president’s most loyal and devoted associates. During his presidency, she was one of his three private secretaries, and then became an aide-de-camp and spokesperson and managed his office in his retirement.
Working and traveling by his side for almost two decades, La Grange found herself negotiating with celebrities and world leaders, all in the cause of supporting and caring for Mr. Mandela in his many roles.
Here La Grange pays tribute to Nelson Mandela as she knew him—a teacher who gave her the most valuable lessons of her life. The Mr. Mandela we meet in these pages is a man who refused to be defined by his past, who forgave and respected all, but who was also frank, teasing, and direct. As he renewed his country, he also freed La Grange from a closed world of fear and mistrust, giving her life true meaning.
"I was fearful of so much twenty years ago—of life, of black people, of this black man and the future of South Africa—and I now was no longer persuaded or influenced by mainstream fears. He not only liberated the black man but the white man, too.”
This is a book about love and second chances that honors the lasting and inspiring gifts of one of the great men of our time. It offers a rare intimate portrait of Nelson Mandela and his remarkable life as well as moving proof of the power we all have to change.
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ISBN:9780525428282
Author:Zelda la Grange
Animals of the Masai Mara
Brief summary
One of the greatest attractions of a trip to Kenya is the chance to see animals such as lions, cheetah, leopards, zebra, and giraffe up close and in their natural habitats.
Animals of the Masai Mara is a lavish photographic guide that explores the charismatic wildlife most likely to be encountered by a safari visitor to the Masai Mara National Reserve in southwest Kenya.
More than 140 stunning photographs showcase 65 mammals and 17 reptile species, including 6 snakes. Designed to be informative and locally accurate, rather than purely identification-based, this easy-to-use book pays particular attention to wildlife behavior and is written from the firsthand experiences of the authors and the knowledge of local safari guides.
Numerous "Top Tips" throughout show readers how and where to locate specific species. The only field guide to focus solely on the wildlife of the Masai Mara National Reserve, Animals of the Masai Mara will be indispensable to visitors to this famous park and all nature enthusiasts with an interest in this area of the world.
• The only photographic guide specific to the animals of the Masai Mara National Reserve
• More than 140 remarkable photographs covering 65 mammals and 17 reptile species, including 6 snakes
• Accessible text explores animal behavior and other interesting facts
• A brief and informative introduction to the habitats of the Masai Mara
ISBN:9780691156019
Author:Adam Scott Kennedy and Vicki Kennedy
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Brief summary
William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger.
But William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water.
His neighbors called him misala—crazy—but William refused to let go of his dreams. With a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks; some scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves; and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a remarkable true story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.
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ISBN:9780061730337
Author:William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
Africas Greatest Entrepreneurs by Mok...
Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs comprises of a series of profiles on some of the most successful and dynamic businesspeople currently operating in Africa.
Each chapter is dedicated to a single entrepreneur and will focus on the personality as well as the story of how they achieved their success in their particular environment or field.
The narrative will focus on the personal success stories of these self-starters in the context of the economic and political climate of their respective markets.
Issues discussed include: how they started in business; their defining moments; the challenges they faced and how they overcame them; their frustrations and achievements; what kept them going; what they learned in the process; things they would have done differently; their relationship with the political power structures; their opinions on leadership, on Africa's future; their heroes and villains, and finally, the legacy they leave behind.
The book is inspiring and will provide a better understanding of who the real powerbrokers in Africa are. It will give an unprecedented insight into unique and successful African entrepreneurs as well as first-hand experiences of the realities of how to get things done on the continent.
Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs will feature an eclectic mix of the most well-known and notable entrepreneurs in Africa. Some of the names included in the book are: Kagiso Mmusi (Botswana), Victor Fotso (Cameroon), Jean Kacou Diagou (Cote d'Ivoire), Gerald Mangoua (Cote d'Ivoire), Kofi Amoabeng(Ghana), Kwabena Adjai (Ghana), Chris Kirubi (Kenya), Daniel David (Mozambique), Wale Tinubu (Nigeria), Aliko Dangote (Nigeria), Aliou Sow (Senegal), Mzi Khumalo (South Africa), Keith Kunene (SA), Ndaba Ntsele (SA), Herman Mashaba (SA), Richard Maponya (SA), Mo Ibrahim (Sudan), Reginald Mengi (Tanzania), Ali Mufuruki (Tanzania) and Wavamunno (Uganda).
The Peculiar Kenyan by Sunny Bindra
Brief summary
Sunny Bindra, Kenya’s renowned author and business advisor, has been regaling Kenyans since 2003 in his famous Sunday Nation column, "A Sunny Day.”
His bold and contrarian writing has created much discussion and debate across the country and beyond. Storymoja presents a collection of selected articles, all written with a light touch and with a twist of his trademark edgy humour.
These pieces skewer all that is "peculiar” about Kenyans: our leaders, our business, our social habits. And as we laugh at ourselves, we gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be Kenyan.
ISBN:9789966001139
Author:Sunny Bindra
Slave My True Story
Brief summary
Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve, when she was sold into slavery. It all began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village, murdering the adults and rounding up thirty-one children, including Mende.
Mende was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her "Yebit," or "black slave." She called them "master." She was subjected to appalling physical, sexual, and mental abuse. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own.
Normally, Mende's story never would have come to light. But seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master—a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, she managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom.
Slave is a story almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimony to one young woman's unbreakable spirit and tremendous courage.
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ISBN:9781844081165
Author:Mende Nazer & Damien Lewis
A Gift of Love
Brief summary
A Gift of Love: Sermons from Strength to Love and Other Preachings
The classic collection of sixteen sermons preached and compiled by Dr. King
As Dr. King prepared for the Birmingham campaign in early 1963, he drafted the final sermons for Strength to Love, a volume of his best-known homilies. King had begun working on the sermons during a fortnight in jail in July 1962.
Having been arrested for holding a prayer vigil outside Albany City Hall, King and Ralph Abernathy shared a jail cell for fifteen days that was, according to King, ‘‘dirty, filthy, and ill-equipped’’ and "the worse I have ever seen.” While behind bars, he spent uninterrupted time preparing the drafts for classic sermons such as "Loving Your Enemies,” "Love in Action,” and "Shattered Dreams,” and continued to work on the volume after his release.
A Gift of Love includes these classic sermons, along with two new preachings. Collectively they present King’s fusion of Christian teachings and social consciousness, and promote his prescient vision of love as a social and political force for change.
ISBN:9780141985183
Author:Martin Luther King Jr.
Empires in the Sun
Brief summary
Empires in the Sun: The Struggle for the Mastery of Africa.
In this compelling history of the men and ideas that radically changed the course of world history, Lawrence James investigates and analyses how, within a hundred years, Europeans persuaded and coerced Africa into becoming a subordinate part of the modern world.
His narrative is laced with the experiences of participants and onlookers and introduces the men and women who, for better or worse, stamped their wills on Africa. The continent was a magnet for the high-minded, the philanthropic, the unscrupulous and the insane.
Visionary pro-consuls rubbed shoulders with missionaries, explorers, soldiers, adventurers, engineers, big-game hunters, entrepreneurs and physicians. Between 1830 and 1945, Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Italy and the United States exported their languages, laws, culture, religions, scientific and technical knowledge and economic systems to Africa.
The colonial powers imposed administrations designed to bring stability and peace to a continent that seemed to lack both. The justification for occupation was emancipation from slavery - and the common assumption that late nineteenth-century Europe was the summit of civilisation.
By 1945 a transformed continent was preparing to take charge of its own affairs, a process of decolonisation that took a mere twenty or so years. There remained areas where European influence was limited (Liberia, Abyssinia) - through inertia and a desire for a quiet time, Africa's new masters left much undisturbed. This magnificent history also pauses to ask: what did not happen and why?
ISBN:9781474604383
Author:Lawrence James
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okpa...
Inspired by Nigeria’s folktales and its war, Under the Udala Trees is a deeply searching, powerful debut about the dangers of living and loving openly.
Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities.
They are also both girls. When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.
As Edwidge Danticat has made personal the legacy of Haiti’s political coming of age, Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees uses one woman’s lifetime to examine the ways in which Nigerians continue to struggle toward selfhood.
Even as their nation contends with and recovers from the effects of war and division, Nigerian lives are also wrecked and lost from taboo and prejudice. This story offers a glimmer of hope — a future where a woman might just be able to shape her life around truth and love.
