Africa Day @ the Global Minds Book Club

On the first stunning weekend of Spring
we met to discuss an amazing book
in a beautiful home
overlooking the Bosphorus.

Knowing that my Ghanian friend Clarence wouldn't be in Istanbul forever, I asked him if we could read an African book and have him moderate our discussion at our Global Minds Book Club, which he founded.

My view of Africa from Istanbul was completely different than the view I had back home. In America, the only thing one reads about Africa in the media is generally aid, AIDS, drought, and other negative stories. Think of the most recent American media firestorm about Africa: the KONY video. It's a simplified African story told by non-native white people with motives that are hotly debated. 

In Istanbul, however, I see TV commercials aimed at African consumers. These commercials  made me realize there is a large middle class there. Clarence says there are over 50 million middle-class consumers in Africa right now.

Clarence, who founded the popular Istanbul "Global Minds" book club over a year ago, usually runs the group as a complete democracy with a 'majority rules' vote on each title, but in this case, there might have been a bit of enlighted and beneavolent leadership. 

Clarence suggested Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel "Half of a Yellow Sun" based on this wonderful TED video of her warning all of us as people to beware the "single story" we have in our heads about other nationalities, races, and classes of people. It's really worth 18:49 minutes of your time.

I picked up a copy of her book and noticed the cover had a sticker denoting it as the 2007 Orange Prize for fiction winner. I was intrigued to learn the Orange Prize for Fiction is a fairly new prize started in 1996 (which you can "like" on Facebook for more information) that honors the best book published by a female in a given year in Britain. The announcement of the long list of candidate titles for the prize coincides with International Woman's Day.

It stunned me to realize that this was the first book I had ever read by a black African author EVER in my life. I found that sobering. I've read books about Africa, such as "Out of Africa" by Isak Dinesen (a European expat living in Kenya), but here I am, in my 50s, and this is the first time I've ever heard a black African voice in novel form. Even though I'm a librarian, a life-long avid reader, and a life-long book club attender, I hadn't even gotten to the point where I had the limiting "single story" about a people, I realized, I had NO story from their point-of-view. That means every single thing I've ever read or heard about black Africans to date was not through their eyes, but someone else's.

I do think that's changing now in America as many high schools are having their students read "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. I want to read that as my next African title.  Of course, like many American women, the most recent stories I've had about Africa have all come through Oprah's eyes.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote her book about middle-class Igbo people struggling to survive in the Biafran war when she was just 29 years old (note to self - my only previous knowledge of Biafra - again from an outsider - a George Harrison album cover devoted to starving children in Biafra). It was such a riveting story. I want to read everything she writes!

I absolutely loved this book. An introduction to a new author, a new place, a new people are what makes book clubs such a powerful tool for sharing ideas and life-long learning. It was my book club that got me to pick this book up.

After I finished the book, I read more about the Nigerian Civil War on Wikipedia and was frankly astounded and reminded of the evils of colonialism. 

Norah is from Kenya and was our gracious hostess.

 She said "feel free like a housefly,"

a Kenyan aphorism of welcome telling us to be comfortable.

I told her we call it "refrigerator rights"

in America.

Good friends have "refrigerator rights,"

they can just walk in your house and open the refrigerator.

Clarence and a new member from America.

True to form, Clarence used the title

 as a launching pad to discuss all things African:

 politics, gender relationships, tribal customs,

 superstitions, economics.

It was a fantastic, frank, fearless exchange of views.

Nationalities represented for this book:

 Kenya (2), Ghana, Canada, America (3),

 Ireland (2), New Zealand.

 We all wondered where our Turkish voices were that day -

we were dying to know what they thought of the book. 

Norah's ambience included both beautiful African art,

this piece represented the Masai tribe,

and tribal music playing softly in the background.

I loved hearing Norah's perspective!

Ana, a Kiwi, me, a Yank, and Jackie, an Irish lass

We had planned to watch a Ghanian movie afterwards

but we had a four-hour book discussion,

our longest ever!

It was delightful watching twilight

descend over the bridge as we talked.

Pausing to watch the ship go under the bridge,

from Norah's balcony,

I felt so blessed.

It was a magnificent way to spend the day.

I can promise author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I will not stop at this "single story."

I want to read more African fiction and stories.

Her outstanding book made me care about people

I never heard of before.

It also made me want to know more.

You may also enjoy these posts:

Discussing Books with the Istanbul Global Minds Book Club

My other posts on books