A member of the unique generation of African writers and intellectuals who came
of age in the last days of colonialism, Wole Soyinka has witnessed the promise o
f independence and lived through postcolonial failure. He deeply comprehends the
pressing problems of Africa, and, an irrepressible essayist and a staunch criti
c of the oppressive boot, he unhesitatingly speaks out. In this magnificent new
work, Soyinka offers a wide-ranging inquiry into Africa's culture, religion, his
tory, imagination and identity.
He seeks to understand how the continent's hi
story is entwined with the histories of others, while exploring Africa's truest
assets: "its humanity, the quality and valuation of its own existence, and modes
of managing its environment - both physical and intangible (which includes the
spiritual)". Fully grasping the extent of Africa's most challenging issues, Soyi
nka nevertheless refuses defeatism. With eloquence he analyzes problems ranging
from the meaning of the past to the threat of theocracy.
