These media have helped me learn about Africa.
Books - Recommended
Also see my books on LibraryThing.
- Achebe, Chinua - Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease
- Amah, Ayi Kwei - The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
- Bass, Thomas - Camping with the Prince
- Chilson, Peter - Riding the Demon: On the Road in West Africa
- Davidson, Basil - The Search for Africa
- Delors, Jacques - Learning: The Treasure Within: Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century
- Greider, William - One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism
- Harden, Blaine - Africa
- Harding, Jeremy - The Fate of Africa
- Harrison, Paul - Inside the Third World
- Hochschild, Adam - The Mirror at Midnight, King Leopold's Ghost
- La Guma, Alex - A Walk in the Night
- Lessing, Doris - African Laughter
- Lowther and Lucas - Keeping Kennedy's Promise
- Maier, Karl - Into the House of the Ancestors
- M'Baye, Mari?tou - The Abandoned Baobab
- Schumacher, Ernst - Small is Beautiful
- Some, Malidoma Patrice - Of Water and the Spirit
- Taylor, Stephen - Livingston's Tribe
- Thiong'o, Ngugi wa - A Grain of Wheat, Decolonising the Mind, Petals of Blood
- Tidwell, Mike - The Ponds of Kalambayi: An African Soujourn
- Tutuola, Amos - The Palm Wine Drinkard
- Vassanji, M. G. - The Book of Secrets
Books - Interesting
- Aebi, Ernst - Seasons of Sand
- Alexander, Caroline - One Dry Season
- Aman: the story of a Somali girl
- Dostert, Pierre Etienne - Africa 1997
- Elechi, Amadi - The Concubine
- Herrera, Susana - Mango Elephants in the Sun : How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin
- In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the brink of disaster in Mobutu's Congo - Michela Wrong
- Lamb, David - The Africans
- Maraire, J. Nozipo - Zenzele : A Letter for My Daughter
- Mukiwa: a white boy in Africa
- Nine hills to Nambonkaha: Two years in the heart of an African village - Sarah Erdman
- Nisa: the life and words of a !Kung woman
- Nthunya, Mpho - Singing away the hunger: the autobiography of an African woman
- Paton, Alan - Cry the Beloved Country
- Samkange, Stanlake - The Mourned One
- The New Africa: Dispatches from a changing continent - Robert M Press
- Thomsen, Moritz - Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle
- The worlds of a Maasai warrior: an autobiography
Magazines
- New African
- Africa Today
- BBC Focus on Africa
- Jeune Afrique
Radio Stations (Short Wave)
- BBC - British Broadcast Corporation
- RFI - Radio France International
- VOA - Voice of America - heavy propaganda but a few tolerable shows
Films
Most of these are described on the California Newsreel Library of African Cinema web page.- Africa Dreaming (Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Tunisia) ***
- Africa: A History Denied (USA)
- Africa: Its People and Promise (USA)
- Africa: National Geographic (USA)
- Africa on the move
- African and African-American religions
- African Queen (USA)
- Africans (series, including Bible and Gun, Magnificent Cake, Rise of Nationalism, Legacy) (Basil Davidson) ***
- Africans (9-video series) (Ali Mazrui)
- Afrique je te plumerai (Cameroon)
- Allah Tantou (Guinea, South Africa)
- Angano (tales from Madagascar) ***
- A Walk in the Night (South Africa) ***
- Baka: Peole of the forest
- La bataille d'Algiers (Algeria)
- Ca twiste a Poponguine (Senegal)
- Chef! and La tete dans les nuages (Cameroon) ***
- Chocolat (Cameroon)
- Clando (Cameroon)
- Cobra Verde
- Cry the Beloved Country (South Africa)
- Dakan (Guinea)
- Divine carcasse (Benin)
- Education: A Basic Human Right (South Africa) ***
- Everyone's Child (Zimbabwe)
- Femmes aux yeux ouverts (Togo)
- Flame (Zimbabwe) ***
- Fintar o Destinho (Cape Verde) ***
- The flame trees of Thika
- Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask
- La gènese (Mali) ***
- Gito l'Ingrat (Burundi)
- The Gods Must Be Crazy (Botswana)
- Gorillas in the mist (USA)
- Le grand blanc de Lambarene (Gabon)
- Guimba (Mali)
- Guelwaar (Senegal)
- Hyenas (Senegal) ****
- In and Out of Africa (art merchants of West Africa)
- In a Time of Violence (South Africa) ***
- Jit (Zimbabwe)
- Journey back to Africa (USA)
- Keita l'heritage du griot (Burkina Faso)
- The Language You Cry In (US/Ghana)
- Liberia: America's stepchild
- Lumumba: mort d'un prophete (DR Congo) ***
- Mandela (South Africa)
- Mandela and de Klerk (South Africa, USA)
- Mapantsula (South Africa) ***
- Mortu Nega (Guinea-Bissau) ***
- Namibia: Africa's Last Colony ***
- The Nile - Jacques Cousteau
- Nirgendwo in Africa (Nowhere in Africa)
- Out of Africa (USA)
- An outpost of progress
- La petite vendeuse de soleil (Senegal) ****
- Pièces d'identités (Belgium/DRC) ***
- Prime Time South Africa
- Quartier Mozart (Cameroon) ***
- The Roof of Africa
- Rostov-Luanda (Angola) ***
- Saaraba (Senegal)
- Sango Malo (Cameroon) ***
- Sarafina (South Africa, USA) ***
- Shaka Zulu
- The Silent Killer: AIDS in South Africa
- The snows of Kilimanjaro (USA)
- South Africa: The greatest journeys on earth
- South Africa
- South Africa & Lesotho - The Rough Guide
- Taafe Fanga (Mali) ***
- Tableau Feraille (Senegal)
- O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno (Cape Verde) ***
- Three Tales from Senegal (Le Franc, Fary L'Anesse, Picc Mi) ***
- Toivo Child of Hope (Namibia)
- Touki Bouki (Senegal) ****
- Udju Azul di Yonta (Guinea Bissau)
- La vie est belle (DR Congo) ***
- La vie sur terre (Mali) ****
- Voices of Sarafina (South Africa, USA)
- Wend Kuuni (Burkina Faso)
- When the stars meet the sea (Madagascar) ***
- Yeelen (Mali)
- You Africa (Senegal)
- Zan Boko (Burkina Faso)
Musicians and Music Groups
- Also see the Putumayo World Music home page.
- Ali Farka Touré - Mali
- Alpha Blondy - Côte d'Ivoire
- Amampondo - South Africa
- Angelique Kidjo - Benin
- Aster Aweke - Ethiopia
- Baaba Maal - Senegal
- Badar Ali Khan - Algeria?
- Bachir Attar - Algeria?
- Cesaria Evora - Cape Verde
- Cheikh L? - Senegal
- D'Gary - Madagascar
- Dalom Kids - South Africa
- Djur Djura - Algeria
- Ebenezer Obey - Nigeria
- Eyuphuro - Mozambique
- Fela Anakulapo Kuti - Nigeria
- Franco - DR Congo
- Geoffrey Oryema - Tanzania?
- Gigi Gregory - Namibia
- Habib Koit? and Bamada - Mali
- Hamza el Din - Egypt
- Henri Dikongué - Cameroon
- Hugh Masekela - South Africa
- Idir - Algeria
- Ismael L? - Mali
- Jackson Kaujeua - Namibia
- Johnny Clegg and Juluka - South Africa
- Kagera Stars - Tanzania
- Kanda Bongo Man - DR Congo
- Kassav - DR Congo
- Khaled - Algeria
- King Sunny Adé - Nigeria
- Kukia Ahmadi Kagera Stars - Tanzania
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo - South Africa
- Loketo - Tanzania
- Lucky Dube - South Africa
- Majek Fashek - Nigeria
- Malathini and the Mahotella Queens - South Africa
- Mamadou Diabate - Mali
- Manu Dibango - Cameroon
- Maryam Mursal - Somalia
- Maua - Tanzania
- Miriam Makeba - South Africa
- Mwazakhe Mbuli - South Africa
- Mwinjuma Mumini - Tanzania
- Nabilophone - Morocco
- Najat Aatabu - Morocco
- Night Spirit Masters - Morocco
- Ntate Modise - South Africa
- Oliver Mtukudzi - Zimbabwe
- Om Kolthoum - Egypt
- Oumou Sangar? - Mali
- O'Yaba - South Africa
- Papa Wemba - DR Congo
- P?p? Kall? - DR Congo
- Phili Tabane - South Africa
- Pieter Augab - Namibia
- Ras Sheehama - Namibia
- Red Star Kagera - Tanzania
- Reho Combo - Namibia
- Remmy Ongala - Tanzania
- Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca - DR Congo
- Rossy - Madagascar
- Saida - Tanzania
- Salif Keita - Mali
- Samite - Uganda
- Sam Mangwana - DR Congo
- Sammy Massamba - DR Congo
- Sarafina soundtrack - South Africa/USA
- Sawt al Haouz - Morocco
- Selaelo Selota - South Africa
- Seleshe Demassae - Ethiopia
- Splash - South Africa
- Skylarks - South Africa
- Soul Brothers - South Africa
- Splash - South Africa
- Tabu Rey (Rochereau) - Congo
- T?tes Brul?es - Cameroon
- Thomas Mapfumo - Zimbabwe
- Toure Kunda - Senegal
- Wasis Diop - Senegal
- Youssou N'Dour - Senegal
- Yvonne Chaka Chaka - South Africa
- Zap Mama - DR Congo
- Zulu Spear - South Africa