Verdict: carrot
A long, appreciative look at Sihle Khumalo’s latest:
What does the heart of Africa mean to an African? The author of Dark Continent My Black Arse gets down and dirty (well, he sticks to public transport, so what do you expect?) in his quest to find the source of the Nile (which of several?), see the mountain gorillas (sorry, should have booked ahead), and generally find out what he can get away with.
Overall, the answer is: a lot. Especially whenever he overcomes mistrust of his fellow Africans. But then he is nothing if not honest about himself and his reactions, about expectations, about what he sees as our continent’s inadequacies.
Nor, in a world that values literary pretentiousness, is he ashamed to be basic when the mood suits (of which more later).
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