Into the House of the Ancestors - by Karl Maier (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Experience Africa's vibrant and volatile struggle at the crossroads between tradition and modernity . . .

INTO THE HOUSE OF THE ANCESTORS

"Rich . . . fascinating." --The New York Times Book Review

"A master of eyewitness description and of the telling interview, [Maier] has unearthed Africa's hidden heroes and heroines." --Financial Times

"Maier has written a sensitive and complex narrative. . . . excellent descriptions of the lives and experiences of both ordinary and extraordinary individuals in different parts of Africa." --Richard Leakey, The Times (London)

"A remarkable book. . . . It is no easy task to articulate an intangible undercurrent in an area so geographically large and culturally diverse, but Maier has succeeded admirably. Maier gives us hope that [the Africans] can rebound and even thrive. Highly recommended." --Library Journal

From the Back Cover

Experience the vibrant and volatile life of Africa's struggle for a "second revolution" in this penetrating narrative portrait of a continent at a turning point in history.

Based on hundreds of interviews--with traditional healers, chiefs, business innovators, scientists, generals, doctors, poets, and politicians--Into the House of the Ancestors goes beyond clich?d images of corruption, brutality, and starvation to illuminate the essence of Africa's extraordinary spirit. With an exceptional combination of insight and information, leading journalist Karl Maier reveals a rising force of activists and innovators taking control of their lives and their destinies in ways that are ingenious and inspirational. Distinctively African, they are forging a quiet revolution that holds immense promise for the continent's future.

As strikingly varied as the continent itself, Africans today are courageously "innovating the past," reviving and expanding the rich traditions of their cultures to find African solutions to Africa's problems. Turning away from dependence on foreign development and relief funds, these trailblazers are also rejecting the corruption and debilitating inefficiencies of postcolonialism and are demanding fundamental reforms.

Key to understanding the true complexity of Africa today, Maier argues, is an appreciation of the rich blending of tradition and modernization that infuses everyday life. From the spirit called Mungoi, who protects a small village from the ravages of a war in Mozambique, to the remarkable young woman doctor--trained in modern medicine--who becomes a Zulu chief, Maier captures the untold stories that reveal how creatively Africans are connecting tradition to development.

Maier grounds his hopeful view of Africa's potential not only on contemporary reporting, but on the keen perspectives and insights of the continent's most distinguished historians. Providing crucial context about the scope and impact of the slave trade and the colonial period, Maier offers a probing analysis of the key aspects of Africa's past that shape the challenges for the future.

Unique among books on Africa today, Into the House of the Ancestors comes right out of the virtually unknown wellspring of energy and commitment, profoundly determining the future course of scores of nations and their continent.

Praise for INTO THE HOUSE OF THE ANCESTORS

"Both well-informed and comprehensive, bearing witness to an experience of Africa both deep and wide. Above all, a very balanced book, reflecting a real human understanding." -- Abiola Irele

"Maier comes to us as one who has had a great deal of empathy for Africa. The actors are African, and he is fully respectful of his subject matter." -- Peter Ekeh

About the Author

KARL MAIER served as the Africa correspondent for the Independent newspaper from 1986 to 1995 and has contributed articles on Africa to the Washington Post, the Economist, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Angola: Promises and Lies.