Into the House of Africa

Into the House of our Ancestors

By Karl Maier

“Two recent works have dominated conversations about Africa in the late 1990's: Robert B. Kaplan's article The Coming Anarchy and Keith B. Richburg's book, Out of America -- a surprising circumstance, perhaps, since neither work was, strictly speaking, about Africa” says Howard French, a NYT writer. It was until Karl Maier’s Into the House of Our Ancestors until a somewhat optimistic outlook on Africa emerges. Maier is the first person to write a book on what some are calling the African renaissance. Maier quotes Nelson Mandela, "We are moving from an era of resistance, division, oppression, turmoil and conflict and starting a new era of hope, reconciliation and nation-building." Maier addresses some of the major problems Africa had faced in the past but says, “Yet blaming Africa's myriad problems on the outside world will simply not do any more, and it is very rare to hear Africans living in Africa offering such excuses”, and continues “Even without the constraints of the unbalanced economic relationship with the West, African countries have their own very urgent problems to sort out, and only they can do it.” Maier’s book is detrimental to understanding where Africa is today and in what direction the Continent is heading. Maier’s unbiased opinion and stories told about the individuals of Africa invite us to look at the Continent a completely different way.

Many of the problems the Africans faced in the past are cover in Maier’s book. He talks about colonization and the Black Diaspora. Maier says the Berlin Conference caused, “the struggle of Africa’s people to reclaim their birthright, to pursue their lives in relative security and with reasonable hope of delivering a better future to their children, was just beginning, and it was to experience many reverses.” To lift the curse, Africa must take the good form the past and meet the demands of the future. Maier states, “Africans must reclaim the sense of history and purpose of which colonialism dispossessed them.

We can learn much from this book. After reading Maier’s book, I can’t help but feel I was very ignorant about Africa. The second Chapter of the book was a jaw dropper for me. In the second chapter Maier looks at various characters who return to their countries to take on new roles. At the end of the chapter Maier stresses the importance of combining modernization and keeping tradition. “Africa is constantly on the move, always prepared to astonish, to amaze, and to leave anyone who cares to look close enough gasping in wonder at the sheer energy of life on display”, and continues, “Its people show a remarkable ability to transform themselves, to adapt as situations demand… that resilience explains in part their success at surviving, and in many cases thriving, despite the harsh economic and political climate that envelopes most of the continent.” Maier describes the lives of four outstanding African pioneers: a Zimbabwean sculptor; a Nigerian computer specialist; a university professor caring for the elderly; and my favorite a young South African medical doctor thrust into the role of Zulu chief. All of the individuals share Maier’s idea and are convinced that Africa can make its own way on its own terms.

Many of the problems being faced today in this African Renaissance can only be cured with an African remedy. One example is Dr. Ogobara Doumbo, a Malian who directs malaria research at his national medical school. Doumbo and his researchers are constantly in the field, visiting the villages where malaria's ravages have hit hardest. Their work has led not only to the acceptance of the standard Western treatment, chloroquine, by some traditional village healers but also to the discovery of a compound derived from the remedies used by the healers that successfully treats chloroquine-resistant strains of the disease. Another example in this chapter is an elderly couple of twin sisters are described as, “a few short steps from homelessness and probable starvation.” Maier tells us that in the African society the old take care of the young until the old age to the point to where they cannot support themselves then the roles are reversed.