In Search of Africa Author:Manthia Diawara In 1996 Manthia Diawara returned to Guinea, thirty-two years after he and his family were expelled from the newly liberated country. Expecting to be welcomed as an insider, Diawara was shocked to discover that he was not. He suggests solutions to overcome the stultifying legacy of colonialism and age-old social practices, looking to the culture ... more »of the diaspora as well as to traditional music and literature—to James Brown, Miles Davis, and Salif Kéita, to Richard Wright, Spike Lee, and the ancient epics of the griots. "A smart, rewarding study by a native-born African attempting to recapture the mystique of a distant past. In his search, we are enlightened as we grapple with his conclusion that 'the salvation of Africa lies in modernization, the creation of a secular public sphere, and the freedom of individuals.' Diawara convincingly demonstrates that we left not only our minds in Africa but a portion of our hearts and souls." —Herb Boyd, Washington Post Book World "While friendship quest provides the basic narrative structure of Diawara's In Search of Africa, the book is interspersed with a series of important 'situational' essays that give the text an additional rich layer of intellectual depth. From considerations of Jean-Paul Sartre's essay 'Black Orpheus'...to contemporary Afro-American hip-hop, 'homeboys,' and the films of Spike Lee, Diawara's meditations on African and Afro-American culture and politics are wide-ranging, provocative, and never less than engaging." —Stan Perksy, Vancouver Sun« less