From Publishers Weekly
Although many books have portrayed the problems of today's Africa, Maier, former Africa correspondent for the Independent of London, takes a more hopeful view. His aim is not to sanitize the image of sub-Saharan Africa but to "celebrate the spirit" of ordinary people striving to better their world. Thus he describes trailblazers like a Ghanaian sociologist working to help the elderly, and he explains how Mozambique's once socialist government adapted to the spirit claims of traditional chiefs and healers. Taking issue with the widespread pessimistic view of "coming anarchy," he notes that a country like Sierra Leone has had democratic elections rather than descending into chaos. Yet Maier's sobering portrait of Rwanda acknowledges only a slim hope for peace and justice, and he laments the unrealized potential of behemoth Nigeria. This book is not comprehensive but anecdotal; France's enduring influence or Western policies toward Africa are hardly broached. But even if Maier seems Pollyannish at times, this is a reasonable counterpart to accounts that focus only on conflict. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Maier, a foreign correspondent in Africa for over ten years and author of Angola: Promises and Lies (Serif, 1996), has produced a remarkable book dealing with the spirit of a changing sub-Saharan Africa. It is no easy task to articulate an intangible undercurrent in an area so geographically large and culturally diverse, but Maier has succeeded admirably in revealing how African peoples today are "summoning their tremendous inner vitality...to adapt to a rapidly changing world around them." In clearly written journalistic prose, Maier illustrates his thesis with individuals, places, and events from all over the sub-Saharan continent; there is, unquestionably, a movement to return to the pre-colonial, pre-Christian, pre-Muslim African spiritual beliefs, and the reassertion of the African spirit can be seen in politics, medicine, education, religion, even the military. African peoples face huge hurdles (AIDS, civil wars, famine) as they enter the 21st century, but Maier gives us hope that they can rebound and even thrive. Highly recommended.?Ruth K. Baacke, Whatcom Cty. Lib. Sys., Bellingham, Wash.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, Howard W. French
A longtime freelance journalist in Africa, Maier begins his book almost apologetically, declaring that his purpose is "neither to sanitize the image of sub-Saharan Africa nor to soft-pedal its problems." Rather, he says, his goal is to provide "a balanced picture of how its peoples are summoning their tremendous inner vitality."... he introduces the reader to his subject through a rich variety of Africans, from computer scientists and doctors to guerilla fighters and traditional healers. If anything binds them together, it is not race or geography but a common struggle to construct a workable future.
David Burgess, International Herald Tribune, March 2, 1998
For those who know Africa, and especially for those who don't, Karl Maier has written a book of immense charm and insight. He leavens passages about general problems of that troubled continent with a journalist's observations of the specific: the travails of an often-jailed Nigerian doctor whose crime was to naively urge free elections - and who has somehow kept his optimistic outlook; a Zulu woman medical doctor who found herself made a chief and her efforts to combine traditional ways with the needs of a modern society. And there is, heartbreakingly, the tale of a taxi driver in Lagos, known locally - and tellingly - as the "Honest Nigerian," who returned to a passenger a bag of money, representing 18 months' wages, that she had left in his cab. The driver had a subsequent run of bad luck that tested to the limit his faith that he had done right. In this fine overview of Africa on the brink of the millenium, Maier, who spent most of the decade ending in 1995 in Africa as the The Independent of London's correspondent, indentifies the complex of problems facing the sub-Saharan part of the continent, and, with an Africa-lover's optimism, concludes that all hope has not been entirely lost - mainly because of the extraordinary resilience of the African peoples....
From Kirkus Reviews
A hopeful, if not entirely convincing, prismatic portrait of Africa in transition, by a longtime Africa correspondent for the Independent of England. One of the seminal texts of postcolonial Africa was John Gunther's 1955 Inside Africa. He saw signs of hope everywhere, a sense that Africa might not just rival its recent European masters, but even surpass them. And then everything fell apart, in a massive paroxysm of corruption, dictatorship, and civil war. Now Maier finds cause for renewed hope. This ``second revolution'' is occurring not so much among governments and political leaders (though there have been some signal changes, such as in South Africa) as in the aspirations and actions of ordinary Africans ``armed with the values and drive of their forefathers, who are ready to tackle the challenges of the future.'' So, from Mozambique to Nigeria to Rwanda, we are introduced to men and women who are doing their little bit to improve things, from running AIDS clinics to standing against corruption to helping rehabilitate children soliders. Maier isn't as much a Pollyanna as Gunther: He is all too aware of the obstacles, from the rampant spread of AIDS to ongoing ethnic conflict to the staggering poverty. But his own reporting tends to work against his thesis. For example, his excellent analysis of Rwanda and Nigeria and their intractable problems tends to overweigh the few bright spots he's able to uncover there. Treating Africa monadically also fuels the kind of oversimplification and gross generalizations that have warped Western perceptions and treatment of so many African countries. In addition, there is a cut-and-paste quality to this book, which makes it feel more like a series of newspaper articles strung together than a coherent whole. Maier is masterful at the fast sprint of reportage, but he's simply unable to go the distance with this book. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Richard Leakey, the Times of London, February 26, 1998
Into the House of the Ancestors ...deals with contemporary African issues, some of which are equally devastating and tragic as war. Maier has written a sensitive and complex narrative about the "New Africa" and the emergence of a generation which is looking to the future without particular reference to colonialism. In describing this African Renaissance, Maier has given some excellent descriptions of the lives and experiences of both ordinary and extraordinary individuals in different parts of Africa. I found it interesting that he believes African people share a character trait: that they are a very tolerant and forgiving people. While some would question such idealism, I personally tend to agree with this observation. Indeed it is this "positive" perspective on contemporary Africa that sets the book apart from so many. Into the House of the Ancestors includes a very powerful narrative about the problems of Aids and the effect that it is having on ordinary people. The horror of this scourge is difficult to put across and Maier has, in my view, made an important effort in this respect. Similarly, I was struck by the very emotional narrative of the losses and feelings of some very real people who were caught up in the massacres in Rwanda. In spite of wanting the reader to feel that there is hope, Maier is honest about some problems. For example, he relates how the current Zambian President, Frederick Chiluba, was all for democracy and human rights until he became president. This example, and a number of others, brings home the point that accountability is the key to Africa's future. I agree with Maier that colonial history (and even pre-colonial history) should be put into perspective, and that there is an urgent need for the world to engage in providing help. It is to be hoped that Into the House of the Ancestors will awaken the need for this. (Richard Leakey in the Times of London 26/2/98)
Book Description
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 clichéd 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
The publisher, John Wiley & Sons
In a richly woven narrative of the vibrant and volatile life of Africa today, Karl Maier draws on ten years' experience traversing sub-Sahara Africa to offer a powerful and surprising message: Africans all over the continent are courageously waging a "second revolution," reviving and expanding the rich traditions of their cultures to find ingenuous ways of improving their lives. Based on hundreds of interviews, this book offers a rare combination of history and contemporary reporting filled with the sights and sounds of Africa and its people.
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 clichéd 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.
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