Kinship: A Family's Journey in Africa and America

Rating:
Summary: This book was very one-sided!
Review: As a Black-American female who has experienced the same ignorance and negativity from African people as many Africans have experienced from American Blacks, I felt that the book was very bias. It seems that although Phillipe is of both American and African ancestry he seems to be more partial to his African ancestry. He spoke of his father's people with pride but barely mentioned his mother's people with much attachment. Are we to believe that only African families and people have values, strength and pride? That kind of thinking in itself shows that Africans can be just as ignorant of Black Americans as we can be of them. Phillipe Wamba and others of both cultures should learn that a few good or bad expreiences with a group of people does not make one an authority on that group. While I can somewhat understand Phillipe's outlook on the situation since he was raised predominately in Africa, however I feel that if he is serious about exposing the conflict between American Blacks and Africans he should protray the problem more honestly instead of seemingly blaming the misunderstanding between the two groups as primarily Black Americans' fault. On a more personal note. Me and my Central African husband will be having a bicultural child in August and I hope he or she will show more respect for my people then Mr. Wamba seems to show for his mother's.

FYI: Me and my husband will be writing a book about African-Black American marriages and bi-cultural children. A book written in the words of the people its about. It is meant to give a positive yet honest perspective on African/American relations. Because I for one would like to read something on this subject that is not overly negative.

Rating:
Summary: The "shunned" Africanness that unites us and forever will.
Review: Born in Ghana and having lived in the US for 18 years I share almost all of Wamba's sentiments. At my alma mater Morehouse college, the flagship Black institution, Africans were mostly looked upon with disdain. As a Practicing physician in rural Georgia now, I am exposed to very poor blacks who hail from generations of poverty and illiteracy. Almost all descend from the slave plantations that dotted this area. All of Wamba's experiences are drawn from African-Americans with education (Harvard students etc). Even among this educated group the knowlegde of Africa is minuscule. Imagine the level of knowlegde in this area in the deep south. It has never ceased to perplex me how a group of people will be so lost as to their origins. One might argue the point that; so what. What difference does it make if someone does not identify with his or her ancestral home. Wamba proudly tells of his father's strong cultural upbringing and how his family cherishes their Congolese roots. These features provided an anchor for a solid family unit. The very ambience of the culture was something to hold on to in times of despair. I can say the same for Ghanaian culture. So in essence, strong cultural values and a feeling of belonging is directly related to stability and direction. In this area of the country where descendants of slave and slaveowners are now living together in a poignantly bizarre relationship the lack of such a cultural belonging of blacks to their ancestral home, in my opinion, is in part responsible for the multiplicity of problems we see here; astonishing pregnancies rates in unwed mothers, illiteracy and ignorance, crime and poverty. One need not come to the deep south to learn of the demise of the black man and his perpetual struggle with the criminal justice system. As a physician in the ER at Grady hospital in Atlanta, I saw young black youth brought in dead on arrival, shot or stabbed on a daily basis. When Wamba writes, with pathos, of Tanzanian children playing barefooted and retiring to hear stories told by a lit fire by an elder; when he writes of his father's poor childhood and yet his undaunting desire to pursue a higher education and of his own humble beginnings, it is clear that the source of strength is a strong cultural belonging. The African-American youth of today lack this type of strength. Wamba has written a very controverssial book touching on a sensitive issue. The leitmotif is that a common African culture stills lives amongst the two groups. It is only dormant in this hemisphere and has to to be awakened. I believe this book should be required reading at all predominantly black colleges. Certainly anyone interested in African-African-American relationships should read it.

Rating:
Summary: A book ahead of its time
Review: Philippe Wamba's book is a must read for all interested in humanity. Mr. Wamba records history that has been ignored by the world community in an interesting storytelling style. The book is ahead of its time. The author digs deep into the untold stories to examine the cause of division among people, from a global prospective.

Mr. Wamba's rich observation is enhanced by his knowledge of history and a humble way of looking at his personal experiences across continents. In addition, he engages readers with an exemplary family and a coming of age story. The writer parallels his family tale with world history and current events. In the process, he neatly packages information that is not readily available. The book will make you laugh with pleasant stories and cry with cruel tales.

It is a shame how we humans continue to ignore ideas that unite and enlighten us in favor of the old dividing ones, as we keep losing forward thinking leaders before their time - such as Philippe Wamba. The book shows us what type of history we create when we function in this world based on suspicion and ignorance among each other.

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better.
Review: While it was overall a good read I feel the author could have done more with the book than he did. I felt as if I was left hanging. Mr. Wamba, for the most part, only focused on his and other Africans' negative experiences with African-Americans while barely touching on their positive encounters (which I'm sure there are many) outside of the impression African-American pop-culture has made on African youths. Mr. Wamba fails to fully explain the reasons for the hostility African-Americans and African people have for each other. He only mentions it and gives no intelligent explanation or solution. The author gave us little hope that the gap between African and African-American people will ever be bridged. But it's a great book if you want to learn more about African culture.