This is a great book. I had never read about this sector of the economy. It shows that capitalism is alive and well at the grass roots level. Lets hope that the economic system allows it to prosper in the future.

"Juma and the Magic Jinn" combines a story by Joy Anderson with colorful illustrations by Charles Mikolaycak. Together they tell the story of Juma, a Kenyan boy. Juma would rather write poems and draw pictures when his teacher is trying to teach his class sums and scripts. Frustrated by the situation, Juma summons a magical being called a jinn, and asks the jinn for some magical help. Ultimately, he learns an important lesson.

This is a beautifully illustrated story with an enjoyable magical theme.

Living among the Tiv, Professor Bohannon provides us with a complete and well-documented view of their society. The culture, which is now lost, is explained as it existed before it was assimilated. The complex social interactions were a result of a rich oral history, collected by Bohannon directly from the elders of the tribe. Illustrated.

About 4 years ago I purchased a handful of books at the price of a dollar each in some dollar store of I95 in Smithfield, NC. Don't really remember why I was there but every now and then my children and I go to out of the way places and pick out books to add to our library--some we keep--some become gift basket presents for children and others become swaps for the school RIF (Read is Fundamental) Program at school. Every now and then you find a treasure and this book was one.

The book is about the animals of the African Plains. The have called a "water treaty", that is with food and water being scarce the anmals agree to be considerate of each other with regards to food--becoming somones meal and drinking water, and have gathered together to find a canidate to send to the Great Spirit to get the name of a tree that would supply them with nutriment until the rains return.

As you know there are strong animals, swift animals and then there is the King of Beasts. The anilmals elect one from each catogory to beseech the Great Spirit for the name. All succeed in obtaining the name but due to lack of paying attention have it knocked out of their memory on the return. During all this the tortiste has asked to be of help and is laughed at, kicked out, ignored until even the King of Beasts can not complete this simple mission. The animals have no choice but to let her try...She is not swift-very strong no is she royality of any kind but she is steady, attentive and proves to be the most dependable.

My children and I have enjoyed this book hundreds of times and I have shared it with the school, daycare and Girl Scouts on many occassions, especailly during Black History Month and Womens History Month. For it is a delightful tale that illustrates the importance of listening to others, learn to over-look differences to work together, paying attention to detail and most important to never doubt yourself worth and ability. The children giggle, recite and have a ball trying to say the name of the tree trying to help the animals remember.

Somewhere between sharing we lost our $1 treasure and I am now trying to find a copy only to learn it may not still be in print. But would gladly pay for the book again for not only did it provide for enchanting family moments it also helps me to reenforce qualities in the children I work with that will last them throughout their life.

Africa Fine creates a convincing array of people, a mix of races where the basic humanity of all is more significant. This is a love story about the tensions between childhood dreams and coming-of-age reality. Definitely a new author worth watching for.

This book is packed with stunning shots of aerial views of the countryside, the wildlife parks, the mountains, (e.g. the Mt Longonot crater) and the lakes & islands. Even for one like me who was born and bred in Kenya, the clarity, angle and panoramic view of the shots is simply stunning and taught me that there is amazing beauty all around me...I'm just not tall enough to see it all!

At last, a USEFUL guide to climbing Kilimanjaro! For 7 years I organized treks in East Africa (retiring last year -- and no, I'm not in this book!) and this is the first book Iv'e come across that does the mountain justice - one that tells you what you WANT and NEED to know. Things like which trekking agencies are worth booking with (and which are not!) what to take and where to go to celebrate afterwards! The book's history and wildlife sections are spot on (and even include some historical facts that I never knew), as are the town write-ups, and the route guides are the ONLY ACCURATE ones I've come across - proof that the author must have walked them himself, rather than just blindly copy the (inaccurate) maps available.
Buy this to get you up the mountain, and the big National Geographic book to remind you of your trek afterwards.

This book portrays how tough it is to be a promising clever kid in a village in Kenya, going to the big city for work after graduating top of the class, and not finding a job there even after trying so hard. Pride keeps you from returning to the village with nothing accomplished, and being unemployed on the streets of Nairobi is a hard life. Its portrayal of Nairobi street life is brutally real. This book really makes you feel the main character's desperation. Meja Mwangi writes really well and with a light touch that makes you think instead of just making you sad. The book is considered a classic in Kenya. With good reason! Highly recommended

This book is a great book if you are a person that really want to no about the Kingdom of Kongo and the civil war this is the book for you to read it is a really good book indeed.

I would most likely want to buy this book if it had some scholarly backing. It looks to have some rather exciting information within it, but since I find no scholar reviewing it, I am held back for the present time. As a scholar myself dealing with Ancient Nubia/Kush, I find this subject relative to my interests.