Cambria Press Book Review: Contemporary Literature of Africa is “remarkably thorough, sophisticated, and precise”

Cambria Press congratulates Wumi Raji on the excellent review of his book, Contemporary Literature of Africa, by Re-Markings, which praises the book for being “remarkably thorough, sophisticated, and precise.” It also states that “this collection will be useful to readers starting with those who have a general interest in the subject to serious scholars … this book will serve as a defining text for many years to come given its pivotal position in the history of Gambian writing and to the quality of these essays that bring into bold relief the excellence of Tijan M. Sallah‘s writing.” Browse it online now using the Cambria Press Free Preview Tool.

Below is one of Tijan Sallah’s poems, “We Let Tourists,” which clearly demonstrates his extraordinary talent in which his potent words expose the price of a nation’s prosperity and lead one to question what truly “makes a country rich.”

“We Let Tourists”by Tijan Sallah*

Our economy is flourishing
Like a flower
But my niece is now a prostitute
(tourists pin her on the bed for 10 kronor)
My little brother
Has dropped out of high school
(he guides tourists for few dalasis)
And my family does not have meat to eat
(hotels consume all)
But the government says tourism
Makes the country rich

(*Reproduced with Dr. Sallah’s permission)

Watch the Library of Congress interview with Dr. Sallah.

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See also Emerging African Voices: A Study of Contemporary African Literature and the new Cambria African Studies Series by Toyin Falola (University of Texas at Austin) and Moses Ochonu (Vanderbilt University).

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