Product Description

This is a travel book about Dahomey (Benin) - an inhospitable country in Africa where corruption is rife and where Catholicism shares a place with Gri Gri, the local Voodoo. The muslim north of the country is arid and tough, whereas the south is colourful, sophisticated and artistic. The countryside ranges from pretty English rural, to arid sub-Sahara. Annie experiences this country of contrasts from the back seat of a taxi driven by a wacky control freak called Isidore.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #768792 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Benin is an obscure place. As Annie Caulfield says in Show Me the Magic, her perceptive travelogue about the country, even her most knowledgeable friends had only heard of the British Museum's famous Benin bronzes--and those in fact hail from Nigeria. But Benin's attractions are obvious after reading this book, for this small West African state is the home of vodou--not the pin-sticking cult sensationalised in popular psychology, but a religion whose origins far predate those of monotheism.

Benin's history is as rich as its mythology, and so, in parallel with the journey into vodou is one into the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, as Caulfield visits the various centres of this old African empire. As the book's title implies, though, much of the narrative involves mysticism. The profusion of magical beliefs in West Africa is as great today as it has ever been; here, most people believe things that would have them confined to asylums elsewhere, and indeed, as Caulfield is guided round the country by Isidore, her taxi driver, she sees the magical beliefs of the Beninois as a means of masking mental illness--like many an anthropologist before her.

Nevertheless, her scepticism about magic does not harm the narrative's integrity. Her friendship with Isidore is sensitively drawn, and she has a strong understanding of the history of Dahomey, as well as of the callousness so often shown towards Africa by Europeans. By the end, we care deeply about the characters we have met, and, whether the magic is real or not, we know that Benin is a special place.--Toby Green

Review
'This book is so memorable and enjoyable. It's very moving but also bloody funny. Buy it' Lenny Henry

About the Author
Annie Caulfield is a comedy script writer for theatre, TV & radio, including many collaborations with Lenny Henry and episodes of THIS LIFE. She is the author of KINGDOM OF THE FILM STARS, the story of a journey through Jordan which is currently being made into a feature film. Annie is from Northern Ireland but lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Charming, funny, engaging.
I've read Annie Caulfield's previous books on Jordan and Australia, and was again captivated by this funny and charming book about Benin. Caulfield has a deft touch, seeing into a country's essence using humour and a sharp scepticism. Not only do you get a sense of the country as a traveller, but you get a flavour of history, and can often almost feel the heat and smell the air. Quite wonderful.

Hugely entertaining trip around Benin and voodoo culture
Annie Caulfield lands up in Benin and hitches up with Isadore, a taxi driver who has a strong line in control freakery. He becomes her stern but very funny guide around Benin and the voodoo culture that started life here.

The book is part guide book to a country that I, atleast, knew nothing about. It's an education into the voodoo culture, extracting the true beliefs and ceremonies from the Hollywood hokum and it is also just an entertaining and damn fine read.

Isadore, the taxi driver who makes it his business to tell his passenger where she should go, not to mention what she sould eat and when she should go to the toilet, emerges as the real star of the book.

But it is also a touching, engaging and warm account of the people and their beliefs. Highly reccomended, very funny and makes me want to go to the country.

I recommend this book
'Show me the magic' is a great read, which I would recommend to anyone who knows Benin or is planning to visit. However, even if you're not in one of these categories, I'm sure it would still be an entertaining read, which would make you want to visit Benin. In spite of the title, the book does not concentrate solely on voodoo magic, but has a lot of historical and cultural insights, all written in a witty yet literary style.

Great book, Annie. Roll on the next!