Product Description

As a five-year-old, George Alagiah emigrated with his family to Ghana - the first African country to attain independence from the British Empire. A PASSAGE TO AFRICA is Alagiah's shattering catalogue of atrocities crafted into a portrait of Africa that is infused with hope, insight and outrage. In vivid and evocative prose and with a fine eye for detail Alagiah's viewpoint is spiked with the freshness of the young George on his arrival in Ghana, the wonder with which he recounts his first impressions of Africa and the affection with which he dresses his stories of his early family life. A sense of possibility lingers, even though the book is full of uncomfortable truths. It is a book neatly balanced on his integrity and sense of obligation in his role as a writer and reporter. The shock of recognition is always there, but it is the personal element that gives A PASSAGE TO AFRICA its originality. Africa becomes not only a group of nations or a vast continent, but an epic of individual pride and suffering.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #287883 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
* 'The emphatic authority that George Alagiah has brought to his reports from Africa for BBC News is just as strong a component of his book' - THE TIMES * 'Without rhetoric or rancour, his eloquent book places these issues in their true context, and frames some of the major moral questions of our time' - INDEPENDENT

About the Author
News reporter George Alagiah was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1955 and his family emigrated to Ghana in 1960, thus beginning his lifelong relationship with the Dark Continent.

Customer Reviews

Excellent commentary on Africa and poignant biography
Having seen George Alagiah as a first-rate foreign affairs correspondent and then news reader for the BBC, I was delighted to find he could also write. This is a good mix of biography and factual review of events in certain African countries, seen from the perspective not only of a journalist but also of an "insider". Most books on Africa are written either by Europeans or Africans themselves and the fact that Alagiah originally comes from an Asian developing country gives a different edge to his comments. His analysis of the situation in Somalia as well as the Congo are particularly strong. There are also thrilling accounts of his escapades as a journalist in Africa, which should delight many a would-be correspondent. I would recommend this book highly and anyone in the least bit interested in Africa, journalism or indeed the personal story of a boy/man, who has been through many upheavals and come through successfully, will find it well worth their while.

A well-written, personal view of events in Africa
Being a South African, I am more than just averagely interested in books on Africa. I knew George Aligiah from news reporting on UK TV only - I had no idea of his roots or his African adventures.

I found his writing exceptionally easy to read and personal. He writes of HIS experiences, and makes no apologies for not trying to write a full history of a situation. He lets you know of the wonders of Africa, as well as some of its horrors, and gets the balance right.

I finished the book wanting more, and feeling prouder of Africa than I had in a long time. Don't miss it!

Superb - a magnificent account
This is, quite simply, a brilliant book. George Alagiah leads the reader through a history of modern Africa from a personal, involved and genuinely compassionate point of view. He details his own upbringing, first in Ceylon then in Ghana, where his family moved when he was 5. He then goes on to give fascinating and thought provoking accounts of his journalistic experiences in many different African countries. The accounts of his dealings with various regimes, armies, and above all ordinary people cannot fail to move the reader. He is not afraid to speak his mind, criticising various movements and leaders, both from Africa and the Western world. This book succeeds in making the amazing continent come alive, with stories of its people, its promise and its problems told by one of its proudest sons. Alagiah's understanding of African politics, culture, family and social life offer the reader super insights that any author without such a personal experience would surely struggle to do. Read it!