John Nunley: “There are no straight lines in Africa.”
Africa is all about the undulating line. Linear functions don’t apply.
Africa is all about the undulating line. Linear functions don’t apply.
I never bore biological children, but there’s never been a time in my life when I didn’t have a close relationship with a child or young adult. No kids of my own, then, but godchildren, nieces and nephews, neighbors, friend’s children, and upstairs neighbors. It’s a path not taken that’s no doubt for the best,…
The current issue of DRUMVOICES REVUE commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” I taught his novel as a Peace Corps teacher in Ghana and Botswana. I meant a lot to me then and I still consider it one of the world’s masterpieces. Eugene Redmond, Poet Laureate of East…
First off, let me say I consider that the reader section on the Amazon book product pages are, for the most part, best termed as “comments” rather than “reviews”—which usually would be rather over-stating the case. Secondly, I am frequently appalled by the casual way in which readers in these comment sections reveal their ignorance,…
Damaria Senne and I have been having a good time swapping guest posts. She appeared earlier of Riehlife in a post about finding relatives in unexpected places. If you missed it the first time, you can find it here. Damaria Senne, of Johannesburg, South Africa Damaria has posted an extensive 2-part interview with me on…
It seems that humans, in order to deal with the mass of humanity they encounter, need to organize the masses by reverting to labeling people through identity. I don’t know if this is genetic or a learned behavior (clearly the details are very much learned), but it is the root of much of the problems…
In Blood Diamond a fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond. But, what are the real jewels here? The smuggler is searching for a diamond, but finds God in an unexpected series of plot turns that change his heart. The fisherman is searching for his…
Although it is obvious who built the 70 mile long straight stretch of railroad track around Dete, I wonder if Mr. Nunley would care to speculate on who is responsible for laying the chevron patterns in the walls of Great Zimbabwe. In the course of my short lifetime I have seen theories on the origins of Great ZImbabwe come and go, ranging from Arabs and Phonecians to Shahili people. Interestingly, the more recent timing of shifts in popular opinion have been coordinated directly with political changes.
“There are no straight lines in Africa,” refers more to a way of being and doing. Naturally there are geometric patterns abounding in African art and daily life.
Your comments on the walls of Great Zimbabwe are interesting. I’ll take some time to learn more.
Janet Riehl