Book Review By Sheriff Bojang Jr., Dakar, Senegal


Don't Africa Me

Author: C. Paschal Eze
Publisher: Expertz In Print
Price: US$25.00


Don't Africa Me is indubitably one of the most empowering and unwavering literary works that speak for Africa. With valour and vigour, Paschal Eze offers the eye-catching and thrilling Africa that is never shown on the screens of western corporate media such as CNN and at the same time prepares the African mind for Africa's cause.

In a fast-moving world where Africa's image is blemished by the international corporate media, Don't Africa Me faces up to those powerful institutions to get out of their shells of ignorance and premeditated distortion and depict Africa the way Africa deserves.
Eze takes issues with establishments such as CNN for portraying Africa as an evil continent purely characterized by what he refers to as the "PIDIC (poverty, instability, disease, illiteracy and corruption)" syndrome. This, Eze laments, is the main reason why Africa is loathed
principally across the United States and potential investors and business executives don't see the continent as a business or investment haven.

While prejudiced cable televisions in the West only display images of "slums and scavengers" to their viewers every time they feature Africa, Don't Africa Me provides an Africa that has a reformed market with average economic growth of 5.4%, an Africa with one of the world's most popular tourist attractions and vibrant market for investment, an Africa where people dress well rather than the absolutely stupid notion of Africans walking around naked, an Africa where people live in modest and luxurious houses instead of the disgusting perception in the narrow-minded West that Africans live in jungle, and an Africa where people go to school to study medical science, technology, engineering, media etc and excels in their chosen careers. Eze exhibits The Other Africa that is never shown by western propaganda tools such as CNN and BBC.

Don't Africa Me discusses the ongoing identity crisis fuelled by the West and from within the African mind. This well-researched book features answers of various African professionals in various parts of Africa and the US to the question of whether they prefer to be called Africans or nationalities of their respective countries. Most of these
professionals prefer to be called Africans for various reasons but Eze differs. To him, it is not only unfair but also derogatory to call a Nigerian an African while a Chinese is referred to Chinese (not Asian) and Vietnamese as Vietnamese (not Asian). He believes this is all part
of the Brand Africa package invented by the west to bring the 54 states of Africa under one big bad umbrella of destitution and frustration.

In Don't Africa Me, Eze believes that Africans in the West not wanting to be identified as people from Africa also contributes to Africa's shattered and battered image. This category of people, according to Eze, includes those African professionals in America who speak in borrowed tongues in order to fit in as African-Americans and those
African immigrants who often times, threaten to send their kids to Africa anytime they do wrong "as if the African continent was a very lonely prison cell or petrifying torture chambers".

Don't Africa Me does not spare Hollywood celebrities like Parish Hilton and Angelina Jolie and donation-worshipping global NGOs in the likes of Feed The Children. Contrary to these "here and there" celebrities' claims of caring for Africa at heart, C. Paschal Eze is
with the strong conviction that they merely go out there to exploit Africa and promote their brands in the media. He condemns charitable NGOs for sending the wrong signal that nothing is good in Africa thereby sending away potential investors, tourists, importers and exporters.

Don't Africa Me in a nutshell, challenges Africans and African states to emulate the-then-hated-and-now-cherished China and re-brand the current Africa Brand and then stand up and be counted. If you are honestly interested in knowing the real Africa, the Africa at gave birth to even-the-West-cannot-deny celebrated global icons such as Mandela, Tutu, Achebe, Gambari, Annan, Soyinka, Emeagwali, Maathai and host of others, turn off your TV, boycott ignorant and myopic lectures by so-called Africa experts in the west and please, please, please read Don't Africa Me: "Their" geo-branding war, "Our" trade, tourism wounds, and winning like China. Don't Africa Me is available for purchase at amazon.com and paschalezemedia.com.