I’m visiting Africa for the first time since I left office — a continent of wonderful diversity, thriving culture and remarkable stories.
I was proud to visit sub-Saharan Africa more times than any sitting President, and I return this week. In South Africa, the Obama Foundation will convene 200 extraordinary young leaders from the continent and I’ll deliver a speech marking the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth.
Kenya, of course, is the Obama ancestral home. I first visited when I was in my twenties and I was profoundly influenced — a journey I described in my first book, Dreams from My Father.
Over the years I've drawn inspiration from Africa's extraordinary literary tradition. Here are books I'd recommend, each illuminating our world in powerful and unique ways.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A classic of world literature, this novel paints a picture of traditional society wrestling with the arrival of foreign influence, from Christian missionaries to British colonialism. A masterpiece that has inspired generations of writers in Nigeria, across Africa and the world.
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o
A chronicle of the events leading to Kenya’s Independence and a compelling story of how history's transformative events weigh on individual lives and relationships.
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Mandela’s life was an epic of the 20th century. This definitive memoir traces his life from a small village, to his years as a revolutionary, his long imprisonment, and ultimately his ascension to unifying President, leader and global icon. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history — and then go out and change it.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
From a great contemporary writer comes the story of two Nigerians making their way in the US and the UK, raising universal questions of race and belonging, the overseas experience for the diaspora, and the search for identity and home.
The Return by Hisham Matar
A beautifully written memoir balancing a graceful guide through Libya’s recent history with the author’s dogged quest to find his father who disappeared in Gaddafi’s prisons.
From Obama's Facebook page
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