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Understanding Post-Colonial Africa

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What many Americans know about contemporary Africa can be summed up in headlines about bloody civil wars and corrupt dictators, child soldiers and lost boys, devastating disease, extreme poverty, and unsettling cultural practices. But the issues behind these headlines are far more complex than the popular press can portray. These four books help to introduce post-colonial Africa to the novice and explore some of the continent’s crises in greater depthincluding the West’s complicity in them.

Books in this Series

Ryszard Kapuscinski, The Shadow of the Sun
Ngugi wa Thiongo, The River Between
Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone
Jonny Steinberg, Sizwes Test: A Young Mans Journey Through Africas AIDS Epidemic
Dave Eggers, What is the What
J. Nozipo Maraire, Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter

How to Book this Series

Please browse the list of available facilitators above. Then contact your chosen facilitator to discuss the timing and other details of the series. Finally, select the “Book this Series” button and fill out our online Reading & Discussion Request Form.

Book this Series

Questions?

Please contact Richelle Franzoni at (802) 262-1355 or rfranzoni@vermonthumanities.org.

Available Facilitators

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Alan Berolzheimer

By Vermont Humanities | February 16, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator

Tags: 20C Conflicts, 20C Presidents Before, 20C Presidents Post, African American Harlem, African American South, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Blue Collar America, Earth Tones, Farms Gardens, Forces of Nature, Founding Fathers, Futures, Hard Look America, Immigrants, Legacy of Race, Making Sense Civil War, March, Memorable Memoirs, Mexican Americans, Most Costly Journey, Native America, New England Uncovered, Our Civil War Legacy, Outsiders, Path to War, Seminal Statements, Slavery Civil War, Understanding Africa, When Cultures Meet, World War II Innocence

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Suzanne H. Brown

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Jewish, 20C Presidents Before, African American Harlem, African American Memoirs, African American South, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, American Stories, Based on Real Life, BIG Books, Blue Collar America, Booker Prize, Border Crossings, Canadian Diversity, Changing South, China Transform, DCF Winners, Dogged Resolve, Eight Great Greek, Experience My World, Exploring Graphic Novels, Family History, Farms Gardens, Fleeing Dictatorship, Forces of Nature, Founding Fathers, From Page to Screen, Futures, Gastronomy, Genius Mark Twain, Get Real, Gilded Age, Hard Look America, Healthcare Humanity, How They Lived, Immigrants, Influential First Ladies, International Migrations, Justice, Legacy of Race, Lincoln Bicentennial, Literary Islam, Making Sense Civil War, March, Masters Short Story, Memorable Memoirs, Mexican Americans, Most Costly Journey, Mysterious Lens, Native America, Native American Literature, Never-Setting Sun, New England Uncovered, pandemics, Path to War, Pilgrimage, Poems to Share, Portraits of the Artists, Pulitzer Plays, Reintroducing Greece, Required Reading, Retellings, Revenge, Rise of English Novel, Robert Frost, Romantic Ideal, Seven Deadly Sins, Shakespeare Mix, Soldiering On, Sustainability, Ties That Bind, Understanding Africa, Vermont Reads, War and Humanity, What a Character, Womens Literature

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Elayne Clift

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: Bennington, Rutland, Windham, Windsor

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Jewish, African American Harlem, African American Memoirs, African American South, Based on Real Life, BIG Books, Booker Prize, Border Crossings, Canadian Diversity, Changing South, Earth Tones, Experience My World, Fleeing Dictatorship, Forces of Nature, Futures, Hard Look America, Healthcare Humanity, How They Lived, Immigrants, Influential First Ladies, International Migrations, March, Masters Short Story, Memorable Memoirs, Native American Literature, Never-Setting Sun, New England Uncovered, Outsiders, Pilgrimage, Portraits of the Artists, Required Reading, Retellings, Robert Frost, Romantic Ideal, Seven Deadly Sins, Sustainability, Ties That Bind, Understanding Africa, Vermont Reads, What a Character, Womens Literature, World War II Innocence

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Nat Frothingham

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: BIG Books, Border Crossings, Lincoln Bicentennial, Making Sense Civil War, Never-Setting Sun, Our Civil War Legacy, Poems to Share, Robert Frost, Seminal Statements, Shakespeare Mix, Understanding Africa

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Mary Hays

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: Caledonia, Orange, Washington

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Jewish, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Based on Real Life, BIG Books, Blue Collar America, Booker Prize, Canadian Diversity, Changing South, DCF Winners, Dogged Resolve, Experience My World, Family History, Fleeing Dictatorship, Forces of Nature, Founding Fathers, Futures, Genius Mark Twain, Get Real, Hard Look America, Healthcare Humanity, How They Lived, Immigrants, Influential First Ladies, International Migrations, Justice, Lincoln Bicentennial, Masters Short Story, Memorable Memoirs, Mexican Americans, Most Costly Journey, Native America, Native American Literature, Never-Setting Sun, New England Uncovered, Our Civil War Legacy, Outsiders, Path to War, Pilgrimage, Poems to Share, Pulitzer Plays, Required Reading, Revenge, Romantic Ideal, Seminal Statements, Seven Deadly Sins, Slavery Civil War, Ties That Bind, Understanding Africa, Vermont Reads, War and Humanity, What a Character, When Cultures Meet

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Gina Logan

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Conflicts, 20C Presidents Before, African American Harlem, African American Memoirs, African American South, American Stories, BIG Books, Canadian Diversity, China Transform, DCF Winners, Eight Great Greek, Experience My World, From Page to Screen, Futures, Gastronomy, Genius Mark Twain, Healthcare Humanity, How They Lived, Immigrants, Justice, Lincoln Bicentennial, March, Masters Short Story, Mysterious Lens, Native America, Native American Literature, Never-Setting Sun, Our Civil War Legacy, Outsiders, Pilgrimage, Poems to Share, Portraits of the Artists, Reintroducing Greece, Retellings, Revenge, Rise of English Novel, Rise of Nazism, Romantic Ideal, Seminal Statements, Seven Deadly Sins, Slavery Civil War, Soldiering On, Ties That Bind, Understanding Africa, War and Humanity, When Cultures Meet, Womens Literature, World War II Innocence

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Jim Schley

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Jewish, African American Harlem, African American Memoirs, African American South, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, American Stories, Based on Real Life, BIG Books, Booker Prize, Border Crossings, Canadian Diversity, Changing South, DCF Winners, Earth Tones, Eight Great Greek, Exploring Graphic Novels, Family History, Farms Gardens, Fleeing Dictatorship, Forces of Nature, From Page to Screen, Futures, Genius Mark Twain, Get Real, Hard Look America, Healthcare Humanity, International Migrations, Justice, Legacy of Race, March, Masters Short Story, Memorable Memoirs, Mexican Americans, Most Costly Journey, Mysterious Lens, Native America, Native American Literature, New England Uncovered, Path to War, Pilgrimage, Poems to Share, Pulitzer Plays, Reintroducing Greece, Required Reading, Retellings, Revenge, Rise of English Novel, Rise of Nazism, Robert Frost, Romantic Ideal, Seminal Statements, Seven Deadly Sins, Shakespeare Mix, Soldiering On, Sustainability, Ties That Bind, Understanding Africa, Vermont Reads, What a Character, When Cultures Meet, Womens Literature, World War II Innocence

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

John R. Turner

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Conflicts, 20C Presidents Before, 20C Presidents Post, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, BIG Books, China Transform, Eight Great Greek, Experience My World, Founding Fathers, Gastronomy, Genius Mark Twain, Influential First Ladies, Lincoln Bicentennial, Making Sense Civil War, Masters Short Story, Memorable Memoirs, New England Uncovered, Our Civil War Legacy, Outsiders, Pilgrimage, Portraits of the Artists, Reintroducing Greece, Retellings, Revenge, Rise of English Novel, Rise of Nazism, Robert Frost, Romantic Ideal, Seminal Statements, Seven Deadly Sins, Shakespeare Mix, Soldiering On, Understanding Africa, War and Humanity, What a Character

Woman leading a book discussion group with a book open on her lap

Lesley Wright

By Vermont Humanities | February 19, 2018

Travel radius: statewide

Posted in Facilitator, Reading and Discussion

Tags: 20C Conflicts, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, American Stories, BIG Books, Booker Prize, Canadian Diversity, China Transform, DCF Winners, Dogged Resolve, Earth Tones, Eight Great Greek, Experience My World, Farms Gardens, Founding Fathers, From Page to Screen, Gastronomy, Genius Mark Twain, Get Real, Healthcare Humanity, How They Lived, Immigrants, Influential First Ladies, Justice, Lincoln Bicentennial, Masters Short Story, Memorable Memoirs, Native America, Native American Literature, Never-Setting Sun, New England Uncovered, Our Civil War Legacy, Outsiders, Pilgrimage, Portraits of the Artists, Reintroducing Greece, Retellings, Revenge, Robert Frost, Romantic Ideal, Seven Deadly Sins, Shakespeare Mix, Slavery Civil War, Soldiering On, Sustainability, Ties That Bind, Understanding Africa, Vermont Reads, War and Humanity, What a Character, When Cultures Meet, Womens Literature, World War II Innocence

Vermont Humanities*** April 5, 2018

Poet Sarah Audsley joined us at the Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park for Words in the Woods.

Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.

We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”

We supported Historic New England’s “More than a Market” project that explored the experiences of new Americans through food markets.

Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.