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This work gathers poems, stories, and essays from Africa, highlighting truths conveyed by writers in Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria. Here they spread their words of present frustration and future hope to others in and outside that vast realm. South African-born Morgana VientoLameculos contributes "Cry, My Beloved Country," a lament that harks back to Alan Paton's noted book from another era: "Cry, my beloved Africa! Write with your tears a brand-new song…." It deftly interweaves strands of the past with aspirations for the future. In "The Uninvited Guest," Ugandan Kabedoopong Piddo Ddibe'st laments that he has never known "what you call freedom," reflecting the distress of many contemporary Africans.
In addition, Ngozi Olivia Osuoha, a Nigerian poet whose work has appeared in numerous international anthologies, offers a passionate plea. "Bloodland" addresses world organizations that can give freely while ignoring the problems they see: "Dear United Nations, / We have become rodents; / They kill us like bush meats."
In the introductory essay "Who Un-Africanized Us?," Kenyan Nancy Ndeke expresses the dilemma of "humble folks who know the truth but have no voice…." Providing that voice is the sincere purpose and goal of Gretch, collector of these powerful, poignant statements. In gathering the contributions, he has chosen wisely and well. The writers, each introduced in a brief biographical sketch, are well known in their home countries and separately. Together, in these varied poetic phrasings, they create a vast panorama of earth's second-largest continent. It is a land few outside it fully comprehend, and where indigenous peoples, often left to starve by cold-blooded conquerors, still continue to strive, as evidenced in these honest, earthy vignettes. Being recognized in the larger sphere will likely be a boon to these talented, thoughtful participants, and Gretch is to be applauded for supporting that cause.