Married to Amazement – a memoir, by Kathleen Coskran
Commentary, Opinion, Book Reviews, Fiction about Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Central African Republic. See online bookstores for "In the Aftermath of Genocide; the U.S. Role in Rwanda" and "State of Decay."
Married to Amazement – a memoir, by Kathleen Coskran
My African Anthology (available on Amazon) is a
compendium of anecdotes, articles and stories that mirror years of living and
working in Africa. Beginning in the
sixties with my first sojourn on the continent, the items both factual and fictional
paint a compelling portrait of the Africa I knew. From the Peace Corps Kenya era are snippets
of Luo tribal consternation regarding America’s moon landing, competing in the
Safari road rally, trouble with noisy bees, and a shape shifting terror. From Bokassa’s Central African Republic -
stories of a man lost in the forest, the president’s mistress, a search for
gold, plus an eye-witness account of the lavish coronation. A later return to
that beleaguered nation, recounts ambassadorial maneuvering to foster a fair
election.
A travelogue entry traces road trips across Africa – Kenya
to England in 1970 via the Congo and the Sahara – mud, broken ferries, pygmies,
breakdowns, suspicion of being mercenaries, the desert, Tuaregs, land mines,
etc. Then in 1991, Uganda to South Africa with family in tow through a changing
political landscape to the new South Africa.
Kenya returns with vignettes from Mombasa – employing a
witch doctor to cleanse a septic system, prostitutes protecting their turf, plus
a mystery about a missing trove of rubies. The scene shifts to Uganda in a novella
entitled The Shriveled Hands, which is a tale of witchcraft, trafficking
in girls, superstition about albinos and the impact of AIDS, plus a dash of
terrorism. Other stories in the collection
include Gacaca justice for genocidaires in Rwanda, escaping Ebola in Sierra
Leone, trouble in a refugee camp in Chad and a hunt for mythical beasts in the
jungles of the Congo.
Serious articles include the gift of a watermelon in
Djibouti, an analysis of AFRICOM, the U.S. military command for Africa, its
successes and failures, and an update of the situation in Rwanda, twenty-five
years after the genocide.
In sum, this anthology focuses on different facets of life
in Africa and pulls together a colorful portrait of a turbulent continent as
seen by an astute outside observer.
One reader said, “Now, I understand Africa better.” Another,
“I thought the trafficking story was great.” A third, “I’ve recommended Grogan’s
Trove to friends.”
Robert Gribbin has lived, worked and traveled in Africa
for the last sixty years. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya, and later a
diplomat rising to be ambassador to the Central African Republic and to Rwanda.
Subsequently he served as chargé
d’affaires in six more nations. He is the author of a memoir In the
Aftermath of Genocide – The U.S. Role in Rwanda and five novels. He reviews
books about Africa on his blog www.rwandakenya.blogspot.com.
A review of And Miles to Go Before I Sleep – A British
Vet in Africa by Hugh Cran, Merlin
Unwin Books, Ludlow, UK, 2007
This is an intriguing memoir by a British veterinarian who
practiced in Kenya in the 60s and 70s. Think - All Creatures Great and Small set in
Africa. Author Cran moved to Nakuru in
central Kenya in 1964 where he was employed as a poorly paid vet in a private
practice. After several years he inherited the practice. He dealt about half and half with big farm
animals – cows and horses – and small critters, largely dogs. Most every
intervention generated a story – cows had trouble calving, horses were susceptible
to tropical aliments, dogs were bitten by snakes and on and on. Cran also
treated wild animals from time to time, zebras, antelope and even a couple of
lions. The bulk of the memoir relates
the trials and tribulations of such a life in often amusing - sometimes excruciating - detail. I learned a lot about cow entrails.
However, the value of the book lies in the authors vivid
descriptions of Kenya’s inhabitants - the still ensconced, often quirky,
European farmers contrasted with traditional tribal cattlemen, plus the new
group of more modern Kenyans who were then taking possession of formerly owned
European farms and ranches. Such new
owners included President Jomo Kenyatta. Cran noted the passing of a European
way of life as the million-acre settlement scheme and other buyouts occurred.
As a veterinarian he was called upon to certify the health of cattle when such
buyouts occurred. His reporting of attitudes about land transfers add depth to
understanding of what went on. In
addition to frankly depicting his European and African clients, Cran did not
hesitate to caricature Asian owners of fierce watchdogs. Apparently, Cran dealt with no normal people.
He did, however, find the eccentricities and personalities of his clients to be
either endearing or maddening - and was quick to say so.
Part of each encounter reported in the book involved travel
from Nakuru town to outlying farms and ranches, some more than a hundred miles
away. Almost always this entailed
driving over terrible roads and tracks that were dusty, rocky, potholed or,
during the rainy seasons, seas of mud.
Since I was nearby in rural Kenya during part of Cran’s tenure, I
sympathize with the frustrations and the breakdowns that such driving
created. But I also enjoyed Cran’s sense
of adventure in his travels and his appreciation of the spectacular scenery and
vistas that the Great Rift Valley displays.
Finally, in a digression about mountain climbing, Cran
recounted his assent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1967. He and cronies went up the
Marangu route from Tanzania. That is the exact same route I used in climbing
Killy two years later. Cran’s description of the climb was perfect. Sometime later Cran joined an expedition into
the Ruwenzori mountains in Uganda. His
team made it into the central peaks and climbed several of them, including Mt
Stanley, the highest. I too once participated
in a Ruwenzori expedition to climb Mt. Stanley. Our routes were the same and the huts and
features and fauna Cran described from his sojourn were exactly those I found
in 1990.
This book is a bit heavy on veterinary matters, but it was
written by a vet. The Kenya setting is what makes it shine. Folks who know
Kenya, especially during the time covered will find this interesting.
A review of All Things Must Fight to Live – Stories of
War and Deliverance in Congo by Bryan Mealer, Bloomsbury, NY 2007.
Journalist Mealer spent several years off and on in the Congo in the early 2000s. He went as a freelancer to cover the tribal wars in Ituri Province in the east. Extreme violence erupted there as ethnic tensions inflamed by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda spilled over into Congo. Long simmering ethnic hatred, herders versus farmers, access to gold and coltan, interference by both Uganda and Rwanda, flared into ugly massacres and attacks. Everything was compounded by the lack of central government authority, functioning institutions and especially the pervading corruption that characterized the Congo. Warlords and tribal leaders armed thousands of youths and turned them into savage killers and cannibals. It was a horrific scene that a UN Peacekeeping presence barely affected.
So, the first third of this book is an ever-expanding
recitation of gruesome atrocities that occurred in Ituri at that time. Mealer
waded right in. He interviewed victims, leaders and reported on the crisis. His
on-site reporting is compelling witness to the conflict and tragedy inflicted
upon the people. However, the violence was in a far corner of the world, and
nobody seemed to care.
After Ituri Mealer pitched up in Kinshasa from which he
detailed the sad situation of the capital city in the months leading up to the
2005 presidential elections. Kinshasa was corrupt, venal, poverty stricken, and
violent. Expatriate journalists banded together drank, laughed, bemoaned the
situation, and defied the danger.
The latter parts of the book are two travelogues. First
upriver from Kinshasa on one of the last functioning riverboats. Mealer tells
of the chaos of life on board – breakdowns and repairs, thousands of
passengers, the daily carnival of life, the tropical heat and bugs, and mostly
the exasperation, yet acceptance by the citizenry of the near total collapse of
transportation infrastructure. Mealer
concludes this segment by biking the last 200 miles through the equatorial
jungle. How crazy can you get?
The final travelogue involved catching a barely functioning
train from Lubumbashi in the south and taking it across the vast nation to Kalemie
on Lake Tanganyika. The rail line is a remnant of a colonial era transportation
network that bound the country together, but which has been neglected and in
disrepair since independence. The author cataloged the journey, the people and
problems – breakdowns, delays, derailments, etc. that he encountered along the
way.
Mealer paints a vivid portrait of the Congo, its peoples and
its problems. He found that most folks just
accepted fate. They were worn out by life, tragedy, war, corruption, a collapsed economy, incompetent government, and left with little incentive, or ability, to change
their circumstances. They just tried to survive.
My latest book is out! It is available on Amazon. I will write more about it later. Meanwhile, here is a blurb: In My African Anthology retired ambassador Robert Gribbin draws upon almost sixty years of contact with Africa to spin tales, recount anecdotes, and air opinions. Themes in this wonderful collection include trafficking in girls, a long missing treasure, Gacaca justice, fleeing from Ebola, searching for a legendary beast, the U.S. military presence, the emperor’s gold, captured by rebels, a Rwandan update, election sagas, and much more – dogs, golf, spirits and black magic. In total the collection of pieces – both fiction and non-fiction, humorous and serious - paint a realistic portrait of Africa, its peoples and its issues as seen and experienced by an astute observer. The collection provides just the right mix of history and modernity, with deep insights into Africa.
My review of Heartbeat – An American Cardiologist in Kenya by
David Silverstein, available from Amazon, 2023.
The book opens in the hospital emergency wards following the
bombing of the U.S. embassy in 1998. That sets the tone for the story to come.
The memoir is replete with brief case studies of individuals who required his
medical services and a narrative of how more broadly viewed medical services in
Kenya improved during the course of the past forty years. (In fact, there was more medical recitation
than I enjoyed, but those who are well versed in medicine will undoubtedly
appreciate these sections.)
I did value Silverstein’s observations about Kenya’s
political scene and its political elite. Many folks are mentioned but the two
most prominent are President Daniel arap Moi and Attorney General Charles
Njonjo. Silverstein became doctor to
both of them. He saw them regularly and
became friends with each. Since he was not involved with Kenyan politics, they
had no agenda with him and his with them was medical, personal and supportive.
Silverstein’s observations about the human side of the men rings true.
Silverstien portrayed Moi as a carefully spoken man who
thought matters through before acting. Indeed, his observations of Moi add a
dimension to the understanding of this complex leader. Especially poignant was Silverstein’s care
for Moi after he retired from the presidency and on into his last years.
Anecdotes abound, for
example, as part of the presidential entourage, Silverstien accompanied Moi on
foreign trips. One such foray was into Iran, where Silverstein’s American
citizenship and Jewish ethnicity, almost proved disastrous but instead turned
into a good story.
Throughout the book, as is true with all memoirs, we learn
about the author – what makes him tic, family issues, including two different
sets of sons, and finally a wife to sustain him. All in all, Heartbeat is an
entertaining read, especially for those who knew Kenya from the seventies
forward.
A review of Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux, Mariner Books, NYC, 2024
Theroux jumps back in time to take the actual sojourn of
Eric Blair, later known by his pen name of George Orwell, in Burma in the
1920s and turn it into a novel. Blair was a policeman for
Britian, the imperial power of the country.
Theroux grafts onto the facts of Blair’s five years there to create a
novel. Perhaps some of the internal machinations - places, people, and
introspection - of the sojourn are drawn from records of the era. But to his credit, Theroux exercises literary
license in compiling a gripping and insightful novel.
Let there be no mistake this book is an indictment of the
British Raj, of British rule in Asia.
Blair is a willing pawn in the oppressive imperial rule. Yet throughout,
in his mind he questions most everything about his and his government’s
presence in the Asian backwater. The
book tracks Blair’s thinking, his reactions, his rejections, his muses, his
lusts, and his memories as the story progresses. Needless to say, Blair is a
bundle of contradictions. As with all of
Theroux’s characters in his many books, no one is pure. All characters are complicated,
and many are venal. That is certainly true in this story. Theroux never seems to find many redeeming
features in the people he creates. This
harsh criticism of people lends veracity to the story, but makes a reader
wonder if the world is really that bleak?
There is no real plot to this book. It just tracks the five
years that Blair spent in Burma. The reader wonders if the man will ever adjust
or quit, but that is about it for suspense.
Above criticism notwithstanding, I enjoyed the book. It is a
well written page turner. It elucidates in fictional form a period in George
Orwell’s life that helped shape his antiauthoritarian views that surfaced years
later in Animal Farm and 1984.
More than that it cast a realistic perspective on British classism,
racism and imperialism. We all need to learn from the past.