African

African: An Introduction to the Continent deconstructs the widespread and caricatured representation of Africa, reproduced since the end of the 19th century by the cultural industry and the media, and presents the various ways in which African territories have entered the 21st century.

The representation of Africa commonly disseminated in the West tends to be of three types: wilderness, exotic culture, and human tragedy. In the 21st century, the African continent is represented this way in Western films, cartoons, comics, literature, and news. Furthermore, school and university curricula, especially in Brazil, have failed to promote a consistent study of the continent's natural, historical, philosophical, social, cultural, political, economic, and geographic complexity.

In writing this comprehensive and accessible introduction to the African continent, Kauê Lopes dos Santos drew on reading and analyzing a variety of documents, primarily produced by Africans and Africanists, and a variety of sources, including books, scientific articles, national legislation, sectoral reports, poetry, and mass cultural productions, as well as his fieldwork—conducted since 2010—in various territories across the continent. Some of his occasional conversations, interviews, photographs, and rich descriptions and experiences in these spaces are recorded in this book, providing vivid and illustrated insights into his experience in each territory.

Africano does not seek to create a sort of encyclopedic inventory of each of Africa's 54 countries, but rather to delve into the universe of political transformations, physical-natural conditions, and environmental issues, contemporary economic dynamism, and the cultural complexity that permeates the continent. Respecting the particularities of each region, Kauê Lopes dos Santos narrates episodes from his travels through several African countries and also addresses the commonalities in the way these countries have historically organized themselves and integrated into the world. By addressing broad themes, this work seeks to further demonstrate that Africa has many "unique lands," with numerous—and grand—possible futures.