The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalization in Niumi, the Gambia

To write a good book on such a small country is quite a task. I have read this book twice in preparation to go to The Gambia for short-term stays (not as a tourist). I had a hard time focusing on some of the history of the area, such as dynasties and tribes. Some fo the other information like slavery, economy, and women are very eye-opening, dispelling many myths about Africa. Nothing is quite the same as experiencing the country first-hand, but this book may help to rid the initial culture-shock if you are going there. The book Roots (and the 1980s tv show) are based on this country. I suggest reading Wright's book first; it makes Roots that much more enjoyable.

This is the most important book I have ever read about Africa and the global economy. I read Mr. Wright's first edition and was in contact with him as he wrote his second. He used a unique archive of audiotapes of oral history, which is maintained in the Gambia. He also conducted personal research on his several trips to The Gambia. When I was posted there, I visited the oral history project which has transferred thousands of oral histories from magnetic tape to CDs and which has transcribed and translated these oral histories. Donald Wright makes a very convincing case to counteract our bias for written records. He points out that the written records of the colonial powers were biased to make the colonial powers look good at the expense of the local populations. Using oral histories, especially in Africa, is a very valid and useful tool in historical research. What Donald Wright also shows was that African society and culture was well developed and self-sustaining. Africa was not the backward and helpless place we like to think it was. What distressed me most is that most African-Americans share the common preception that Africa was a backward coninent, when that is far from the truth. It is my wish that every American, especially every African-American read this book. The nation of Numi (which is now part of The Gambia and Senegal) was proud and completely self sufficient, mostly through its own agriculture. Its trading relations served only to provide luxuries that people desired, but not what they required. With European expansion, Numi became dependent on European traders for staple food supplies while supplying peanuts to European buyers, with prices set in Europe -- i.e., the global model of trade we have now. The new European trading model differed greatly from the previously used Islamic/African/Asian trading model, with its ban on interest which left trading partners on a far more equal footing. Numi moved from being at the center of its own universe to becoming a forgotten place on the distant margins of a universe that has been constructed to serve the interests and wealth of Europe, North America, Japan and other big players. Donald Wright lays out the facts without emotion, but the reader cannot help but get emotional. Wright's description of the slave trade is a case in point. Wright does not go down the path to describe, in detail, the horrors of the slave trade. He outlines, rather, the need for regional African powers to have horses to dominate their neighbors. He went on to describe how horses could not be bred in tropical Africa, so they were traded for slaves at 15 slaves per horse. Wright's account of this terrible enterprise, which held human life so cheaply, struck me with greater force than other more detailed descriptions of the personal sufferings in this horrible trade in people. This is a must-read book. Donald Wright is a gifted writer who keeps your interest and pulls you from page to pag

I enjoyed this book very much. It does a fine job of relating local events to much larger international events. It shows that no matter where you live, you are part of what is happening in the world

This book is really easy to read. Donald Wright is an good story teller. It brings history to life and sheds light on current events like off-shore job issues, foreign policy, international trade, nation building, military power, etc.Wright starts by outlining basic theories about globalization. He makes a convincing argument for his case (converting this reader from the Basil Davidson mindset). Wright then shows how these theories played out in the history of Niumi, a small but powerful country on the west coast of Africa. Along the way he tells spellbinding tales about Niumi policitics, economy, religion, and culture. Wright did a great deal of research, and points out what is well documented versus anecdotal. My only wish is that the maps could be more helpful...maybe more detail, more color, more of them.Good books to read along with this are Skeletons on the Sahara by Dean King, and Francis Bok's book about slavery in the Sudan. Reading this book has given me 1) a better grasp of African history, 2) a greater awareness of the long history of globalization, and 3)a better ability to read the signs of our times and speculate where the current economic hub is rolling to (hint: its time to start learning Chinese).

Wright provides us with lovely insight into world historical themes. The global and chronological breadth of the work are well ballanced by his local specificity and insights. Innovative and accessible.