A friend of mine who enjoys reading is moving to africa for a year and I'm looking for some good literature to gift for...

A friend of mine who enjoys reading is moving to africa for a year and I'm looking for some good literature to gift for the trip, particularly about or set in africa. Any suggestions?

Can't help but I'll give you a bump.

Here's one that comes to mind. A bit of an odd book but I found it to be a comfy read.

'Waiting for the Barbarians' by JM Coetzee. I suppose it's not actually specified that it's in Africa but at the same time it seems abundantly clear to me that it is.

Another one.

I don't remember much about this book other than it's very, very big in Africa (like, read in every high school big) and it was also a comfy read.

Most of the African literature I'm aware of has a lot to do with foreign presence (go figure) so I imagine a variety of these texts would be cool to read while staying there as a foreigner.

I think European colonialism is fascinating. Have anything in that vein? Besides things like The Stranger that everyone has already heard of obviously.

Waiting for the Barbarians will scratch the itch on a surface level. I haven't really jumped into a whole lot of colonialist literature myself, though I've been wanting to here for a while.

I hear Israel produces a lot of interesting stuff from the settler days.

A liberating motorcycle journey through Africa with descriptions of the amazing people and places, the joy of big skies and the open road, and the sometimes harrowing events that would shape destiny.

Into Africa tells the story of a novice motorcyclist who takes on the challenge of riding the length of the continent just because, 'it seemed like a great idea’. Sam Manicom had only planned to take a temporary break from his successful retail career, but the one-year ride was so life-changing that he continued adventuring around the world for another seven years, covering 55 countries and 200,000 miles. Sam had no idea how liberating motorcycle travel would be. Revelling in a new-found freedom without timetables or routines, he became fascinated by his ability to explore side roads at a whim and reach remote parts of the continent that many travellers never find. Though Africa is just 5,000 miles from top to toe, Sam explored over 22,000 miles on every kind of road imaginable.

Narrated by Sam, ride with him as he describes Africa's amazing people and places, the joy of big skies and the open road, and the sometimes harrowing events that would shape his destiny. This is a genuine tale of the unexpected.

Audiobook narrated by the Author

Good contemporary fiction.

Thanks for the suggestions and bumps, will definitely look into these three

This and Wizard of the Crow

River God.

The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola. it's based on Yoruba folk tales. the prose is like nothing else you'll ever read:

>RETURN THE PARTS OF BODY TO THE OWNERS; OR HIRED PARTS OF THE COMPLETE GENTLEMAN'S BODY TO BE RETURNED

>As they were travelling along in this endless forest then the complete gentleman in the market that the lady was following began to return the hired parts of his body to the owners and he was paying them the rentage money. When he reached where he hired the left foot, he pulled it out, he gave it to the owner and paid him, and they kept going; when they reached the place where he hired the right foot, he pulled it out and gave it to the owner and paid for the rentage. Now both feet had returned to the owners, so he began to crawl along on the ground, by that time, that lady wanted to go back to her town or her father, but the terrible and curious creature or the complete gentleman did not allow her to return or go back to her town or her father again and the complete gentleman said thus: 'I had told you not to follow me before we branched into this endless forest which belongs to only terrible and curious creatures, but when I became a half-bodied incomplete gentleman you wanted to go back, now that cannot be done, you have failed. Even you have never seen anything yet, just follow me.'

Sounds like a metaphor for how women will often trap themselves in a relationship with a man who is not what he seems based on a superficial attraction.

I sorta wanna read the rest to see if my surface assessment is remotely accurate.

>Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
In this book, the author of Seven Gothic Tales gives a true account of her life on her plantation in Kenya. She tells with classic simplicity of the ways of the country and the natives: of the beauty of the Ngong Hills and coffee trees in blossom: of her guests, from the Prince of Wales to Knudsen, the old charcoal burner, who visited her: of primitive festivals: of big game that were her near neighbors--lions, rhinos, elephants, zebras, buffaloes--and of Lulu, the little gazelle who came to live with her, unbelievably ladylike and beautiful.

This book is god-tier, super comfy and very well written. Not just for your friend, but for you as well, OP.

Guns, germs, and steel

Heart of Darkness.

Which country and/or region is he moving to and why?

OP please look up Notes from the Hyenas belly.

...

Tintin in the Congo

Raymond Roussel - Impressions of Africa

Disgrace by Coetzee is great as well. It's more specific to Apartheid and South Africa, but relevant nonetheless