Throughout, Baynes attempts to start a much-needed conversation about Africa. He condemns the “paternalistic and condescending attitude” that has surrounded the discourse on the continent and criticizes global ignorance of Africa’s history. Enemies of Africa connects contemporary problems with root historical causes, as Baynes argues, “The worst of Colonialism that continues to have the greatest impact was the partitioning of Africa in the 1800s at the Berlin conference.” He musters ample evidence, making the case that the territorial conflicts that still embroil the continent rise from arbitrary borders drawn across by European powers, with no regard to the continent’s many cultural, ecological, and historical communities.

The heart and soul of this book is the inequities that Africa has endured: its people that have been oppressed, its rivers that have been polluted, its resources that have been exploited. Baynes warns that progress made around the world by members of the African diaspora also is at risk due to these enemies “‘lying in wait for the black people of the world,” a stark contention that would benefit from more development. Enemies of Africa stands as a powerful starting place to help readers understand and empathize with the living, breathing land that is Africa.

Takeaway: A searing, persuasive introduction to historical injustices endured by Africa.

Great for fans of: Obianuju Ekeocha’s Target Africa, Walter Rodney’s ​​How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A