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Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite
The Last Billion by Dave Welmans presents a realistic view on the current state of the African continent across a wide range of industries, and notes the effect the pervading ambiance is having on the continent’s move forward. It begins with the story of Shaka Zulu, a ruler of yesteryear who introduced new techniques, new weapons, and even proved a match for the British. Through the metaphor of the distorted Mercator projection of Africa in the maps we use, the author conveys the message that the world at large is ambivalent about the aspirations of African people. Moreover, a rather good account of colonizers is also given, showing how they plundered its wealth. But with the independence of most countries, a new revolution is in the offing, and the surprising strides that Africa is taking in modern communication techniques is poised to yield happy results.
The Last Billion by Dave Welmans put me in a quandary. Is this extolling the strong desire of Africans to come up in life? Or, is it accusing the Western powers of maltreatment of the Dark Continent? If it is the former, this book does a very good job by presenting the proliferation of new technology and its desirable effects. If the latter, the charges that misdemeanor since the days of Shaka Zulu is influenced by Western powers, or the brutality seen among Africans is inherited from Western powers, I am must say, remains unsubstantiated in this book. On the whole, this is a well written book that opened my eyes to many, rather unknown vistas of African life.
