MyAfrican Inspirations

The Big 10 African Books, Movies and Songs

Find the mood and get a taste of Africa in my favourite books, movies and music from this grand continent that I call home. 

Here is a personal list of favourites: a mixture of fiction, history, wildlife, music, adventure and travel. It’s hard to choose only ten of each!

BOOKS

1. Jock of the Bushveld: Percy Fitzpatrick (Dramatic wildlife encounters of a transport rider and his faithful dog, Jock. Traditional South African classic. Beautiful margin sketches. Absorbing true tales, often very funny)

2. Dark Star Safari: Paul Theroux. (Overland travel by public transport from Cairo to Cape Town describing the realities of contemporary Africa. Observant, provocative, witty, brutally honest)

3. Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe. (The defining African novel. Explores traditional society, identity and the devastating disruption of British colonialism  and Christian missionaries. Groundbreaking, profound)

4. The Scramble for Africa: Thomas Packenham ( The defining history of the land grab in Africa by the European powers in the 19th century. Easy to read, deeply researched, thought provoking)

5. Out of Africa: Isak Dinesen (Beautifully written portrait of life and love on a coffee farm and the wild country in colonial Kenya. A classic: evocative, sweeping, tinged with melancholy)

6. Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight: Alexandra Fuller (Unsentimental, darkly humorous account of a childhood in Rhodesia during the Bush War. Searingly forthright, quirky, questioning)

7. Mukiwa:– A White boy in Africa: Peter Godwin (Gripping account of growing up in Rhodesia as the country descended into war and regime change. Political, perceptive, personal)

8. The Green Hills of Africa: Ernest Hemingway (A shooting odyssey in old east Africa. Controversial, bloody, beautifully written)

9. Long Walk to Freedom: Nelson Mandela (Personal narrative of a remarkable man who rose from poverty to become South Africa's most loved son. A big read from a big figure)

10. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo: JH Patterson (Hunting down the ghost lions of Kenya. Intriguing, other-wordly, fascinating, and all true)

MOVIES

1. Out of Africa (1985)  – the classic Meryl Streep/Robert Redford epic. Beautifully filmed love story set at the height of colonial empire. Atmospheric soundtrack. Everyone knows this film

2. The Gods must be Crazy (1980) – Much loved Africa comedy about a Kalahari San hunter who encounters a discarded Coca-Cola bottle, setting off a wonderfully eccentric chain of events

3. The Last King of Scotland (2006) – Forest Whitaker won an Oscar for his portrayal of Idi Amin, a fiction in which the appeal and terrifying reality of dictatorial regimes is explored

4. Hotel Rwanda (2004) – Don Cheadle in a deeply moving account of courage amidst the unimaginably harrowing genocide of 1994

5. The Constant Gardener (2005) – Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in a mystery thriller involving pharmaceutical companies, corruption and exploitation in a Kenyan landscape

6. Blood Diamond (2006) – Leonardo di Caprio in a gripping and often brutal story set during Sierra Leone’s civil war

7. Zulu (1964) – Michael Caine classic. The famous defence of Rorke’s Drift in 1879. Landmark film. Huge favourite

8. The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) – Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas in the true-life-inspired story of two lions that terrorised railway workers at Tsavo in 1898. 

9. Invictus (2009) – Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in an uplifting portrayal of leadership and inspiration at the Rugby World Cup of 1995, and Nelson Mandela’s amazing vision in a country emerging from apartheid 

10. The Lion King (1994) – I can’t leave it out! An African landscape, memorable wildlife cast, enduring soundtrack, and the good guys win!

MUSIC

1. Africa – Toto (1982): The obvious classic. Huge drums, unforgettable chorus, very strange lyrics!

2. Scatterlings of Africa – Juluka/Johnny Clegg (1982): stirring celebration of Africa’s people and shared humanity. Blend of Zulu musical traditions and western pop.

3. Pata Pata – Miriam Makeba (1967): joyous, infectious South African dance song. Township-inspired rhythms

4. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon/Ladysmith Black Mambazo (1986): actually, not a great favourite for me but you can’t deny that it is a landmark album shaped by South African township jazz and Simon’s catchy lyrics

5. Shosholoza – Ladysmith Black Mambazo (traditional): perhaps Africa’s best known song. Powerful harmonies, hopeful, easy to sing

6. Waka Waka – Shakira/Freshly Ground (2010): not a truly African song but it’s catchy and brought the world’s attention to South Africa

7. Jerusalema – Master KG (2019): South African gospel- influenced dance hit that became a global phenomenon

8. Special Star – Mango Groove (1990): Marabi-inspired rhythms, bright brass and a memorable melody. Feel-good favourite

9. Weekend Special – Brenda Fassie (1983): upbeat, irrepressible township bubblegum pop

10. Mortal Man – Jeremy Loops (2020): shades of hip-hop, gypsy-jazz and pop. This Cape Townian has a timeless voice and banging lyrics

Get stuck in - you'll love all of these.

Lloyd