Non-fictional books may not have currency fictional books do, but they have their own appeal and functions which include complementing the creative imagination of fictional works in order to provide a fuller picture of Africa and its people.
From travelogue, memoir, guide book, biography, and other subgenres, these are some of the most insightful works of African literature recently produced with stories covering different accounts of African day-to-day life.
Below is a list of carefully selected African nonfiction books:
- Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of Books That Saved Me by Glory Edim
Is this not why we read? For books to offer what is beyond our reach, to complete us? They offer us a ride to the farthest galaxy, and also to the deepest parts of the soul. Gather Me is a fitting testimony from the right person about what books can do. Glory Edim, through this memoir, recounts, in a vulnerable yet courageous style, how her lifelong devotion to books repaid her in a time of adversity. When life hit hard, it was the powerful women in the books she devoured—Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde—who held her up.
At a young age, Edim discovered the limitations of what can be learned within the classroom’s walls. This followed the role played by her local library in Virginia after a series of unfortunate events shook her family.
A literary tastemaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for diverse voices in literature, Glory Edim in 2015, founded Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG), an online platform and book club dedicated to celebrating the works of Black women authors and creating a supportive online community for readers.
- My Mother, My Teacher by Bahia Mahmud Awah
A memoir shaped by loss, My Mother, My Teacher is a story of Bahia, who was separated from his family following a failed decolonization process in Western Sahara. The memory of his mother became his life support; which he detailed in this book alongside her deep love, optimism, and sacrifice.
Beside the traditional and postcolonial life in North Africa described, poetry is incorporated (in Hassaniya) which shows language as a powerful tool that was used to resist colonialism and also shape identity.
This book was first published in 2011 as ‘La maestra que me enseñó en una tabla de madera’ (The Woman Who Taught Me on a Wooden Slate)
Bahia Mahmud Awah is a Hispano-Saharawi writer, poet, and humanist. He holds an MA in anthropology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where he is currently completing a PhD. He is a member of several international organizations, including Antropología en Acción and Centro de Estudios Afrohispánicos. He has published numerous articles in both academic and cultural venues in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- Anansi’s Gold by Yepoka Yeebo
Yepoka Yeebo’s Anansi’s Gold tells an unusual yet true story that reads like fiction. When colonial masters left Ghana in 1957, different unpatriotic actors were up and active, seeking to abscond with the colonialists’ leftovers, aka Ghana’s resources. It led to the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, the nation’s leader, by the military, who falsely accused him of stashing away Ghana’s gold abroad. The best bet to access such booty is no one but a man named John Ackah Blay-Miezah, a self-acclaimed custodian of the so-called “Nkurmah trust funds”. He was so simple a man that he got only a few demands: to be released from prison and be given help for his mission. In fact, anyone who is willing to be useful will be given a piece of the cake.
However, what almost no one could know was that behind the unassuming man, who grew up in poverty, was a charismatic scammer of global proportions. He went on to deceive the world while swimming in riches and protected by ex-SAS soldiers. Some of his victims included highly placed businessmen, investigators, lawyers (including Nixon’s former attorney-general), and a host of others.
Yepoka traces the untraceable and narrates the unbelievable in a gripping tale, while also suggesting a culture that left people open to being hoodwinked.
Yepoka Yeebo ‘s work has appeared in the Guardian, Huffington Post, the Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek and Quartz, among other publications. A graduate of Queen Mary, University of London and of Columbia University’s School of Journalism, she divides her time between Accra, London, and New York. Anansi’s Gold is her first book.
- Sacred Earth Philosophy by Esinako Ndabeni
Sacred Earth Philosophy, an alloy of memoir and manifesto, is yet another book by the writer and sangoma (traditional healer) Esinako Ndabeni. It is a spiritual and ecological exploration through centuries of South African history while viewing colonial ecological destruction. She uses a rare understanding of indigenous initiation and knowledge systems, being a sangoma with an additional anthropology background, to deliver a personal account of her spiritual path. After elaborating dishearteningly on the destruction of the ecosystem, she wraps up with a vision where at least the devices of indigenous knowledge can hedge against the trouble of further destruction.
Esinako Ndabeni is a writer and traditional healer living in South Africa. She is the author of Sacred Earth Philosophy – a memoir/manifesto for eco-spirituality from the perspective of African indigenous knowledge systems. She is also the co-author of the book Born to Kwaito: Reflections on the Kwaito Generation (2018), a collection of essays on the post-apartheid musical genre.
- Black Ghosts by Noo Saro-Wiwa
Noo’s writing is elegant, and such is well depicted in her latest offering. A tale greased with just enough humor to complement the oh-my-God moments replete in this travel account—Black Ghosts: A Journey Into the Lives of Africans in China.
Noo Saro-Wiwa’s Black Ghosts is a story about her visit to China in a quest to explore the kind of life lived by African economic migrants. While there, she interacted with individuals of different backgrounds and in varied circumstances in order to make sense of the African community in the Republic. Although most of the accounts of her encounters are with Nigerians, other Africans, as it is her focus, are part of the community. In addition to peeking into the shadow homes of visa overstayers, social hubs, and business places of Africans, she extracts useful information, directly and otherwise, about migrants’ treatment by citizens. Even with questions of prejudice and disgusting racism, it is obvious that Chinese society, born out of an ancient and distinct civilization, is a complex one.
Black Ghosts was published in 2023, and it followed the author’s travel after her stay in China for more than 6 months. Her stay ended just when the Global pandemic was rearing its head, alas, oblivious to what was coming, even when her last days involved Wuhan Province—the pandemic’s epicentre. How the African community changed with Covid and a deeper fascinating account of this telling adventure will be a pleasure for any reader.
Noo Saro-Wiwa was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and raised in England. She attended King’s College London and Columbia University in New York and is an author and journalist. Her first book, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria, was published in 2012.
- Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji
Elif Shafak was, in 2006, on trial in Turkey over remarks made by her characters in her bestselling novel, The Bastard of Istanbul. She was accused of “insulting Turkishness” under Article 301 of the country’s law. Elif was lucky; it would have been a jail term of 3 years maximum. Exactly a decade later, Ahmed Naji, another writer just across the sea from Turkey, in Egypt, was facing charges because of his book, too. For him, it was a case of “violating public decency”. Where Elif was lucky, Ahmed was not. He served 10 months in a group cellblock in Tora Prison, Cairo.
In Rotten Evidence, the reader is sentenced to serve the term with Naji in summary. Through this experience, Naji’s strong conviction is laid bare. It reflects his ability to make sense of the senseless and still forge ahead with his life unbroken. With compromises peculiar to the limited freedom of a prison, the reader will see how limited resources are managed or how resources are made available. Naji wrote a novel and revised it in one notebook, for instance.
Ahmed was born in Menyet Sandoub, Mansoura, Egypt 1985. He started working as a culture journalist in 2003. Author of four novels: Rogers (2007), Using Life (2014), And Tigers to my Room (2020), Happy Endings (2023), and another non-fiction book (Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in Prison) as well as numerous blogs and other articles. His work has been translated into different languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, and others.
- Broken Porcelain by Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika
Broken Porcelain is a collection of essays dabbling with the critical issue of mental illness. Through the important experience of a black woman, different angles of this condition were examined, such as the effect of social media on our perception of depression, antidepressant use, self-care, generational trauma, etc. This account, across the essays, exemplifies a kind of courage rarely employed in discussing personal struggles with mental health.
Broken Porcelain teaches us how to learn, fight, and earn our freedom from the pain of mental illness with enough courage.
Life coach and mental health advocate Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika is the host, content producer and programme co-ordinator of the mental health podcast ‘The Nine Lives of Depression Survivors’.
- Confident and Killing It by Tiwalola Ogunlesi
In a world full of pseudo-scientific and motivational buzzwords, one must be highly selective about whom to listen to for help. In any case, there are well-recognized experts in aspects of positive psychology, like Tiwalola, known to have excellent practical experience. Which is why Confident and Killing It—a powerful guide to overcoming fear and unlocking your most empowered self—is worth a try. In the book, she guides readers, especially women, to be unapologetic and unstoppable using practical tips. This is most important for those looking to improve their confidence, overcome fear, and live the best life.
Tiwalola Ogunlesi is a globally recognised and qualified life coach, international speaker, Positive Psychology Specialist, Master Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner, and founder of ‘Confident and Killing It’. She has hosted empowerment workshops at a wide array of businesses and organisations, including Google, Deloitte, Facebook, AMV BBDO, MG OMD, Morgan Stanley, TikTok, Spotify, Viacom CBS, Cult Beauty, World Vision, and The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Tiwalola is also the host of a successful podcast, and she has equipped thousands of women across the world with the tools and knowledge they need to be confident.
- Vegan Africa by Marie Kacouchia
A fresh guide to African cuisine is written by Marie Kacouchia. With several recipes, it is a book that explores cuisines from across African countries like Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and so on. More than the variety of delicacies, they are healthy plant-based recipes. A rich experience, thanks to her Ivory Coast upbringing, provided more hue to the guide. Vegetables, grains, and legumes are a few food sources included in Vegan Africa. Some more are: fats, spices, preserves, and drinks, all used to prepare more than 70 authentic vegan dishes.
There is much more contained in this guidebook. Whether non-African looking to tour the African culinary landscape or an African wondering if vegan life is possible.
Marie Kacouchia is a young Parisian who embraces the cultural references of her two homelands: France and the Ivory Coast. Passionate about cooking, her goal is to promote this singular culture of hers, between the culture of origin and that of the host country, through cuisine that is essentially mixed. She lives in Paris, France.
- Quirky Quick Guide to Having Great Sex by Tiffany Kagure Mugo
Everybody, at a point in time and from time to time, pops questions. Be it from the obvious changes that appear during initiation into adulthood, or when one (or two or more) decides to experiment with the art of sensuality. A lot is said about the subject of sex and sexuality, but does it imply that all is known about it? Well, not even close.
Tiffany Kagure Mugo’s Quirky Quick Guide to Having Great Sex shines a light on a much-needed dialogue, or better, a guide to exploring sex and sex-related activities. For something that should be done just right, no segment is left to chance or instinct. In a rich conversation-like manner, the book instructs on consent, using condoms correctly, nude exchange, kink, making sex videos, and so much more.
Think you know everything there is to know about this intimate act? Don’t assume anything yet until you grab this 200+ page book and dive into the end. Tiffany has closed a vital gap in the theory and practicality of intimate life.
Tiffany Kagure Mugo is co-founder & curator of HOLAA! a Pan-African hub that advocates for, & tackles issues surrounding African female sexuality. She is a TED speaker, host of the radio show Between the Sheets on TransAfrica Radio. She has written for numerous anthologies & contributes to spaces speaking about sex & politics.
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To reiterate, every genre of writing covers an angle within a wider reality. African nonfiction, being my focus, is a rainbow. In the recommendations above, for instance, there are memoirs, among which vary considerably in themes: self-help, travelogue, etc. This is among other categorizations. Hopefully, you have found this list insightful and will be excited to get them right into your reading list.
