25 & Trying

I Didn’t Do It For You

I am addicted to reading Michela Wrong’s books. My last review dealt with her work in the Democratic Republic of Congo – and I was excited to read her longer book – I Didn’t Do It For You where she profiles the little-known nation of Eritrea in the African horn. The country itself is very small, and is not a place on many people’s “Must Visit in 2010″ list.

It was originally an Italian territory, and has been fighting wars with Ethiopia, the British, and really itself since it gained independence. Wrong’s ability to study a country from all of its’ angles is truly impressive and remarkable. She doesn’t just see everything through the lens of colonialism, and also pays key attention to the ways in which outside agencies affected this nation in its’ infancy.

I really love the way she talks to people – but doesn’t make caricatures of them. They are real people, with stories that give perspective but they are also just living their lives. She interviews Italians that have remained in Asmara, the capital. She interviews freedom fighters for the independence movement, and American soldiers that were stationed at a base in the Eritrea hills.

Her words are extremely passionate, heartfelt, and intriguing – she tries to shed light on a difficult part of the African continent. It is an area that few Westerners travel to, and one that I actually knew nothing about before reading. Eritrea has been through a lot, and that warmth – but not a blind sympathy – is conveyed through Michela Wrong’s words.

Wrong is really taking writing about Africa to a new level – her books have become my little windows into places I am interested in around the world. Eritrea is not necessarily a premier tourist destination as well, but she sheds light on an amazingly resilient people.