A Song of Africa: The Roots of Boko Haram

Ron Wheatley's A Song of Africa strikes an intriguing parallel to another publication - Munus Africae, by Pope Benedict XVI. While Benedict chooses "Munus" - a noun title other than Wheatley's "Song" - it is no stretch of translation to say that the Pontiff's title is also a kind of Song, for Munus can be rendered both - affectionate service and - loving witness!Striking too, is that both works saw publication in mid-November 2011, at the conclusion of Benedict's visit to Benin. Wheatley's reflections are drawn from his on-site experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria, on the eastern border of which lies the country of Benin. The pilgrimage of thousands of Nigerians to Benin to see and hear Benedict bore witness to the song of affectionate witness professed by Africans!In his focus on the heart and soul of Nigerians, Wheatley recalls the efforts of his colleagues - US officials and volunteers, and their spontaneity in going beyond the pale in their efforts to improve the basics of existence of their African hosts. Perhaps without conscious realization, he re-affirms the missionary psychology of another Pontiff - John Paul II, in his confirmation that "Justice is not enough!" For John Paul, as for Wheatley, Charity continues where justice ends.As for Munus Africae, Benedict describes the African world view in Part III, (Art.69) of his document as follows: "This great openness of heart and spirit in the African tradition predisposes you, brothers and sisters, to hear and receive Christ's message, to appreciate the mystery of the Church, and thus to value human life to the full, along with the conditions in which it is lived."Congratulations to Ron Wheatley for his independent presentation of a missionary perspective, affirming in advance that to which Benedict exhorts us - The message, the mystery, the value of human life, and the conditions in which it is lived."

Wheatley can sing The Song of Africa.He knows every note.He has been there not as tourist, but as a Peace Corps volunteer for many years.The Song of Africa is that of Nigeria, a developing country where tribal huts and luxurious embassies share the same arresting natural surroundings.The Song of Africa is the Heart of all Africa, for the reader cannot stop his own heart from pounding as he learns of a journey that is not limited to the visible.Wheatley chose to write The Song of Africa in the style of a novel.There are dialogues, conflicts, colorful descriptions...The interactions between characters are the many tunes of The Song of Africa.We learn of the poor Nigerians (some of them with leprosy) and of expatriates who like the Fitzgeralds , Hemingways and Gertrude Stein in Paris in the 1920's, have it better.We discover that Christian missionaries are a problem in an oil-rich nation still unstable from the cultural and political points of viewWe meet two foreigners--Paul and Maureen who look at Nigeria conditioned by their respective reasons for being there, despite the mutual attraction.As we familiarize with their relationship, we learn first-hand about the many-sided aspects of a country still having tribal feuds that echo those between the Sunnis and Shiites.We are exposed to a new nation still subjected to the reminders of a colonialism.And we learn why Nigeria is a culture still restive politically and socially because of persisting ethnic divisions that all new independent countries in Africa share painfully.But we also read of young, liberal thinkers dreaming of pan-africanism in the light of the many natural resources that would guarantee a new, enviable Nigeria.And why not.Since it acquired independence from British rule in 1960, oil-rich Nigeria is currently experiencing the longest period of civilian rule.Do read it.Ubaldo DiBenedetto,Ph.D.Author: Polar Day 9 (New York: Berkley,1993).

A Song of Africa, written in the wake of Wheatley's experience with the Peace Corps in Africa, is exceptionally well-written. It is, as the author says, based upon real-life observation and experience. The characters--among them a bright and somewhat cynical engineer and a stunning young woman, among many others--are deftly drawn, as is both the landscape and the turmoil of Nigeria (which continues to this day). The book covers four years--1966-70--and neither pulls any punches or moralizes. The plot manages to be both simple and complex, with no pat answers. The author's respect for the Nigerians coexists with a realistic, often tragic view of human nature, and is buttressed by his own experiences. The book is rich in imagery, and filled with details about life in Nigeria at that time. It is not, in the traditional sense, a page-turner. It is instead a book to be read with concentration and sympathy. Highly recommended.

I really wanted to like this book (free download), as I had lived in Nigeria a few years after the events in the story. But it is in need of some good solid editing ,and not just for typos and spelling mistakes. I plodded through several chapters and then deleted it from my Kindle.I also found it to be quite patronizing, although I doubt that was the intention. For example, I don't recall ever hearing an expat refer to Nigerians as "natives" . If the book had been based in, say, Germany, from an expatriate point of view ( and btw the author spelled it expatriot), would every unnamed German be called a native, as in, "There was a native standing by the door"? Or would it be, "There was a man standing by the door"? But then again of the many expat volunteers I met in Nigeria none were Peace Corps and I was given the impression there were few if any in the country at that time.Anyway, the book was a disappointment. If you want to learn about Nigeria, go for their own many excellent novelists, Achebe for example.