I loved this book so much, but I’m really struggling to write a coherent review that even remotely does it justice, so basically, get your hands on it (and actually read it). This is no dry academic text, it’s a well-researched and blistering take-down of (post-slavery) colonialism in Africa, its ongoing impacts and legacy in the current attitudes towards and stereotypes of Africa by the West. It provides a broad, nuanced context for many of the issues currently faced across the continent, but also delves into other interlinked aspects, such as white saviourism, portrayals in Western books and films and the deliberate theft of so much of Africa’s cultural legacy by Western museums (not just applicable to Africa). If you know little about Africa or imagine it as full of starving children and cool animals, this is a good place to start, but it’s also excellent if you are from, have ties to or have spent extensive time anywhere on the continent, worth reading for the brutally fantastic and funny writing alone. Faloyin takes aim at the Western colonial powers through a good dose of dripping sarcasm, which is not only effective, but results in a remarkably enjoyable read (it is absurd to describe reading about colonialism as “enjoyable” but…it was, though that doesn’t make the content any less anger-inducing). I clicked with the writing so much that I wasn’t even bothered that there were no in-text citations (a personal pet peeve). This isn’t just about colonialism though, it’s also a nuanced presentation of modern Africa, and I appreciated its considered and mostly optimistic outlook for the continent’s future. My only quibble is that a map of the continent would have been a useful inclusion. A blistering overview of colonialism and its ongoing legacy across Africa, but also a celebration of the continent’s vast cultural diversity amid the many complexities and challenges this entails.