Even if historical novels are not normally your thing you will enjoy this one.

We also learn a whole lot about the culture of Segu, from their currency (cowrie shells but replaced by Western money) to their eating habits. For an entirely different perspective, however, read T Coraghessan Boyle‘s Water Music, which is a fictionalised account of Mungo Park’s last journey.Ĭondé is not afraid to face the issues, such as slavery, the role of women and religion, all of which get a full work out in this novel. The first white man to see Segu or, at least, to record the fact was Mungo Park and we get a quick glimpse of him in this novel. The book is, of course, told entirely from the African perspective which, for us Westerners, is fascinating, particularly for those of us who have grown up with the standard imperialist view. The book charts the turbulent history of the West African kingdom of Segu, and the plight of its people, the Bambara. Segu loves the smell of gunpowder and the taste of blood. The Traoré are a well-to-do, aristocratic family so they get very much involved in the internal politics of Segu but Condé cleverly balances the books between their family issues and the larger political issues and shows how the Africans were unprepared for the two invasions that hit them. Segu wasn’t made for peace, says one of the characters in Maryse Cond’s sprawling, stunning third novel. What I found most striking is the portrayal of the African slave trade from the perspective of Africans, both enslaved and free. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from cover to cover. Two major external events influence their lives – the arrival of Islam and the arrival of the white man (and Christianity). Segu is a masterful, captivating saga penned by Maryse Cond. The action takes place from the end of the eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century. In the novel Segu, Maryse Conde beautifully constructs personal and in depth images of African history through the use of four main characters that depict. It tells the story of the Traoré family who lived in Segu, between Bamako and Timbuktu (now in Mali). This is the book that brought Maryse Condé to prominence and deservedly so. Home » Guadeloupe » Maryse Condé » Ségou (Segu) Maryse Condé: Ségou (Segu)

Segu by Maryse Condé