Maryse Condé
Paperback | Pages: 512 pages Rating: 4.09 | 1116 Users | 134 Reviews
Define About Books Segu (Ségou #1)
| Title | : | Segu (Ségou #1) |
| Author | : | Maryse Condé |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 512 pages |
| Published | : | September 1st 1996 by Penguin Books (first published 1984) |
| Categories | : | Cultural. Africa. Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. France |
Relation Conducive To Books Segu (Ségou #1)
The year is 1797, and the kingdom of Segu is flourishing, fed by the wealth of its noblemen and the power of its warriors. The people of Segu, the Bambara, are guided by their griots and priests; their lives are ruled by the elements. But even their soothsayers can only hint at the changes to come, for the battle of the soul of Africa has begun. From the east comes a new religion, Islam, and from the West, the slave trade. Segu follows the life of Dousika Traore, the king’s most trusted advisor, and his four sons, whose fates embody the forces tearing at the fabric of the nation. There is Tiekoro, who renounces his people’s religion and embraces Islam; Siga, who defends tradition, but becomes a merchant; Naba, who is kidnapped by slave traders; and Malobali, who becomes a mercenary and halfhearted Christian. Based on actual events, Segu transports the reader to a fascinating time in history, capturing the earthy spirituality, religious fervor, and violent nature of a people and a growing nation trying to cope with jihads, national rivalries, racism, amid the vagaries of commerce.Mention Books Supposing Segu (Ségou #1)
| Original Title: | Ségou. Les murailles de terre |
| ISBN: | 014025949X (ISBN13: 9780140259490) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Ségou #1 |
| Setting: | Mali Segu,1797 |
Rating About Books Segu (Ségou #1)
Ratings: 4.09 From 1116 Users | 134 ReviewsDiscuss About Books Segu (Ségou #1)
Like the swift-running river on whose banks the city of Segu sits, the lives of the various men of the Traore family flow through the veins of Western Africa; enslaved, apostatised and awaken from both intellectual and spiritual slumbers, Conde is able to depict, via the Traore family, the gradual, yet constant dehumanisation of Africans via the wider forces of the world, whether it the slave trade of the New World, the colonial ambitions of Europe or the religious fervour of the Arabic worldI found this book to be an excellent story. I was completely immersed in the strong imagery and distinct style. The culture and effects of the slave trade and foreboding over religious transition gave me much to think about. The characters were very interesting and the extended family on which the story is based, was not too difficult to follow. The lessons of the past are seldom learned. It questions our pursuit of money and in stark terms expresses the human harm that is caused directly and
This is one of my all time favorite books. Fiction excels at letting us feel history. None does it better than Segu. From Amazon.com:"The year is 1797, and the kingdom of Segu is flourishing, fed by the wealth of its noblemen and the power of its warriors. The people of Segu, the Bambara, are guided by their griots and priests; their lives are ruled by the elements. But even their soothsayers can only hint at the changes to come, for the battle of the soul of Africa has begun. From the east
This book is a great story about family and legacy. I truly enjoyed reading it. Conde's language is unique and poetic. This book focused a lot on the changes that the inhabitants of Africa suffered through. Conde's message that negative change (slave trade) prevents one from existing is not only TRUE but heartbreaking. The book also to my surprise was open about intra-racial hatred. My only issue was that it could have used more definitions below each page. I had to look up a lot of the words
I'm on page 33 and it's taken me until now getting a sense of what the book is about. This is historical fiction and I wanted to read about African kingdoms near the dawn of the trans Atlantic slave trade. Though I'm just near the beginning; the author has already rolled out the usual suspects of treachery,avarice and jealousy at work to tear at the kingdoms as they are now at work tearing up some of our communities.Well I'm half way through the book now. Just as I was going to cart this book
This was another great book I would probably never have noticed if it hadnt been for bookcrossing. And what a loss it would have been. The book follows the history of the Bambara people, from the 18th until the early 19th century. Today, the Bambara live mainly in present-day Mali and form the largest part of its population. Between the 17th and 19th century, they had two powerful kingdoms, one with its center in Segu, and the other in Kaarta. We follow the Traore family from Segu, through
This is a wonderful family epic covering three centuries beginning in the early days of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 17th century and ending with the conquest of West Africa by the French in the 19th century.Ms. Condé is gloriously ambitious. She traces the development of political structures, the penetration of Islam, the progression of the slave trade and the evolution of mentalities over three centuries. It is hard to try to cover so much territory without making inappropriate
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