In the United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi

“If Waberi’s books are any indication, the novel of ideas, long regarded with indifference if not suspicion, may be set for a renaissance. Equally at ease in both First and Third Worlds (and all their trappings), Waberi manages the rare feat of handling and integrating Western intellectual and political thought as comfortably and convincingly as he does the ideologies and culture of the Horn of Africa (and that without overwhelming the actual fiction).” “ Passage of Tears is a cerebral modern thriller (of sorts) that defies easy categorization…. “Waberi has concocted with his magical alchemy a tale that blends political thriller, legends, spy novel, and the diary of a man tailor-made for the know-it-all.” “With Waberi, the juxtapositions-surprising, provocative, and original-form a good part of the thrill themselves.” Praise for the French Edition “Disguised as a political thriller, Passage of Tears is above all a great novel of childhood, murderous identities, and exile.”- Le Monde des Livres “A gripping book, burning with urgency and tension.”- Télérama. Waberi’s inventive parody is a lesson in tolerance, while his poetic observations reveal his love and concern for his homeland.

Djibril’s reminiscences provide a sense of Djibouti’s past and its people, while a satire of Muslim fundamentalism is unwittingly delivered through the other Djiboutian voice. Passage of Tears cleverly mixes many genres and forms of writing-spy novel, political thriller, diary (replete with childhood memories), travel notebook, legends, parables, incantations, and prayers. He takes dictation from his preaching cellmate known as his “Venerable Master,” but as the words are put on the page, a completely different text appears-the life of Walter Benjamin, Djibril’s favorite author.

Meanwhile, a shadowy, threatening figure imprisoned in an island cell seems to know Djibril’s every move. Waberi, Djibril, a young Djiboutian voluntarily exiled in Montreal, returns to his native land to prepare a report for an American economic intelligence firm. Djibouti, a hot, impoverished little country on the Horn of Africa, is a place of great strategic importance, for off its coast lies a crucial passage for the world’s oil.

In the United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi