Wyatt MacGaffey

This is not a bad book, but it didn't strike a chord with me. As the title indicates, the author's interest lie in the particular, as in detailed first-hand descriptions of how certain people in Kongo have experienced political power. But there's no generalization, no educated discussion of what these variegated details might imply for the author's understanding of Kongolese societies in a broader perspective. Maybe this book is intended for Kongo specialists. For the layman it's just a tedious collection of disparate particular facts.… (mais)