Here's Burkina Faso:
And here's our description:
Norbert Zongo was Burkina Faso's most respected journalist before his politically motivated murder in 1998. As an editor of the newspaper l'Indépendent, Zongo wrote under the pen name of Henri Segbo, frequently attacking governmental crime and impunity, or what he called "mobutuization," after the notoriously corrupt Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. A fierce advocate of free-speech, Zongo openly criticized President Blaise Compaoré's long reign of terror, extortion, and impunity in Burkina Faso. After surviving several attempts on his life, Zongo was killed along with his brother Yembi Ernest and two other traveling companions when his car was fire-bombed by members of Compaoré's presidential guard. Zongo's death was followed by an extreme period of political unrest in Burkina Faso, which threatened to destabilize the Compaoré regime. Zongo's novel The Parachute Drop is an eerily prophetic narrative foretelling many of the events that preceded his death. His novel shows how a fictional West African nation named Watinbow is "mobutuized" by a succession of tyrants, foreign advisors, and external financial agents. President Gouama, a man of demonic energy, malice, and greed, is toppled in a coup d'état and must now confront the people of Watinbow, whom he has betrayed. The Parachute Drop provides rare insight into the psychology of a corrupt African leader. For those hoping to understand the nightmare of contemporary African politics, Zongo's novel is an excellent place to begin.
So I just realized that this one should have come before Burundi. Sorry, guys. While we're in this crappy apartment I just kind of have the books in a pile instead of in a nice bookcase, and I grabbed them in the wrong order.
I'm so pleased with all of the awesome books that I've read with this challenge! This one was captivating without having to have a ton of action or apprehension. I mean, of course it was dramatic and it obviously kept me wanting to read it. But I did see one review that said it was funny, which I totally disagree with. My guess is they found the deposed president's weakness and uselessness funny, but I found it pathetic. These people get into power by being charismatic but are ultimately incompetent (looking at you, Trump), and can't understand why the people don't appreciate this. Although at the end, with the new regime, I had to wonder if it was the same thing happening over again. (I'm beginning to feel like I'm horrible at deep reading comprehension...I know, I should have figured that out long ago).
This story moved me to read a bit more into the country and the author, which I should maybe be doing with all of them, but oh well. Definitely, definitely check this book out. It's not a very long read, and it shows so many extremes of this fictional country. You see the absurdly rich who are greedy and shallow, the incredibly poor who are generous to a fault, the country's former leader who can barely take care of himself, the men who help him that had formerly been in his prison, and the betrayal by people he thought were his friends.
Also, after reading more about the author, he was a super badass! He basically gave a big Fuck You to the corrupt government and didn't stop even when his life was threatened. And then after he was killed his wife kept it going. What amazing people.
