Ruqaiya Said's Reviews > The Masque of Africa: Glimpses of African Belief

I had to re-read certain parts in this book to come to a complete understanding of what was being discussed. Despite being an avid reader , I generally do not read works of non-fiction. This book came as a recommendation from a colleague who swore (literally!) that it was an absolute page-turner. At first I was taken aback by the very theme this book revolves around, one that I usually refrain from discussing with people. To me, religious and or cultural beliefs are too personal of a matter to allow anyone to poke their nose into let alone dissect and analyse it the way Naipaul does in "The Masque of Africa".
Naipaul manipulates his own curiosity into making this subject intriguing. There were moments when I'd be utterly disgusted by a certain practice or belief but I would have to suppress my disgust.
To a certain extent there have been African influences in my life , but these would never be talked about within the confines of our household simply because I grew up outside Africa, hence my parents didn't deem it necessary for me to be well versed in such matters. To them and most other people including minorities who have lived in Africa for generations ,these beliefs were futile , petty and baseless. That being said is testimony of what impact the advent and spread of Islam and Christianity have had on the natives , which is also one of the things this book talks about a great deal.
Reading this book was eye-opening, informative and thought -provoking to say the very least.