Joy Packer (1905–1977)

This book has not aged well. It was published in 1952, and the author, Joy Packer, is the South African born wife of a British Admiral stationed to Africa for two years. During their stay they visited many regions of colonial Africa, from Madagascar to Nigeria, and this book records her impressions and experiences. Her super racist impressions, in many cases.
Laugh with Joy as she observes those adorable blacks attempt to run a parliament - but don't worry, all the important things are still in white hands! Frown with Joy as she condemns the new breed of English settlers who allow their black servants to eat at their table like equals. Nod along as she alternately likens the blacks to monkeys and to children. Even rhino spotting provides an opportunity to examine racial affairs - because rhinos come in both white and black, and guess which kind is objectively better?
Okay, so I guess I should explain why I gave this book 4 stars.
I learned a lot reading this book. Joy visits many African colonies, and for each one, she describes the current colonial policy and her thoughts on it (needs more apartheid! Native self-government is absurd!). I am embarrassingly ignorant about African history, but constantly found myself asking "And how'd that go for them?" And then I turned to Wikipedia to find out. Joy mentioned Ruth Khama, a white woman who had married an African chief, and how the colonial authorities were wringing their hands to figure out "how to deal with it" (Spoiler: they dealt with it poorly). I'd never heard anything about this before, and I'd like to find out more!
It also gave me a bit of an insight into racism itself - I always wonder how two groups of people can live in close contact and not eventually figure out they're each just different kinds of people, with equal emotional and intellectual capabilities. I now see that wilful ignorance must play a part, exemplified when Joy mentions that the blacks in a particular South African city rioted for "no apparent reason". Really, Joy? You're a trained journalist, but your curiosity suddenly dries up when it comes to this? You can't think of one single possible reason that might have happened? God forbid you ask anyone?
I also learned about the existence of ethnopsychology, a field which is unsurprisingly no longer popular.
Lastly, Joy is actually quite a talented writer - she has a knack for eliciting emotion with poetic descriptions of the scenes she encounters between bouts of racism.
So, I actually enjoyed this book, despite the content. I have a better understanding of African history, and of the roots of current events in Africa. I have some interesting "leads" I'd like to pursue with regard to further reading. Your experience may vary, but I found it worthwhile.… (mer)