The Deserts of Africa

by Michael Martin

Africa has long evoked tales of tribal peoples, big game, and exotic landscapes. In the year 2000, globalization aside, the deserts of the Dark Continent still retain their mystery. Through his images of these vast, deceptively desolate stretches, geographer and photographer Michael Martin lays bare the cultural and spiritual core of Africa. His travels across the Sahara, the Kalahari, the Namib, and the volcanic wastelands of the Rift Valley have...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584790288
• ISBN13: 9781584790280
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 11.4" x 11.5"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Beautiful photos, informative text and a music CD!

This is a beautiful study of the Sahara, Rift Valley, Kalahari and Namib, and the people who live in the respective areas. It is accompanied by a CD of music The Garden Of Mirrors by Stephan Micus. The impressive photographs are complemented by an informative text dealing with the beauty of these deserts and the life and cultures of the people that inhabit them. For example, the Bororo of Senegal and Chad, the Tuareg, and the Tubu of the Tibesti Mountains are discussed under Sahara: Sea Without Water, an area with two and a half million people. Rift Valley: Land Of Nomads provides a window on Djibouti, Somalia and the Tanzanian Highlands with information on the Afar, Issa, Danakil and Maasai peoples. The San (Bushmen) people live in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, but this desert encompasses the wetlands of the Okavango River and its verdant delta. The Namib, a coastal desert of Namibia adjacent to the Kalahari, is considered the oldest desert on earth. The Damara, Herero and Himba peoples are covered here. Of the photographs, the ones that impressed me most are those of the weird volcano the Trau au Natron in the Tibesti Mountains. There are also several examples of rock art from the Sahara and Southern Africa. The appendix includes a map of each desert, a portrait of the author, acknowledgements and a facts section. Under the title Ornaments, there are examples of Arabic and Tuareg writing and rock art. Besides the vocals, the instruments on the enclosed CD are the Bolombatto (harp), the Sinding (harp), the Nay (reed flute), the Shakuhachi (bamboo flute), the Suling (reed flute) and the tin whistle. Track listing: Earth, Passing Cloud, Violeta, Flowers In Chaos, In The High Valleys, Gates Of Fire, Mad Bird, Night Circle and Words Of Truth.