Haley’s fully developed characters and descriptions of a country rich in cultural history did much to move writers away from the Eurocentric and stereotypical depictions of Africa previously offered by the likes of Joseph Conrad, and provided the backdrop for a novel intent on empowering black people and former slaves. The novel took 10 years to write, won Haley a Pulitzer prize and was turned into a hugely successful mini-series that had millions glued to their TV sets.Īt the outset, Haley dedicates 200 pages to a masterful description of Gambia – a country where ritual, religion and rhythms of daily life are intermingled with concerns of famine and worries about “toubob” (white people).
Written in 1976, following on from the rise of the American civil-rights movement, Haley’s novel vividly describes the life of Kunta Kinte, an 18th-century young Gambian man who is captured and sold to a Virginian plantation owner.
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