REVIEW
David Shapshak
All Africa Internet Guide by Libby Young (M&G Books)
Despite being a part of the so-called Third World, all 54 countries in Africa have a Web presence and you can access the Internet from them.
But finding out about websites and navigating the Internet is as difficult as doing it physically. Thankfully though, there is a book that makes all this easier: Libby Young’s All Africa Internet Guide.
Young’s pedigree speaks for itself. She joined the eM&G in 1996, in the pioneering days of the Internet, soon after the eM&G became the first online paper in Africa.
She was the backbone of the publication. Apart from being Africa editor, she compiled the Web directory and uploaded your favourite paper on to the Web.
The work was done manually, requiring not only a strong news sense but also a sound technical knowledge of how the Web functions. Young brings all of this through in her book.
Along with a well thought-out listing structure, the book highlights the difficulties of running a website in Africa and how to find sites that go “walkabout”. For the uninitiated she explains the technicalities of the Web clearly, and there is a section on how to find “lost” sites using intuitive techniques.
By virtue of its technical advances South Africa has the largest Web presence and accordingly is given more than half of the book’s space. The listings are divided into sections such as art, business, politics, news, sports, travel and technology.
However, a comprehensive listing of each country details all there is to offer in each: from film reviews in Ghana to a holiday in Zanzibar.
But knowing the Internet as she does, Young is aware that more often than not the reason someone is trying to access any particular African site is for information; and to this end it lists the best of what is available.
What’s more, because of the shifting nature of the Net, Young maintains a similar directory online (www.goafrica. co.za) where she checks whether sites are active, delisting redundant ones and adding new ones.
The All Africa Internet Guide, edited by Libby Young, is the essential companion for anyone with an interest in Africa, and the Internet.