"Karl Maier has written a book of immense charm and insight ...a fine overview of Africa on the brink of the millennium."-International Herald Tribune. "A sensitive and complex narrative ...excellent descriptions of the lives and experiences of both ordinary and extraordinary individuals in different parts of Africa."-Richard Leakey, The Times of London. "Maier introduces the reader to his subject through a rich variety of Africans ...fascinating."-New York Times Book Review. A vivid portrait of the "second revolution" underway in Africa. In a richly woven narrative of the vibrant and volatile life of Africa today, Karl Maier draws on ten years' experience traversing sub-Saharan Africa to offer a powerful and surprising message: Africans all over the continent are courageously waging a "second revolution," reviving and expanding the rich traditions of their cultures to find ingenious ways of improving their lives. Based on hundreds of interviews, this book offers a rare combination of history and contemporary reporting filled with the sights and sounds of Africa and its people. Karl Maier (London, England) served as the Africa Correspondent for The Independent from 1986 to 1995 and has contributed articles on Africa to The Washington Post, The Economist, and The Christian Science Monitor. He is the author of the acclaimed Angola: Promises and Lies.