This youngadultbook by the Norwegian writer brings us to Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. The storyteller lives there with his wife and children. His wife works as a librarian at an anti-apartheidinstitute. His children go to school and the storyteller tries to make himself useful at home. In the meantime he tries to work as a composer.

And he works at his own very secret task of writing a book about the exciting happenings when the man with the ivorystick came to live next door to them. His children suspect that their father wants to write about these adventures  so they want to stress their role in it all.

The story takes place during the days that Lusaka was an important center of the anti-apartheidmovement. And what about the man with the ivorystick? Does he have anything to do with it? Yes, he does. From South Africa they want to get to know him, therefore he has security-guards.

The adventures have been written with a good sense of humour, even the process of writing and daily chores at home. Once a while there is too much explanation and pressed in a black-white scheme. According to the writer many Asian Africans were sent away from Uganda and Kenya. Shouldn’t that be just Uganda during the days of dictator Idi Amin? There is still a large Asian community in Kenya. The writer connects the death of the Congolese politician Lumumba with NATO.

This book is a good read.

Jon Michelet – Var Afrikanske Eksplosjon – Oslo