Africa

Two Thousand Seasons is set in Africa. In fact, the novel never identifies the specific country in which it is set, a choice that encourages the reader to think of the novel as a commentary on the whole of sub-Saharan Africa--not just one country or people. The Africa described in the book is black and unified, yet also permeable and changeable. It is subject to invasions and visitors from outside Africa such as the white predators and white destroyers, who change the fabric of the society and who threaten to disunify it. The novel refuses to engage any of the stereotypes of Africa as backwards, underdeveloped, or impoverished. Rather, it shows how the continent is full of ritual, dance, and harmony with the environment.

Anoa

Anoa is the name of the priestess who gives the community its prophecy of 2000 seasons of hardship, but the community itself adopts the...