Review of A Dream For Peace

[Etini Willie]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The book, A Dream for Peace is a personal memoir of Ghoulem Berrah chronicling his lifetime and numerous forays in International Diplomacy while serving as personal adviser and confidant of the first president of post independence Côte d'Ivoire, President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. The book for me is in two parts. The first part primarily focuses on the developmental life of the famed diplomat from his early life in his native Algeria to his educational pursuit in France and his involvement in activism. The first part also mirrors his contributions to the independence struggle in Morocco and Algeria. The second part is an account of his ascendancy to the peak of International Diplomacy. It has to be stated that the experiences in the first part of the book effectively prepared Ghoulem for his diplomatic role in the second part. This memoir gives an unabridged account of colonialism in Africa with its attendant racism and locals suppression. It also gives an eagle-eye view of the Pan-Africanism movement, the struggle for independence from colonial masters and post-independence struggle of African countries.

As an African, this book appeals to me on a personal level. There are numerous things I love in this memoir of the political history of Africa. Foremost, I admire the author's vocal stance against racism even at a young age. He rejected his academic prize because Mr. Malpel, the colonial mayor demonstrated a racial posture in presenting the prize to him. This consciousness was one of the major drivers of his passion and desire to serve the African continent selflessly. The Diplomat Extraordinaire was a perfect model of loyalty. He was so loyal to his adopted father and boss, President Boigny. In a world where loyalty is as volatile as ice, the author was loyal to his boss till the president breathed his last. I personally feel if Ghoulem was not as loyal as he was, President Boigny would probably not achieve the monumental successes he recorded in his regime. This character of the author is extremely admirable. I can't also help but admire the level of religious tolerance portrayed by President Boigny and also Ghoulem and Titi. This is displayed in so many instances but quite remarkably, it was evident in their willingness to marry across religious lines and the couples conducting themselves with utmost respect for each other's religion. Reading this book, I couldn't help but fall in love with President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. He was truly the 'sage of Africa'. His pro-dialogue stance on conflict resolution rather than violence should be a symposium discussion. He was always calm and calculated in his approach to issues and these attributes are worthy of emulation.

The only thing that saddened me in this book was the failure of the marriage between Ghoulem and Antoinette. Given the fact that she had to endure a prison ordeal because of her affiliations with the author, I personally feel pained that the marriage didn't work out.

This book is a very excellent work and I am grateful to the author for this work as it would always remind we Africans of our collective history. This masterpiece of a book was exceptionally edited as I couldn't find grammatical errors or typos. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. This rating is borne out of the many life lessons one can draw from this book. Among them are resilience, truthfulness, loyalty, religious tolerance and pragmatism. All these life lessons and more are portrayed all over the book. Above all, the book advocates for dialogue not violence in resolving conflicts.

This book is recommended for people of all ages who can read and understand. The book is suitable for people under the age of 18. I specially recommend this book to every African youth as it can spur us to begin to take responsibilities for developing our continent.

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A Dream For Peace
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[honeybear_11001]

This seems like an interesting book. I've been seeing it a lot. Can't wait to read it.

[Iboro Donald]

Dr. Ghoulem is a renowned diplomat. I admire him a lot and this review has increased my respect for him. His kind is rare. This reviewer has made me fall in love with the man even more.