"... entire collection (is) a must-have for your bookshelves..." - Zodwa Khumalo, Elle

"...lippy, provocative commentary..." Michelle Magwood, Sunday Times

O'Mandingo! The only black at a dinner party is the first book by this prolific South African actor, commentator and advertising executive. It is based on Eric Miyeni's argumentative and sometimes controversial, but hugely popular e-zine. O'Mandingo! is a collection of opinion pieces that covers subjects as varied as politics and movie reviews, but at the centre of this seemingly disparate collection of thoughts is one theme: black pride, strength, unity and prosperity.

O'Mandingo! is named for the Mandinkas, the warrior people of West Africa who sold slaves and were themselves the first Africans to be shipped out as slaves. They also gave the world the kora, a string instrument used by griots to pass down centuries old stories from generation to generation.

"I saw God the other day. He was a builder. I saw him plastering a wall at the coffee shop Nino's in Rosebank, Johannesburg, at about eight thirty at night. I stopped for a good five minutes and watched him plaster a wall. For that length of time, nothing mattered in the world. Not the conflict in the Congo. Not HIV/AIDS. Put it this way, if a truck came shuttling down on me at that very moment I would hardly have looked up, even if the driver were hooting. God was busy, you see? And I was watching him... It occurred to me there and then, as that white man's image reminded me of my late black father, that there is no better way to make colour acceptable than to do what you do extremely well. There is no quicker way to shut down prejudice than to be an expert at what you do. There is no quicker way to bring out the God in you than to do what you do with intense honesty, love, focus, passion, concentration and total spiritual commitment. You see, Mandingo, God exists in all of us. Bring him out to play." 

Eric Miyeni is a South African writer, actor, radio and television personality who's best known to television audiences for his role as Darryl Malgas in the drama series Molo Fish and as the presenter of the magazine show Zooming In On Men. In 2001 Miyeni started a highly popular e-zine entitled O'Mandingo! and in 2006 he published the  book based on it called  with Jacana Media. In 2004 he was a DJ on SAfm's afternoon show but was fired after four months of being with the station for being too controversial after he discussed his contract on air. Miyeni has also appeared in numerous films, including Bopha (1993), Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) and Dangerous Ground (1997).


 

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