Black Girl from Pyongyang: In Search of My Identity

Product Information

Monica's is an evocative memoir of a remarkable childhood followed by a decades-long search around the globe for her identity and the truth about her father. But beyond that, it is a stunning treatise on politics, power and culture' Florence Olajide, bestselling author of Coconut This book is fascinating on the level of the uniqueness of Macias’s rather improbable perspective, with wonderful biographical details. It was delightful to read about her childhood, and I could empathise with her painful circumstances. She even had me feeling for the children of the former leader of my own country, because yes, it is true that the family becomes collateral damage. However, Macias’s frequent declamations and the solutions she advances for fixing the world, when she stands on her soapbox, are far less interesting, and most of my notes on these are on how perplexing bias can be to those watching. Monica Macias was 7 when was sent by her father, the first president of Equatorial Guinea, to live in Pyongyang with her sisters in 1979 Despite the layered obstacles, Macias says she has fond childhood memories of her school life and classmates. Monica was seven years old when her father was killed. She had been Spanish-speaking, but lost her language and culture during her education (and, frankly, indoctrination) at the military boarding school she attended just outside of Pyongyang. This book is the story of her life from her earliest childhood memories, through her years in North Korea, her leaving, and later, as she made her way as a woman with a complicated identity. Her decision to leave was driven by her desire to see the outside world, to connect to her past, and to find out whether her father really was a cruel dictator.

A fascinating account of a woman’s quest for autonomy, and her bravery and determination to find the truth. It’s an investigative story to understand her true father, a powerful but controversial figure, the real man behind his many personas. A woman who was raised between countries, in search of her true home' Lily Dunn, author of Sins of My Father The book, first published in 2013 in Korean, now published in English, is a diary of sorts, covering events and people over many decades. The authors father is ousted as President of EG, however she remains a guest of NK, enjoying patronage at the highest levels. Her lifestyle is pampered and entitled although naturally isolated from the world outside of NK. She views NK through the eyes of a diplomatic, an invited expatriate, with special status, privileges and freedoms.In Beijing, singing karaoke with South Koreans, people she’d been taught to view as US puppets. Such meetings made her question the society in which she’d been raised. Macias’ father, Francisco Macias Nguema, was executed months after he sent his three children to North Korea. His nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, launched a military coup and ousted Francisco from the presidency. Nguema was put on trial, accused of having perpetrated atrocities, and shot by firing squad in September 1979.

The author is the daughter of Francisco Macias, who ruled Equatorial Guinea from independence until his overthrow and execution in 1979. He sent his three children for their education (school and university) in Pyongyang, where they stayed for years under the protection of Kim Il-sung. Incredibly, Monica attended the elite, boys-only Mangyongdae Revolutionary School, for which a class of girls was provided for Monica's benefit. She stayed so long that she felt herself to be fully North Korean, even forgetting how to speak her native Spanish. Her happy memories of life in the North may partly be explained by the degree of freedom she enjoyed there. I couldn't help thinking that her liking of foreign music and western movies, and her freedom to socialize with other foreigners in hotel bars, were not things other North Koreans could easily do without getting into serious trouble. Equally she was free to leave when she liked. In 1979, aged only seven, Monica Macias was sent from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea by her father, the President of Equatorial Guinea, to be educated under the guardianship of his ally, Kim Il Sung.A really interesting insight into the life of the daughter of the infamous Macias of Equitorial Guinea, who spent her childhood in North Korea under the guardianship of Kim Il Sung. Macias’ experiences living in the two Koreas helped her develop an insider’s view of inter-Korea issues.

In 1979 when she was only seven Monica Macias was transplanted from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea. She was sent by her father Francisco, the first president of post-Independence Equatorial Guinea, to be educated under the guardianship of his ally, Kim Il Sung.Most important to her is discovering the truth about her father's rule in Africa, and her growing awareness of the reality of post-colonialism and the legacy of racism. I was very open to hearing a fresh interpretation of the Macias period, because the available histories of Equatorial Guinea are very damning of him. Monica made some interesting points regarding the vacuum and chaos left by the Spanish colonizers, and the difficulty of governing a tribal country that hadn't been free for two centuries. But the argument is not fully developed, at least not enough for us to start perceiving her father in a wholly new light. At any rate, the book is her story, not her father's, and it's a fascinating one. Non-Fiction Books» Biographies & True Stories» Biographies» Historical, Political and Military Biographies» Historical, Political and Military Autobiographies A fascinating account of a woman's quest for autonomy, and her bravery and determination to find the truth. It's an investigative story to understand her true father, a powerful but controversial figure, the real man behind his many personas. A woman who was raised between countries, in search of her true home' Lily Dunn, author of Sins of My Father