Naipaul talks of rituals performed using human body parts. This cannot be verified though. If locals are turning to magic (which they may well be), it is perhaps because such beliefs the world over are the last resort of the poor, the disenfranchised and the dispossessed –in short, those with no other way to change their lives.It is only in South Africa, where the legacy of apartheid proves enduring and unavoidable, and where the sangoma's hollow promises find ever more seekers willing to believe, that Naipaul comes close to this understanding.The Masque of Africa is a book for outsiders, for those who may never visit Africa or may know it only superficially. But it is also a book in which Africans themselves may find something to learn. Naipaul is a difficult, imperfect narrator who does not care to be liked, but he is an honest one and doesn't dissemble. (guardian.co.uk)