Candide Emile
Public Relations Officer, Pierced Rock Press
Email: info@piercedrockpress.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : BOOK GIVEAWAY
Yaoundé, Cameroon, 24 March 2025 — Pierced Rock Press is thrilled to announce the giveaway of its latest publication, ‘CHALLENGING LIES: The Racist White Man Has Told Lies About Africa Long Enough’, by Cameroonian author Massocki Ma Massocki. The book giveaway will run from 1 April 2025 until the eve of the book’s publication date on 16 September 2025.
Book reviewers, bloggers, journalists, universities and news agencies interested in reviewing the book or interviewing the author can request a free copy of the book by contacting the publisher using the contact information listed in this press release.
‘Challenging Lies’ is a book arguing that the chaotic states of African countries since their nominal independence are the direct consequences of the imperialism of Western countries whose development depends on the underdevelopment of Africa. Massocki writes in the introduction:
Africa is a continent in a permanent state of emergency. In other words, there are always crises to address, whether they are security, political, economic, health-related or others. This book is titled ‘Challenging Lies’ simply because it challenges the disinformation propagated by dominant Western institutions and media concerning crises listed above and the colonial misrepresentation of Africa.
This disinformation has led to the belief that the coma into which African countries have been plunged since their independence is a result of internal conditions such as bad governance on the part of African governments. On the contrary, this book argues that Africa’s plight is external in origin—the result of the interference of imperialist Western forces whose survival depends on the systematic plundering of Africa. From the Western perspective, the right of states to be sovereign does not include African states. As a matter of fact, an American proverb says, ‘Africa is the continent God kept for the reserve of humanity.’1 In other words, Africa is a continent destined to be looted.
The happiness of the Western world depends on the misery of African people. For instance, in Niger, imperialist powers of the West have been exploiting uranium for many decades to produce energy for themselves. As the result, they have electricity, the streets of Paris are illuminated. However, in Niger, it is darkness. Moreover, there is rarely a single road to access the areas where they exploit the uranium, let alone other basic social services. Former French President, Jacques Chirac, admitted the exploitation of Africa. He said:
‘Much of the money that is in our wallet comes precisely from the exploitation for centuries of Africa. So, we need to have a little bit of common sense and justice to restore to Africans what we took from them’.
…Africa has known leaders and revolutionaries such as Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah and Muammar Gaddafi, to name but a few. These leaders had solutions to Africa’s problems and were well-equipped to tackle the challenges of Africa. Their downfall comes from the fact that they tried to unify the entire African continent to weaken Western imperialist forces. If these leaders were not assassinated or overthrown by imperialist coups d’état, Africa’s destiny would be different, and the image of Africa would not be the one we know today.
Massocki anticipates the antithesis of his argument that blames the African tragedy on bad governance on the part of African governments. Thus, in Chapter 3, he writes:
Just as Western imperialists try to exonerate themselves from the horrific crimes committed during the 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade, claiming that Africans sold their own brothers and sisters into slavery, they also seek to evade responsibility for the chaotic state of African countries—a consequence of Western imperialism on the continent—by blaming it on bad governance on the part of African governments.
This counter-argument, aiming to exonerate Western imperialism in the African tragedy, is a castle built on sand for the simple reason that the very African governments themselves, which the biased Western narrative holds responsible for Africa’s misfortune, are the products of Western imperialism, Western-led raids against democracy in Africa. The same democracy in the name of which imperialists sow terror, chaos and sorrow throughout the world… These governments of African puppets in the service of Western imperialism are illegitimate. They came to power either through imperialist-sponsored coups d’état, military interventions by Western forces or rigged elections deemed transparent and fair by imperialists of the West. That is why, at the end of each of those rigged presidential elections, heads of imperialist states of the West always rush to congratulate their African puppets as a way to legitimise their power.
Commenting on the book, former managing editor at Lexcode, Jericka Orellano, said:
Massocki describes the plight of African people with no holds barred. ‘Challenging Lies’ dismantles Western narratives and historical misrepresentations of the African experience. It’s a book that offers a powerful counterpoint to mainstream discourse and allows you to see Africa through a different lens—one that is beyond colonial bias.
When asked what motivated the publisher to consider ‘Challenging Lies’ for publication among hundreds of manuscripts, Candide Emile, Public Relations Officer at Pierced Rock Press, said:
First and foremost, Pierced Rock Press is a Pan-African publishing house. Our mission is clear: to promote African literature that fights against imperialism and neocolonialism in Africa and the ideology of White supremacy, to advance the right of African people worldwide and to provide a counter-propagandist narrative against the misrepresentation of Africa by dominant Western media. Among the hundreds of submissions we receive yearly, ‘Challenging Lies’ stands out as the one that best conveys our mission statement.
Emile continues:
Our motto is ‘publishing unapologetic and uncompromising African Voices’. The author, Massocki Ma Massocki, is as unapologetic and uncompromising as you can get. As a matter of fact, he writes in Chapter 1:
In this current era of information warfare in a globalised world where information is weaponised, African writers must shield Africa against weaponised information. In order to reinstate the truth, African writers must be ready to intervene intellectually in the event of disinformation, which is a form of aggression. In this context, Africa does not need and cannot afford politically correct writers. Still, more than ever before, Africa needs writers who are radical to the bone, unapologetic and uncompromising.
His book, ‘Challenging Lies’, is set to become a classic in Black revolutionary literature against White supremacy. It is an eye-opener on the origin of the plight of Africa, a well-researched and brilliant expository presentation of all forms of imperialism on the Black continent. Massocki left no stone unturned. If there were one book to read on Western imperialism in Africa, it would be this one.
Emile also revealed why the publisher chose 16 September 2025 as the publication date, saying:
The date 16 September 2023 holds significance in the fight against imperialism and neocolonialism in Africa. Given that ‘Challenging Lies’ denounces imperialism and neocolonialism in Africa and the ideology of White supremacy, the publisher decided to publish the work on this memorable date, which marks the second anniversary of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a Pan-African and revolutionary confederation of three Sahelian countries in West Africa, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, whose mission is to fight against imperialism and neocolonialism in Africa. Thus, the publication date was chosen to stand firm against imperialism and in solidarity with the AES.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Massocki Ma Massocki is an unapologetic activist and Pan-Africanist with articles published in newspapers worldwide and contributions to regional and international organisations. Massocki has also delivered lectures and hosted conferences on Pan-Africanism and global issues in Africa, Asia and Europe.
His first book, ‘The Pride of an African Migrant: Revised Edition’, exposes the gaping horror and indescribable violations of human rights faced by asylum seekers and migrants from Africa in the United Kingdom. Here, he provides a frank, expository conversation about enduring oppression and injustice. This book remains an important read for anyone involved in immigration, from migrants themselves to diplomats, policymakers and every person with a migrant in their family or community.
Massocki’s second book, ‘BITÉK: He From Whom Death Ran’, explores the impact of European colonisation on African societies and the resistance efforts of indigenous people to preserve their culture and autonomy. It delves into the rich cultural, social and spiritual traditions of African ancestors, showcasing their resilience and wisdom in the face of colonial aggressions. Biték is an exhaustive account of the religious beliefs, legal systems and human rights violations imposed during European colonisation, eradicating the cultural identity of Africans. This book serves as a compelling call to protect and preserve world heritage.
Born in Cameroon in West Africa, Massocki continues to create work that advocates Pan-Africanism and challenges the forces that continue to oppress the marginalised.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Pierced Rock Press is the publishing outfit of Pierced Rock, a conglomeration of companies involved in art and mass media production headquartered in Cameroon with registration number RC/YAE/2019/A/2934.
For more information, please contact Candide Emile, Public Relations Officer at Pierced Rock Press, at info@piercedrockpress.com.