The man Breyten Breytenbach is an accomplished writer, poet, painter was born in 1936 in South Africa. During the heady days of apartheid he left the country of his birth and went into exile for a long, long time. He settled in France. He married a French woman of Vietnamese descent, and that marital crossing … Continue reading review DOG HEART. A TRAVEL MEMOIR
A Medley of Encounters
I have read quite a number of travel books. Travellers crossing border after border, travelling by foot or bicycle or by car through parts of the immense continent of Africa. One common thread in all these travelogues is the difficulty of crossing borders. The hardship of going from one country to another. Papers do not … Continue reading A Medley of Encounters
Christopher J. Lee, “Soviet Journey: A Critical Annotated Edition”
Alex la Guma, the South African writer and activist, was born in the famous District Six in Cape Town in the year 1925. He passed away in the 1985 while in exile in the United Kingdom. His father had been an active member of the Communist Party of South Africa and his son Alex followed … Continue reading Christopher J. Lee, “Soviet Journey: A Critical Annotated Edition”
MR BIGSTUFF AND THE GODDESS OF CHARM
The writer of this travelogue is Fiona Stax Ledger who worked for the BBC Africa Service for about ten years. During this period she travelled to many countries, met many people, saw many sceneries, she travelled in many way to many places. In this book she recounts moments of this period chasing news, but in … Continue reading MR BIGSTUFF AND THE GODDESS OF CHARM
EATING THE FLOWERS OF PARADISE
The use of the khat leaves is in some countries forbidden, at other places the use of khat is a national passtime, surrounded by rituals, a way of life. When the United Kingdom decided to ban the use of khat, the khat farmers in Kenya were very angry. They saw a loss, an immense loss … Continue reading EATING THE FLOWERS OF PARADISE
TOM-TOMS IN THE NIGHT / BLACK MIST
These are the days that a tomtom is a navigationsystem in your car. In the olden days a tomtom was a kind of drum. The times have changed. Indeed the times have changed since Attilio Gatti wrote his books, based on his extensive travels in Africa. Gatti (1896 – 1969) hailed from Italy and he … Continue reading TOM-TOMS IN THE NIGHT / BLACK MIST
books touched by Africa 