"If we are open-minded travel provides us with a better balance of compassion and wisdom."
One of the most effective ways to combat ignorance of
foreign countries is to travel to them and observe their
unique customs as well as their social and economic
conditions.
If we are open-minded travel provides us with a better
balance of compassion and wisdom. AFRICA PAR ADVENTURE edited by Peter Ward is as if a group
of many back packers, teachers, anthropologists,
politicians, war correspondents and academics gathered
around a campfire and traded stories about their respective
experiences and their personal perceptions concerning
Africa. Central to many of the travel stories related in the book
is that traveling brings to us a knowledge that would be
difficult to duplicate by the mere reading of a reference
text.
For example, how many of us have ever heard of such places
as Sao Tome and neighbouring Principe? These two islands
together form a country and are located in the Gulf of
Guinea in Western Africa west of Gabon. In the sixteenth
century it was the world's biggest sugar producer and a
vital sorting point for slaves.
Unfortunately, today its 120,000 citizens are among the
world's poorest people and produce virtually nothing. Only
by visiting this country can we appreciate the severity of
the problem. Have any of us experienced first hand African hospitality
as exhibited by people living in Ghana or Egypt, where no
matter how poor they may be, there is always room to share
a piece of bread with you. We often see African women carrying large containers of
water on their heads. How do they manage to pick up the
containers and balance them on their heads? I guess we
could look up the information in some encyclopedia,
however, there is nothing like being present to witness
this feat. As recounted by Rachel Schneller, who visited
Mali, we are informed that ten litres of water weighs
twenty-two pounds, a fifth of a woman's body weight, and
she had seen women carry at least twenty litres in aluminum
pots large enough to hold a television set. Apart from the travel experiences expounded upon in this
very ambitious book, there are essays dealing with
wildlife, superstitions, doing business in Africa, politics
and religion, economics, history and war. The book does succeed in its objective of presenting Africa
in a way that is understandable to the masses. However, I
believe it would have been more effective if it divided the
topics into two distinct books, the first dealing with
travel adventure and the second with politics, economics,
and culture. I commend the editor in that all of the proceeds of the
book will be donated to Raleigh International, an
international charity that develops young people through
challenging and worthwhile community and environmental
projects on expeditions around the world.
Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Courtesy Bootsnall
Posted November 1, 2002
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