‘To the palace!’ How many times in life does one get the chance to announce that to a taxi driver? Our filming team was the guest of the Emir of Kano in northern Nigeria. He is part of an ancient tradition of kings who have ruled in Kano for over a thousand years. The Emir’s […]
A Visit to the Emir’s Palace in Kano Nigeria Read More »
I have infinitely evocative memories of a trip to Timbuktu before the present civil war. Read the full article on Substack The very notion of Timbuktu is that of an intangible city, fabled in legend, myth and language. It is a place that conjures up long journeys to distant and exotic lands. It carries with
I’m glad I’ve been to Timbuktu Read More »
A trip to the Tsodilo Hills in Botswana was a poignant reminder of how much we have lost in our sundered connection to nature. Read the full article on Substack The orange glow of the kerosene lamp flickered out over the still waters of the Okavango delta. An owl roosted in the darkness on a
The Echoes of the Old Way with Nature Read More »
Read the full article on Substack These days I find myself turning more and more to nature and memories of my times in the African wilderness to feed my anxious soul. This was a trip to the Kalahari. ‘What will you do if you get lost?’ the man at the map shop asked. ‘I don’t
The Vastnesses Needed For Our Soul Read More »
Read the full article on Substack A long ago walk through the Sudd, the swampy headwaters of the Nile reminded me how essential story telling is to all of us and our lives. Fireflies drifted luminous and green through the lacy shadows of the acacia trees. A ring of thin cloud surrounded the moon, the
The Journey is the Story Read More »
This article originally appeared on 14 March 2026 in Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2026/3/14/kill-the-people-how-men-were-left-to-starve-in-a-south-african-gold-mine Ayanda Ndabeni watched the faint glow from his headlamp fight the vast darkness 1,500 metres (4,920 feet) below ground. His miner’s lamp had lasted for more than a week after he was lowered down into the shaft of the gold mine. But now
This article originally appeared on 8 March 2026 in The Daily Maverick. Their presence is as silent as bone, inhabiting a language of extreme quiet — a purity of existence beyond our perception. Human history roars and explodes all around us at this moment. The skylines of cities in the Middle East are outlined against
Shark and Awe: Lessons from the Sacred World of the Ocean’s Silent Predators Read More »
This article originally appeared on 28 Mar 2012 in The Daily Maverick. Some of the most successful tales in recent years have been of imaginary worlds. From Star Wars through Harry Potter, The Matrix and now The Hunger Games, these “alternative” worlds have been phenomenal in every sense of the word. Maybe a re-imagined alternative world is what keeps ordinary Zimbabweans
Zimbabweans Re-imagine their Dreams Read More »
In the years that I have been working and travelling as a journalist on this continent, some of my most memorable experiences have been on aeroplanes. For me, that precise moment when the wheels lift off the ground is always a thrilling experience. As you hang in the sky in that first ethereal split second, time itself seems to be suspended, holding you in the thrall of the promise of the destination that lies ahead. But sometimes, the flight itself is as much of an adventure as the place you are going to.
Wild Flights and Hard Landings over Africa Read More »
I can proudly say I have covered Africa from south to north – from lovely Cape Town to fascinating Algiers…
The Many Faces of Algiers Read More »