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Speak Swahili, Dammit! James Penhaligon An inspiring biographical account of a young boy’s chaotic life in a remote, wild, corner of East Africa.
Born in Africa, James’s childhood is spent on an isolated gold-mine near Lake Victoria, Tanganyika, with just his sister and mother; his father tragically dying through injuries sustained from World War II. His upbringing is mainly left to a tribal ayah called Amina and an elderly Swahili man, and he learns to speak Swahili before English.
In this unusual setting he soon discovers some stark facts about life through tragedy and danger, but it is the local watu, imbued with kindness and irrepressible humour, that save him from despair, and with whom he learns to fish with home-made lines, eat insects and famously abuse the European hierarchy in real Swahili!
Known as ‘Jimu’ to his friends, he marks out his own country with a Sukuma boy named Lutoli, falls deeply in love with the beautiful, but older, German girl Gretchen and throws himself out of the back of a bus to avoid being sent away to school.
Once at school, in Arusha, James tends to mix with other non-conformers and presents a dilemma to teachers – he is a white boy with a ‘black spirit’. His gang gets up to nefarious enterprises, bringing them into a state of permanent conflict with the system.
James is fascinated with the history of Tanganyika back to the time when it was a German Colony until 1918. The unparalleled courage of the German leader Paul von Lettow Vorbeck against the British is a beacon to the young boy of what can be accomplished against adversity
Above all James discovers the world, and life, a little by education, a lot by accident, but overwhelmingly by fate and happenstance, in circumstances few people in the developed world have experienced. |
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Through a Window Jane Goodall This is a sequel to "In The Shadow of Man". Seen through the window Jane Goodall opens up for us, the saga of the wild chimpanzees is as captivating as the story of any human community. |
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Crazy River: Exploration and Folly in East Africa Richard Grant Richard Grant, author of the adventure classic God’s Middle Finger, “a reportorial tour de force, filled with characters straight out of a Cormac McCarthy novel”( The New York Times ), takes readers on an unforgettable journey from Zanzibar into the heart of Africa. No one travels quite like Richard Grant—and, really, no one should. He’s driven to seek danger yet fully willing to admit when he’s afraid; ever alert to the fascinations of the landscapes, cultures, and individuals he encounters; eager to indulge in whatever bad behavior the locals are up to; and compelled to look into the history, politics, and society of every place he goes. In his new book, Grant travels with present-day explorers, hunters, degenerates, gangsters, and local reporters, documenting life, landscape, and the history of white exploration in East Africa. Beginning in Zanzibar, where a former golf pro introduces him to the island’s underbelly, Grant takes a cargo dhow across the Indian Ocean, following the route of early British explorers Burton and Speake, and heads into the continent. In the company of an eccentric guide, he rafts an uncharted river in Tanzania, trying to avoid hippos, crocodiles, lions, snakes, malaria, and African sleeping sickness. Grant heads up through war-torn Burundi and finishes his journey in the budding dictatorship of Rwanda. Gripping, illuminating, sometimes harrowing, often humorous, Grant’s new book will thrill his devoted readers and bring him to an even broader audience. |
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The Rough Guide to Tanzania 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) Jens Finke The Rough Guide to Tanzania is the definitive guide to one of Africa’s most beautiful destinations. A 24-page, full-colour section introduces Tanzania’s highlights, from the volcanic landscapes of the Ngorongoro Crater to the Indian Ocean beaches of Zanzibar. In addition there are two, full-colour, 4-page inserts:‘A Year in Celebration’ and ‘National Parks’. The guide includes a new ‘author’s pick’ section of the very best hotels and restaurants, plus up-to-date listings of all the top lodges, safari companies and bars, in every price range. From climbing Mount Kilimanjoro to arranging a Serengeti safari, this guide has all the practical advice you will need. There is an extensive chapter on learning and speaking Kiswahili, plus reliable coverage of Tanzania’s history, politics, environment, wildlife and music. The guide comes complete with maps and town plans for every region. |
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Northern Tanzania, 2nd: The Bradt Safari Guide with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar (Bradt Travel Guide Northern Tanzania) Philip Briggs Almost half of Tanzania’s national parks are located in Northern Tanzania, including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. The second edition of this tightly focused guide is fully revised throughout, including extensive updates on the best accommodation in every price bracket, from luxury lodges to simple hotels and hostels, and the best of the safaris. There’s in-depth coverage of the wildlife and natural history of the region, information on Tanzania’s 120 tribes and how to interact with them, historical and cultural points of interest such as rock art and the discovery of tanzanite, and an introduction to the Swahili language. |
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Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania Donald A. Turner, David J. Pearson, Dale A. Zimmerman Here is the definitive guide to the birds of Kenya and, indeed, to all of Eastern Africa. For the first time, each of the 1,114 species of the region is described and illustrated. This long-awaited book includes detailed information for every species, including appearance, plumage, vocalization, habits, status, and distribution, as well as detailed treatments of habitats and ranges. The product of more than ten years of development and field testing, Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania renders obsolete all other guides to the area. The Republic of Kenya is home to more bird species than any other African nation, with the exception of Zaire, which has a land area four times greater than that of Kenya. This book serves as both a handbook and a field guide to this fascinating region--one that will meet the needs of professional ornithologists and amateur birders alike. It is the only guide to this region that is truly comprehensive. In 112 color plates and numerous line drawings, every one of Kenya's 1,080 bird species is illustrated. In addition, 34 species from northern Tanzania are illustrated and described. In all, approximately 90 percent of Tanzania's birds are included, as are more than 85 percent of the birds of Uganda and a majority of all species endemic to the entire area. "In East Africa, where Kenya alone boasts nearly 1,100 species, scarcely more than half are figured in the most widely used field guide. Because there has been so much guesswork by traveling birders about the hundreds of unfigured species, a superb team has finally done something about it and filled the gap. There will be no more guesswork.... The present volume should be hailed not only by birders but by conservationists aware of the urgent need for African governments to establish strong strategies to preserve their rich natural heritage."--From the foreword by Roger Tory Peterson |
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The Other Barack: The Bold and Reckless Life of President Obama's Father Sally H. Jacobs Barack Obama Sr., father of the American president, was part of Africa's "independence generation" and in 1959 it seemed his star would shine brightly. He came to the U.S. from Kenya and was given a university scholarship. While in the Hawaii, he met Ann Dunham in 1961, and his son Barack was born. He left his young family to gain a master's degree from Harvard. After that, Obama's life became progressively more complicated. He was a brilliant economist, yet never held the coveted government job he felt should have been his. He was a polygamist, an alcoholic, and an ardent African nationalist unafraid to tell truth to power at a time when that could get you killed. Father of eight, nurturer of none, he was an unlikely person to father the first African American president of the United States. Yet he was, like that son, a man moved by the dream of a better world. Now, thanks to dozens of exclusive new interviews, prodigious research, and determined investigation, Sally Jacobs tells his full story. |
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The Last Place on Earth At the beginning of the twentieth century, the South Pole was the most coveted prize in the fiercely nationalistic modern age of exploration. In the brilliant dual biography, the award-winning writer Roland Huntford re-examines every detail of the great race to the South Pole between Britain's Robert Scott and Norway's Roald Amundsen. Scott, who dies along with four of his men only eleven miles from his next cache of supplies, became Britain's beloved failure, while Amundsen, who not only beat Scott to the Pole but returned alive, was largely forgotten. This account of their race is a gripping, highly readable history that captures the driving ambitions of the era and the complex, often deeply flawed men who were charged with carrying them out. THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH is the first of Huntford's masterly trilogy of polar biographies. It is also the only work on the subject in the English language based on the original Norwegian sources, to which Huntford returned to revise and update this edition. |
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Kilimanjaro: A Complete Trekker's Guide: Preparations, practicalities and trekking routes to the ?Roof of Africa' (Cicerone Mountain Walking) Alex Stewart Famous for its wildlife safaris and coastal resorts, East Africa is also an extraordinary destination for lovers of mountains, trekking and hiking. The mountains here stand as solitary peaks above surrounding plains. The most attractive is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, rising to 5895m. It is the highest mountain in Africa, the world's highest free-standing mountain and the world's highest volcano! This guide offers routes up to Kilimanjaro (5895m), with supporting advice on how to prepare for such an expedition, how to make the most of your time there and how to ensure your trip has as little impact on the local environment as possible.The guide includes: a selection of routes for the trekker to approach Kilimanjaro; advice about trekking in East Africa; route details outlining each day's hike; full colour sketch maps to the routes to aid planning; and full colour photographs of the region. |
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Born in Africa: The Quest for the Origins of Human Life Martin Meredith Africa does not give up its secrets easily. Buried there lie answers about the origins of humankind. After a century of investigation, scientists have transformed our understanding about the beginnings of human life. But vital clues still remain hidden. In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows the trail of discoveries about human origins made by scientists over the last hundred years, recounting their intense rivalry, personal feuds, and fierce controversies as well as their feats of skill and endurance. The results have been momentous. Scientists have identified more than twenty species of extinct humans. They have firmly established Africa as the birthplace not only of humankind but also of modern humans. They have revealed how early technology, language ability, and artistic endeavour all originated in Africa; and they have shown how small groups of Africans spread out from Africa in an exodus sixty thousand years ago to populate the rest of the world. We have all inherited an African past. |