Wars, Whores and Wildebeest

Book Synopsis: Wars, Whores and Wildebeest Synopsis Flying first class to Nairobi, sipping champagne, the author idly glances down at another world, the unfolding African bush…and suddenly remembers how well he once knew it. In a surreal, opening scene, he is dangerously stranded in the desert with a young American woman. They argue. She performs a gymnastic back-flip, singing ‘Ma he’s making eyes at me’. He wonders how he ever got to be there. Four months previously, two unlikely friends set off for Cape Town, by motorcycle. David is the cool type, pot smoking, unreliable. The author; an ex-soldier, with an unfulfilled urge to see a war. Crossing Europe, already falling out, they reach Cairo, where they nearly die in a lift malfunction. Neither dysentery, nor other ‘near-death’ experiences prepare them for what lies ahead. They meet Spot, a quarrelsome, racist, Rhodesian ex-commando, who threatens to destabilize the trip. When the ramshackle ferry arrives, Spot upsets the crew. He and David are last seen being marched off by the police. Apprehensively, the author ‘goes it alone,’ crossing deserts, attacked by rabid dogs, and finding that a Civil war blocks his path. Illegally in the war zone, he is involved in the gory aftermath of a land mine explosion. The journey falters, until he meets the pilot of a decrepit, unairworthy DC3. In a hair-raising flight, they make it to the besieged city of Juba, just before the evening artillery barrage. The road to strife-torn Uganda is mined. He requires all his bluff and ingenuity to negotiate the notoriously dangerous border, only to find himself in a verdant country, torn apart by insurrection and brutality. The author paints a vivid picture of Uganda’s natural beauty, and its hideous secrets. In Kenya, he falls for a charismatic American, taking her on a near-disastrous desert adventure. They part. Bruised, he seeks company amongst a gaggle of earthy and hilarious African prostitutes. The adventure continues through Tanzania and Zambia, described with rich color and observation, with a cast of diverse characters. In Zimbabwe, he comes face-to-face with Robert Mugabe’s brutal 5th Brigade, actively engaged in genocide. In South Africa, staying in Soweto during the rioting, he gains a unique insight into a nation on the change. Twice he escapes a shooting, and each time by his own kind. He finally makes it to Cape Town and meets up with Dave. During the trip, there have been many uncomfortable revelations about Africa. When he is ready to go, there are just as many unanswered questions. Nowhere tugs at the heartstrings like Africa, with all its contradictions. The author eventually flies home, but will never be able to truly leave it behind. “All I can hear in my head is the music of Africa. Tragic. Comic. Life-enhancing like water.