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What are Albee Yeend’s 5 favourite Africa travel books?

Albee Yeend
By Albee Yeend
22 Nov 2017
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You really are spoilt for choice with so many fabulous books on Africa, but these are five of my favourite ones. Most of them will either inspire you to visit Africa or give you a greater understanding of the history of Africa and some of its past struggles.

The new Safari and Spices cookbook is the perfect stocking filler for those friends and family who love cooking and you might even be the lucky one who gets to sample the end results of some of the delicious recipes!

 

 

Safari and Spices by Nico Verster 

This African cookbook takes inspiration from all over the world, highlighting specific African regions and food cultures. This is Nico Verster’s second cookery book (the first being the wonderful Savannah to Sea) and he was inspired by traditional recipes but has added his own signature twist to each recipe. Also the photography is simply stunning! Nico is the chef at Jamal Madikwe, Royal Safari Lodge in South Africa and he has won various awards for his cooking. At Jamala you can dine alfresco beneath Africa’s ink-rich skies, twinkling with a million stars and food aficionados can taste gastronomic treats.

 

 

The Africa House by Christina Lamb

The Africa House is a 1999 biography and is a fabulous true story of the English gentleman Stewart Gore-Browne, his dream and how he made it work, and gave purposeful work to hundreds of local Africans both before and after the independence of Zambia.

Gore-Browne built himself a sprawling country estate based on some of the finest homes of England, complete with rose gardens, uniformed staff, and grand dinners and is unlike anything else in the area. Reading this book really made me want to go and visit The Africa House, which is now called the Shiwa Ng'andu estate and it is possible to go and stay there, where they offer a variety of activities from game and bird walks and drives, community interactions, boating, fishing and horse riding.

 

 

The Last Resort by Douglas Rogers

This is a remarkable true story about one family in Zimbabwe, who were the owners of Drifters, (the author Douglas Rogers parents) a game farm and backpackers and a testament to the love, determination, and resilience of the family. When Mugabe launched his land reclamation programme, everything changed.

They found their home under siege, their neighbours and friends expelled and their lives in danger. However instead of leaving, they stayed. When Douglas next returns home, he sees his parents in a new light, as they have managed to hold onto their farm, albeit with marijuana growing in the fields, where maize used to grow!

 

 

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Mandela went through great lengths to write about his life in its entirety. Reading this book helped me to understand the history of South Africa and the freedom struggle and is definitely worth reading before a trip to South Africa. Mandel’s struggle against apartheid and internment, release and campaigning was riveting.

He writes so beautifully and you realise what a fabulous sense of humour he has. Whilst it is a large book, it is completely gripping and I whizzed through it. Having read this book to then go and visit places like Robben Island makes the whole place come alive and makes it more meaningful.

 

 

The Last Rhinos by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence

This is the story of Lawrence Anthony's South African game reserve, which is home to the various animals that he has saved, from an extraordinary herd of elephants to rhinos, to a naughty bush baby called George. It is a sad but sobering true story of one man's fight to save the rhino and the difficulties and politics required. In the end the likelihood of saving the rhino seems to rest with education and thee world needs to realise that rhino horn is not a cure all and in fact is useless medicinally.

 

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