Ghost towns are always beguiling places. They seem to call to our sense of what it means to be human. There are some very well-known ghost towns round the world, not least Chernobyl in modern-day Ukraine and Oradour-sur-Glane in France. Given its size, it’s hardly surprising Africa has its fair… Continue reading
Angola has had a tough time of it since independence from Portugal in 1975. Not least because its people and landscapes were forced to endure a civil war lasting 27 years. But since 2002 the country has undergone a slow renaissance. Stability has seen the steady trickle of money into… Continue reading
Two hundred years ago this week when Scottish missionary, African explorer and Victorian hero David Livingstone was born public transport was still in its infancy. The London Underground system – the world’s first – was still 50 years into the future; the steam engine had been invented only a few… Continue reading
All across Africa I was aware others had been there before me. This became increasingly apparent as I reached southern Africa – Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias reached Tombua, in the far south of modern day Angola in 1487. He had made his way along the… Continue reading
Life’s a beach in Benguela Benguela’s coastal end of town is really rather delightful. Lovely tree- and palm-lined streets connecting clean planted squares that offer seating in the shade. However, there is no public transport between Benguela and the coastal town of Namibe, the hub being Lubango. So I must… Continue reading
Killer beauty There is so much building work going on in Luanda I hardly recognise the place by the afternoon. Its centre is the perfect place for architecture buffs, with buildings of every era spanning the waters of Luanda bay along the Marginal. Square dirty 70s blocks sit next to… Continue reading
When the taxi pulls into Monte Christo combi (minibus) depot all hell breaks loose. Its surrounded by touts: some get into the back, some open up the boot for my bag, others thrust themselves through the front windows. They are desperate for my custom to Oshataki, home of an Angolan… Continue reading
The road to Congo is more like a country track, a little wider than a single lane, and composed of earth. At one of several Gabonese checkpoints a woman says to me: “And now you have to pay to cross the frontier”. “How much is it?” I ask, I’m not… Continue reading
