Ever since I was a child, I’ve associated Eastern and Southern Africa with adventure and “big game.” That was probably due to television documentaries like the BBC series “On Safari”, which was also broadcast on Dutch TV in the early 1960s. My mother loved it so much that, as a child, she would let me stay up late to watch it.
Southern Africa encompasses much more than just South Africa. It includes a whole range of countries. In addition to South Africa, I was also able to visit Namibia, Botswana, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia.
My first encounter with the continent was in 1975. At that time, I had the opportunity to embark on a 7,000-kilometer road trip through the northern neighboring countries, starting from Johannesburg, together with two college friends. We not only saw big game, but also witnessed how Southern Africa was decolonizing and what was taking its place. I was 22 at the time, and it was an impressive experience. Much later, I returned to Namibia twice more to traverse the country in a 4×4.
The slides from the first trip are now online. I hope to make the slides from the two Namibia trips available in the coming years as well. You’ll find the relevant links below.
Here you’ll find more background information about the trips:
Southern Africa in 1975, about decolonization and big game
Direct naar de foto serie:
1975 Zuidelijk Afrika rondreis, foto serie
1975 Johannesburg en omgeving, foto serie