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My Life My Africa
Philén allows us to join him in his mid-life crisis as he journeys into an Africa that few of us get to truly experience. There's no new camera and bug spray in his luggage, as he packs a backpack and heads north from his comfortable South African upbringing into the unknown.
It's a movingly honest account of his time spent travelling and living amongst the people of Zambia, his westernised way of thinking constantly challenged as he becomes accustomed to a new way of life.
From the intricacies of border crossings as a bus passenger whilst travelling with a ton of engine spare parts, to whiling the day away in the shade of mango trees with the village elders and some 'local brew', what he discovers along the way about life and himself is so clear and simple, yet so difficult to apply.
It's a journey that will have you thinking about everything - from where your food comes from and with whom you share it, to how you'd go about fighting off competitors to get the prized liver from a recently culled elephant.
Philén's journey of discovery is one that we should all be taking.
It's a movingly honest account of his time spent travelling and living amongst the people of Zambia, his westernised way of thinking constantly challenged as he becomes accustomed to a new way of life.
From the intricacies of border crossings as a bus passenger whilst travelling with a ton of engine spare parts, to whiling the day away in the shade of mango trees with the village elders and some 'local brew', what he discovers along the way about life and himself is so clear and simple, yet so difficult to apply.
It's a journey that will have you thinking about everything - from where your food comes from and with whom you share it, to how you'd go about fighting off competitors to get the prized liver from a recently culled elephant.
Philén's journey of discovery is one that we should all be taking.
- GenresNonfictionAfrica
344 pages, ebook
First published November 11, 2012
9 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Philen Naidu
1 bookAs a young person, Philen Naidu was a polite, neatly dressed, and well-mannered child who was liked by all his mother’s friends, and by all his friends’ mothers. I was not an ‘A’ student, but I did well enough to gain entry to a university to study engineering. I was not a great sportsperson, but I did enough to be respected in the sporting community.
Early Loves and Contradictions
Music was one of my real and early loves, but in my teenage years, I dropped my pursuit of it because it wasn’t getting me the peer recognition I needed at an elite and private all-boys boarding school; a society that felt quite hostile to anyone on the ‘fringe’.
My other Great Loves according to memory, have all involved Being in Nature … and barefoot as far as possible. In Nature, I remember always feeling fulfilled and content. And in Nature is where I remember being most creative, and receiving the Inpiration that still drives me today.
I dabbled at university, but without heart or conviction. So I dropped out. From early adulthood I realized there were more fundamental truths worth pursuing than what I was being fed at schools.
Decades of Searching
I have since (1999-Present) been on ‘my own path’, figuring out who I am. The joke of this process has been the realization that whenever I claim “I know who I am!”, it is followed by an immediate realization that I am not that; what I see is only another mask falling off.
I have traveled around 40+ countries, and have lived in Israel (3 months), London (7 months), Cape Town (7 years), Zambia (5 years), Johannesburg (7 years), India and Nepal (3 years), and on the Maltese Islands (3 years), since I was 17.
I have only held formal employment for 8 months. And I am the second born child of two Indian teachers out of apartheid South Africa, so I was not born into abundant wealth. Mine was a conscious choice to try build a good life, outside of the conventiinal capitalist system that thrives on consumption and waste, while destroying Earth.
I have searched for Money, I have searched for Recognition, I have searched for Social Status; I have searched for Security, I have searched for Acceptance, I have searched for Meaning; I have searched for God, I have searched for Knowledge, I have searched for Love; I have searched for Passion, I have searched for Peace, and I have searched for Purpose.
I sustained severe brain injuries in a car accident, was diagnosed with an ‘incurable’ autoimmune disease, was married and then divorced; I watched the nonprofit organization I founded – to minister to marginalized children through sports and biblical teachings – fall apart from within; I fell apart and into depression, and completely broke down – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, around the age of 37 …
The End of The Search
And then one day (about three years and five months later … in Nepal) I found Love in the form of a soulmate, who filled the void in my heart that had pushed me into my searchings in the first place – albeit unconsciously – and now the search for all else has ended, as if none of it mattered in the first place.
All this is to say that if – while you are online – you come across any ‘Philen Naidu’, or if you have any memory of said ‘Philen’, please be sure to check if it is an old and obsolete version (pre-April 2016), or a more updated version. And even if it is an updated version, please be aware that any current version will shortly be upgraded anyway, rendering what is current as obsolete. Because there is nothing permanently definitive about Philen Naidu. In truth, he is just a story, which in itself is a sum of stories; all of them subjective and transient.
As it so happens, the story of ‘Philen the Wr
Early Loves and Contradictions
Music was one of my real and early loves, but in my teenage years, I dropped my pursuit of it because it wasn’t getting me the peer recognition I needed at an elite and private all-boys boarding school; a society that felt quite hostile to anyone on the ‘fringe’.
My other Great Loves according to memory, have all involved Being in Nature … and barefoot as far as possible. In Nature, I remember always feeling fulfilled and content. And in Nature is where I remember being most creative, and receiving the Inpiration that still drives me today.
I dabbled at university, but without heart or conviction. So I dropped out. From early adulthood I realized there were more fundamental truths worth pursuing than what I was being fed at schools.
Decades of Searching
I have since (1999-Present) been on ‘my own path’, figuring out who I am. The joke of this process has been the realization that whenever I claim “I know who I am!”, it is followed by an immediate realization that I am not that; what I see is only another mask falling off.
I have traveled around 40+ countries, and have lived in Israel (3 months), London (7 months), Cape Town (7 years), Zambia (5 years), Johannesburg (7 years), India and Nepal (3 years), and on the Maltese Islands (3 years), since I was 17.
I have only held formal employment for 8 months. And I am the second born child of two Indian teachers out of apartheid South Africa, so I was not born into abundant wealth. Mine was a conscious choice to try build a good life, outside of the conventiinal capitalist system that thrives on consumption and waste, while destroying Earth.
I have searched for Money, I have searched for Recognition, I have searched for Social Status; I have searched for Security, I have searched for Acceptance, I have searched for Meaning; I have searched for God, I have searched for Knowledge, I have searched for Love; I have searched for Passion, I have searched for Peace, and I have searched for Purpose.
I sustained severe brain injuries in a car accident, was diagnosed with an ‘incurable’ autoimmune disease, was married and then divorced; I watched the nonprofit organization I founded – to minister to marginalized children through sports and biblical teachings – fall apart from within; I fell apart and into depression, and completely broke down – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, around the age of 37 …
The End of The Search
And then one day (about three years and five months later … in Nepal) I found Love in the form of a soulmate, who filled the void in my heart that had pushed me into my searchings in the first place – albeit unconsciously – and now the search for all else has ended, as if none of it mattered in the first place.
All this is to say that if – while you are online – you come across any ‘Philen Naidu’, or if you have any memory of said ‘Philen’, please be sure to check if it is an old and obsolete version (pre-April 2016), or a more updated version. And even if it is an updated version, please be aware that any current version will shortly be upgraded anyway, rendering what is current as obsolete. Because there is nothing permanently definitive about Philen Naidu. In truth, he is just a story, which in itself is a sum of stories; all of them subjective and transient.
As it so happens, the story of ‘Philen the Wr
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 30, 2013
I got a free copy from the author with a request to review this book. The synopsis kindled my interest because it is not often I , as an Indian myself, find books of this type from people of Indian origin.
I would summarize the book briefly as follows: Naidu, a South African of Indian descent, at age 23, feels alienated by the lack of direction in his comfortable life in Johannesburg and decides to go to Zambia to 'find himself'. He lives there among the rural poor, wild hippos, rhinos and elephants and eventually ends up in the business of 'smuggling' goods across the border between S.Africa and Zambia. During this period, he is involved in a serious road accident that leaves him unconscious and in a coma. Finally, he regains consciousness and recovers to health 'miraculously'. In the process, he 'discovers' himself.
As I reached two-thirds into the book, it felt no different from the experiences of many backpackers. Still, there is some real adventure in Naidu's travels as he encounters a wild elephant in the forests where he camps, sleeps near a waterhole and wakes up in the morning in the company of wild hippos and so on. Later, he comes to know that there was a pride of seven lions in the area and elephants with their young ones. This is fantastic and real adventure. Unfortunately, I must say that this was the only thing that really stirred me in the book and that I wasn't excited about much else concerning his 'search'.
A bit of reflection made me realize that people coming from different socio-economic backgrounds would view Naidu's 'existential crisis' in substantially different ways. This is probably at the root of my reaction. Having come up from the lower rungs of 1960s India, it looked to me that Naidu's alienation was primarily due to an affluent background where he is responsible only for himself and not for others around him. In such cases, I suppose one has to search harder to find meaning in life. A poor person in India would often be saddled even during his teens with responsibilities towards his own education, supporting his family and earning money to help educate his siblings and so on. Such responsibilities force a 'purpose' in life and leave little room for estrangement from real life or allow the luxury of 'finding oneself'.
One other reason that made me feel lukewarm towards the book was the narrative having an overtone of romanticizing poverty. Many people have random experiences of great kindness and generosity from the poor in the developing world. But kindness is not exclusive only to the poor. I have travelled extensively in the West and have experienced much kindness from the rich Western world as well. Still, having grown up in poorer backgrounds in India, I can say that poverty can also be cruel, unfeeling and terribly detrimental to one's mental and spiritual development. My experience is that poor people everywhere want to live a materially better life and not keep languishing in poverty.
The other point I have an issue with is the author's characterization of what is 'westernized'. It looks to me that he dubs something as 'western' if it is a feature of upper middle-class living. What he often calls 'westernized' with a negative connotation, turns out to be just a feature of upper middle-class life everywhere, both in the Western as well as the developing worlds.
Finally, there is much usage of expletives, which does not add anything of value to the book. On the contrary, it can alienate many readers.
I would summarize the book briefly as follows: Naidu, a South African of Indian descent, at age 23, feels alienated by the lack of direction in his comfortable life in Johannesburg and decides to go to Zambia to 'find himself'. He lives there among the rural poor, wild hippos, rhinos and elephants and eventually ends up in the business of 'smuggling' goods across the border between S.Africa and Zambia. During this period, he is involved in a serious road accident that leaves him unconscious and in a coma. Finally, he regains consciousness and recovers to health 'miraculously'. In the process, he 'discovers' himself.
As I reached two-thirds into the book, it felt no different from the experiences of many backpackers. Still, there is some real adventure in Naidu's travels as he encounters a wild elephant in the forests where he camps, sleeps near a waterhole and wakes up in the morning in the company of wild hippos and so on. Later, he comes to know that there was a pride of seven lions in the area and elephants with their young ones. This is fantastic and real adventure. Unfortunately, I must say that this was the only thing that really stirred me in the book and that I wasn't excited about much else concerning his 'search'.
A bit of reflection made me realize that people coming from different socio-economic backgrounds would view Naidu's 'existential crisis' in substantially different ways. This is probably at the root of my reaction. Having come up from the lower rungs of 1960s India, it looked to me that Naidu's alienation was primarily due to an affluent background where he is responsible only for himself and not for others around him. In such cases, I suppose one has to search harder to find meaning in life. A poor person in India would often be saddled even during his teens with responsibilities towards his own education, supporting his family and earning money to help educate his siblings and so on. Such responsibilities force a 'purpose' in life and leave little room for estrangement from real life or allow the luxury of 'finding oneself'.
One other reason that made me feel lukewarm towards the book was the narrative having an overtone of romanticizing poverty. Many people have random experiences of great kindness and generosity from the poor in the developing world. But kindness is not exclusive only to the poor. I have travelled extensively in the West and have experienced much kindness from the rich Western world as well. Still, having grown up in poorer backgrounds in India, I can say that poverty can also be cruel, unfeeling and terribly detrimental to one's mental and spiritual development. My experience is that poor people everywhere want to live a materially better life and not keep languishing in poverty.
The other point I have an issue with is the author's characterization of what is 'westernized'. It looks to me that he dubs something as 'western' if it is a feature of upper middle-class living. What he often calls 'westernized' with a negative connotation, turns out to be just a feature of upper middle-class life everywhere, both in the Western as well as the developing worlds.
Finally, there is much usage of expletives, which does not add anything of value to the book. On the contrary, it can alienate many readers.
September 7, 2015
This Memoir follows Philen Naidu on his soul searching adventure to some remote places in Africa. I was doing ok with this one until about 70% into it. I somehow got lost during Mr. Naidu's attempts to improve on his economic status. Don't know if I was just bored but I kept losing track of who was who and what was going on. Nonetheless, I stuck with it and learned of his tragic accident and recovery, which I won't go into for fear of spoiling it for others. Mr. Naidu does apologize for the use of curse words in the very beginning which I appreciated as I typically won't read books that use this language. However, most of it was taken from his daily journal and he is blunt and honest. Overall, not my favorite but some interesting sections on the people and traditions.
August 6, 2022
Philen Naidu, a South African, of Indian heritage, is on a quest for meaning. He hears a Voice saying "Real Africa." This phrase is repeated in various ways, on a magazine cover, and other signs. Philen literally takes off, abandoning his western style life of comfort, and knowing not where to go or what he is to do. He ends up in Zambia and confronts the destitute, becoming one of them. He is in raw beautiful but brutal nature many times, hippos, elephants, and the other magnificent creatures that abound in the far reaches of Zambia.
He is confused, but on this soul searching Journey. He parties far too much, philosophizes to the point where his arguments are almost circular and contradictory. He disdains modern conveniences, capitalism, and progress, to the point of absurdity. In the end, he does find that business is necessary, money is needed, and much progress is not evil. He gains some concept of meaning and a sense of a personal God.
This is NOT a "Christian book." But faith and a yearning for something Greater is present throughout it. Philen experiences a bona-fide miracle.
He is still on a Journey because life is just that.
Parts of Philen's story bothered me. He desired authentic living, community, sharing, living down to earth, shanties, barefoot, communal food cooked over fires, and all things that have nothing to do with the developed world. People embraced him, fed him, sheltered him, kept him hydrated with alcohol, and happy with marijuana. Philen was amazed feeling this was true life and he went from place to place making life long friends and experiencing primitive cultures who are trying to do the best they can to survive. Thoughts that someone had to pay for the alcohol, or barter for the food, to obtain what meager resources the particular community had, someone paid for these provisions, in one way or another. At times it seemed as if Philen was along for the ride, doing nothing, having spent all of his money, yet being served and almost exalted by whatever settlement he was in. Later, he does begin contributing, even becoming very involved in business deals or working at a menial job back and forth from South Africa, in order to finance a specific project among the people he has met.
He is confronted with his humanness, and not because he has the "muzungo" mentality (besides, in some countries in Africa, that is not a derogatory term for a white man or the western world).
The other issue I had was how could Philen have been so oblivious to the dire conditions a large majority of the continent of Africa lives in, and about the neighboring countries to South Africa? Was his head purposely in the sand? Besides that, South Africa, though developed, has it's major share of issues and shantytowns.
Overall, the book seems to be honest and at times funny. The contradictions bothered me but I continued reading and am enriched for that.
He is confused, but on this soul searching Journey. He parties far too much, philosophizes to the point where his arguments are almost circular and contradictory. He disdains modern conveniences, capitalism, and progress, to the point of absurdity. In the end, he does find that business is necessary, money is needed, and much progress is not evil. He gains some concept of meaning and a sense of a personal God.
This is NOT a "Christian book." But faith and a yearning for something Greater is present throughout it. Philen experiences a bona-fide miracle.
He is still on a Journey because life is just that.
Parts of Philen's story bothered me. He desired authentic living, community, sharing, living down to earth, shanties, barefoot, communal food cooked over fires, and all things that have nothing to do with the developed world. People embraced him, fed him, sheltered him, kept him hydrated with alcohol, and happy with marijuana. Philen was amazed feeling this was true life and he went from place to place making life long friends and experiencing primitive cultures who are trying to do the best they can to survive. Thoughts that someone had to pay for the alcohol, or barter for the food, to obtain what meager resources the particular community had, someone paid for these provisions, in one way or another. At times it seemed as if Philen was along for the ride, doing nothing, having spent all of his money, yet being served and almost exalted by whatever settlement he was in. Later, he does begin contributing, even becoming very involved in business deals or working at a menial job back and forth from South Africa, in order to finance a specific project among the people he has met.
He is confronted with his humanness, and not because he has the "muzungo" mentality (besides, in some countries in Africa, that is not a derogatory term for a white man or the western world).
The other issue I had was how could Philen have been so oblivious to the dire conditions a large majority of the continent of Africa lives in, and about the neighboring countries to South Africa? Was his head purposely in the sand? Besides that, South Africa, though developed, has it's major share of issues and shantytowns.
Overall, the book seems to be honest and at times funny. The contradictions bothered me but I continued reading and am enriched for that.
August 6, 2013
Philen Naidu. Inspiring
My Life My Africa
The book gets started as Philen decides he wants to travel Africa, so he drops out of university and starts his adventure, he then realises that he needs to support himself as pocket money from his dad has now stopped.
He sets off heading north from Cape Town and he arrives at passport control at the border of South Africa and Zimbabwe , after much delaying he crosses the Limpopo river and eventually enters Zimbabwe . He gets back on the bus and 5hours.later arrives in Lusaka which is the capital of Zambia .
Life in Zambia seems more relaxed and happier as well as very welcoming,
After eating elephants liver, goats testicles, and roasted field mice hair and all his adventure eventually takes a turn for the worse after an accident. This mans travels through Africa will open your eyes to a very different way of life. The story is very well told and a most enjoyable read.
5 stars. 06 August 2013.
My Life My Africa
The book gets started as Philen decides he wants to travel Africa, so he drops out of university and starts his adventure, he then realises that he needs to support himself as pocket money from his dad has now stopped.
He sets off heading north from Cape Town and he arrives at passport control at the border of South Africa and Zimbabwe , after much delaying he crosses the Limpopo river and eventually enters Zimbabwe . He gets back on the bus and 5hours.later arrives in Lusaka which is the capital of Zambia .
Life in Zambia seems more relaxed and happier as well as very welcoming,
After eating elephants liver, goats testicles, and roasted field mice hair and all his adventure eventually takes a turn for the worse after an accident. This mans travels through Africa will open your eyes to a very different way of life. The story is very well told and a most enjoyable read.
5 stars. 06 August 2013.
October 9, 2013
This story was really different for a Christian person to read,it was hard with all the four letter words he kept using seemed useless to me. It's sort of like an african walkabout, adventure into Africa, he seemed lead by an inner voice to go there but the language he used just seemed out of place. But he followed his spirit call and did a lot of good things for the people in each settlement he went into. He showed a lot of courage going where no other white person had gone, and was accepted for what he did for others.
January 7, 2015
The story is not super polished, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I thought it was a fascinating glimpse into a different world and way of living. It gives you a lot to think about with how you live your own life and what you hold dear. I would have to agree with another reviewer who felt as though Naidu romanticized poverty and I am not a fan of the glorifying of theft (of fuel) and smuggling. All in all, I still recommend the book to people as I feel that there is still a lot to be taken from Naidu's story.
March 14, 2022
The story is entertaining but the constant whining yes marriages fail yes business fails. What makes you so special that I have to sludge through your story. The adventure and the character met on the way keep you flipping pages but after a while you get tired of the crap
November 7, 2014
Bought this book at a local second hand store in Johannesburg and was thrilled to see a local author.
Bought the book and then soon realised why it was sitting at the second hand store.
Started off well then lost me when the author started bashing races and other religions
pitty
Bought the book and then soon realised why it was sitting at the second hand store.
Started off well then lost me when the author started bashing races and other religions
pitty
January 22, 2014
It was a nice book about Africa but nothing out of the ordinary.
January 31, 2014
I did not get the point of this book. Almost half way through, with no focus, I gave up!
February 5, 2014
Surely not a read that everybody would enjoy but I did like it! Lots of good thoughts on priorities and the importance of relationships. I found it a very interesting read!
November 7, 2014
Waist of my time book.
Author is self oppionated and whines constantly
Would reccomend to a student as adventure part is the only thing worthy of calling this a book.
Author is self oppionated and whines constantly
Would reccomend to a student as adventure part is the only thing worthy of calling this a book.
November 7, 2014
Could not finish this book 83 pages in I decided to delete it off my Kindle
November 7, 2014
Wasnt a favrourite but diddnt hate it either.
Want to read
February 25, 2016kindle 227 (africa)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews