Once Upon a White Man: A Memoir of War & Peace in Africa

by Graham Atkins

From a colonial childhood, to the front-line of Rhodesia’s vicious civil war, to the final disintegration of Mugabe’s post-colonial Zimbabwe, this is the traumatic story of a conflicted young man who experiences the tragedy of his life and homeland being torn asunder. A gripping love declaration to Africa with the troubles of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe as background, the real protagonist of this book is Africa with all her wonders and horrors.

“Highly recommended for lovers of the continent, especially those longing for a well-balanced and honest insider’s account of recent African history.” (B. Pataki 2013)

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, History, Politics

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 9, 2009

About the author

Graham Atkins was born in Rhodesia in 1956, growing up in Salisbury (now Harare) and attending Churchill High School. Nine years old when Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from Britain in 1965, he came of age during a period of deepening political crisis. In 1979, at the height of the civil war, he was conscripted into the Rhodesian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1RR Battalion, witnessing first-hand the tragedy of a nation at war with itself.

Following independence, Atkins remained in Zimbabwe, working as a government town planner, a safari camp manager, and later as a senior business manager. When Zimbabwe's economy collapsed and law and order broke down, he and his family were among the millions who eventually left the country. He now lives in Perth, Australia.

Once Upon a White Man is his memoir of a life defined by one of the twentieth century's most turbulent political transformations.

Reviews

[Matt Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. It's an honest, straightforward account of the author's life growing up as a privileged white settler in Rhodesia, through the days of Ian Smith's failed attempt to break away from the UK and the civil war, and on into Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Atkins doesn't gloss over the casual racism and bad treatment that many of the whites meted out to the blacks in Rhodesia, or the inequality, but at the same time he takes pride in the positive aspects of life in the country. He describes living in fear during the black uprising, and his military service as the country goes to hell. The last half of the book talks about the utter havoc wreaked by Mugabe's government after he seizes power: the incompetence and corruption leading to the devastation of the economy, while the West looked on with approval and did nothing.

In some ways it's hard to feel sympathy for someone who was brought up as part of a ruling class that treated black people as second-class citizens and lived a life of luxury off their labors. But on the other hand, you have to ask yourself objectively whether black Zimbabweans were actually any better off under Mugabe. It's a complex ethical and political situation, and I'm not in a position to talk about the rights and wrongs of both sides, but it's fascinating - and important - to hear from someone who was there, who lived through it and saw it at first hand, and who clearly has a deep love for his country and is saddened by everything that happened.

[Matthew Deel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

An honest story about one's loss of country. An unfortunate truth for an entire generation of what was once known as The Jewel of Africa

[Devy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For somebody like me who didn't know very much about Rhodesia, it is a worthwhile read. It is written one-sidedly. You can get the white perspective that cannot be discounted. Atkins does not pull any punches when it comes to his thoughts on the rule of Mugabe and his Shona tribe. Nothing that I have read about Mugabe contradicts the author's views, not surprisingly. Interestingly, his own description of how he dealt with the other tribes sounding sympathetic to their plight but incredibly patronizing -- brought out in particular in dealing with Michael his servant -- illustrates why Africans were so resentful of whites. I believe that the book would have better if less emphasis had been focused on his relationship with Debbie and more on the descent of Zimbabwe into economic ruin and the reign of terror.

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than most of the besieged white African settler stories that are out there. These tend to be sad stories from all perspectives, but there also always seems to be this weird disconnect between the endemic racism that existed from day 1 of the settlers arrival and the reverse racism that finally removes them from the land that they love. They always seem so shocked that the masses refused to see that they were better off under their white leaders, even though they understood they were suppressed. To the end, the master/servant roles play out even when true affection exists between them. The story of Mugabe is, without a doubt brutal and tragic for this entire country, and they are undoubtedly worse off today than before. That does not change the fact that the whites lived an utterly priveliged life at the expense of the multitudes, and that can only last so long. 4 stars

[Mrs Angela Beynon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of an era

Quote, people say that Australia is boring after Africa. I arrived in Rhodesia in the late 60,s and left just before black majority rule
This book captures the spirit of the time when we were all young and fearless, later on as the war dragged on you could see where things were heading but hung on just in case it came right.

[Jonathan Lackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A searing and brutal look at not only the Bush War, but also the collapse of a nation under Mugabe. Highly recommend for a eye opening read, particularly if you want to understand "where it all went wrong."

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good example of how to destroy a progressive country,and driving away the people it needs South Africa is next

[Ian Hefele · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love letter to Zimbabwe

I've always wanted to go to Zim and it's important to know all aspects of its history. Hopefully the Zim of the promise at the

[Balázs Pataki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Once Upon a White Man" is a splendid autobiography giving insight into Rhodesia/Zimbabwe's troubles during the past decades. It fills an information gap because not much is known about how local Whites had seen those times and offers a refreshingly different view than what Western media had reported all along. It's not a White man's self-justification however, as the author presents the conflict in all its gray shades where no party is entirely innocent in the ultimate downfall of Zimbabwe. Atkins presents Whites as the backbone of a functioning society, but he also shows their inability to adapt to the changes of time; he approaches Blacks with true compassion (doing a remarkable job at avoiding paternalism and condescence), but he also speaks about their brutality and lack of moral integrity. Historical events are spiking among personal memories and anecdotes, and every page is imbued with deep love to Africa and Africans, beyond the racial barriers.
Finally, I was impressed by the author's ability to describe his native land. Sometimes it is lyrical in a way that appeals to every sense, saturating the reader's mental nose, palate and ears, while at other parts it's just plain words like "it was early August and winter was barely over" that made me realize what a different world Atkins' Africa is.
All in all, it's an fascinating autobiography that feeds the mind and casts a spell on heart and senses.

[Gary Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

My guess is that this book was conceived as follows:

One day, one of Graham Atkins' friends said to him: "Hey, Graham, you were present during an interesting time in Rhodesia's history. Why don't you write a book about what you went through, from the beginning until you left?" So he did.

His publisher then said, "this is very good, but you should add some background on the early history of the country, so that people can see where it all came from." So he did. and then the publisher published it.

This book is the story of the history of Rhodesia, and how it became Zimbabwe. It is told in the first person from the author's perspective. There is also a section at the beginning that talks about how Rhodesia was founded.

The writing seems to be quite honest and the author appears to want to "tell it like it was". Overall it is well written and does the job it set out to do.

The only negative criticism I have is that the author seemed to indulge himself in the telling of some events that, although of interest to him and his friends, had no bearing on the historical tale that was being liad out. I didn't really care that he and a buddy started to steal a train, although I'm sure it was great fun for him. Fortunately, there were not all that many of these incidents in the book.

A decent read.

[AJ Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still enjoy reading Zimbabwean (and typically Rhodesian) memoirs, and this one was fine but not the best. It seemed a bit like the author was attempting to capitalize on the popularity of other white Zim authors. But still, I did enjoy reading it, and this is someone who fled the country long after many of the other prominent authors did – though he doesn’t take advantage of that by describing what it was like to live there during those times, rather than just visiting like many others (late 90s and early 00s). I wish he would have, but the narrative in general seemed a bit shallow sometimes. He described the foot patrols he was on during the war in detail, and his exploits with women (or lack thereof) but didn’t really get into the details of what it was like to live in Zimbabwe, particularly in Harare. I imagine that may have been because the author seemed quite removed from the daily goings on of typical Zimbabweans – though I suppose he admits that readily enough. Either way, still worth a read, but I would definitely recommend other Zim authors first.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

An earnest reflection on everyday life in a changing world. A reminder of how things have changed in our lifetimes....

[Clivemichael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought provoking narrative, somewhat rambling but interesting. Describes a challenging time.

[Mike Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a junior school classmate, I enjoyed this somewhat harrowing bio. It made me reflect on the different paths our lives have taken...

[Lindy Rorke]

Excellent read. I would recommend this book to anyone who has lived in or loved Africa. It was especially worth it for the part in the story of the radio program called 'know your partner' when they interview couples and they have to answer questions about each other without the other hearing the answer. Well done Graham you did the story proud! I'm sorry I didn't think to add it to my book.