African Switchback

by Nicholas Mosley

In 1957 Nicholas Mosley and Hugo Charteris, two novelists, made a journey by car from Dakar to Lagos across West Africa. Their route took them partly through the progressive and nationalist areas of the coast, but more especially to the primitive tribes of the interior; so that they seemed "to be moving up and down the country not only in space, but also in centuries, as if we were travellers on a time machine'".

They saw the colourful world of French Senegal, and visited the Diamond Mines in Sierra Leone where hundreds of illicit diggers have rioted and died; they were present at a festival of the Toma tribe when the young girls of the tribe came out of the Sacred Forest after their years of initiation and attended the Independence Day celebrations of Ghana--the crisis-point of African Nationalism.

The story of this journey takes the reader through one of the most kaleidoscopic and fast-moving areas in the world and brings to life scenes and places at present in the forefront of the news; and also those of the mysterious African past which is disappearing so rapidly.

(taken from the inside jacket)

Genres: Travel

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1958

About the author

Nicholas Mosley was educated at Eton and Oxford. He served in Italy during World War II, and published his first novel, Spaces of the Dark, in 1951. His book Hopeful Monsters won the 1990 Whitbread Award.

Mosley was the author of several works of nonfiction, most notably the autobiography Efforts at Truth and a biography of his father, Sir Oswald Mosley, entitled Rules of the Game/Beyond the Pale.

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1957, two British novelists decided to travel around Western Africa in their Land Rover. Nicholas Mosley, the author of this book, was accompanied by Hugo Charteris. They shipped their vehicle to Dakar, and set out from there, ending in Lagos three months later.

It is a descriptive book - cataloguing everything the author saw and heard, in linear fashion. Amid some moments of clarity, there is also a lot noted that remains unexplained, often the author indicating he had no idea what it was or meant!

Moments of clarity included (P63)

There is a mystique about empires. They are creations of aristocracy, like great architecture. When a sufficient number of young men by reason of their time and circumstance have the energy, courage and self-confidence of madmen; and when over large areas of the earth through warfare, poverty or chaos, confidence is dead; then there are empires. They are won or held by bluff; force is only used to make gestures, such as a whip cracked at a tiger or the charade of executions. But when pride and self-righteousness die in the rulers - again by time and circumstance - then empires die too, and no force of bloodshed can save them.

Senegal was an introduction to French West Africa for the men. French colonialism differed from the British African countries, although both were preparing for the returning of African territories to the Africans. In Senegal they engaged their 'boy' who was to be a general servant, and although he provided plenty of copy in the book, he was not to provide much of a worker.

French Guinea was next and on the promise of a festival with dancing, they make a side trip to Sierra Leone and Liberia to fill in a few days. In Sierra Leone there had recently been much turmoil in the diamond mining industry, with 30,000 French (African) miners removed from the country (many of whom were hanging about over the border in Guinea) in an attempt to limit the illegal diamond trading. They were able to visit the major government mine as well as the private claims to see how they were being worked. They even head a few kilometres over the border into Liberia on the trail of a hidden airfield used to transport illicit diamonds to Tel Aviv, but turn back when they realise the burden of alcohol and cigarette bribes is too high.

The Toma people are hospitable, welcoming them to the festival which celebrates the return of circumcised girls to the village after two years living in a separate camp in the forest where they have been prepared for married life. Their husbands are each in the village awaiting the festival and their new wife. A multi-day event, it is described in some detail here.

Next into Haute-Volta (Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso), where Mosley tears around the country and Charteris stays put in the capital Ouagadougou to write some articles that were due. Mosley drives to Sangha (across the border in modern day Mali) sees the Dogon tribe who are referred to as 'cliff-dwellers', living in flat roofed square mud huts, the cave dwelling seemingly a thing of the past. Fetishes, masks and phallic symbols were the appeal for the author here.

The next country the men entered was Gold Coast, and when they departed they left Ghana! They were present for the declaration of independence from the British Colony, and attended several days of celebrations.

Quickly passing through Togo into Dahomey (now Benin). This chapter involved lots of history, some quotations from other history writers and interviews with Chief Rouga of Abomey, and a missionary couple.

Lastly to Nigeria, where by their own admission they run out of steam. The author gives a fairly lengthy assessment of French West Africa vs the British West African Colonies, and summarised the French system (P214)

The French were handing administrative posts over to Africans, but they themselves would be staying at the top. And their army presumably, would remain to preserve order. They were training Africans for responsibility, but not for independence. This was all right at the moment, when there were not sufficient trained men for anyone to wish the French to go.

Meanwhile the British were handing over countries with new administrations in place.

As a postscript however, the author comments on Sierra Leone, where there had been serious rioting at the diamond mines, with the army moving in to reinforce the police; and on Ghana here the newly elected Dr Nkrumah had deported without trial members of the opposition, prevented Europeans from entering or leaving the country and had stones thrown at his entourage in the same square where six months ago he was chaired with cries of 'freedom' so triumphantly!

I guess this leaves the reader to determine whether the French or British system was superior?

3.5 stars, rounded down.