Ocotillo Road
Crawl
around amongst
my ancestors in our family
tree.
Big
Bend
was written by my brother Peter Gosnell on the history of the Lowveld
in
Swaziland. This is where we grew up, and the book is a fascinating
expose
of one particular instance of the transformation of Africa, detailing
the
effects of colonisation and the pitfalls on the way to a modern
independent
economy.
" From the days when the Swazi kings gave land to the
Voortrekkers
to form a barrier against Zulu raids, to modern day agri-businesses,
this
book charts the events, struggles and personalities behind the
turbulent
history of the of the Swaziland Bushveld. The pioneers battled malaria,
wildebeest migrations, wild dogs, locusts, tsetse fly, floods and
droughts
in their isolated corner of Africa. The history of Big Bend is unique
in
many ways. Its isolation and the rigours of existence developed a breed
of tough, often eccentric farmers and traders. The book charts the
lives
and lifestyles of these men, and the crimes and passions which shaped
the
district, set against the backdrop of the unique story of Swaziland
itself.
Most of the book is based on original research; it is a valuable
addition
to Swaziland's pre-colonial, colonial and post independence history."
Review
(Sunday Times)
Buy
Online (Africa Book Centre Ltd)
Gallic
Thunderbolt is the story of René
Leclezio and Lonrho Sugar.
It is a collection of reminiscences written by the people who were
close
to René and the story of the group he created, told by the
men and
women who were there and complied by my father.
"Lonrho Sugar Corporation, one of Africa's most
successful sugar
companies, was the creation of one man, René
Leclézio, Lonrho's
"Gallic Thunderbolt". From its beginning in Malawi in 1965 he made it
an
international force in the sugar world by the time he retired in 1994.
Lonrho Sugar was that rarest of animals, a
multinational operating
exclusively in Africa which always made profits; survived floods,
droughts
and coups and established a reputation for long term commitment to the
communities in which it worked."
Review
(LÉxpress, Mauritius: The Life and Times of a Sugar Daddy -
review
by Nicholas Rainer; March 6 2004 )