#17: The Search for Africa's Fighting Spirit – with Tim Butcher

For many years Sierra Leone and Liberia have been too dangerous to travel through. They were places of terrible violence – associated with child soldiers, prisoner mutilation and blood diamonds.With their wars officially over, Tim Butcher set out on a journey across both countries. In this episode, he remembers this journey. It is his second appearance on Unfolding Maps. In episode 13, he talked about his book “Blood River” and his explorations through Congo, following the historic tracks of Henry Morton Stanley. This time, in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Tim followed the trail blazed by Graham Greene in 1935 and immortalized in the travel classic Journey Without Maps. Greene took 26 porters, a case of scotch, and hammocks in which he and his cousin Barbara were carried. Tim walked every blistering inch to gain an extraordinary ground-level view of a troubled and overlooked region, and he wrote a great book about it: “Chasing the Devil: The Search for Africa's Fighting Spirit”.In this conversation, he talks about what kind of devil he chased and whether he has found the Fighting Spirit of Africa in these two war torn countries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

This travel podcast travels the unbeaten path. Unfolding Maps talks to adventurers of all dimensions about their expeditions and the experiences that shaped them. Join the host, Erik Lorenz, in his conversations with globetrotters, who are best-selling writers, award-winning photographers and critically-acclaimed filmmakers. Through the pens and lenses of these border crossers, Unfolding Maps tells stories that encourage us to step out of familiar spaces, to venture to the other side of borders, and to savor the magic moments in between – big and small.Open your eyes to adventure – with Unfolding Maps.More info at www.unfoldingmaps.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.