Author Interview

Rethinking the art of travel writing, Sihle Khumalo explores the Rainbow Nation in search of its soul, and his own

- Nancy Richards

On his journey to becoming a travel writer, Sihle Khumalo says, “As a middle manager in my twenties, I felt there had to be more to life than this.” He had bungee jumped off Victoria Falls, run the Comrades Marathon, and done some skydiving, but always had a fascination for seeing more of Africa.

So for his 30th birthday he travelled from the Cape to Cairo. The result was his first book, Dark Continent My Black Arse, which, in his humorous manner, chronicles his exploring the continent by public transport. “I always knew one day I would write a book, I just wasn’t sure what kind. Then I thought why don’t I do one massive African trip and compile a book based on my adventures, The rest is history.”

Sihle is addressing an audience at the University of Cape Town Summer School with his two-part lecture Made in Africa, describing his pan-African travels and his writing. Cool and sharp, he has his listeners eating out of his hand as he tells of the first broken-down bus in Northern Kenya.