“What does Africa mean to me? It’s summed up in the word serendipity, which has been defined as ‘finding pleasing things that one had not been looking for’. Africa in 1976 was challenging for us backpackers, and George and I developed a wariness of borders as we travelled north from Cape Town. None caused us more anxiety than crossing from the then Zaire to Uganda, our unease increasing with every step through the three kilometres of no-man’s-land; we had been told that the border was ‘closed to whites’ after a recent attempt on Idi Amin’s life. A Ugandan border guard walked towards us, an imposing figure of authority: starched khaki shorts, crisply ironed white shirt, shined boots. ‘Welcome to Uganda!’ he said. Because it was Sunday there would be a bit of a delay processing us, so please take a seat. Eventually the immigration officer arrived on a bicycle, carrying a stem of bananas. He stamped us in and then said: ‘But there’s one problem...’ Our hearts sank. ‘...about transport. But some men are driving into Kasese tonight, if you’d care to wait for them.’
Hilary Bradt MBE co-founded Bradt Travel Guides (bradtguides. com) and is an awardwinning travel writer, author and tireless charity worker, most notably in Madagascar. On the occasion of her 80th birthday, we salute her service to African travel and conservation. She is pictured in the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia
HILARY BRADT