Richard Dowden on Africa

By Joe Dempsey

In 1971, Richard Dowden arrived in Africa for the first time. He went there as a voluntary teacher and spent two years there in a time when Africa was living in fear and under the dictatorship of Idi Amin. In between 1971 and 1979, Amin is said to be responsible for 80,000 “and more likely around” 300,000 deaths. For most, this would be a terrifying time to be in Africa, but for Richard Dowden, he relished the experience. He once said; “Had I not been forced to leave at the end of 1972 I would probably be there still.”

He did return to Africa, but it wasn’t until 1983. In the meantime, Dowden had become a journalist, a profession he has worked in before and after his return to Africa in 1983. For the next twenty years or so after 1983, Dowden has travelled to Africa continuously and has since visited and written about almost every single country on the continent. When writing about Africa, Dowden has admitted to be too overwhelmed to write on two occasions. The first was during the Rwandan genocide, when he stood by a river full of bloated corpses.

The second was when he witnessed how Aids is affecting South Africa, leaving a community of orphaned children and heartbroken grandparents.
Dowden once said: "People had warned me about the culture shock of going to Africa. Nothing prepared me for the culture shock of coming the other way.” 

As aforementioned Dowden is also a journalist and worked for the Times until 1986 when he became Africa Editor of the Independent and in 1995 took the post of Africa Editor at The Economist. He has also made three television documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4 on Africa.

In August 2008, Dowden published a book chronicling his visits to Africa from 1971 entitled Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. On the book, Dowden commented: 

“I hope Africans will recognize their continent and themselves in these pages, but I write chiefly for outsiders, those who have not been to Africa but would like to know more about it. The best way to find out is to go, not as a tourist in a bubble of Western luxury and safety, but as a traveller to meet people and engage with them. It is easily done. But beware. African can be addictive. Les fous d’Afrique, the French call them, those who become mad about Africa.”

 It has gained very positive reviews since its publication last year. Tim Butcher, writer for The Telegraph, says on the book. “This is non-fiction writing at its most authentic - where the author has true conviction, a connection so deep with the subject that it even allows him to admit flaws. Indeed, the 553-page book begins with an admission that trying to categorise Africa is in many ways a fool's errand. "Every time you say 'Africa is…' the words crumble and break. From every generalization you must exclude at least five countries… Africa is full of surprises. But I, for one, am grateful he did not give up. Dowden's love affair with Africa is so authentic that you can feel his sense of occasional exasperation, regular bafflement but permanent excitement.”

Richard Dowden is speaking at Words By The Water at 2pm on the 1st of March 2009