James G Duncan

The Africa Diaries James G Duncan

Always interested in Africa, humankind's original home? You will want to look at my book, "The Africa Diaries: A Love Affair," a collection of 30 different stories gleaned from records kept at my post in Botswana from 1982 to 1984, during the length of my contract. The tales are largely about my work as a CUSO (the former Canadian University Service Overseas) International volunteer District Officer (Lands) for Chobe District, in Botswana's far north. Here, planning for agriculture to feed the country was my primary responsibility, to counter the domination of the immense Kalahari Desert. My employment also entailed, among other things, the development of plans for the scenic villages of Kasane (where I was based) and Kazungula, both fronting on the Caprivi Strip of Namibia. All was not work, however, and wanderlust brought me to other parts of southern Africa, such as spectacular Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and Lusaka, Zambia. Canoeing was a welcome diversion on the Chobe River, and in the vast Okavango Delta, one of the 7 natural wonders of Africa. Hitchhiking was often needed for both work and pleasure, and I often enjoyed the company of fellow travellers partaking of adventure, too. Nearby Chobe National Park is known for its plentiful wildlife, and I had my fill of dangers. Lions were heard, seen, and smelled (!), right in Kasane. Snakes abounded, two poisonous ones in my beautiful home. Hippos and crocodiles ruled the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers. Great herds of elephant ruled the Park, so many that culling was talked about. Too, I became involved with, and was to marry, a gorgeous, intelligent Kalanga woman who brought me back to my old self, temporarily, after a serious depression. But I had to return to Canada, the land of my birth, empty-handed, after a life-threatening psychotic episode that had roots in my childhood. In short, I discovered more about myself than anything else, not my exacting work nor respite from it. At some future date, I hope to return to northern Botswana, to what I came to call the ancient Garden of Eden.