The Weekenders: Travels in the heart of Africa

The Weekenders: Travels in the heart of Africa (2001)
Read: August - September 2010

We found this book in Buxton's biggest bookstore - it's on Brierlow Bar as  you leave Buxton on the Ashbourne Road. We've passed it a million times, but this was my first visit. We spent longer than planned in here, just browsing the titles, finding books that we liked the look of, then convincing ourselves that we don't really need them and putting them back on the shelves (we ended up bringing 20 books back from the UK this summer!)

This is a compilation of stories written for the Daily Telegraph to raise awareness about the situation in Sudan. The Telegraph took a group of writers to Sudan to inspire them to write a short story and these were published weekly in paper. The writers are very diverse, as our their approaches to the task; Irving Welsh, then Tony Hawkes, Alex Garland and then WF Deedes.

I do like Tony Hawkes' contribution. Maybe because I already like his writing style and non-fiction, reality approach in general. He's brought his guitar to Sudan and plans a collaborative music project. Great idea! Except first he has to convince their guide to take them to places where people hang out, like bars, rather than on a strict itinerary route. This happens and they try the local brew with the locals - my kind of holiday! Before his mission has really started Tony is struck down by the (Nubian) Pharaoh's Revenge and he suffers for the rest of the trip. It's kind of reassuring, as when  Rory Stewart was struck down on his journey, that other people get sick like we do!

I enjoy the other short stories too, but get myself a little stuck as I'm not used to reading short stories in quick succession and so find myself needing to turn back a few pages to check the narrative of the one I'm reading and that I'm not getting confused between separate entries! They cover issues of politics, culture and fighting for survival. The messages are the help is needed from outside, but that the help received from outside isn't always what's needed.

I think this book does achieve what it sets out to do, by raising awareness of the culture in Sudan, and importantly the political situation there that needs understanding to begin resolving.