Hello to anyone who is reading this page as this is my first real attempt to use this section of my website. It has taken me some time to figure out how to write on this page and as you will see in coming reports I am quite good in the African bush but give me a computer or some fancy new gadget and I move into the realms of uncomfortable and incompetent.

I should also point out that I have called this page “Safari News” and that is what I am going to try and provide, the latest news from Africa on all sorts of issues from new safari attractions through to major problems facing the African continent. I have to say also that I refused to have this page listed as a “Blog” as I really dislike this horrible sounding word. To be honest it sounds like something you would find in a bush dunny. Hence my reluctance to use this term on something that I am writing and being advertised on my website.

I should also warn you that if you are looking for politically correct reports or all just pure ‘cute and cuddly’ reports then you had better look elsewhere. I believe we are living in a world where we have been constrained and cocooned by our endeavours to be all things to all people and by doing so we have lost a great deal of what has brought us to where we are today. By this I mean self reliance, ingenuity, respect, discipline and the acceptance that our actions are of our own doing so don’t look for someone else to blame. We have wrapped ourselves in cotton wool and think that the rest of the world is the same, well think again. These reports are about Africa where the real world meets the insulated world.

People have often asked me why I love Africa so much and why I have been coming here for over 25 years and the answer is quite simple. In most cases it represents the country I grew up in where things moved at a slower pace and people had time to stop and talk and children were encouraged to be outdoors and respectful of all those they deal with. I did warn you that you may not like my ideas or what I have to say so I do not apologise if you think that I am wrong. Even so, give me a go and read my toughts on these pages and maybe it will open your mind to new ideas (or old ones for that matter) and you may learn something about “The Dark Continent”. I look forward to your company along the way.

Coop.