What is Mzungu?

Travel writing in the old sense of the term.

“Shanghai! Montevideo! Alice Springs! Do you know that places only yield up their secrets, their most profound mysteries, to those who are just passing through?” — The Moor’s Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie

What do you post?

Towards the end of each week (Fri-Sun) I post a long-form essay touching on the people, history, art, philosophy, architecture, and general scrapes and adversities I encounter on the road.

I also post a shorter series called ‘The Moleskine Notebooks’ which features a poem, an artwork, a writing excerpt, a photo, and an old map - all centred on a particular place. These go out towards the beginning of each week (Mon-Tues).

My hope is to sprinkle a little wanderlust into your inbox.

Why the name?

Mzungu is a Bantu word that once meant ‘aimless wanderer’, but has come to mean ‘white person’ ever since the first European explorers traversed Southern and Eastern Africa.

It’s a word that followed me around during the two years that I’m not allowed to bring up in conversation with friends or else I’ll get an eye roll and a “dId YoU LiVe iN aFrIcA?”

I always liked the word because it seemed to capture the ‘I have no idea what I’m doing’ aspect of adult life that I was feeling at the time.

I’m on the move again, and as I’m still pretty clueless, it felt appropriate as the title for this blog.