In a section that dwells extensively on matters of culture, it seems relevant to state that I grew up in South Africa and have spent three years, on and off, travelling independently in various parts of Africa. I am not so arrogant that I claim to understand African cultures or to be able to speak for all Africans.

On the contrary, a major motivation behind writing a section of this sort is that moving regularly between African and Western cultures has made me acutely conscious of how difficult it is for anybody of a Western upbringing (and that includes myself) to form unprejudiced opinions on matters African. Nevertheless, my mental and practical involvement with Africa over the years has allowed me to think through most travel-related issues as they relate to Africa from a less culture-bound perspective than could a one-off visitor - no less so because I grew up in a culture notable for its overtly racist and Afrophobic propaganda. If apartheid bequeathed me one thing, it is a vicious distrust of dogma and any other received wisdom.