AJALA, Olabisi.

£1,750 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

An African Abroad. First edition of the author's only published book. Ajala used his trip around the world, beginning in London in 1957, as the basis for this, his autobiographical travelogue. He resolved to try and see as many world leaders and celebrities as possible, travelling to 87 countries on his Vespa scooter, meeting with, amongst others, Kruschev, the Shah of Iran, Golda Meir, Nasser, and Nehru. Ajala's exploits have made him the pre-eminent Nigerian traveller, and his name is common Nigerian slang for those given over to wanderlust. In the introduction, Tom Mboya places Ajala at the "beginnings of a new flowering of culture in Africa": "From its title and its form it is a travel book. But it is much more than that. Mr Ajala brilliantly describes a number of important events and interviews, but it is more than mere journalism. He discusses a number of political issues, ranging from the White Australian policy to the Arab-Israeli dispute - but it is more than a polemical discussion. As he travels back and forth across the continents on the two wheels of his motor-scooter, the author skilfully describes to us the psychologies and the sociology of the fascinating individuals and groups he meets".

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