Buckle up for a tour of South Africa – your guide the inimitable Sihle Khumalo.

Born in South Africa, and having lived here for almost fifty years, Khumalo reflects on the past and ponders the future of this captivating yet complex country. He delves into the history of the names given to our towns and cities (from Graaff-Reinet to Schweizer-Reneke to Zastron) and in the process raises issues we might not have interrogated fully.

This is a thought-provoking account by a South African who asks uncomfortable questions and forces his compatriots to contemplate what the future of this country (or cowntry) might hold. Why ‘cowntry’, Sihle? Consider the shady characters who’ve been milking this piece of land for centuries. And the fact that some politicians mispronounce the word ‘country’. But who knows? Maybe it is not mispronunciation – perhaps they’re giving us a message: the people in power are milking this country and it’s all just a game…

Sihle Khumalo loves a challenge. He likes to think on his feet and prefers to depart from what can only be called a wish list.

The plans for his trip to West Africa were lean on practical detail but grand in concept: 'to visit Five World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO for their historical and cultural significance'. He had never set foot in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin or Togo, but not to worry, he would inform himself about Francophone Africa as he went along, and conclude in an English speaking country.

Had he informed himself more thoroughly beforehand, pondered the implications of having next-to-no French in a part of the world where it is the lingua franca, or what public transport may be like in a country with no infrastructure to speak of, he might have set off less bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. But Sihle is not one to be deterred by setbacks and dead-ends.

His flexibility, irrepressible optimism and robust sense of humour, coupled with an unexpected sensitivity towards his host countries, see him reach all but one - no, two of his goals.

What were Livingstone and his fellow Europeans after? The author who gave us Dark Continent my Black Arse travels to the heart of Africa to see for himself. The author travels into Africa by public transport, and this time to its continental core where the Great Lakes are. Ever the wandering stooge, he recounts with his signature wit and charm the sometimes impossible travails in getting from one point to another, even if the two are not remote at all. However, a much matured storyteller emerges from the pages, making the reading of this book an even more rewarding experience.