People Watching in Africa

Women at Victoria Falls

I am researching East African ethnic groups for my next novel, Sinister Safari. Ethnic groups were once called tribes. It’s a complicated task because people are complicated.

In Tanzania alone there are more than 120 different ethnic groups and, as happens with development and globalization, the cultures continue to evolve. There still exist today many groups who have predestined marriages, village elders, medicine men, circumcised women, and education for boys only. But simultaneously there are also Maasai warriors who are saving rather than slaughtering lions, college-educated young adults of both genders, and Africans teaching Africans about AIDS.

Regardless of where in the world one travels, there are always people to watch. As it goes in most places in the world, the cities in Africa are more populated and have pockets of modernism. Then the more you travel away from the cities, the less modernized conditions can be. As one who revels in open space and chasing wildlife, I tend to find myself in some of the most remote places in the world. Africa has many remote places that are still habitable and pleasant, which is why it remains one of my favorite places on earth. I thought you would enjoy viewing a few people photos from our travels in Africa.