Short description
For over a decade Charlotte has directed and produced amazing films on Africa, but felt there was so much left unsaid. Her highly compelling personal journal takes us to the heart of this magical misunderstood continent.
Long description
'I make it up the aircraft steps in a trance. I stow the precious bag with its illicit contents in the overhead locker. I sit down, sweating, and wait. The doors close, and for the first time I start to feel safe. Then the Captain announces a short delay. The doors re-open and four armed soldiers come down the aisle, peering closely at everyone as they move steadily towards me. I feel sick. I shut my eyes and hear my heart pounding. Never again will I film without permission in a police state.' Charlotte Metcalf has made documentary films all over Africa, and her director's eye for unforgettable people, location and telling detail now transfers vividly to the printed page. We feel the heat, smell the smells, and sweat with Charlotte as she battles against bureaucratic inertia and incompetence, hostility and political pressure to record the often unwelcome truth. Charlotte's journal, like her award-winning films, is a close-up of Africa's massive problems, from survival issues like AIDS, famine and cholera, to the unspeakable and ritual maltreatment of women. She gives us too a moving picture of African heroism in the face of the kind of suffering we would all prefer to walk away from, but know we no longer can. This is a book for anyone who cares about the human condition.
Review
An engaging journal, Metcalf is an astute observer and has a vivid eye for description. The Daily Mail