SUZANNE BELLING
PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZANNE BELLING
“We both had a deep interest in the world and always believed there was something behind the wall worth looking into,” they say They travelled at various times over the 10 years, returning home to Johannesburg to be with their families, who, they say, were “completely supportive, even though it was difficult”.
It is difficult to distinguish who says what, as their thinking is on a par and they finish off each other’s sentences.
“There can be no dispute that the African continent is growing (in many ways) – but is it developing?” Poplak asks.
Bloom adds: “There are over one billion people, including ourselves, and to a large extent the book is a discussion of growth and development.”
Their collaboration on the book varied; sometimes each wrote a full chapter, sometimes paragraphs. “But we went through every word of the book together.”
They conducted 600 interviews on various levels, from heads of state to child soldiers.
Were they ever in danger?
“Yes,” they answer in unison. “Our car broke down in the Central African Republic behind rebel lines during the war. In Southern Sudan we walked into a stadium and got accosted and, in Zimbabwe, we were warned to leave the country by representatives of Zanu-PF,” Poplak says.
Bloom reflects, “We may not be rich, but sometimes this is the best job in the world. Like when we were sitting near the Nile, we realised we had gold in our notebooks.”
Their first foray into the continent was through the Daily Maverick, Poplak says.
They are not worried about finances; Bloom is involved in a major investigative story for the Sunday Times and both men are in great demand to address the corporate world on the speaking circuit.
The book comprises a collection of 10 essays woven into narrative, each focusing on a country, including South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Kenya.
Treating Africa as a single territory was a mistake, Poplak says. “There are 54 different countries and we need to be specific.”
He did make some general observations.
“Tolerance for the ‘big man’ was all but done. Tolerance for the old style of governance was all but gone.”
After independence in the 1960s many African countries grew poorer, but since 2000, sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has some of the highest growth rates in the world.
Of Zimbabwe, they disputed that President Robert Mugabe’s actions against whites and attacks on white farmers was racially motivated. “It’s all about money,” they say.
Southern Nigeria is a region in enormous flux. “The pace of change is dizzy,” according to Bloom. “It is foolish to prognosticate, but by 2050 Nigeria will be the third biggest country in the world,” Poplak adds.
The authors feel that generally people in other parts of Africa are apprehensive about coming to South Africa, which has always been one of the most unequal countries on earth. South Africa is also viewed with suspicion by the rest of Africa.
The two predict that Julius Malema (leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters), whom they have met, will become president of this country. “He is very, very clever and a political savant,” Bloom says, while Poplak expresses their common feeling that (President) Zuma is a “very bad man”.
“We have a lot going for us here,” Bloom says, “and a hell of a lot of things we take for granted.”
Bloom holds a BA in English and politics and a post-graduate degree in journalism and creative writing, while Poplak has BFA (a fine arts degree). They both have previous books to their credit.
Their collaborative book was published by Jonathan Ball and is available in bookshops at a price of R260. It was launched in the UK last week.
