Edition 50 (Spring 2010)

Travel Africa was not conceived in one life-changing conversation or dramatic awakening, but rather it emerged slowly, taking shape from a seed born of and fed by frustration.

Sherry and I were living in London in the early’90s, freshly arrived from our native Zimbabwe and eager to immerse ourselves in life in the UK. They were happy and exciting years, but we became increasingly aware of the lack of balanced information available on Africa; how people’s perceptions of the continent were so narrowly shaped by media news, and how the Africa we loved was so misunderstood.

As the idea for a magazine took shape, it still seemed like an improbable dream. But then the family intervened. Parents, brother, uncles and aunts, cousins. Their unwavering faith and support inspired us to believe that it could actually happen, and when they all rolled up their sleeves and offered to help – each contributing their particular strengths – the journey had begun.

I was brought up to have faith in myself, and to believe anything was achievable through hard work. But those early years proved the importance of the unwavering belief and support of loved ones to keep you going. Without them, Travel Africa wouldn’t be here today.

The next challenge was finding advertisers to invest in the concept. There were, unsurprisingly, many set-backs. But we will be indebted forever to that small band of pioneering advertisers who shared our long-term vision and supported us without expectation of a quick return. I am proud that many still work with us today.

And slowly the readers came, tolerating and supporting the shortcomings of those fledgling editions, sharing our passion for the world’s most exciting continent and reassuring us that this was a worthwhile cause.

In 2004, in order to grow the project further, we welcomed the investment of Iain and Gillian Wallace, whose confidence again proved the value of the mission. Their guidance has allowed us to develop new titles and mature into an exciting, creative enterprise, driven by the committed and hard-working team who make it all happen.

Throughout this journey has been my wife, Sherry, whose absolute, consistent support and work has been humbling, selflessly sacrificing so much to give Travel Africa every opportunity, at the same time as bringing up our two daughters.

And so here we are at our 50th edition. Who would have believed it? Travel Africa has been an intensely personal project, at the heart of our lives for so many years, but we know it would not have been possible without the support of so many others. I extend my deepest gratitude to all those members of the family, friends, advertisers, staff, colleagues and, of course, you, our readers, who have been part of our journey so far.

It’s a very exciting time for us, and for Africa, with the internet and digital technologies offering new opportunities and challenges in our efforts to expand the reach of the magazine. The forthcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa will draw the attention of many millions of people around the globe to Africa. More than ever, a more balanced and positive view of this endlessly diverse continent is being seen. We look forward to playing our part in reinforcing this as our shared journey continues to unfold.

Craig Rix, Publisher