The Writing Life: Africa and the Dreams of Its People

Very many years ago, I left the newspaper that had nurtured and nourished me. In those days, nobody left the New York Times - unless it was under circumstances beyond their control, such dying on the job.

When I left The Times, I was the Africa correspondent based in Nairobi for the fabled newspaper. The Kenyan capital was a lovely city, verdant and lively with cafes and clubs. The population overwhelmingly consisted of blacks from various tribes; many came in search of jobs, which weren't plentiful.

More...