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Squirting Milk at Chameleons: An Accidental African
The tale of an Englishman making a life for himself in Senegal Khady pulled out a breast and with a deadly aim fired milk at the chameleon. "If I don't offer it milk, our son will grow up to look like a lizard," she explained. Clearly I had a lot to learn about life in Africa. On the cusp of middle age, Simon Fenton leaves Britain in search of adventure and finds Senegal, love, fatherhood, witch doctors—and a piece of land that could make a perfect guest house, if only he knew how to build one. The Casamance is an undiscovered paradise here mystic Africa governs life, people walk to the beat of the djembe, when it rains it pours, and the mangoes are free. But the fact that his name translates to "vampire" and he has had a curse placed on him via the medium of eggs could mean Simon’s new life may not be so easy.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2015
About the author
Simon Fenton
2 books8 followersSince an early age when my family was visited by African students and neighbours told me tales of life in Zimbabwe, I have been fascinated with Africa. After an attempt at a “normal life” in England, I crossed the Sahara desert to reach paradise in southern Senegal and now live there with my family where I write, take photographs and explore the region. My first book is Squirting Milk at Chameleons: An Accidental African. It describes my journey and a year of life in Senegal and will be published by Eye books in early 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 23, 2015
Squirting Milk at Chameleons is more than A Year in Provence goes to Africa. Author Simon Fenton details both his fall and rise, his growing disillusionment with his home country and two failed marriages, and how his need to escape led, through sheer serendipity, to a new life, and a new family, in Abene, Senegal. But just as he refuses to wallow in the bad times, he's not blind to the corruption, the poverty and all the other festering sores on the skin of this great continent as he narrates the good times. Fenton writes simple, direct prose, aware perhaps that this is the best way to present a continent which lives in the same way, and he's particularly good at picking out the seemingly mundane from the thrall of the exotic, finding joy in mangos, observing how a self-proclaimed witch doctor turns tail in the presence of his mother-in-law, and exposing the faultlines along which his two cultures clash.
Squirting Milk at Chameleons isn't merely the story of one man's journey from mortgage slave to accidental african. It's the story of Africa, in all its filth and its glory. It won't necessarily make you yearn to visit, but it will make you damn glad you can.
Squirting Milk at Chameleons isn't merely the story of one man's journey from mortgage slave to accidental african. It's the story of Africa, in all its filth and its glory. It won't necessarily make you yearn to visit, but it will make you damn glad you can.
April 27, 2016
Loved this book! Encore!!
May 4, 2016
Squirting Milk at Chameleons: An Accidental African, an intriguing title for an equally intriguing story from first-time author Simon Fenton.
Simon Fenton is a Brit, who, from a young age, was seized by the urge to travel. After a number of years in Asia, mainly Vietnam, he visited Africa, including Senegal in West Africa, where he met and fell in love with a young Senegalese woman called Khady. Like a good boy, Simon eventually returned home to England, but Africa and Khady were already in his blood. When he discovers Khady is pregnant, he decides to return to Senegal and build a family in this strange and unusual country.
I've read a number of memoirs, but this one resonated with me more than most and I suspect it is because Fenton did something similar to what I did, but he went far more extreme than I did. I thought it was a major wrench to leave my safe life in New Zealand for the teeming metropolis of Manila in the Philippines, but that pales in comparison to Fenton's choice of Senegal over Brighton, England.
The book is basically a tale of his first year in Senegal and details the many trials and tribulations he faced in trying to settle into a new life in a very foreign environment. The story is fascinating, the writing easy and conversational. He brings us his clear love of the country, as well as a healthy cynicism as to many of the cultural practices of deepest, darkest Africa.
I think many readers will ask themselves; WHY? Why would you give up everything the west has to offer for life where every day is a constant struggle against the heat, insects, corruption, mysticism, and the ever present attitude whenever anything goes wrong; "This is Africa!"? I think Fenton answer those doubts extremely well. It is clear from the story that despite all the problems, the rewards are more than compensation. He clearly loves his home and his family and is now well settled, with a small guest house he has built to host foreign tourists and provide him with someone to speak English with. I can identify with that desire, Simon.
This is a fantastic book for a quick read or to discover something about a region of the world that few of us know too much about. I highly recommend Squirting Milk at Chameleons: An Accidental African by Simon Fenton. DEfinitely a five-star read in my book.
Simon Fenton is a Brit, who, from a young age, was seized by the urge to travel. After a number of years in Asia, mainly Vietnam, he visited Africa, including Senegal in West Africa, where he met and fell in love with a young Senegalese woman called Khady. Like a good boy, Simon eventually returned home to England, but Africa and Khady were already in his blood. When he discovers Khady is pregnant, he decides to return to Senegal and build a family in this strange and unusual country.
I've read a number of memoirs, but this one resonated with me more than most and I suspect it is because Fenton did something similar to what I did, but he went far more extreme than I did. I thought it was a major wrench to leave my safe life in New Zealand for the teeming metropolis of Manila in the Philippines, but that pales in comparison to Fenton's choice of Senegal over Brighton, England.
The book is basically a tale of his first year in Senegal and details the many trials and tribulations he faced in trying to settle into a new life in a very foreign environment. The story is fascinating, the writing easy and conversational. He brings us his clear love of the country, as well as a healthy cynicism as to many of the cultural practices of deepest, darkest Africa.
I think many readers will ask themselves; WHY? Why would you give up everything the west has to offer for life where every day is a constant struggle against the heat, insects, corruption, mysticism, and the ever present attitude whenever anything goes wrong; "This is Africa!"? I think Fenton answer those doubts extremely well. It is clear from the story that despite all the problems, the rewards are more than compensation. He clearly loves his home and his family and is now well settled, with a small guest house he has built to host foreign tourists and provide him with someone to speak English with. I can identify with that desire, Simon.
This is a fantastic book for a quick read or to discover something about a region of the world that few of us know too much about. I highly recommend Squirting Milk at Chameleons: An Accidental African by Simon Fenton. DEfinitely a five-star read in my book.
May 25, 2015
Squirting Milk at Chameleons is different than any other memoir that I've read recently. While the author lives in Senegal, he grew up in Brittan and I found myself confused on several occasions by wording and phrases that I expect would make perfect sense to Brits.
Once I got past the language difference, I found the book both entertaining and enlightening concerning life in rural Africa. Having never been to Africa myself, or outside the US for that matter, the lifestyle portrayed in the books was eye opening. The only other reference I've seen to outdoor showers with buckets took place in the 20's in the Solomon Islands (ref. Headhunting in the Solomon Islands: Around the Coral Sea).
Parts of the books did seem a bit repetitive at times, with Fenton constantly mentioning his disbelief in mystic tribal remedies that he went (and continues to go) though. I felt that in some places the story would have been more interesting if he could have just told us what was said and his take on the events without the constant reiteration. However, it also made the book feel a bit more conversational. You know that if he was telling you these stories in person, you would be hearing those opinions.
While I don't think this book is for everyone, if you like memoirs, or are interested in African life and culture this is definitely a book for you. I'd also recommend this book if you are wanting to step out of your reading comfort zone to try something new.
Once I got past the language difference, I found the book both entertaining and enlightening concerning life in rural Africa. Having never been to Africa myself, or outside the US for that matter, the lifestyle portrayed in the books was eye opening. The only other reference I've seen to outdoor showers with buckets took place in the 20's in the Solomon Islands (ref. Headhunting in the Solomon Islands: Around the Coral Sea).
Parts of the books did seem a bit repetitive at times, with Fenton constantly mentioning his disbelief in mystic tribal remedies that he went (and continues to go) though. I felt that in some places the story would have been more interesting if he could have just told us what was said and his take on the events without the constant reiteration. However, it also made the book feel a bit more conversational. You know that if he was telling you these stories in person, you would be hearing those opinions.
While I don't think this book is for everyone, if you like memoirs, or are interested in African life and culture this is definitely a book for you. I'd also recommend this book if you are wanting to step out of your reading comfort zone to try something new.
July 13, 2015
NOT ACCIDENTAL AT ALL!
The really strange title was quite enough to make me curious, and as the book was about Africa, there was no contest. This was a book I had to read and I am so glad I did. It took me to a part of Africa I don’t know and the author describes it so vividly, I can imagine being there. Many of the things were familiar, many were strange and new. I loved the way the characters were described with such fondness and love, as so often people from the west can be so critical of other cultures. I liked the way it was so clearly explained that the more you complain, the longer everything takes and the more difficult the task. I have to admire the writer’s commitment to living in an area, which although beautiful, does not have the modern amenities such as a shower, running water from taps and electricity. I think he blended in the old and the new so beautifully while still regaining his respect and love for the local people, even when the house they built for him fell down. I am eagerly awaiting the next book about his amazing and very adventurous life. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I wish I could give it 6 stars.
The really strange title was quite enough to make me curious, and as the book was about Africa, there was no contest. This was a book I had to read and I am so glad I did. It took me to a part of Africa I don’t know and the author describes it so vividly, I can imagine being there. Many of the things were familiar, many were strange and new. I loved the way the characters were described with such fondness and love, as so often people from the west can be so critical of other cultures. I liked the way it was so clearly explained that the more you complain, the longer everything takes and the more difficult the task. I have to admire the writer’s commitment to living in an area, which although beautiful, does not have the modern amenities such as a shower, running water from taps and electricity. I think he blended in the old and the new so beautifully while still regaining his respect and love for the local people, even when the house they built for him fell down. I am eagerly awaiting the next book about his amazing and very adventurous life. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I wish I could give it 6 stars.
May 8, 2019
Tired of being a slave to the wage, a Brit takes the chance of a lifetime and moves to Senegal for love and fatherhood.
The author describes everyday life whilst putting a spin on the way he sees things. He strives to achieve some common goals such as building a home and a business with the catch being how different it is to other locations with the tropical heat, humidity and all.
There are many stories about the beliefs held by the locals, mostly revolving around witchcraft, curses and talismans to ward off bad magic.
Some national issues are addressed such a female genital mutilation, poverty, corruption and the desire of the south to gain independence from the north. All views are respectful and objective.
The memoir is told in a very familiar way as though reading correspondence from an uncle who lives far away.
I learned alot about Senegal from this book and would likely visit the author’s hotel if I ever ventured there.
I enjoyed reading the book although I would liked to have read more depth into some of the beliefs and local ceremonies.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading about travel stories off the beaten track.
The author describes everyday life whilst putting a spin on the way he sees things. He strives to achieve some common goals such as building a home and a business with the catch being how different it is to other locations with the tropical heat, humidity and all.
There are many stories about the beliefs held by the locals, mostly revolving around witchcraft, curses and talismans to ward off bad magic.
Some national issues are addressed such a female genital mutilation, poverty, corruption and the desire of the south to gain independence from the north. All views are respectful and objective.
The memoir is told in a very familiar way as though reading correspondence from an uncle who lives far away.
I learned alot about Senegal from this book and would likely visit the author’s hotel if I ever ventured there.
I enjoyed reading the book although I would liked to have read more depth into some of the beliefs and local ceremonies.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading about travel stories off the beaten track.
February 15, 2015
This book was a lot of fun. Simon Fenton has a great sense of humor. Although this was not a perfect book (i thought it was a little uneven in some places), I enjoyed his style of writing and his descriptions of his life in Senegal. His writing felt familiar, like reading letters from an old friend filling you in about his life that is very, very different from yours. I think this tone in the book actually helped some of the unevenness feel natural. Though most of the book is about his daily life in Senegal--his family and village, building his house and business, dealing with the idiosyncrasies of Senegalese bureaucracy and the like--Fenton was previously a journalist and did a good job of providing some background about recent Senegalese and Gambian history without interrupting the flow of his story too much. I most enjoyed his descriptions of his little boy, his wife's wisdom about traditional ways of viewing things, and the visit from his parents.
March 8, 2015
Resembling something of a 21st century everyman, Simon Fenton leaves behind the disappointments of his life in England, in search of something more. Having slogged his way through the barren wastes of the Sahara, he emerges on the other side, in the apparently paradisiacal tropical region of Casamance in Senegal. Inevitably – and entertainingly – his pursuit of love, fatherhood, and a new life, doesn’t always go to plan.
Written in clear, straight forward, easy to read prose, it’s the kind of book that you can speed through in no time. If you’ve ever fantasised about leaving it all behind, to pursue a life less ordinary, then this comes highly recommended.
Written in clear, straight forward, easy to read prose, it’s the kind of book that you can speed through in no time. If you’ve ever fantasised about leaving it all behind, to pursue a life less ordinary, then this comes highly recommended.
September 7, 2021
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author and Eye and Lightning Books. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Simon Fenton shares with readers a series of personal anecdotes and reminiscences from his life as a Brit in Africa.
In Senegal, Simon finds love with Khady and later their son, builds a home and a business, and explores the local culture, landscape and beliefs.
There is no main storyline here, simply a series of snapshots of life as a ‘toubab’, sometimes connected by time, place or person, but just as often, standalone glimpses into a different world and a different way of life.
The author clearly has a great fondness and respect for Africa and the African people, and his book is full of this affection and laced with the gentle humour of a fish-out-of-water attempting to understand and blend in. I did feel that there was the occasional trace of superiority towards the ‘little ways’ of the local people and some of their more mystical beliefs and practices (such as the titular squirting milk at lizards).
However, for the most part, this is an entertaining insider-outsider view of Africa – the good and the bad – told in warm, conversational style and with honesty, amusement and love.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Simon Fenton shares with readers a series of personal anecdotes and reminiscences from his life as a Brit in Africa.
In Senegal, Simon finds love with Khady and later their son, builds a home and a business, and explores the local culture, landscape and beliefs.
There is no main storyline here, simply a series of snapshots of life as a ‘toubab’, sometimes connected by time, place or person, but just as often, standalone glimpses into a different world and a different way of life.
The author clearly has a great fondness and respect for Africa and the African people, and his book is full of this affection and laced with the gentle humour of a fish-out-of-water attempting to understand and blend in. I did feel that there was the occasional trace of superiority towards the ‘little ways’ of the local people and some of their more mystical beliefs and practices (such as the titular squirting milk at lizards).
However, for the most part, this is an entertaining insider-outsider view of Africa – the good and the bad – told in warm, conversational style and with honesty, amusement and love.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
November 6, 2017
This is a kind of “Driving over Lemons” but instead of Spain this has the added challenges of being set in Senegal. The author has an easy,chatty writing style and a good sense of humour but still manages to get across the frustrations of getting things done in an African country. He also is very informative about local beliefs and practices as his wife is Senegalese and has strong beliefs in Gris Gris and other local superstitions.
It was interesting and I couldn’t help but admire someone who was prepared to give up running water and electricity to live in a mud hut with a bucket shower for years while building his house.
You can now stay in their eco lodges in Senegal and they are rated highly on tripadvisor so I am quite tempted!
After I finished the book I read the notes about the property and was very saddened to read that Simon was killed earlier this year in a car accident in Dakar .
It was interesting and I couldn’t help but admire someone who was prepared to give up running water and electricity to live in a mud hut with a bucket shower for years while building his house.
You can now stay in their eco lodges in Senegal and they are rated highly on tripadvisor so I am quite tempted!
After I finished the book I read the notes about the property and was very saddened to read that Simon was killed earlier this year in a car accident in Dakar .
May 15, 2023
This is how the travel/memoir genre should be written. A smooth fast and entertaining read, laid out in sensible themed sections, while still maintaining chronological integrity. The author helped me to step into Abene community - the heat, the mud, the rain - and to feel that I knew the characters. I loved the way he spoke as honestly about their foibles as he did about their qualities. This is true respect, in my view. His writing is warm, lively - and funny! And I learnt a lot about Senegal along the way. In all, terrific!
So I was shocked and deeply saddened to read on the Little Boabab Facebook page that Simon died only two and a half years after seeing his vision of a hostel in Abene realised and completing this book. He was killed in a road accident. He left behind Khady and their two little boys. It's testament to Simon's writing that I felt gutted when I read that - as I felt I'd gotten to know them all personally.
So I was shocked and deeply saddened to read on the Little Boabab Facebook page that Simon died only two and a half years after seeing his vision of a hostel in Abene realised and completing this book. He was killed in a road accident. He left behind Khady and their two little boys. It's testament to Simon's writing that I felt gutted when I read that - as I felt I'd gotten to know them all personally.
August 1, 2018
An honest and totally heart felt narrative about an Englishman in Abene, Senegal. His short chapters encapsulate stories of falling in love with life and with Senegal in a way that really draws the reader in. It s almost like reading a travel blog. The ups and downs of African life, the ripping you off, the chasing after money, the spirits and the rawness of the elements compensated by the beauty of the land, the immediacy of human relations, the music and talent of so many people. It is with great sadness that I read about his accidental death not long after this book was published. However, his legacy lives on at the Little Baobab, the lodge he has built with his wife, and has certainly inspired one toubab at least to consider Senegal as her next destination.
August 9, 2026
Recommend by Khady of course and read as a result of staying there. Loved it. Completely brought to life what it’s like travelling through and living in Africa, at least in rural Africa. Simon wrote about the distinction between European and African life so delicately and particularly honed in on the power of community here in Africa, which accords exactly with our experience.
The references to the spiritual beliefs there were also pretty eye-opening. It’s hard not to believe there is something in them…
But so so tragic reading it now with Simon gone and knowing he has left Gulliver and Alfie behind - at times it was difficult to read. He leaves a big, and irreplaceable, hole in the family.
The references to the spiritual beliefs there were also pretty eye-opening. It’s hard not to believe there is something in them…
But so so tragic reading it now with Simon gone and knowing he has left Gulliver and Alfie behind - at times it was difficult to read. He leaves a big, and irreplaceable, hole in the family.
October 20, 2017
Enjoyable story telling
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Simon is a braver soul than I. I found the stories to be a little all over the place at times, but I believe that adds to the charm of his adventures and to his new life in Africa. If you're interested in learning what life is like in Africa then grab a copy of this book you'll be glad you did. I'm looking forward to reading his other work.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Simon is a braver soul than I. I found the stories to be a little all over the place at times, but I believe that adds to the charm of his adventures and to his new life in Africa. If you're interested in learning what life is like in Africa then grab a copy of this book you'll be glad you did. I'm looking forward to reading his other work.
November 22, 2017
Cinemagrapic writing
Not sure the word above exists. However to know exactly where the writer is coming from in understanding African culture from an outsider s view is refreshing. plus point I could actually go there.
Not sure the word above exists. However to know exactly where the writer is coming from in understanding African culture from an outsider s view is refreshing. plus point I could actually go there.
December 12, 2023
Such a great book. Very honest and descriptive, an insight into the real Senegal. He takes you on the journey with him and with good humour. My partner is Senegalese and he has captured everything and life brilliantly.
July 22, 2020
This was an engaging autobiographical journey of a Brit living in West Africa.
The window into African culture, politics, religion, sociology, and family life is fascinating.
The window into African culture, politics, religion, sociology, and family life is fascinating.
June 17, 2021
This is the first book that I have read when I decided to learn about other countries, and this is so far the best one. I was just opening random spots on Google Street view and then I stumbled upon some Senegalese village (or maybe it was a megapolis for locals, who knows). And there were a lot of people on the streets (like, A LOT), that surprised me and I started having thoughts like "I wonder what those people are doing every day, what are they seeing, what are they thinking about and how they see the world? Not just historical context that we can read in the internet, but something more personal that shows life from the inside, not like it is done in travel shows.".
That was a pretty specific thought and I even decided that there is no way that such a thing existed. But I was wrong. This book gave me exactly what I have needed, and even more. Not only it is showing the local life in Senegal, it is really personal and can be really funny or sad, depending which chapter you are reading.
This is an amazing experience and author is a very open person, after reading this book I have felt that we were like friends. Definitely worth reading!
That was a pretty specific thought and I even decided that there is no way that such a thing existed. But I was wrong. This book gave me exactly what I have needed, and even more. Not only it is showing the local life in Senegal, it is really personal and can be really funny or sad, depending which chapter you are reading.
This is an amazing experience and author is a very open person, after reading this book I have felt that we were like friends. Definitely worth reading!
August 18, 2016
I was a bit slow off the mark here, bought the book ages ago, but only just had time to read it. I found it highly amusing, written with interesting personal insight into trying to live life amongst a culture so different to ours. As a consequence it's incredibly informative as well as entertaining, which is a lovely combination. Would definitely recommend it and have now added Senegal to my ever growing list of places I'd like to visit (like I needed more!). Maybe my timing wasn't so bad after all - I have just found out the sequel "Chasing Hornbills" is just about to be released, so looking forward to finding out what Simon is up to next and at least I can console myself with a bit more armchair travel, for now.............
September 6, 2022
At times preachy, it’s still a book that I’d imagine myself writing if I ever authored a book. A cute travel adventure turned life abroad, it was endearing look into a life in Africa.
April 1, 2017
I thought this was a really interesting account of one person's life in Africa, a continent I know little about. It was nice to learn about how different day to day life is in another part of the world. It was a light, quick and enjoyable read.
April 18, 2017
Highly entertaining!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews