Tatum
asked
Tim Butcher:
These questions only give us so many characters, so I apologize for another question! I am an International Development student and my dream is to be a humanitarian journalist/photojournalist. I specifically love East Africa. I am wondering if you have any career advice for someone aspiring to do something similar to you? How did you start out in travel writing?
Tim Butcher
My advice is: be nosey, be curious, be observant, never forget to be respectful, tactful and grateful for the opportunity to gatecrash other lives. Never take no for an answer. And in our shrinking world, there are no new places left to visit but human behaviour being what it so wonderfully is – dynamic, restless – there are new experiences to be had. Enjoy the journey. And finally, as a wise old foreign correspondent told me when I asked a similar question way back when I was starting out; what is the most important advice you can share? The answer, after some moments of reflection, was unexpected but surprisingly good: don’t miss breakfast.
My advice is: be nosey, be curious, be observant, never forget to be respectful, tactful and grateful for the opportunity to gatecrash other lives. Never take no for an answer. And in our shrinking world, there are no new places left to visit but human behaviour being what it so wonderfully is – dynamic, restless – there are new experiences to be had. Enjoy the journey. And finally, as a wise old foreign correspondent told me when I asked a similar question way back when I was starting out; what is the most important advice you can share? The answer, after some moments of reflection, was unexpected but surprisingly good: don’t miss breakfast.
More Answered Questions
Bongo
asked
Tim Butcher:
I did enjoy both your Africa books. I've always wanted to go to the Congo. Tell a lie I spent five minutes standing in a field in eastern Congo just over the border and a short bicycle ride away from Arua. I alwys travel light and I was wondering if you were to travel of the beaten track in Congo would you lug around a laptop again or just put a Black and Red notebook and biro in your back pocket?
Mark
asked
Tim Butcher:
Has the situation in the DRC improved since Blood River? I work as an Observer at the World Bank Forest Carbon Partner Facility trying to reduce deforestation. The DRC jut got approved for an $80 million project which we were objecting to as it does little for forest governance and has a huge chance of not helping the forests, result in the involuntary resettlement of indigenous people and forest dependent communities
Dale Walker
asked
Tim Butcher:
Hi Tim, I lived in Cape Town for 10 years. I really enjoyed my time there. Do you live in Cape Town because you fell in love with Africa from your travels and writing? Would you ever go back to the UK. Would you recommend your children live there or would you want them to go back to the UK due to all the political unrest?
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