Beneath the African Sun - A Journey of Serendipity, Friendship, and Grit - Barry Maughan : 178

What happens when a comfortable life starts to feel small? We sit down with Barry Maughan to trace an 8,000‑mile drive from Alexandria to Africa’s southern tip in a 1969 VW combi bus, and the deeper journey from chasing success to finding meaning. A sudden coup in Libya shut a border and opened a path that led through dust tracks, steel‑belted tyres, and the unvarnished generosity of strangers who refused payment and offered help with a smile.

We explore the difference between governments and people, and why most danger comes from regimes, not villagers. Barry shares the Cairo friendship that quietly reshaped everything. Serendipity kept showing up, including a stop at a radio station in Addis Ababa between 1969 and 1975, which led to a career in broadcasting, covering history in real-time and later hosting programs for the Voice of America’s English to Africa service.

Along the way, we talk practical grit and tender moments: navigating without GPS, patching tubes under acacia thorns, and an unforgettable exchange between two mothers, linked by the same protective love. With a one‑year‑old in the back, the road demanded preparation and humility, and returned lessons about global citizenship, family, and care that outlast any itinerary. Beneath the African Sun, Barry’s new book, gathers the photos, the near‑misses, and the quiet truths about travel, courage, and the people who make a journey possible.

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His memoir, Beneath the African Sun.

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