African trip

Press, 6 October 1988, Page 14

African trip

Sir, —What countries in Africa did Vernon Wilkinson visit on his recent trip to that continent?— Yours, etc., A. T. SEYMOUR. September 29, 1988. [Mr Wilkinson replies: “The countries I visited on my recent trip included Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana and Zambia. I also had long discussions with many people who had travelled extensively in other parts, including the High Commissoner for Southern Africa, Mr Chris Laidlaw. I think that to get an over-all impression of a country, or in this case the black African section of the continent, it is not necessary to visit every single part before forming an impression, otherwise one would have to visit every single state of the United States to form any impression of the way of life and thinking of that country. After all, there are local differences even in New Zealand which are, rightly, ignored by tourists. Also Important in these years of rapid change is the time when a country is visited; the credibility, experience and possible prejudices of any person with whom a traveller has discussions must be assessed as well. I might add that I was criticised for making statements about South Africa, for instance, when I had not yet visited the country. Now I have been there I feel that my earlier impressions were largely correct, but that in some cases they needed bringing up to date; the situation is more serious than I thought.”]