the trip that changed my life
Stranded on the central line Author and travel broadcaster Simon Reeve has visited more than 100 countries and gone around the world three times with the BBC to make his programmes Equator, Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer. But it was one chance encounter in a refugee camp that made him think differently about the freedom to travel that so many of us take for granted
Simon with Fathima in the refugee camp
‘M
y first trip for the BBC took me along the equator from Gabon in central west Africa, travelling east towards Kenya and the Indian Ocean. The purpose was to look beyond the tourist brochures and get a sense of the political and social context and realities of the countries we visited. And right from the start the trip was an eye-opener. Gabon, for example, which is seen as a new, original destination, was very beautiful on the surface but you quickly
saw the problems beneath. And there were many incidents along the way that taught me about life in Africa and the developing world and reminded me how lucky I was compared to almost everybody I was meeting. But nowhere was this more evident than towards the end of the trip when I travelled to a refugee camp on the Kenya-Somalia border. Stuck out in the middle of a desert, it was a scattering of small camps very close together, packed with refugees from the Somali civil war and the ongoing conflict. These were people who’d fled on foot
from places like Mogadishu – which is still probably one of the most dangerous places in the world – and had walked across the desert until they got stuck at the border, because the Kenyan government didn’t want them travelling further into the country. Most of them had been there for more than a decade. And it was there that I met this young 23-year-old woman called Fathima, who had been in the camp almost her entire life, having arrived with her family when she was very young. The camp was all she knew. It was very well run, by international aid agencies and the refugees themselves, but it was basically an open prison because nobody could leave. Fathima was well educated and spoke good English and had a very international outlook. She knew about politics, history and life in the big wide world, but had no means of exploring it for herself. It hit me like a train that she was stuck there while I, thanks to an accident of birth, was able to flit into her camp and out again, because I have this magic British passport that gives me the right and ability to travel the planet. I suddenly realised the responsibility of travel, that it isn’t just a right, but a privilege, and that we as travellers have a responsibility not just to soak up a bit of sun, but to learn about the places we visit and ensure we spend our money wisely and put it into the hands of people who need it. I think of Fathima every time I reach for my passport. She’s become a kind of mental talisman. I heard about a year later that the camp had been washed out in flash floods and I couldn’t find out what had happened to her. It makes me realise that our problems are extremely small in comparison with other people on the planet.’ ■ Simon is currently planning a new journey for the BBC. Details soon on his website www.simonreeve.co.uk
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29/10/2010 15:22