Vagabond is the poetic, raw and honest diary of Lerato Mogoatlhe’s travels through 21 countries in Africa.

‘Watching Elizabeth and her family dance, the compound ringing with their joyful laughter, I’m ashamed of myself for belittling their home and sniggering at the crumbling buildings and shaking my head in despair at the woman sitting outside her doorless hut with her son, too conditioned to recognise that what I first think of as a place that’s not fit for habitation is actually a home.’
– Kakuma refugee camp, Turkana, Kenya, 2011

From meeting President Mbeki at an event in Timbuktu to hanging out with one of her favourite artists, Habib Koite, Vagabond is a love letter of Lerato’s discovery of herself, her home, Africa, and its people that readers will witness through her uncensored curiosity and with none of the glamour of a guidebook.

Out of the 21 countries visited over the five years she travelled through the continent, Lerato names Sudan, Mali, Egypt, Uganda and Kenya as her top five to visit.

‘The decision to publish Lerato’s story was a no-brainer for BlackBird Books,’ publisher Thabiso Mahlape says. ‘Through Vagabond, we are hoping to give our readers a truly genuine and authentic experience of an Africa we barely get to experience or read about. An experience by one of us, told in a compelling and honest way.’

About the author

Lerato Mogoatlhe is a journalist who worked for eight years at publications that include Sunday Times, City Press, DRUM, True Love and Cosmopolitan. She has written for Mail & Guardian, Marie Claire, Hercules Spain and the Sunday Independent. She has also worked extensively in digital marketing.

About BlackBird Books

BlackBird Books is an imprint of Jacana Media, founded and headed up by Thabiso Mahlape. It is a platform for black and previously unheard stories.

Categories Lifestyle Non-fiction South Africa

Tags BlackBird Books Jacana Media Lerato Mogoatlhe New books New releases Thabiso Mahlape Travel Vagabond