介绍:
At the mention of Sierra Leone, many may associate this West African nation with its devastating civil war and 2014 Ebola outbreak.
However, Chinese travel writer Liu Xiaojia's latest book, The World Gives Me Courage, or in Chinese "Quan Shi Jie Gei Wo Yong Qi", may give you a bigger picture and refreshing view of the country.
So for today's Bookshelf, let's follow Liu Xiangwei to take a brief journey to the Land of the Lion Mountain.
Reporter:
Why do we travel?
Mark Twain believed that travel kills prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness; as for English novelist David Mitchell, travel is a tool to meet and know oneself.
In the eyes of Liu Xiaojia, a post-80s Beijinger, to travel is to live.
"You cannot hide from life. If I get tired of one place, I could move away, but eventually I have to change my mentality to face life and all its problems. When I come home from a trip, my mind doesn't break off from the journey, which helps me to improve my life."
Driven by wanderlust, Liu Xiaojia quit her job and made travel writing as a career three years ago. However, in 2013, she was fed up with touring around honeypots and decided to pay a visit to Sierra Leone, a country rarely on a tourist's radar and usually haunted by its wartime image.
Liu states her motivation.
"There is a theory called 'Mitochondrial Eve', which means, in terms of human genetics, all living human today are descended from an African woman. So travelling to Africa is just like going back home. Meanwhile, after watching the movie 'Blood Diamond' which is a story of the diamond trade during the Sierra Leone Civil War, I wanted to find out about the postwar state of the country. Besides that, I love the name of the capital: Freetown. It sounds so beautiful. "
Hitting the road with her photographer, Liu left her footprints all around this diamond-shaped nation on the coast of the Atlantic. From the unspoiled Lumley Beach, the sandy coast that attracts local football leagues, to the farming town Magbass where sugar producing plantation is located, they came across some of the most unusual destinations for average tourist.
Besides of sightseeing, Liu's adventure also included the encounter with local diamond tycoon, interview with the Chinese ambassador and unexpected love confessions from strangers. Whether it is employees who refuse to get back to work since their wages haven't ran out, or kind-hearted woman helping to braid her hair, Liu accurately and wittily recorded every thrilling, funny, tough and touching moment during the journey in the travelogue: The World Gives Me Courage.
Interspersed with a large pile of vibrant-colored photos, at the first sight, the book appears to be inundated with scenery displays. However, the budding writer emphasizes that it is the free spirit, ebullience and honesty of Sierra Leonean she wants to highlight.
"I remember that one day, when I was idling about the beach in the capital, a group of children selling peanut spotted me. They forgot their business and asked questions around me so fervently. One of them was quite introverted. He was even too shy to talk to me. But when others left, he brought two candies and gave me one. I was so surprised! Then he bit half of the candy and spit it out to wrap the rest together. I could tell that his living condition is not very well, since he wore ragged clothes. Still, he wanted to share with me! It was a simple act but it touched me deeply. "
Unlike usual travelogue that purely focuses on travelling experience, Liu Xiaojia inspected every whit of the nation with keen observation. From pupils practicing Tai-Chi boxing routine to walls pockmarked by bullets and gunpowder, she unfolds a present-day Sierra Leone and different faces of its people, since they are human, just like we are.
"Because they have suffered an eleven-year-long Civil War, people detest war. Their kindness and friendliness just remind you how peace-loving they are. "
Published in 2014, "The World Gives Me Courage" rates highly in book reviews and receives consistent acclaim from readership.
But the author doesn't stop there. Currently organizing several charity bazaars, she uses the money to help those suffering Ebola and promises to continue until a solution can be found.
"When I was there, the locals helped me a lot. What they gave me is not something physical, but the passion and warmth towards life and people around me. And I want to use the same warmth to take care of them. "
Currently, this restless travel writer is planning her next trip.
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