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Cricket, riots, killer bees and sacred ibis – what a great read!
It is again the time of year when wives, mums, girl-friends, children or sisters of sports lovers in Pembrokeshire begin to wonder about what to buy their fellers and we are more than happy to recommend that one special present which might beguile the men (and keep them quiet for a while!)
"Just Another Mzungu Passing Through" is a fascinating novel, about a young British man, named Donald Griffiths, teaching and playing cricket in Kenya.
Not only that, but it tells the tale of what was going on in the country during Donald’s two and a half year stint as a teacher, with the cricket interspersed between moving accounts of what was going on; the political unrest, the bribery (known as ‘chai’) and the problems facing the abject poor who are indeed the genuine Kenyan characters.
There are riots at a cricket match, sacred ibis walking across the pitch (a bit different than our crows), and an invasion by killer bees, whilst one of the most colourful characters is Daniel Otieno, who picks the protagonist up at the airport and eventually becomes a teacher at the school.
The book has been written by Jim Bowen, the former fast bowler with Llechryd Cricket Club in the north of the county, published by Parthian Press, in Cardigan, with book number ISBN.9781905762330, priced £9.99 – and can be purchased by contacting us so we can forward your order for a signed copy, or by e-mailing Parthian, or at the Victoria Book Shop in Haverfordwest and at other good bookshops.
We bumped into Jim the other week and took the chance to talk to him about the book and about his stay in Kenya, once one of the jewels in the African crown but now strife-torn and with poverty rife.
Your book is centred on cricket – tell us about your playing locally
I began as a young fast bowler with Llechryd Cricket Club in the north of the county, starting out on the concrete wicket in a field at Glanhelyg loaned to the newly-formed club by Peter Henneker. We used a strip of matting over the concrete and the club started out playing 20over matches in the Teifiside League. There were real characters like Steve Summers, who captained the side, Ronnie Ratcliffe, Ray Hasler and John Broderick. We eventually joined the Pembrokeshire League and at one stage played a season in the first division.
Where else did you play in the UK?
When I moved to Brighton to study catering I played for the local polytechnic, and started helping coach kids in schools, which I really enjoyed. My first role as a coach was with a ladies’ team and then I got involved with a city schools’ project which was aimed to encourage youngsters to play cricket, but not as a teacher, like the character in my book. I really found it challenging but I still looked forward to spells back at home so that I could play for Llechryd.
Your novel deals with a young teacher in Kenya – why was that?
It is a work of fiction and I hasten to add, it is not autobiographical but is inevitably based on some of the things I experienced when I was out there as a raw youngster looking for something different in my life. I certainly found it after reading the Times Educational Supplement and seeing an advert from Voluntary Services Overseas looking for a cricket coach in Kenya. I was delighted to go for interview and even more thrilled when I got the job – but later discovered they had been advertising for ages because they couldn’t find anyone who was prepared to go!
What were your impressions of Kenya?
It was an interesting time, to say the least, because the country was in turmoil and the poor people were far worse off then I could ever have imagined. Yet most of them were the salt of the earth and would share what little they had with you – and there was so much corruption in most walks of life because ‘chai’ (a bribe) was commonplace if you wanted anything official done.
I certainly grew up quickly as I faced huge changes in my daily life and it would be fair to say that some of the incidents in the story actually happened!
What about your cricketing experiences there?
Kenya is eager to develop the sport and youngsters seem to have a natural flair for it, but the poor have little chance of playing organized matches and have to settle for using a corn cob as a ball and any old bit of wood as a bat in the streets.
I played for Ruaraka, one of the ten clubs in the National League Division One, run mainly by Asians, who paid young Indians or Pakistanis to come there to gain experience, or experienced players in the twilight of their career. Gradually, though, there is a small seed change in the sense that young Kenyans are breaking through and using their natural flair to good effect.
I wasn’t paid for playing and we weren’t one of the stronger teams but I took my share of wickets and will never forget being involved sometimes for what happened outside the game itself – like the commonplace practice of huge sacred ibis birds congregating on the field, like pigeons would in this country. There was once a swarm of killer bees invaded the pitch and had us all running for cover and on one occasion when we beat one of the top sides there was a mini-riot by some of their disgruntled supporters where they tried to stone the poor umpires!
Were you sorry to leave?
Yes and no because my two and a half year contract was up and it was time to go. But I had made so many friends there, whom I will never forget, and there were other things I wanted to do. I returned to Pembrokeshire and played cricket for a while, as well as coaching at Llechryd, but I am so busy with our holiday chalets that are ideal for disabled people at Clynfyw, leaving me little time on Saturdays, although I do miss playing with Llechryd, because it is still a club full of characters. I’m getting a little long in the tooth for yet another come back but who knows what the future holds, cricket-wise.
How did the book come about?
I has always listened to stories written by my grandmother and loved writing myself so when I bumped into Richard Davies, of Parthian Press, I decided to give it a go with my novel. It took about a year to write and a second year of regular redrafting – and I have been delighted by the feedback, so far from those who have read it. All I hope now is that others from Pembrokeshire will pass the word around and the book will be enjoyed by as many people as possible because I genuinely believe it is a darned good read.
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