Nkosi Sikilel iAfrika!

In three hours I head to the airport for a long trip to South Africa. It has been a long time (too long) since I have been back, and I am very much looking forward to the next six weeks. Though I must admit, I am not looking forward to the fact that I'll spend most of the next 36 hours on planes -- Midland to Houston, Houston to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Joburg.

The plan is to blend research with play. I plan to work at the archives at the University of the Witwatersrand in Joburg, the National Archives in Pretoria, the Cory Library at my old stomping grounds at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, and the centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town. I am working on several projects and am very much looking forward to rolling up my sleeves.

At the same time, it is summer (and the holidays) in South Africa, so in addition to these stops, I also plan to hit Durban's beaches, Lesotho (where my brother currently is based) and possibly Maputo. Internet may be intermittent, but I will blog the experience as much as I can. In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday and a a happy New Year. When next you hear from me I'll be back in South Africa (unless I find somewhere to write in Amsterdam).