“An African Abroad” Olabisi Ajala 1963

Olabisi Ajala is the father of D. O. Ajala. Olabisi Moshood Adisa Ajala was an international world traveller, actor, journalist and Nigerian socialite. His biography was first published in 1963.

This book has been reproduced in exactly the same words (verbatim) as were used originally. Republished by the author’s daughter, D. O. Ajala, (AKA Aurora Mizutani), with the exception of one edited photograph, this is an exact replica of the original 1963 publication by Olabisi Ajala.

After early education in Africa and working his way through various colleges in America, Olabisi Ajala, a young Nigerian, determined to see the world in his own particular way. He bought a motor-scooter and, armed with a camera, journeyed across Europe and Asia and finally arrived in Australia. During his travels he made up his mind that he would see as many of the political leaders as he could, and he gate crashed everywhere (sometimes literally as through the Jordan-Israeli frontier) and his persistence was well rewarded. He tells us of his meeting with Kruschev, with the Shah of Iran, with Mrs Meir, with Nasser, with Nehru and others, and about all these people he has something acute and perceptive to tell, though the book is much more than an account of successful tuft-hunting. Ajala looks at the world with unprejudiced gaze. He tells us why he liked or disliked such and such a people or country and though much of what he says is of course, controversial, it is never dull or commonplace.

An African Abroad is a unique book: unique for its deep sincerity, its fresh viewpoints and its lack of prejudice. Possibly only an African could have written so illuminatingly about the countries and peoples he has visited.