Peart - The masked rider : cycling in West Africa

ECW Press

Copyright Neil Peart, 1996, 2004

Published by ECW PRESS

2120 Queen Street East, Suite, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4E 1E2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ECW PRESS .

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA

Peart, Neil

The masked rider : cycling in West Africa / Neil Peart.

ISBN 1-55022-667-3 (bound) ISBN 1-55022-665-7 (pbk.)

. Peart, Neil Journeys Africa, West.. Africa, West Description and travel.

. Bicycle touring Africa, West. I . Title.

DT472.P42 2004 916.604'329 C2004-902551-1

Acknowledgement is made for use of quoted material from the following: Aristotle. Ethics. London: Penguin, 1953 . Van Gogh, Vincent. Dear Theo. Edited by Irving Stone. New York: Doubleday, 1937 . Crowther, Geoff. Africa on a Shoestring. South Yarra, Australia: Lonely Planet, 1986.

Cover and Text Design: Tania Craan and Hugh Syme

Photograph page: Checking the map with the Chief of Tchevi by David Mozer

All other photographs by the author

Production and Typesetting: Mary Bowness

The publication of Masked Rider has been generously supported by the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program.

To my mother and father who brought me up to know better...

Continuing thanks to Mark Riebling and Danny Peart for criticism and advice. And to Jackie and Selena for allowing the time.

Northern Cameroon Country estate in picturesque village. Spectacular view. Traditional design in stone, Old World charm, room for the whole family. Open fireplace, rooftop pantry, close to fields and market. Only one mile to modern care well, easy commute to Roumsiki, scenic three-day walk to telephone. Mexican hats included. Make an offer!

A loyal supporter of President Biya

Drums along the sidewalk. Sultans Palace, Foumban.

Post-modern, avant-garde wall painting. Outside a bar in Togo.

Carvings on the Fons secret hideout, near the Fons secret beer.
Fon's Palace, Bafut

Mary Poppins in Africa.

Carvings. Fons Palace, Bafut.

The drum makers, Ghana.

The Sultans happy-laughing throne, all in red, blue, and yellow beadwork. Sultans Palace, Foumban.

The Jazz Singer washing my bike. Foumban.

The unpaved road. Somewhere in northern Cameroon.

The Coaster with backup vehicles on roof. Somewhere between Ngaounder and Garoua.

Traffic jam in northern Cameroon

Rocinantes stable, left, in Quixotes compound. Tchevi.

The inselberg Kapsiki. Northern Cameroon.

The sorcerers passageway. Guave.

Either the crazy chief or the chief crazy.

Guave.

Curious eyes in Hama Koussou.

NEIL PEART is the drummer and lyricist of the legendary rock band Rush, and the author of Ghost Rider, Traveling Music, Roadshow, and Far and Away.

Introduction

It is said that one travels to East Africa for the animals, and to West Africa for the people. My first dream of Africa was a siren-call from the East African savanna... great herds of wildlife shimmering in the heat haze of the Serengeti, the Rift Valley lakes swarming with birds, the icy summit of Kilimanjaro. So I went there, and I loved it. The following year I went looking for an interesting way to visit West Africa, to learn more about the African people the animals drew me to Africa, but the people brought me back.

After much searching I found a name Bicycle Africa and signed up for a month-long tour of Cameroon: Country of Contrasts. At the end of it I swore Id never do anything like that again but the following year I forgot my vow, and returned to bicycle through Togo, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast.