Bay of Tigers by Pedro Rosa Mendes is an extraordinary travel memoir recounting his 6,000-mile journey across Africa in 1997, from Angola to Mozambique. With limited means of transport, he travels on dilapidated trains, wrecked trucks and buses, boats, and motorcycles, immersing himself in the harsh realities of a continent plagued by war, poverty, and corruption.
In Angola, where landmines outnumber people, he meets villagers waiting for shock treatment to relieve phantom pain in amputated limbs and visits a makeshift apothecary where mucumbi bark is boiled to treat scurvy. Along the way, he converses with international aid workers, corrupt officials, widows, orphans, soldiers, and survivors, piecing together a vivid and intimate portrait of resilience and survival.
