TOUR D’AFRIQUE
       

Last summer Eric Silverman ’10 (above) cycled with an American buddy halfway across the African continent in an effort to build positive media awareness of African people and cultures (and to benefit a South African kids’ charity). In 70 days, the duo pedaled 2,700 miles, from Cape Town in South Africa to Nairobi in Kenya, by way of Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. They first met studying abroad in Cape Town and later agreed to fight Western misconceptions of Africa as rife with “crime, poverty, corruption, and violence,” says Silverman. They planned to rough it, “relying on the support of individuals and communities throughout our journey.” Sure enough, people they met on the road fed and sheltered them, repaired their bikes, treated their ailments, tutored them in Tswana, and much more. Their Web site features extensive blog postings and photos. —BM