Thebe Ikalafeng’s The Traveller: a pan-Africanist memoir inspiring a brand-driven renaissance

Part memoir and part autobiography, The Traveller recounts the life of marketing magnate Thebe Ikalafeng, who found fame working at brands such as Nike and Colgate-Palmolive, and later as the founder of Brand Africa — and has become the prophet of a brand-driven African renaissance.

The book serves as Ikalafeng’s pan-Africanist manifesto. It recounts the gradual development of his identity as an African, and his philosophy of an Africa that is expressive and without borders. His quest to travel to every country on the continent is told through anecdotes that document both his optimism at the unity and shared history of the continent, and his frustrations at its strife and division.

Like many business memoirs, Ikalafeng’s The Traveller is not without its charming self-aggrandisements. By the time you reach the back cover, you’ll know about every important person he’s met, every virtue he claims to embody, and every immigration officer who rubbed him the wrong way. Sections that detail his humble upbringing near an abandoned diamond mine in Kimberly are inspiring; but most of the book lacks the same lustre. The Traveller has an entire chapter dedicated to his experience of learning to operate a manual transmission gearbox, and another dedicated entirely to his love of Mont Blanc pens.

Ikalafeng’s skill and experience as a marketer is evident in his ability to market himself through this book. He paints an exhaustive portrait of himself as a well-travelled and principled character — and an unapologetic African. Those who yearn to revamp the image of Africa and connect its people will find nuggets of insight in Ikalafeng’s passionate memoir. DM