In short
Deborah Calmeyer discusses her newest Raw Africa release, African Adventures, a photo book framed as a “greatest safari on earth” journey through sub-Saharan highlights: Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Botswana and the Okavango Delta, Kenya’s Great Migration, and Rwanda’s gorillas. She explains the concept of safari as a Swahili “journey,” blending outer landscapes with an “inner journey.”
Guest backgrounds
Deborah Calmeyer is founder and CEO of Raw Africa; Alex Assouline is the host.
Key claims
the book’s tactile design (texture, cover feel) and emotional portraits of featured people make it more than a typical safari photo collection.
Notable examples
close elephant viewing; meeting and understanding different countries, cultures, and animals.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring African Adventures
0:45 to 2:54
Discussion about the book 'African Adventures' and the experiences it encompasses.
“When I thought about this and I thought if I just had 12 days to see the very best I could in sub-Saharan Africa, where would that be?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:08Alex Assouline:Hello, I'm Alex Assouline. I'm here with Deborah Calmeyer, founder and CEO of Raw Africa. We're here to discuss our newest release, African Adventures, which I'm thrilled about and really one of my personal favorites for this year. I can't even begin to contain my excitement over this beautiful book and what it means to Raw Africa, what it means to Africa, what it means to the amazing people that are featured in the book. We're so honored to collaborate with you, so thank you. It came about when Aline Pockel, one of the great photographers that we've been working with for many, many projects, came with that idea and came with you on board as well.
0:49When I thought about this and I thought if I just had 12 days to see the very best I could in sub-Saharan Africa, where would that be? and that was Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Okavango Delta, the Great Migration in Kenya and the Gorillas in Rwanda. And I thought, you know, what does one call that? And I was like, that's the greatest safari on earth. The word safari means to journey in Swahili. And so that is what you're doing. You're going on a journey. It can be a very intense inner journey triggered by the outer landscape on your journey. That is Sepharic. I think it's beautiful how Asseline has sort of transcended the experience to such a cultural, artistic level.
1:37Alex Assouline:This book, since I received the prototype, is the only book I have on my coffee table. Wow, that's amazing. How incredible. I mean, I had such a fantastic experience. It's nothing like what you expect. It's a journey. You get into that journey, you float into that journey, and you're here to meet people, to experience, to understand as well different countries, different people, different cultures and also discover the animals because this closeness, proximity with them makes you feel really grounded. I've never seen an elephant from so close. I love the cover. I love the texture. It's so beautiful.
2:17Alex Assouline:There's a lot of emotion in each of these pictures because as you mentioned earlier, there's a lot of people. And that's what's so incredible about this book that you've done is you've given everybody a visual, something to touch, something to hold on to. And even feeling the cover, it's a tactile sensory experience and I think it's really brought to life and now can live on the shelves forever.
2:52Thank you.
From the publisher
In this episode of Beyond the Cover, Alex Assouline sits down with Deborah Calmeyer, founder and CEO of Roar Africa, to explore the making of African Adventures. The word safari means "to journey" in Swahili, and that is the idea at the heart of the book: not a luxury trip, but a way of life. From the Victoria Falls to the Okavango Delta, the great migration to the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, this book sets out to capture the greatest safari on Earth through an authentic lens.
For more inspiration, head to assouline.com.
To learn more about African Adventures visit www.assouline.com/products/african-adventures-the-greatest-safari-on-earth
