At 84-years-old, Al J Venter is considered one of the oldest active war correspondents. Born in South Africa in 1938, Venter now lives in the countryside of England. He has just released his most recent book, Takka Takka Bom Bom with Tafelberg. During his book tour in South Africa, The Daily Vox team caught up with Venter to discuss his book and some of the experiences he has had in his life.
The title of the book is a very eye-catching one and was inspired by Venter’s father. His father fought in World War One during which the modern-day machine gun was used quite a lot. The askari soldiers who were local soldiers serving the colonial armies called the guns takka takka bom bom. It was from there that Venter got inspiration for the title. He said it was quite a catchy title. Even though he faced some resistance from the publishers in terms of the title, Venter said he was quite determined to make sure the title stayed.
Venter had written more than 60 books over the years but he said he wasn’t sure that he was worthy of writing a memoir about his life. However, after encouragement from friends and family, he decided to start writing down his memoir about three years ago.
Writing the book was relatively easy as Venter had a lot of material from his time working with the Jane’s Intelligence and Defence Review for over forty years. Every time he went on assignment anywhere around the world, he would keep all the material that he had collected. In this way, he could go back and write his memoirs using the source material.
The book covers the many different conflicts and wars that Venter reported on all around the world over 55 years. But the book is by no means the end of Venter’s reporting. Just weeks before he came to South Africa for the tour, he and his wife had been in the Central African Republic where armed militias are taking over areas in the country and killing anyone who resists.
“Quite honestly it’s tough. It is tough for a young man. And I manage but I’m thinking to myself no man,” said Venter about continuing his work. Venter has always had a passion for diving and he said he would rather make documentaries about diving than go back to war at this time in his life.
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But aside from that, Venter said it makes him feel good to have the title of the “oldest war correspondent”. On his recent assignment to the Central African Republic, Venter was accompanied by his wife. He joked that they were the only two octogenarians to cover a war together but they couldn’t go anywhere without a heavy police escort. “But maybe it’s just because I am old,” Venter joked.
One of the most poignant parts of Venter’s book is his description of his close friendship with Mohamed Amin. Amin was the Kenyan photojournalist who died in 1996. He died when the flight he was traveling on was hijacked and crashed into the Indian Ocean. Venter said he is planning to visit Amin’s widow when he was the chance.
With all that he had experienced, seen and gone through Venter said he does not fear death. “I don’t fear death. I have never feared death,” Venter said. He is afraid of dying horrifically and in a violent way. “I only fear being brutally put to death. I don’t fear the normal stage of death.”
Venter said with his work and books, he would like to be remembered two things. One of those as someone who always tried to separate “right from wrong”. The second as someone who found “a helluva lot of joy” in doing the things he did.
Published by Tafelberg, the book can be found in all good bookstores and online.
