If you’re a viewer of our serie on the Travel Channel or on your local PBS station in the U.S.A, and you want to post us a comment please click here and leave your comment or go in the english weblog by coming back to index.

And if you want to know some more about our story, the two Volumes of Africa Trek ( Vol 1. from Cape to Kili and Vol 2. from Kili to the Sea of Galilea ! ) as well as the triple DVD of the Series, are available on :

BARNES AND NOBLES

AMAZON

INKWATER PRESS

Or Purchase Africa Trek in Audiobook at : AUDIBLE.com

If you want to know more about our story on this website gather your french class memories or surf on the english side of the site. Below, you’ll find out in our news how this little miracle happened ! And surf on this website by clicking the EN cookie up right.

You can also go on the photo galleries of our two volumes.

If you want to see a teaser in english : travel channel

or a longer one made by our producer : our Teaser

for the latest news please go on the english weblog by clicking here english weblog

18/08/08 : First PBS stations programming Africa Trek (list reviewed 20/11)

1) KQED/San Francisco Airing Saturdays at 2 p.m. beginning September 6 schedule here

2) KVIE/Sacramento Airing Mondays at 7:00 p.m. beginning September 8 schedule here

3) Kentucky Public TV Airing Mondays at 4:00 p.m. beginning September 8 schedule of first episode here

4) WCVE/Richmond Airing Sundays at 11:00 p.m. beginning September 14

5) KEET/Eureka, CA, Airing Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. beginning September 18 Schedule here

6) WNIN/Evansville, IN, Airing Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. beginning September 20

7) KUED/Salt Lake City Airing Sundays at 5:00 p.m. beginning September 21 Schedule here

8) WPBA/Atlanta Airing Sundays at 10:30 a.m. beginning September 21

9) WETA/Washington, DC, Airing Sundays at 6:00 p.m. beginning September 21

10) WHYY/Philadelphia Airing Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. beginning September 24

11) WLRN/Miami Airing Mondays at 10:pm (beginning 9/29)

12) WBGU/Lima, OH, Airing Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. beginning September 30

13) KNPB/ Reno, Airing Thursday nights at 8pm beginning October 2nd

14) WBCC/Orlando Airing Thursdays at 8:30 pm beginning October 2nd

15) KTCA/Minneapolis Airing Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. beginning October 4

16) WQLN/Erie, PA, Airing Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. beginning October 4

17) WCTE/Nashville Saturdays at 5p m beginning October 4

18) WHTJ/Charlottesville, VA Saturdays at 1 & 1:30 am. beginning October 4 –airing the series in an hour-block

19) WMVT/Milwaukee Saturdays at 6:00 pm beginning October 4

20) WVPT/Harrisonburg, VA Sundays at 2:30 pm beginning October 5

21) KCET/Los Angeles Sundays at 9:00 pm beginning October 5 (digital channel)

22) Ks/KCPTKansas city Fridays at 10:00 pm beginning October 10

23) Alabama/ APT Thursdays at 9:30 pm and Fridays at 2:30 pm beginning October 23

24) Syracuse/ WCNY Sundays at 7:30pm beginning October 26 Schedule here

25) South Carolina TV Mondays at 7:30pm beginning October 27

26) Seattle/ KCTS Thursdays at 12:30 a.m. beginning October 9

27) Yakima/ KYVE Thursdays at 12:30am beginning October 9

28) Dallas/ KERA Tuesdays at 1:30am beginning November 3Schedule here

29) Providence/ WSBE Sundays at 2:00pm beginning November 9

30) Boston/ WGBH (channel 44) Sundays at 1:00pm begining January 4 Schedule here

31) Portland, OR/OPB Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. beginning January 7

32) New York; WCNY on sundays at 19:30 p.m. finishing february the 15thschedule here

33) WTIU/Indianapolis on sundays at 11:30 a.m. beginning january 11

34) KNME/Albuquerque, starting march the 25th, 27th and 29th three times a day at 7:30 am, 1:00 pm and 7:30 pm

WLIW/New York Tuesdays @ 7:30 p.m.

New Jersey Network Thursdays @ 1:00 a.m.

KCET/LA Saturdays @ 11:30 p.m. (AT is now airing on the primary channel in LA; still airing on their World Channel)

WYCC/Chicago on Wednesdays @ 8:30 p.m. starting february the 18th to the next 12 weeks.

KRCB/San Francisco on Thursdays @ 11:00 a.m. february the 26th to the next 12 weeks.

WEAO/Cleveland on Wednesdays @ 2:30 p.m.

UNC-TV/North Carolina Fridays @ 1:30 p.m. (this covers all of North Carolina; AT is airing on their Educational Channel)

KLVX/Las Vegas on Sundays @ 11:00 a.m. from january to april schedule here

Idaho Public Television Wednesdays @ 7:00 p.m. (state network)

WEIU/Champaign, IL Fridays @ 8:00 p.m.

KRWG/El Paso, TX Thursdays @ 9:30 p.m.

WNEO/Youngstown, OH Wednesdays @ 2:30 p.m.

WLJT/Jackson, TN Sundays @ 11:00 a.m.

Some more to come : KUHT/Houston, KAET/Phoenix, KCTS/Seattle, KRMA/Denver, South Carolina PTV, WGVU/Grand Rapids, WKNO/Memphis, WPTD/Dayton

Please let your american friends know.

17/08/08 : Barnes and Nobles and Amazon

I can’t believe my eyes! Is this really happening?

BARNES AND NOBLES

AMAZON

dear Africa Trek viewers from all over the world, our first translated volume will be available in the US september the first. Pre-orders possible on the BN website.

It was such a long way to go to! Legion of angels to thank...

15/08/08 : Wonderboy Nxumalo passed away

Wonderboy, Punch and Miki in april 2008

The great African reaper has again taken its toll. Our dear friend Wonderboy Nxumalo, one of the Ardmore’s prominent artists we had stayed with during our passage in Natal, died last Week-end. We had seen him again last April as we visited for the first time since our journey, the Ardmore Studio in Howick, Natal. And he looked fine. One of the 3 survivors of seven years before that we knew. (click here for pics : (Back in Sout Africa). Sinister turnover. Only two are left. We share the sorrow of Fee Halsted Berning and all the artists of Ardmore. Wonderboy had done a lot in painting plates for Aids awareness. He was the most gentle, sweet and sympathetic little zulu. It hits the most aware. Let’s all be aware and active in memory of him. A tribute to him by Fee Halsted Berning : dear Wonderboy

31/07/08 : Back from Clinton, NY

Here he is : Philip Stewart, our benefactor, the man that has translated the 64 chapters of or two books, one chapter a day during two months. We visited him and his wife Joan in Clinton (NY) were she is the president of Hamilton College. We’ll most probably give there a lecture during our US tour due in next november. The PBS programmers meeting went fine, and we could introduce our series to 75 of them from all corners of the country. Let’s keep our fingers crossed : We’ve got so far the six Florida PBS stations on prime time, Washington, Minneapolis, Boston, Idaho and some are joining every day. We’ll let you know the final coverage. Another good news is that Audible.com will produce an audioversion of our books, that will be available on line. I’m still busy working on volume 2. Philip has finished the job. The speed of a master.

29/06/08 : Volume 1 over” Philip Stewart has done a fabulous job. The 26 chapters of the first volume are completed and brilliantly edited by Linda Franklin with who I’ve been echanging five layers of corrections, in a strenuous editing ping-pong. 18 hours a day I relived and reviewed all our stories. Mid July we fly to New York to record a presentation of our book for Audible.com, and then go to the PBS showcase in Boston to represent our programme. By mid august we must have completed the translation of volume 2 that gathers 38 chapters... still a lot of work for a busy summer. Above all, thanks to Philip ! (Philip and Alexandre have always been linked since the macedonians...)

06/06/08 : Back from L.A.

Everything started with that guy, Richard Tuggle and his friend Andrew Bergman, we had met on Kilimandjaro. They had told us “if you ever survive your trip, pay us a visit in Santa Monica...” What I did three years later. They are the ones who made the connection to Dalton Delan from WETA, that got me on PBS, that launched the serie and attracted the interest of Jeremy Solomon from Inkwater Press. We’re all connected. Everybody is a link to somebody else’s dreams.

My dream is... inside !

Here he is in flesh and bones, Jeremy Solomon, MY american publisher !

Another walker, met at the fair, John Francis 16 years on the US roads, with a guitar !

Another dream for me... talking from another guitar...

And other’s nightmares...

And the first review of my first chapter translated by the fast and efficient Philip Stewart !

22/05/08 : three letters ! the deal was done today, contracts exchanged, electronic shakehands gone ! Some translaters are about to sweat ! And another wonder that looks like Africa Trek, one of them might be Philip Stewart, a pre-retired academic that had sent me a translated chapter just for the pleasure of it, and the love of our story. The best I’ve ever read from me in english... I’ve booked a seat to L.A. for the Book Expo America. on the 31st. Yeppeee !

18/05/08 : Miracles Happen ! Thanks to an angel called Gabrielle, a french expatriate living in Portland Oregon. Feeling my despair on this website after the Sterling refusal, she took the initiative, beeing a reader and a lover of Africa Trek to contact an american Publisher she knew. In the time of a meeting she convinced him. His first question was : “I can`t understand why nobody took it ?” Then “who owns the rights ?”. The same afternoon I talked to him for an hour on the phone. In three years of hard work I couldn`t do it once with a publisher...That itself was a miracle ! The day after he sent a proposition to my publisher Robert Laffont. He`s now talking terms with them and wants us to come in Los Angeles this very may 31st for the American Book fair. He also wants to implement a fast-track translation to have it available when our series is aired in september-november. Busy time ahead ! This wise man is Jeremy Solomon from Inkwater press. I`ll let you know very soon is final word. Three or two letters ! Suspense ! Let`s keep our toes crossed ! Africa Trek is about to walk you in english !

07/05/08 : The last issue of our serie on the Travel Channel is supported by Hi-Tec, the shoes that made us walk the continent. Here are the schedules :

Monday to Friday for 24 days screening one episode sequentially, and then repeating from the beginning for the next 12 episodes s at 1900 - 1930 UK time.

This begins for May Mon – Fri from Monday 5th May until Thursday 5th of June (to equal 24 days screening)

Saturday from 3rd May - one hour block at 0700 - 0800 showing 2 eps for 6 weeks. This begins for May: Sat 3rd May until Sat 7th June (to equal 6 weeks)

Sunday - from 4th May one hour block at 1500 - 1600 showing 2 eps for 6 weeks. This begins for May: Sun 4th May until Sun 8th June (to equal 6 weeks)

05/05/08 : We`ll be in Boston july the 17th for the PBS showcase, alongside the people of Weta to help promote our series to the PBS representatives. The broadcast of the series ont PBS is due from september the 6th to november the 22nd.

The bad news is that Sterling, the last publisher interested in publishing our book, has just declined. We sincerely hope they`ll change their mind...before another one grasps this opportunity to speak about Africa in better terms.

31/03/2008 : This pilgrimage in South Africa has been very emotional ! If you want to see the pictures, click here : (Back in South Africa).. It’s also in english Let’s hope a publisher will take over the challenge and publish at least our photo album. Funny enough we were recognised at least 20 times from Dubai to PE by South African viewers of our serie on the Travel Channel, altogether afrikaans, english, colored and Indians, so it means that we have potential readers !

10/03/2008 : For a week now we are in South Africa retracing our footsteps but this time by car because we are with our two kids ! We try to meet as many people we`d met on our way. It` a very emotional trip because we`ve not warned them of our coming and we try our chance. It`s always a shock ! So far we`ve met the Family More and Mc Gregor in Whiteriver, Jones in Moholoholo, Sussens in Tshukudu, Neuhoff in Hoedspruit, Emmerick in Graskop, Omar in Nelspruit and are hitting the road south to PE. One thing hey have in common : they all want our book in english, which is very frustrating eand encouraging at the same time : stirring the knife into the wound. But It`ll heal one day I`m sure. In Dubai transit, a big south african to us : " aren`t you the french walkers that walked africa ? I`ve followed your programme on the travel channel ! Well done man !” Last issue of the serie will be in may. And for us we are continuing our crop of memories and emotions... We`ll keep you posted !

27/02/2008 : These last two months have been very rich. We’ve finally gathered our global corporate sponsorship for the broadcast of our serie on PBS. We visited Mr Nicolas Hayek at the Swatch Group HQ’s in Bienne Switzerland yesterday, and made a small demo at his board meeting. Swatch will be alongside with Sanofi-Aventis on each side of our 12 episodes. The previous week I crossed the channel to meet with HI-TEC’s Ceo Mr Frank Van Wezel and his team at their HQ’s in Southend on Sea, and we concluded a fast track deal ! So they’ll walk us in the US as we walked them in Africa. Here’s is a conclusive shake-hand !

We really could have inspired them this motto : “Less weight more performance”, as our takkies (as they name it in South Africa) were the lightest, softest, but toughest shoes we could find. This is also the spirit under which we placed all our story and life for three years. Our lightness was our strenght. But then, the simple things you take along must be the best. We made it because we were lightweighted, where heavier undertaking would most probably have failed. Africa humbles you.

A good and bad news at the same time : The broadcast is planned for september the 6th 2008, which is great news, but a very very short notice to convince a publisher for our book....

Last news, we fly to South Africa for a month tomorrow...

07/01/2008 : Wonderfull news ! It’s three years we’re waiting for that one. Sanofi Aventis, a big french pharmaceutical company is going to be our main corporate sponsor to be broadcast on the american national television PBS. Alongside there will be Swatch (we wore them three years, they were the best watches possible for us ) and may be Hi-Tec shoes. The aim of that all is not to enjoy having our little faces on screen in the US, but to finally get the interest of an english publisher. (these guys are not yet convinced by the 300 000 copies we’ve sold so far... We want to go back to south africa with this book, we owe it to it’s people... And apparently the only way to get it done is to pass via the States first... We fly to Palm desert for the “PBS showcase” in may 2008... we’ll let you know of the broadcast schedules... wait and see !

Follow our Programme Africa Trek in english on The Travel Channel. It’s a serie of twelve films of 26 minutes retracing our long walk in Africa.
If you want to know more about the programming click on : www.travelchannel.co.uk

If you want to acces it from your computer on VOD

click on :
http://www.travelchannelvod.com

And look for it in “programmes from A to Z” and enjoy it !

If you want to enjoy only the teaser click on this :
http://www.travelchannel.co.uk/ontv/programmeAtoZ/africatrek.htm

Please leave us your comments about our films in english, by clicking in “about” and then “write us”. Please leave your email adress and we’ll reply to your comments.

Alexandre and Sonia Poussin are two travel writers devoting their lives and passion into long lasting adventures amongst people. They don’t do it for the record, for sport or fame, but to share with other cultures and understand the world how it goes.
You won’t see here no pride nor shame but a true relationship created with the most different people around the world. Alex has a motto : “Adventure is about Man, it isn’t to be the first, the best, the fastest, to reach a summit, to cross an ocean, to push the limits… Adventure is to put yourself into and absolutely alien situation, amongst alien people, to deal with it with very limited tools and to discover after some time, that you share so much, so quickly with such different kinds. Adventure “is” the people, adventure is to understand them...”
Simple rules sustain these goals : very little means, and “fair means”. To travel with no engine, to take time, and try not to base the relationship you create, on money. But it is not another kind of tourism backpacking-like. Alex and Sonia are inflexible to self set rules, never cheat, respect one’s principles, no hotels, no transportations, no return back home in between, to endorse people’s life conditions and hardships. To be with the people, in their places, trying to think how they think, to better understand them, to love them with and for their differences.
With no sponsors or back-up team, the aim is to cross countries, to reach places, to spend time and take the pulse of the world with another perspective. Freedom and time are Alex and Sonia’s biggest wealth, for in the world, supposed to be completely surveyed, the unknown remain cultures and people, humble men and women from the countryside, where so much has still to be discovered. Enjoy it with them !

Their travelling drive first started with a bicycle tour around the world for a year in 1993 and 1994, through 35 countries and having only a thousand dollars to spend. It led to a first book : “On a roulé sur la terre” (R.Laffont pub 96.)

Then, in 1997 came the grand traverse of the Himalayan ranges, from Bhutan to Tadjikistan, uninterruptedly. 5000 km on foot, in six months, to link all these lost valleys and kingdoms : Bhutan, Sikkim, Khumbu, Rollwalling, Manaslu, Mustang, Dolpo, Humla, Ngari, Tibet, Ladakh, Zanskar, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Tadjikistan … It led to a second book : " la marche dans le ciel” (R.Laffont pub. 98), to a photo album, and to a film, multi-broadcast on national TV.

More recently, came this immense ordeal, Africa Trek, the first successful attempt to cross the African Continent on foot, unassisted. Thirty-nine months to walk from one end to the other of the Great Rift Valley, trying to symbolically re-make the first journey of the first men. It led to a third book in two volumes “Africa Trek” (R.Laffont pub. 2004-2005) and to TV serie of 12 episodes, a long feature movie, both broadcast on national TV, and to a photo album.