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A voyage into Europe, Africa, football and some strange ways their stories connect.
Welcome
This Substack began as a notebook of observations from everyday life in Europe. I moved to Frankfurt a couple of years ago, and got interested – from the point of view of an outsider becoming an insider – in the continent’s deeper culture, contradictions and capacity for change.
But another thread runs through everything I write: Africa, and Liberia in particular.
In 1992, just after university, I spent a year in Liberia. That experience pushed my life in a direction I never imagined. It led to a story that for 30 years has intertwined with my own: a football team, the Millennium Stars, a UK tour, a documentary film, eventually a book, and now a podcast.
So, this Substack sits at the intersection of several worlds:
Europe, observed from the inside/outside
Africa, especially Liberia
Football, and the invisible ways it connects places and lives
Long stories that sometimes take decades to unfold
A few places to begin
An observation from a European conference about sovereignty, bureaucracy and culture. And how I converted my driving licence.
Football, Liberia and the story I had to tell.
A reflection on faith, politics and moral courage.
Why some stories – and some lives – only make sense if we dare to do something out of the ordinary.
About me
I’m a writer, originally from Consett in the north-east of England. My work has taken me from the UK to Africa, and elsewhere – through development work, writing and film. Now, I’m in the middle of Europe, with a new vantage point.
This Substack gathers those threads in one place.
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If you enjoy thoughtful observations about Europe, Africa, football and the people and stories that connect them, you’re welcome to subscribe and you’ll get these pieces as soon as they appear.