SONGS OF THE BAKA AND OTHER DISCOVERIES

Abandoning the comfort and security of a typical retirement plan, an elderly couple treks through the most isolated and untouched parts of the world.

After their retirement in 2005 from the legal world, husband-and-wife team Dennis James and Barbara Grossman trekked untouched parts of the world considered inhospitable to many. There, they preferred to interact and live with the indigenous populations and to hike through forests, rather than lounging in a hotel spa. Together, they track down elusive Birds of Paradise in Papua New Guinea, witness the traditional Baka dance in Cameroon, meet the cliff dwelling Dogon people in Mali, discover Roman ruins in Algeria, and encounter rhinos in Nepal and crocodiles in Ethiopia. Songs of the Baka and Other Discoveries captures their travel to the roads not taken so frequently, exploring other destinations in Iran, Myanmar, Cuba, China, and Venezuela. Together, they explore the deeper questions about these countries and cultures—why do people cling to the archaic art, music, dance, sexual mores, economic and political hierarchy and spirituality that govern their tribal lives? How and why do they remain resistant to the pressures of economic globalization and the incursions of western culture? A common thread in these accounts is the couple’s interest in cultures that have survived for hundreds of years and their commentary on the threat to these cultures from economic globalization, the infiltration of Western culture, colonization, governmental corruption, and racial and religious bias. Dennis James is a retired attorney and writer. His short fiction and travel articles have been published in magazines such as Mobius, the Journal of Social Change, The MacGuffin, The Griffin, and Struggle Magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Barbara Grossman is a retired attorney. She takes all of the photos on her treks with her husband, Dennis. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.