Alone through Africa at 60 - how Dot Bekker found her way home
At the age of 60, Dot Bekker climbs alone into a 20-year-old van and drives from Luxembourg to Zimbabwe - 20,000 kilometers, 17 countries, countless encounters. What began as a journey back home became a journey to herself. Today, she lives in a rural community, creates opportunities for women and young people and knows that it is never too late to radically change your own life.
We talk to people who live their lives differently - consciously, courageously, sometimes radically. Not to impress. But to inspire, to question and to show: There is another way. And that's okay.
This is not about empty phrases. Not about gloss. It's about real answers - to the questions you ask yourself around the campfire when no one is making small talk anymore. Because when you're on the road, you have a lot to tell. And often more to give than you think.
I may never sit in the shade of the trees I plant - but I know they are growing.
An interview with Dot Bekker - who leaves Europe at 60 - alone, in an old van, heading for Africa. 17 countries later, she arrives in Zimbabwe, the country of her childhood. What began as a journey to find herself became a return with a new purpose: in a rural community, she now creates opportunities for women and young people, planting seeds for the future, both figuratively and literally.
In this interview, she talks about dusty tracks and open hearts, about letting go and arriving - and about how you can radically change your life even when others think it's too late.
"I knew I had to go on this journey to get back to the person I really am."
About you and your journey
Briefly tell us about yourself: Who are you? When did you start traveling? What have you already done? Where are you/living right now? And what's next for you?
I am an ordinary woman who has led an unusual life. I was born in Zimbabwe and lived there until my early twenties. Then I moved to South Africa with my first husband - I tragically lost him in an accident when I was 26 and he was 30.
About ten years later, I met and married my second husband. Shortly afterwards we moved to the UK where we stayed for eleven years, then four years to Portugal and then four years to Luxembourg - where I dumped my second husband and decided to change my life. I then lived in Spain for a year to prepare for my return journey to Zimbabwe by land. So you could say I've been on the road a lot - and that's not even counting my trips to the USA, the Far East and across Europe.
I founded my first company when I was 29 and have been working as a management consultant and coach for almost 25 years.
In 2016, shortly before my 58th birthday, I realized that 60 was just around the corner. It hit me like a blow. I had plenty of time to prepare for it, but honestly, I had spent the last 20 years of my life sleepwalking, in an increasingly difficult and unhappy marriage with someone who was eventually (after I left him) diagnosed with bipolar disorder and manic depression.
Do you remember the moment when you first felt: I want out. I want more out of life?
I realized this after a women's workshop on self-confidence and power. Once again, I was arguing with my husband when I suddenly realized: I have power and self-confidence in many areas of my life - just not here. So I turned around and said: "I'm leaving. In the next three months, I'll pack my things - and then I'll be gone." He didn't even seem surprised, maybe I'd said something like that before. But this time it was serious.
In those three months, I had time to think about what I wanted to do. I decided to use the little money I had to go to Zimbabwe and discover more of Africa. And last but not least, I knew that I had to go on this trip to become the person I really was - or perhaps the person I had always wanted to be.
"Driving through Africa alone at 60 - something happened almost every day that opened my heart."
What was your everyday life like on the road?
Traveling alone through Africa at 60 as a single woman was the adventure of a lifetime. Something unexpected happened almost every day. The journey brought me back to myself, made me realize my courage and strength - and the warmth of the African sun and people gave me back my zest for life.
What was the most beautiful place you have stayed in so far - and why?
I have to admit: Even though I loved each of the 17 African countries I traveled through on my "Going Home to Africa" trip, returning to Zimbabwe was the most beautiful thing for me. I love the landscapes, the warmth of the people, the climate. Of course, there are things you don't like - but after living in so many countries, I know that paradise doesn't exist. There are only things you love and things you don't love. You just have to decide what is more important to you.
Were there moments when you wanted to give up everything?
There were many challenges on my trip - the biggest was the constant, extreme heat and humidity. There were also corrupt border posts, bad roads and unexpected delays. But I can honestly say: not once did I think "I've come far enough, I'm turning back". In truth, there was nothing to turn back to - the only way was forward, step by step.
"Paradise does not exist. There are only things you love - and things you don't love."
If you could say one sentence to your former self before you leave - what would it be?
The other side is worth it!
The question everyone asks
How do you finance this life? And how do you deal with the uncertainty that might come with it?
To be honest, I don't know exactly how I finance my life - it just happens. Somehow there's always someone who helps me, or work comes in that I can use to pay for something. Over the last few years, I've invested a lot of time in community projects and earn a small commission that keeps me afloat to some extent.
But the most important thing is that I have downsized my life considerably. Whether I'm on the road or - as I am now - in a rural area, there are many things I do without without it hurting me. I have no running water, just a small solar system and an unfinished but habitable house - and that's enough.
Being on the road as a life principle
What does traveling mean to you - beyond postcard motifs and bucket lists?
Traveling means broadening your horizons - in the truest sense of the word. It means seeing life in its many different forms and facets. And above all, it means experiencing the astonishing beauty of this planet - and recognizing all the reasons why we need to get serious about preserving it.
Has being on the road changed your view of the world?
Until I was 27, I had only been to Zimbabwe or South Africa. I was blind, prejudiced and, frankly, naïve. But then I started traveling, getting to know new things and people - and that couldn't help but change me for the better.
"Going backwards is not an option. There was nothing I could go back to. So I just went forwards."
Are there any encounters that have particularly shaped or changed you? One that you will never forget?
I think the whole trip has shaped me. It didn't fundamentally change me, but made me more of the person I am - and reminded me of who I am.
To quote from my book: Letting go of my old world opened up a surprisingly new one - one in which I knew I could trust myself, the universe, and my angels and guardians, who almost always had my back when I let them. I had overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable and could tell the story.
The woman who left Europe was not the same woman who came home. To be completely honest: The woman who left Europe had no idea what it would take to make the journey. She wasn't fully equipped, didn't know enough about what to expect. But the woman I found along the way was full of determination, resourceful, quick to make decisions - and most importantly, she learned to laugh again.
On my journey home to Zimbabwe, I had managed to find myself - by traveling inward. I had realized that I was capable, smart, adaptable, competent, courageous, strong and valuable - and that my heart was at peace. I had found my joy again. Not the joy of my youth, but a joy in the little things of each day: a beautiful sunrise, the kindness of a stranger, the waves and smiles of people in Africa, the overwhelming nature that surpassed all expectations - and the often annoying but constant red dust of Africa.
What role does "home" play for you - and where would you say "I'm staying here" today?
When I returned to Zimbabwe in mid-2019, I felt like I had come full circle. I had traveled to faraway countries in search of diamonds that ultimately lay in my own backyard. But I know that if I hadn't traveled to those faraway lands, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I knew I was home and wanted to stay - the question was how.
After some time in a van, in other people's driveways or occasionally as a house sitter, I finally found my place, not far from my hometown - in an African rural community. There I discovered my purpose: to work with the community to bring about positive change and initiate economic projects.
My focus is on supporting women to become self-reliant - something that is particularly important here, where there are more women than men due to AIDS deaths, a genocide and men working remotely. I support talented girls to get the education they need and deserve. I am currently trying to complete a craft center where we can teach women sewing and other skills to pave their way to independence.
Young people are also a focus: due to a lack of education, many have few prospects and take refuge in alcohol and drugs. We hope that once we have the necessary financial resources, we will be able to teach young people skills that will make them valuable members of their community. My life is full and exhausting most days - but also great.
Is there anything you've let go of along the way - and don't miss?
The urge to own things. I've learned that hours and days of our lives are spent buying "stuff" - things that we use once or never look at again, but that we still desperately want to buy. Today, I look at everything carefully before I buy it and calculate how much of my life it will cost me. Then I decide whether I want to live my life - or tie myself down to possessions.
Meaning & traces
What do you want to leave behind - not in the sand, but with the people you meet?
My life has been rich in experiences and my only hope is that the seeds I sow will grow into trees. I may never sit in their shade or be thanked for it - but my soul will know the result of my effort.
What keeps you going when the going gets tough?
Knowing that going backwards is not an option.
What else do you dream of - personally, honestly?
To be so rich that I can implement all the projects I can think of to help my community succeed - and perhaps inspire other rural communities to realize what is possible. Because "impossibility" has become the norm in places where poverty prevails.
Oh, and honestly, of finishing my house so I can live in it properly.
When more happens along the way
Have you come across a project, an initiative or a person who is getting things moving? Or have you started something yourself that is more than just your own adventure?
Yes, a French woman who lives part of the year in Zimbabwe has launched a competition to revive an old tribal tradition: the art of hut painting. Her name is Véronique Attala - you can follow her project on Facebook: mybeautifulhomezimbabwe - Ekhaya Gaia.
About the person: Dot Bekker
Author, adventurer, community builder. Born in Zimbabwe, she grew up with sun, bush, community and a sense of belonging. After almost four decades in South Africa and Europe - including stints in the UK, Portugal, Luxembourg and Spain - she returned home in 2019.
At the age of 60, she drove alone in a 20-year-old Ford Transit from Luxembourg through 18 West African countries to Zimbabwe - 20,000 kilometers without four-wheel drive, but with the conviction: "Ordinary Africans drive through Africa every day in ordinary vehicles, so I knew it was possible."
Today, she lives in a rural community near her hometown, where she sets up education projects for girls, income-generating initiatives for women and prospects for young people. She shares her experiences in her book Going Home to Africa, in her blog and on social media - with the aim of providing encouragement and showing that it is never too late to radically change your own life.
Follow Dot Bekker here:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goinghometoafrica
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goinghometoafrica
- Website: https://goinghometoafrica.com/
- Book: https://a.co/d/h6nlT3T (Amazon)