Why did the White Fella Climb the Rock; God, Chaos and Colonialism

A travelogue of ideas that explores the world through a series of interlocking themes, focusing most intensely on the relationship between European colonialists and Indigenous people, the Invaders and the Invaded. The Invader initially sought to control and civilise the Invaded, to impose order on chaos, but gradually and inevitably that imposed order began to unravel in a string of beautiful, horrifying, sacred and profane patterns. It is these patterns, layered and linked together, that form the book’s narrative so that fragments of coloured glass glinting in the desert light of South Africa transport us to the kaleidoscopic Watts Towers in South Central Los Angeles. And a comedy routine about flags takes us through Cambodia, Zimbabwe and Mexico. The book spans five continents and reflects the author’s own intellectual, emotional and spiritual journey over the last two decades.