Jitu the Fisherman

James Stephenson is a leading expert on the art of Africa. His interest in East Africa, its people, and its art began in 1989 and since that transformational experience, he has lived, worked and explored the area acquiring an intimate knowledge of its people and their culture.



In 1997 he set out on a journey that resulted in his first book, The Language of the Land. Having spent over eight years working as a safari guide, he finally arranged to have a 'free' year living among the Hadzabe in East Africa. He visited these people on numerous occasions and with every trip his fascination with them deepened; the Hadzabe are the last hunters and gatherers still living a traditional life in Africa. James lived their life, hunting what they hunted, eating what they ate, participating in their dances and ceremonies, consulting with their medicine men, and learning their myths and dreams.