The Last King Of Scotland author’s latest novel Freight Dogs explores the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the individual consequences of Africa’s ‘Great War’, distilling a world-shaking conflict into the spellbinding story of one man’s life. In a 1996 Ugandan dive bar, an anarchic group of mercenary pilots from Texas, Russia, Kenya and Belgium find a new recruit – a 19-year-old cowherd fleeing Congo’s bloody war. Taken in by this band of unlikely brothers, Manu’s soon seeing his vast country from above and falling in love with flying. But no matter how fast he flies, trouble follows closely behind. And when the past erupts back into this new life, he is forced to leave behind African skies for the chilly embrace of northern Europe. With Rwanda in the news, Giles Foden discusses why he wrote the book, the genocide, its legacy, and why the story of those like Manu is so important.
