Reviews
Not Child’s Play – A True Story of Survival in Mozambique
See what the readers had to say about the book
“So much more than a hostage story”
Pete – United States
“Raw, honest, and gripping”
Reviewed in Australia – Verified Amazon Purchase
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Not Child’s Play is available as an eBook and audiobook. Proceeds go to the charity Hostage International
Frequently asked questions
Who captured you?
A group of child soldiers from the terrorist group called Renamo captured us.
At the time the socialist aligned Frelimo were fighting a civil war with the western supported Renamo. In effect, this was a proxy war between the east and the west. The war endured from 1977 till 1992. Our rescue required a cease-fire to come into effect. This was the first between the warring parties and provided sufficient trust between the parties to allow peace talks to commence two weeks after our release.
Where were you captured?
We were captured in central Mozambique, about 30km south of a group of islands called the Bazaruto Archipelago. We were then forced to walk south with our captors for about 70km to an area near Pomene.
Why were you there?
Other than, to gain sailing experience in preparation for a longer voyage, we were sailing to the Bazaruto Islands so that Sandy, my wife and a marine biologist, could investigate the possibility of undertaking future research work on molluscs near the islands. We ran aground in the middle of the night on a sand bar south of the islands and were waiting to refloat our yacht when we were captured by a group of boy soldiers from the Renamo terrorist group.