Grass Roots : Typescript by Noel Kennedy

Photocopy of a typescript by Noel Kennedy in which he describes his family farm and his adolescence in Northern Rhodesia. The narrative covers the 1950s and 1960s, beginning with the emigration of the family from Southern Rhodesia to Northern Rhodesia in the 1950s and culminating with Noel's departure to attend Gwebi Agricultural College in Southern Rhodesia in 1967. A large part of the typescript is devoted to the establishment and operation of the family farm, Fair Acres Farm. The author describes tobacco and maize farming, the laborers on the farm, the use of rockets on clouds to produce rain, the selling of crops in Lusaka, and the evolution of the farm into a large agribusiness. Additionally, he describes various activities such as hunting, playing rugby, piloting small aircraft, and fishing in the Luapula swamps, Lake Tanganyika, and other bodies of water.

The narrative spans Northern Rhodesia's transition from a British colony, part of the Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, to its independence from Great Britain as the state of Zambia in 1964. Although the majority of the typescript focuses on the farm and his own experiences as a youth in Central Africa, Kennedy does make occasional observations about Zambia's relations with and independence from Britain. In particular, he discusses interactions with British soldiers in social activities and the efforts of Kenneth Kaunda to be elected as the first president of Zambia.

In addition to Noel Kennedy's text, the typescript also includes illustrations by C. Bugmann and copies of family photographs.