Paul Theroux might just be a little crazy. I suspected as much when he paddled around the Pacific, but his voyage from Egypt to South Africa by way of such stable and well-governed states as Sudan and Zimbabwe convinced me. In fairness, Theroux meandered through Africa circa 2000, when most of these countries were relatively safer than they are today. Still, he was shot at, robbed, and shaken down - this last so many times that I lost count.
The overriding emotion of Dark Star Safari is disappointment veering into disillusionment. Time-and-again Theroux - who spent years in Africa in the 60s - is shocked to discover the sorry state of affairs in each of the country he visits. Roads are non-existent, poverty is of the barefoot variety, and corruption is rampant. The root cause of Africa's problems, Theroux believes, is aid. The international aid community has allowed Africa to become helpless - why fill potholes when you can wait for someone else to do it for you? Perhaps more surprising is that many Africans agree with him. I know little about Africa and less about aid, but the arguments Theroux puts forward are certainly convincing.
Dark Star Safari is the third Theroux non-fiction I've read (after Paddling the Pacific and Riding the Iron Rooster) and I am hard pressed to rank them. He conceives of interesting voyages, certainly, but there is often something self-righteous about the tone, the author too present, his actions too consciously recorded, that I find off-putting. I've added his newest release (Deep South, which came out just last month) to my reading list, but not as a high priority on the list.
2.5 stars.
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