deaglanobriain's review
1.0
A journey that could have resulted in a fascinating and insightful telling, but spoiled by the author's tedious moaning about his day-to-day hardships and supercilious survey of all he meets. An example of the personalised, anecdotal travelogue genre that National Geographic does so well, but in Theroux's hands in this book badly crafted and delivered without humour or style. The author repeatedly asks a rhetorical question: 'Why am I here?' Indeed.
geirertzgaard's review against another edition
4.0
De klager over at Theroux er en sutrekopp og at han har et alt for svartsynt bilde av utviklingen i Afrika. Men greia er at han i motsetning til mange eksperter ikke reiser businessklasse eller kjører hvite landcruisere. I stedet reiser han med lokaltransport, bor der vanlige afrikanere bor og reagerer kraftig mot den fornedrede virkeligheten som både er helt unødvendig og urettferdig. Kritikken er ikke mot Afrika men mot de få som har gravd til seg av fellesskapets goder. Og det har han jo helt rett i - eller hva sier dere, STATOIL?
Han blir ofte spurt på turen om å gi bøker til de boktomme bibliotekene på skoler han besøker. Han svarer alltid det samme: hvorfor spør dere meg? Spør heller den styrtrike politikeren inne i Luanda som har mer enn nok penger å bidra med.
Dette sitatet formidler grunnholdningen til Theroux i denne boken, og jeg vil forsvare hans sinne. Det springer ut fra en dyp kjærlighet til et kontinent han kjenner bedre enn de fleste av oss.
I ask the political economists and the moralists if they have ever calculated the number of individuals who must be condemned to misery, overwork, demoralisation, infamy, rank ignorance, overwhelming misfortune and utter penury to produce one rich man.
- João Baptista da Silva de Almeida Garrett, sitert hos José Saramego
Jeg vet at en del kritiserer Theroux for hans syn på Afrika. Men hans syn er ikke synet av hverdagsmenneskene, men av gribbene i mange fasonger som suger beinmargen ut av det rikeste kontinentet.
Han blir ofte spurt på turen om å gi bøker til de boktomme bibliotekene på skoler han besøker. Han svarer alltid det samme: hvorfor spør dere meg? Spør heller den styrtrike politikeren inne i Luanda som har mer enn nok penger å bidra med.
Dette sitatet formidler grunnholdningen til Theroux i denne boken, og jeg vil forsvare hans sinne. Det springer ut fra en dyp kjærlighet til et kontinent han kjenner bedre enn de fleste av oss.
I ask the political economists and the moralists if they have ever calculated the number of individuals who must be condemned to misery, overwork, demoralisation, infamy, rank ignorance, overwhelming misfortune and utter penury to produce one rich man.
- João Baptista da Silva de Almeida Garrett, sitert hos José Saramego
Jeg vet at en del kritiserer Theroux for hans syn på Afrika. Men hans syn er ikke synet av hverdagsmenneskene, men av gribbene i mange fasonger som suger beinmargen ut av det rikeste kontinentet.
debbiecuddy's review against another edition
4.0
BOTNS Bingo 2015-Travel-Paul Theroux has been my favorite travel writer for several years. It was interesting to see how he experienced travel in some of the world's poorest and most disorganized places now as compared to several years ago. While I'm glad I read this book, I found much of it to be sad. It gives one a lot to think about.
leitheoirrialta's review against another edition
4.0
It's typical Theroux, thought-provoking and interesting, though he comes across as grumpier than ever. Definitely worth reading.
dmahanty's review against another edition
3.0
Nonfiction... Paul Theroux decided to make possible his last trip to Africa and travel overland from Cape Town, South Africa and travel north. He gets as far as Angola, and along the way describes the poverty, corruption, and slum life. Kind of a downer.
bobbo49's review against another edition
4.0
Ten years ago I read Dark Star Safari, and loved how it captured the essence of both Egypt and South Africa as I understood them from my own travels, as well as the accurate descriptions of east Africa as I had understood it from other readings. This is a much more difficult read, though written with all of the passion that Theroux always seems to capture. Theroux is never a typical traveler or observer, nor does he have any desire to be.
He starts a planned overland trip north on the west coast from South Africa to Mali by exploring the (somewhat improving) mass slum camps of Capetown (which we briefly explored in 2003), then traveling to the coast and north of Namibia, where he begins to experience the breadth and depth of true rural poverty, and the depredation and crime that mark its boundaries. Finally, Theroux enters Angola, where civilization as he (and most of us, even experienced travlers) believe to know it is almost nonexistent. He is blunt in his criticism of the colonial and slave and capitalist systems that created the present societies, and equally so in his angry words for the current corrupt governmental and economic systems (including overwhelming Chinese investment and worker intrusion that is now common throughout the third world) that are destroying native populations and ways of life but offering no viable or sustainable replacements. In the end, he cuts his planned trip short after Angola, deciding that to travel further into the Congo, Namibia, Mali as he intended (particularly with Boko Haram everywhere) would serve no further purpose: he has experienced too much of eastern Africa's reality already. In all, a very grim portrait of a significant part of the African continent in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
He starts a planned overland trip north on the west coast from South Africa to Mali by exploring the (somewhat improving) mass slum camps of Capetown (which we briefly explored in 2003), then traveling to the coast and north of Namibia, where he begins to experience the breadth and depth of true rural poverty, and the depredation and crime that mark its boundaries. Finally, Theroux enters Angola, where civilization as he (and most of us, even experienced travlers) believe to know it is almost nonexistent. He is blunt in his criticism of the colonial and slave and capitalist systems that created the present societies, and equally so in his angry words for the current corrupt governmental and economic systems (including overwhelming Chinese investment and worker intrusion that is now common throughout the third world) that are destroying native populations and ways of life but offering no viable or sustainable replacements. In the end, he cuts his planned trip short after Angola, deciding that to travel further into the Congo, Namibia, Mali as he intended (particularly with Boko Haram everywhere) would serve no further purpose: he has experienced too much of eastern Africa's reality already. In all, a very grim portrait of a significant part of the African continent in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
elliemelliemoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
socraticgadfly's review against another edition
4.0
A solid book about some aspects of the present and future of southern Africa.
First, Theroux is a skeptic almost to the point of cynicism about First World charities' efforts in Africa. He says much of the money goes to lining the pockets of corrupt governments and cronies, which we all know. He goes on to note that some countries, like Angola (oil and heavy metals) and Congo (heavy metals, gems) have plenty of money from natural resources that less corrupt governments would be able to take care of much more of their citizenry's needs on their own. (And, some native African intellectuals agree.)
Second, he's somewhat similar in curmudgeonly thoughts about a lot of celebrity charity/"awareness efforts" in Africa. In one telling paragraph, without naming names, you know who he means by his list. He does, in one point, call out U2's Bono for talking up a radical black South African song that promotes killing, in another charity issue.
Third, he's again a bit curmudgeonly about most First World tourism to Africa.
Finally ... he says China will be in Africa for the long haul. Not just the government and big construction and mining businesses on major projects, but smaller businesses. Chinese restaurants. The Chinese version of dime stores or dollar stores. And "everyday" Chinese that go along with that. He said it will be just as exploitative as the old colonial powers were, but with more staying power.
At the same time, Theroux still finds much to love about southern Africa without overly romancing it. And, he reflects on his on aging, and mortality, as it intertwines with the world of travel.
A good read overall.
First, Theroux is a skeptic almost to the point of cynicism about First World charities' efforts in Africa. He says much of the money goes to lining the pockets of corrupt governments and cronies, which we all know. He goes on to note that some countries, like Angola (oil and heavy metals) and Congo (heavy metals, gems) have plenty of money from natural resources that less corrupt governments would be able to take care of much more of their citizenry's needs on their own. (And, some native African intellectuals agree.)
Second, he's somewhat similar in curmudgeonly thoughts about a lot of celebrity charity/"awareness efforts" in Africa. In one telling paragraph, without naming names, you know who he means by his list. He does, in one point, call out U2's Bono for talking up a radical black South African song that promotes killing, in another charity issue.
Third, he's again a bit curmudgeonly about most First World tourism to Africa.
Finally ... he says China will be in Africa for the long haul. Not just the government and big construction and mining businesses on major projects, but smaller businesses. Chinese restaurants. The Chinese version of dime stores or dollar stores. And "everyday" Chinese that go along with that. He said it will be just as exploitative as the old colonial powers were, but with more staying power.
At the same time, Theroux still finds much to love about southern Africa without overly romancing it. And, he reflects on his on aging, and mortality, as it intertwines with the world of travel.
A good read overall.