Dark Star

Just finished reading Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux. Although Theroux is one of those east coast liberal types, I've always enjoyed his books anyway. He's a top notch writer with a knack for helping you to see the world without ever leaving home.

There are some great observations on Africa that I thought were pretty relevant to current events,

Theroux calls them "agents of virtue" and other unflattering names. He describes how they're all over Africa in their white land rovers with the names of their agencies on the side. They're referred to as NGO's and they aren't just in Africa but all over the world. Theroux relates how they treated themselves like royalty while others in the nation are starving. He makes the observation that these do-gooders have actually been bad for Africa.

They've fostered a sense of dependence on the part of the Africans who now refuse to do things for themselves because they know donor countries will send them big checks. This is quite a revelation on Theroux's part since he himself was a peace corps volunteer back in the 60's. In the past, he's been critical of people who didn't buy into these types of organizations but, apparently, this last trip to Africa convinced him that people need to accept some responsibility for their own nation.

Another unique observation is the ever growing presence of Islam throughout the continent of Africa. Of course, in Egypt, Sudan, and Somalia, you'd expect Islam to be the dominant religion. From Theroux's account, Islam has grown like wildfire. Prior to 9/11 this wouldn't have concerned me much but with the violence against Christians throughout the world by fanatic muslimes this seems like a scary trend.

The concept of a Dark Star, a hidden star that exerts a pull on our planet, is one that Theroux explores throughout the book and one which has broader implications for our planet.

Be forewarned, Theroux isn't kind to Christians. Throughout all of his books there's a deep sense of skepticism and even hostility toward Christians. Theroux makes no secret of his dislike of fundamentalists - which is pretty much everyone who expresses a literal belief in the Bible.

I enjoyed the book and if you want to travel to Africa from your couch you should get it too.