Dark Star Safari
Encyclopedia
Dark Star Safari is a written account of a trip taken by author Paul Theroux
from Cairo to Cape Town
via trains, planes, buses, cars, and armed convoy. Theroux had lived in Africa as a young and idealistic early member of the Peace Corps
and part of the reason for this trip was to assess the impact on Africa of the many years of "helping" from Western countries. His assessment is generally critical of the long term impact of aid programs.
Throughout the duration of the trip Theroux describes the writing of an erotic novella. This novella would eventually be published in 2003, amongst a collection of short stories, as "The Stranger At The Palazzo D'Oro".
Paul Theroux
Paul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work of travel writing is perhaps The Great Railway Bazaar . He has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his...
from Cairo to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
via trains, planes, buses, cars, and armed convoy. Theroux had lived in Africa as a young and idealistic early member of the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
and part of the reason for this trip was to assess the impact on Africa of the many years of "helping" from Western countries. His assessment is generally critical of the long term impact of aid programs.
Throughout the duration of the trip Theroux describes the writing of an erotic novella. This novella would eventually be published in 2003, amongst a collection of short stories, as "The Stranger At The Palazzo D'Oro".
Chapters of Book
- Lighting Out
- The Mother of the World
- Up and Down the NileNileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
- The Dervishes of Omdurman
- The Osama Road to Nubia
- The DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
Line to Harar - The Longest Road in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
- Figawi Safari on the Bandit Road
- Rift ValleyGreat Rift ValleyThe Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
Days - Old Friends in Bat Valley
- The MV Umoja Across Lake VictoriaLake VictoriaLake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
- The Bush Train to Dar es SalaamDar es SalaamDar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
- The Kilimanjaro Express to Mbeya
- Through the Outposts of the Plateau
- The Back Road to Soche Hill School
- River Safari to the Coast
- Invading Drummond's Farm
- The Bus Border Bus to South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- The Hominids of JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
- The Wild Things at Mala Mala
- Faith, Hope and Charity on the Limpopo Line
- The Trans-Karoo Express to Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
- Blue Train Blues