As it is with the rest of Africa, tribal relations play a part in everything. There’s a pronounced disconnect between the capital and the countryside, a former cause of civil war that could flare up again if this is not addressed. Greene’s story serves as a reference point and, in their efforts to follow exactly the same route, Butcher is also able to show how the events that have shaped each nation have affected the people, from their difficulties in finding and making their way to entire towns being completely reliant on aid groups to survive. In some ways, the journey hasn’t changed-Butcher and his travel companions still see the same things and encounter people who live their lives the same as they did in Greene’s time. Their journey is interspersed with the lives of the people they meet and he does an excellent job of bringing you into their lives and letting you get to know them as he does.īutcher contrasts his journey with that of Greene’s in 1935. Butcher has a matter-of-fact way of telling their story it’s not all pity and tears or inspiration and cue the heartwarming music. But then this is not really a travel book-it’s about the people and their history and resilience after decades of war. With this book it made me think, Why yes, I could possibly go to Sierra Leone if I have to, but I don’t think I ever want to go to Liberia.
His last book on the Congo cemented my desire not to ever, ever go there in my life.
On the contrary, they usually make me want to do the opposite. The thing about Butcher’s books is that they don’t make you want to travel to where he’s been. I thought it was extremely well written and was moved enough to buy the next one when it came out. I was, at that time, looking for more books/travelogues on Africa and was happy to try his book out. I first discovered Butcher years ago, when I read his book, Blood River, about journeying to the mouth of the Congo. Through his travelogue he recounts the history of both countries, the effects of war, as well as some vignettes from his time as a war correspondent. In 2009, Tim Butcher set out to retrace Graham Greene’s journey, from his book, Journey without Maps, wherein which he walked from Sierra Leone to Liberia (with a bit of Guinea in between). In the meantime, I’m content to let Butcher do all the walking. Someday, when these countries have become whole again and the world remembers that they can be beautiful, I might find myself there, gazing out of their harbour, chilling with a beer. Chasing the Devil: On Foot through Africa's Killing Fields by Tim Butcher
0 kommentar(er)
