Paul Theroux has never really been my favorite author. I admire his nomadic nature and generally speaking like his writing style. But his content often frustrates me. Particularly when he writes about Africa.
I redently found out that he makes a mention of MYO in his most recent book. Of course Theroux got us wrong too, since we are run pretty much exclusively by Namibians for the past 9 years and this seemingly innocent mistake underscores why I don’t like him. It’s only a single sentence but it carries a lot of weight and is factually incorrect. We also have received the majority of our funding from Namibian companies the past 8 or 9 years. Both facts he could have checked out if he had bothered to contact me or Vera rather than publish his speculation.
Theroux years ago staked out a strange position that charities and NGO’s in Africa do more harm than good and seems to make sure his observations support his position, whether they are true or not.
Anyway, I was made aware of this reference by someone who learned of MYO from reading the book, so at least that part is good.
Sort of cool.
‘One of the more ambitious educational projects in the township, called Mondesa Youth Opportunities, had been started by an American in 2003 and was mainly run by non-Namibians and funded by foreign donations’
Theroux, Paul. The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari (p. 96). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
The Martini Tales 