'The Sahara is a potent, evocative reality. It is one of the world's great brands. No one name so completely epitomises an environment. Oceans can be Atlantic or Pacific or Indian, mountains can be Himalayas or Andes or Alps, but if you want to convey desert, you only have to say 'Sahara'.'
Sahara is perhaps the most challenging novel of Palin's travel series, both to read and of course, to experience (on his part. Although the combination of his vividly illustrated desert heat and England's present warm weathers - 30 degrees as of today - convinced my sub-conscious of my actually experiencing the words I read... perhaps a better read for those long winter days!).
Definition - 'hard to read': I couldn't pronounce 99% of the names of people or places he encountered.
I began the novel expectant of an empty, sandy journey, with chance encounters of a few camels here and there, and perhaps a mirage or two. In fact, as the blurb perfectly depicts, 'the Sahara is no empty wasteland, but home to a diversity of cultures whose long history stretches from the time of the ancient Egyptians to the oil-rich Islamic republics of today.'
In fact, the Sahara is only 15% sand.
The place synonymous with the idea of a desert, is only 15% sand.
15%.
Amongst this sea of sand, lie numerous vibrant and unique civilisations; some exist haunted by previous colonialized times by the French or Spanish, many exist as independent republics trying to reinvent an indigenous identity free of their past, and others experiencing rapid desertification exist as dwindling populations retaining unique traditions and architecture.
In the form of the other works in his travel series, Palin narrates his travels across the Sahara in the form of a daily diary, such that the novel is not overpowered by facts and figures but rather retains an accessible, personal element to it, which inevitably enlivens the experience of the reader. Unfortunately, in the modern day, many of the countries visited by Palin have become interchangeable with war, conflict and social unrest - ironically, having read the book only yesterday, Algeria was in the news this morning regarding a missing plane. Palin's intertwining of both a subjective and objective exploration of such areas of Northern Africa help to personalise the areas, reminding one that below the 'corrupt' exteriors of distant countries, there are innocent people.
It was also a refreshing reminder that there is a Saharan part to Africa, away from the magnified focus upon on Sub-Saharan Africa, rich in culture and society too.
'It embodies scale and mystery, the thin line between survival and destruction, the power to take life or transform it. A self-contained, homogenous, identifiable world, uncompromising and irreducible.'
Palin's predominant focus on the cultures he inhabited, if only for brief periods of time, and the people and traditions he encountered reminded me of an image I'd seen - see insert below. Wouldn't it be refreshing to read a Good News paper in the package of the typically monotonous, objective newspaper of reality? I guess that's just human nature, a fascination with the darker elements of reality.
I obtained a message reflective of Tom Young's in his novel Africa (a thought-provoking political and social insight into the history of Africa, with it's past of colonialism and many country's new-found independence) from Palin's Sahara.
Side note #1: I think it's more a challenge than a message.
Rather than achieving the goals of expanding our empires and assisting in the 'civilisation' and 'development' of less matured countries or nations, may we actually have had the effect of hindering the development of these civilisations?
Has our colonializing of said nations deprived them of national, indigenous identities in some cases?
Both novels have equally and additionally led me to question my personal role in development (more specifically in terms of tourism - I'll expand on this tangent after this point) as well as the role of 'outsiders' in development.
Passive development vs. Assertive development:
In the red corner, we have assertive development! LEDC's are immature and need guidance. He knows what to do! He's been there, done that. He'll command them and lead to become a victorious nation! He'll beat away those irrelevant practices and introduce ones that work where he lives!
And in the blue corner, we have his ferociously overpowered component - passive development! He believes in providing LEDCs with the tools and facilities for development, allowing them to mature into their own nation. He presents them with opportunities. He uh, believes in working with the people and their environment! Uh.
Side note #2: All imagery aside, these novels have inspired such a conflict within my consideration of the world.
'Kristin is adamant that Western solutions cannot be applied to African relationships. 'What men find attractive in Africa doesn't necessarily correspond to what is attracting a man in Europe. You know, in Europe a woman should be skinny, but here a woman should be fat.''
'He nods. 'When he sees a nude lady on the beach, he thinks it means she is looking for adventure. They should respect our culture, our religion. They can come for the sun but they don't have to take all their clothes off and walk.''
And now to entertain your obviously aching interest in my aforementioned bracketed tangent: individual impact on development.
Fundamentally however, I think a large part of travel itself (unless of course you're actually going to a beach resort aimed at the respective behaviour i.e. lying on a beach in scraps of cloth absorbing the sun) is to experience the place socially and environmentally. To immerse and occupy, rather than lead.
I think that's what the quotes above relate to - respecting the indigenous culture and experiencing it in its primary form.
Which leads on to development specifically related to tourism; although the influx in tourism is economically and socially beneficial for a country to stimulate development and consequently improve the quality of life for the natives and (in some respects) the environment, when it begins to change the demographics of the nation detrimentally, eroding and disrespecting traditions/culture/the environment, perhaps it's not such a good thing.
Side note #3: Ah, the existential musings of a teenage girl.
Ah,
les rêveries existentielles d'une adolescente.
Side note #4: I thought it looked more official in French. Non?
Regardless, Sahara is a stimulating and engaging read, as I'm finding much of Palin's work to be.
For a few weeks (I am, shock horror, leaving tomorrow for my own lazy holiday in a villa away from the nation's culture),
C
P.s. I speak from limited experience, merely expanding on my musings inspired by the views presented in the books read. I lack a wider knowledge on development so as to definitively parade my views all over the internet.
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