Memoir Reading Blog #7

While in Africa, Scott and Krystyne went on a number of so-called "weekend safaris" in which they would pack their plane up and make short sightseeing and camping trips. On one of these escapades, they accidentally land in Tanzania, whose airspace is forbidden to aircraft without clearance, which Scott does not have. They are captured by a group of soldiers, and forced to endure the pitfalls of African bureaucracy. After several days, Scott finally convinces the officer in charge to let them leave, but only after making a show of inspecting the plane while Scott took photos. Scott and Krystyne also get the opportunity to fly down to South Africa in order to discuss arrangement for a future AMREF board meeting. As always, Scott decides to make an adventure out of it. His plan is to fly down the east coast of Tanzania and Mozambique to South Africa, then to pass through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi back to Kenya. The first stop on Scott and Krystyne's route is the Ilha de Mocambique. The Ilha de Mocambique was originally used as an island fortress by the Portuguese, but was long since abandoned, and is now only inhabited by native Africans. After spending the night there, Scott and Krystyne continue their journey to Bazaruto, which is the complete opposite of Ilha de Mocambique. Bazaruto is an expensive island resort that has a reputation for being a playground for the rich and priviledged. Scott and Krystyne stay on Bazaruto for a night, then continue on to South Africa the next day.

This section shows the gigantic gap between the rich and the poor in Africa. Most Africans are forced to survive on a day-to-day basis, living in abject poverty. On the other hand, there is a fraction of the population of Africa that live in luxurious surroundings, usually at the expense of the grossly underpaid masses. Scott presents an interesting perspective regarding the large class gap in Africa. While walking on the beach with Krystyne, Scott is treated with a view of both mainland Africa and the Bazaruto resort. This is how he describes the view, "Below, we could see the two sides of Africa: the cooking fires of the African village flickering and the electric lights of the Bazaruto Island Resort, side by side each with its human cargo of dreams, each untouched by the other's humanity." Until this financial and social gap is corrected, Africa will never be able to become a stable continent.