East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and Into Zaire

by Helen Winternitz

Book Overview

Helen Winternitz, a seasoned African traveler, persuaded fellow Baltimore Sun journalist Timothy Phelps to travel (the hard way) 2,000 miles up the Congo River and through some of the most remote and breathtaking regions of the world. In this brilliant mix of political journalism and travel writing they witness what few Westerners have: life in the ecologically rich though financially impoverished American-backed dictatorship of Zaire, the former...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871131625
• ISBN13: 9780871131621
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent story of travel to Heart of Moubutu's Zaire

"East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and into Zaire" is an excellent account of a journey across Central Africa (in what was then Zaire) in the early 1980s. Winternitz and her companion traveled by river barge along the entire navigable portion of the Congo river, from Kinshasa to Kisangani. The Congo river barges are legendary among 'extreme' travelers. The end of Belgian colonization of the Congo meant the end of roads, making the river the only practical way to travel between Kinshasa and Kisangani. These river barges are (were?) floating villages, complete with markets and nightclubs populated by traders who make their livelihood onboard, as well as travelers going from place to place. From Kisangani the journey continues overland, to an eventual return to Kinshasa by air. In Kinshasa the pair are arrested and interrogated by the secret police after interviewing a politician opposed to president Moubutu. Winternitz gives an even-handed and interesting account of the journey, along with relevant history and background information. The book contains a good bibliography. This book was journalism when it was first published, and it is still worth reading today, as a document of the Congo under Moubutu.

Excellent account of Travel in Zaire

"East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and into Zaire" is an excellent account of a journey across Central Africa (in what was then Zaire) in the early 1980s. Winternitz and her companion traveled by river barge along the entire navigable portion of the Congo river, from Kinshasa to Kisangani. The Congo river barges are legendary among 'extreme' travelers. The end of Belgian colonization of the Congo meant the end of roads, making the river the only practical way to travel between Kinshasa and Kisangani. These river barges are (were?) floating villages, complete with markets and nightclubs populated by traders who make their livelihood onboard, as well as travelers going from place to place. From Kisangani the journey continues overland, to an eventual return to Kinshasa by air. In Kinshasa the pair are arrested and interrogated by the secret police after interviewing a politician opposed to president Moubutu. Winternitz gives an even-handed and interesting account of the journey, along with relevant history and background information. The book contains a good bibliography. This book was journalism when it was first published, and it is still worth reading today, as a document of the Congo under Moubutu.

Simply, A Great Book

This book is a rarity. I have read histories of Africa and I've read travelogues set in Africa and on other continents. But never have I read such a readable and illuminating mix of the two. If you're interested in Africa, read this book. If you like fine writing, get this book.

Great Travel Writing

It has been many years since I read this book, but I was very glad to see it is still in print. It is entertaining and well-written, and gives insights into travel (and life)in Africa that I have not seen elsewhere.

A fabulous adventure - don't miss it!

I'm delighted to see this book available as I thought it was long out of print. This is among the most astounding adventure travels that I have ever read. Although it's been years since I read it, many of her experiences remain vivid in my memory.