Paul Theroux & The Bread Van Affair
In 1964 Paul Theroux, an outspoken, American, Peace Corps Volunteer in Nyasaland, was declared persona non grata by Dr. Hastings Banda for supporting Yatuta, who was accused of attempting to overthrow the government. Theroux delivered a letter from an exiled opposition leader, David Rubadiri, to Chisiza in Tanzania. He also carried a coded messages from Chisiza to a “Greek fellow” in Blantyre. According to an account by Theroux in Esquire Magazine, when Theroux delivered the message on October 16 to the Greek baker, who was en route to delivering his bread to Ntcheu, the baker “trembled and went pale".” : guessed the Greek baker had been caught, interrogated by the Malawi Criminal Investigation Department about bread van”, and exposed Yatutas whearabouts and Theroux's involvement. Banda told the American ambassador that he had proof Theroux was plotting to kill him, and demanded the volunteer be sent home. He found out later that in his final day, instead of finding bread waiting in a van, Chisiza found Malawi soldiers, who ambushed and killed the revolutionary gunman from Tanzania where he was plotting against Banda. Paul Theroux was thrown out of the Peace Corp for his role in Malawi and is now a renowned novelist.
Read more about this topic: Yatuta Chisiza
Famous quotes containing the words paul theroux, paul, theroux, bread, van and/or affair:
““Mustn’t grumble” was the most English of expressions. English patience was mingled inertia and despair. What was the use? But Americans did nothing but grumble! Americans also boasted. “I do some pretty incredible things” was not an English expression. “I’m fairly keen” was not American. Americans were showoffs—it was part of our innocence—we often fell on our faces; the English seldom showed off, so they seldom looked like fools.”
—Paul Theroux (b. 1941)
“Be not afraid!”
—John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla] (b. 1920)
“Where there is no style, there is in effect no point of view. There is, essentially, no anger, no conviction, no self. Style is opinion, hung washing, the calibre of a bullet, teething beads.... One’s style holds one, thankfully, at bay from the enemies of it but not from the stupid crucifixions by those who must willfully misunderstand it.”
—Alexander Theroux (b. 1940)
“Union ... brothers ... Marx ... capital ... bread and butter ... love. It was all Greek to me.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)
“On the farm I had learned how to meet realities without suffering either mentally or physically. My initiative had never been blunted. I had freedom to succeed—freedom to fail. Life on the farm produces a kind of toughness.”
—Bertha Van Hoosen (1863–1952)
“What a day-to-day affair life is.”
—Jules Laforgue (1860–1887)