not a tourist
Author's claim to be a traveler, not a tourist, is well justified. He mostly lives poor and sticks to public transportation, both of which bring him in touch with ordinary folks that he manages to engage in interesting conversation and genuinely likes. His lifestyle in Africa is made easier by the knowledge that he'll be going home at the end of the trip, but he has the good grace to admit that. He also seems to have done his homework for the most part (I'm not an expert, but did note a few glitches; e.g., Victoria is not one of those deep, crack-in-the-earth lakes.) And just remember that you can't get a comprehensive picture of Africa from a series of anecdotes on one particular path. There are other books for that.