Freund, Maurice
Biography
Born in Alsace in 1943, Maurice Freund "invented" charter flights in France, when it was still subjected to Air France’s monopoly: in the late 60’s, he founded Point Mulhouse, a cooperative for penniless tourists and immigrant workers. But with 800,000 passengers a year, he attracted the ire of officialdom, and by 1988, Point Mulhouse declared bankruptcy. After managing Air Mali for a while, he decided to found Point-Afrique. By reinvesting all the profits in sustainable local development, he proved that, like fair trade, fair tourism is possible. He now lives in the woods in the Ardèche region, near his soul-brother, Pierre Rabhi.
