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the way to ilala
An account of David Livingstone's travels in East and Central Africa in mid1800s with some photos and several fold-out maps
335 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2021
This was an incredible story. No fiction action\adventure story could compare to the real life adventures of Dr. Livingston and his explorations into the heart of Africa.
Dr. David Livingston was a British explorer and missionary who developed a strong heart for the tribes of Africa and made it his life's work to bring them to the Gospel and end the deplorable slave trade that was still continuing throughout Africa at the hands of Arab slave traders and competing African tribes.
This sharply contrasts with the biographies of Sir Richard Burton who sided with the Arab slavers and embraced a "might makes right" philosophy and no record exists that he explored anything except for the magnifying of his own ego
Livingston outdid Burton and other explorers with his discoveries and maps of interior Africa. He was fascinated with the interior and spent his life creating maps of the unexplored parts of the Congo and Central Africa. He wanted to create highways and outposts for European civilization to permeate and end the barbaric practices of these isolated tribes who spent their lives warring, enslaving and eating each other.
Yes, eating each other. These tribes knew nothing but to fight each other. The winners enslaved the losing tribe. They sold men, women, and children to Arab slavers and kept the rest for themselves to use as slaves and also to eat.
There are frightening descriptions of Livingston and companions, walking through tribal villages and seeing human arms and legs lying about with gnaw marks made by human teeth.
Today it is fashionable to pour on the White Guilt, i.e. "white supremacist imperialist, exploiting and oppressing the poor African Tribal people."
And there is no argument that England and Germany at the time were vying with each other to stake their claims in Africa because of the rich resources by which they hoped to enrich their countries.
But to pretend that the tribes of Africa were living sweet, peaceable lives until the Big Bad Europeans came is ignorant. If anything, the warring and cannibalism greatly diminished due to European influence, altruistic or not.
Frank Debenham wrote his biography and record of Livingston's travels shortly after the missionary's death, so he was able to record interviews with many European and tribal people who personally knew Livingston.
His book reads like an exciting adventure account and I found his book both informative and enjoyable.
Dr. David Livingston was a British explorer and missionary who developed a strong heart for the tribes of Africa and made it his life's work to bring them to the Gospel and end the deplorable slave trade that was still continuing throughout Africa at the hands of Arab slave traders and competing African tribes.
This sharply contrasts with the biographies of Sir Richard Burton who sided with the Arab slavers and embraced a "might makes right" philosophy and no record exists that he explored anything except for the magnifying of his own ego
Livingston outdid Burton and other explorers with his discoveries and maps of interior Africa. He was fascinated with the interior and spent his life creating maps of the unexplored parts of the Congo and Central Africa. He wanted to create highways and outposts for European civilization to permeate and end the barbaric practices of these isolated tribes who spent their lives warring, enslaving and eating each other.
Yes, eating each other. These tribes knew nothing but to fight each other. The winners enslaved the losing tribe. They sold men, women, and children to Arab slavers and kept the rest for themselves to use as slaves and also to eat.
There are frightening descriptions of Livingston and companions, walking through tribal villages and seeing human arms and legs lying about with gnaw marks made by human teeth.
Today it is fashionable to pour on the White Guilt, i.e. "white supremacist imperialist, exploiting and oppressing the poor African Tribal people."
And there is no argument that England and Germany at the time were vying with each other to stake their claims in Africa because of the rich resources by which they hoped to enrich their countries.
But to pretend that the tribes of Africa were living sweet, peaceable lives until the Big Bad Europeans came is ignorant. If anything, the warring and cannibalism greatly diminished due to European influence, altruistic or not.
Frank Debenham wrote his biography and record of Livingston's travels shortly after the missionary's death, so he was able to record interviews with many European and tribal people who personally knew Livingston.
His book reads like an exciting adventure account and I found his book both informative and enjoyable.
April 14, 2015
still reading, still thinking, still caught in memories of my own time in Malawi and seeing a lot of the places described here!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews