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The Congo and the Cameroons
Contemptuous of Europe's 'civilising mission' in Africa, Mary Kingsley's (1862-1900) extraordinary journeys through tropical west Africa are a remarkable record, both of a world which has vanished and of a writer and explorer of immense bravery, wit and humanity. Paddling through mangrove swamps, fending off crocodiles, climbing Mount Cameroon, Kingsley is both admirable and funny.
114 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
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272 people want to read
About the author
Mary H. Kingsley
24 books23 followersMary Henrietta Kingsley was born in Islington, London on 13 October 1862, the daughter and oldest child of doctor, traveler, and writer George Kingsley and Mary Bailey.
Kingsley wrote two books about her experiences: Travels in West Africa (1897), which was an immediate best-seller, and West African Studies (1899), both of which granted her vast respect and prestige within the scholarly community. Some newspapers, however, refused to publish reviews of her works, such as the Times colonial editor Flora Shaw. Though some argue this is likely on the grounds that her beliefs countered the imperialistic intentions of the British Empire and the notion that Africans were inferior peoples, this is not entirely true, as she did support British traders and British indirect rule in Africa, and thus cannot entirely explain her sometimes unfavorable reception.
During the Second Boer War, Kingsley travelled to Cape Town and volunteered as a nurse. She was stationed at Simon's Town hospital, where she treated Boer prisoners of war. After contributing her services to the ill for about two months, she developed symptoms of typhoid and died on 3 June 1900. In accordance with her wishes, she was buried at sea.
Kingsley wrote two books about her experiences: Travels in West Africa (1897), which was an immediate best-seller, and West African Studies (1899), both of which granted her vast respect and prestige within the scholarly community. Some newspapers, however, refused to publish reviews of her works, such as the Times colonial editor Flora Shaw. Though some argue this is likely on the grounds that her beliefs countered the imperialistic intentions of the British Empire and the notion that Africans were inferior peoples, this is not entirely true, as she did support British traders and British indirect rule in Africa, and thus cannot entirely explain her sometimes unfavorable reception.
During the Second Boer War, Kingsley travelled to Cape Town and volunteered as a nurse. She was stationed at Simon's Town hospital, where she treated Boer prisoners of war. After contributing her services to the ill for about two months, she developed symptoms of typhoid and died on 3 June 1900. In accordance with her wishes, she was buried at sea.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 6, 2015
This is a great little excerpt book. Kingsley is a fascinating woman, well ahead of her time, and she writes very entertainingly. It is hard to believe the original book was published in 1897.
The book covers her travels through modern Gabon and her ascent of Mt Cameroon.
There is some wonderful writing with this book.
The rocks are covered with moss and ferns, and the mist curling and wandering about among the stems is very lovely. I have to pause in life's pleasures because I want to measure one of the large earthworms, which, with smaller sealing-wax-red worms, are crawling about. He was eleven inches and three quarters. He detained me some time getting this information, because he was so nervous during this operation. P50.
My men shouted to me above the roar that it was a 'bad place'. They never give me half the credit I deserve for seeing danger, and they said "Water all go for hole down there, we fit to go too suppose we fall.' 'Don't fall,' I yelled which was the only good advice I could think of to give them just then. P112.
The book covers her travels through modern Gabon and her ascent of Mt Cameroon.
There is some wonderful writing with this book.
The rocks are covered with moss and ferns, and the mist curling and wandering about among the stems is very lovely. I have to pause in life's pleasures because I want to measure one of the large earthworms, which, with smaller sealing-wax-red worms, are crawling about. He was eleven inches and three quarters. He detained me some time getting this information, because he was so nervous during this operation. P50.
My men shouted to me above the roar that it was a 'bad place'. They never give me half the credit I deserve for seeing danger, and they said "Water all go for hole down there, we fit to go too suppose we fall.' 'Don't fall,' I yelled which was the only good advice I could think of to give them just then. P112.
June 4, 2016
Suuuper colonial Africa. Mary Kingsley is hilarious, and her observations about the nature around her are fascinating. Only three stars because as can be expected from Victorian Colonial literature, there's a lot of racism about the people hauling her supplies up a mountain. As I said, entirely expected, but not something I want to read.
June 14, 2023
more nature yay
March 23, 2019
The Congo and the Cameroons contains excerpts from Mary Kingsley's memoir Travels in West Africa, published in 1897. The first two sections cover some observations and anecdotes about West African flora and fauna, while the last two-thirds of the book follow Mary's climbing of Mount Cameroon.
Mary - like her fellow solo traveler Isabella Bird - was a tough cookie. She was only about 33 years old when she decided to become "the third Englishman to ascend the Peak [of Mount Cameroon] and the first to have ascended it from the southeast face" (p. 33–34). With her trusty umbrella, some German camping gear, and a small group of native assistants, she set off into the jungle. Surviving rain, mud, tornadoes, and a range of minor accidents, Mary was determined nothing, even her own moments of discouragement, would keep her from achieving her mission.
Apart from bravely facing the elements and all kinds of creepy-crawlies, Mary was also quite a character. She writes much in the style of a male British officer of the day, referring to her assistants as "the men" or "my boys." Natives and Germans alike feature heavily in her jokes, so it is hard to tell whether she was racially prejudiced, misandrist, or simply impatient with anyone less committed to her goal than herself. Either way, I really didn't care for her sense of humor.
While I may not read the full memoir, I'll probably seek out a biography on Mary Kingsley, because it sounds like she had a very interesting life. (I was particularly interested to learn on Wikipedia that she met Mary Slessor, a missionary whose story fascinated me as a child.) Sadly, she died when she was only 37, serving as a volunteer nurse in the Second Boer War. I can imagine how many more adventures she would have gone on had she lived a longer life, but it's amazing what she accomplished in the years she had.
Mary - like her fellow solo traveler Isabella Bird - was a tough cookie. She was only about 33 years old when she decided to become "the third Englishman to ascend the Peak [of Mount Cameroon] and the first to have ascended it from the southeast face" (p. 33–34). With her trusty umbrella, some German camping gear, and a small group of native assistants, she set off into the jungle. Surviving rain, mud, tornadoes, and a range of minor accidents, Mary was determined nothing, even her own moments of discouragement, would keep her from achieving her mission.
Apart from bravely facing the elements and all kinds of creepy-crawlies, Mary was also quite a character. She writes much in the style of a male British officer of the day, referring to her assistants as "the men" or "my boys." Natives and Germans alike feature heavily in her jokes, so it is hard to tell whether she was racially prejudiced, misandrist, or simply impatient with anyone less committed to her goal than herself. Either way, I really didn't care for her sense of humor.
While I may not read the full memoir, I'll probably seek out a biography on Mary Kingsley, because it sounds like she had a very interesting life. (I was particularly interested to learn on Wikipedia that she met Mary Slessor, a missionary whose story fascinated me as a child.) Sadly, she died when she was only 37, serving as a volunteer nurse in the Second Boer War. I can imagine how many more adventures she would have gone on had she lived a longer life, but it's amazing what she accomplished in the years she had.
April 22, 2021
This is a lovely little book. Mary Kingsley has the sort of writing style that makes you feel as though she's just right there talking to you, telling you the story. She can be quite funny, although on occasion it's at the expense of those around her, mostly the Africans. The book is written with that good old Colonial superiority that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It is definitely a book of it's times, which I say not suggesting that somehow racism was okay back in the old days because it was the old days, but more that I believe had people been able to be more educated and enlightened back then, they would have maybe made different choices or thought differently. People believe what they're taught if it comes from somebody they trust. And most people trusted their fathers, husbands, brothers, who all just happened to have a financial stake in what happened in undeveloped countries like the ones in Africa. Somehow, undeveloped equated to undeserving.
HAVING SAID ALL THAT, the majority of this book is not Mary insulting "her boys" it's mostly a wonderful description of the Congo and the Cameroons, that she very clearly loved and admired. I could not imagine taking the trek she took with the supplies she had. Heck, even with cell phones and google maps and modern equipment and industrial bug spray, I cannot imagine making this trip. A very brave and determined woman. She must have given hours of enjoyment to young girls back home in England, who gazed out upon the stars and wished they could travel to exotic places, too.
So, the obvious systemic race issues aside, Mary is a delight to read in that very sing-songy Victorian British way. I actually did thoroughly enjoy the book.
HAVING SAID ALL THAT, the majority of this book is not Mary insulting "her boys" it's mostly a wonderful description of the Congo and the Cameroons, that she very clearly loved and admired. I could not imagine taking the trek she took with the supplies she had. Heck, even with cell phones and google maps and modern equipment and industrial bug spray, I cannot imagine making this trip. A very brave and determined woman. She must have given hours of enjoyment to young girls back home in England, who gazed out upon the stars and wished they could travel to exotic places, too.
So, the obvious systemic race issues aside, Mary is a delight to read in that very sing-songy Victorian British way. I actually did thoroughly enjoy the book.
April 28, 2020
This book is the bain of my existence! Soooo boring! I don't require a lot of action, in a book, but I require some action and a plot, not a hoytty-toytty, racist english women describing her trip to the Nigerian jungle. I only read this the check off a promo on my popular list.
Read
August 31, 2019as far as books by wild racists go, this was alright as far as travelogues go
August 20, 2022
A book of its time. Miss Kingsley was an intrepid courageous woman, who withstood many physical duscomforts and challenges. Amazing.
December 22, 2019
Mary’s a funny lady.
March 6, 2017
Lovely book with beautiful language and such picturesque descriptions! I imagine Tolkien read this book and took her description of the Cameroon mountain for his land of Mirkwood.
February 22, 2015
Kingsley is an author I had not previously heard of and the brief introduction to this volume was not particularly enlightening. As for the text itself, like others in the Great Journeys series it consists of short excerpts from books by the author.
Kingsley's archaic and ponderous prose style takes some getting used to for a modern reader, but the book does benefit from her witty descriptions and amusing anecdotes concerning her travels in Africa. Her gift for light comedy comes across clearly, though it is interesting for a modern audience how she characterises Africans as childlike buffoons. Apparently she travelled to Africa as an anthropologist and was sympathetic to local customs to some degree, but also subscribed to some aspects of the notion of the 'civilising mission' of Colonialism. It could be the case that these excerpts do not give the full picture of the whole works they are taken from but without the benefit of detailed notes on this in the book, it is impossible to tell if this is the case or not.
Quite enjoyable to read though not the greatest in the series, it is worth a look if you are interested in aspects of colonial Africa in the 19th century. A more detailed introduction and the addition of footnotes would have made for a superior production.
Kingsley's archaic and ponderous prose style takes some getting used to for a modern reader, but the book does benefit from her witty descriptions and amusing anecdotes concerning her travels in Africa. Her gift for light comedy comes across clearly, though it is interesting for a modern audience how she characterises Africans as childlike buffoons. Apparently she travelled to Africa as an anthropologist and was sympathetic to local customs to some degree, but also subscribed to some aspects of the notion of the 'civilising mission' of Colonialism. It could be the case that these excerpts do not give the full picture of the whole works they are taken from but without the benefit of detailed notes on this in the book, it is impossible to tell if this is the case or not.
Quite enjoyable to read though not the greatest in the series, it is worth a look if you are interested in aspects of colonial Africa in the 19th century. A more detailed introduction and the addition of footnotes would have made for a superior production.
January 12, 2013
2010 bookcrossing review:
These aren't the longest of reads =). This one was pretty interesting, and a good read; very descriptive - I really got an image of the African mountains and mangroves in my mind from this little book.
This one is from the late 1800s, and from one of the few female adventurers in this collection. It's kind of amazing that this young woman went off travelling into Africa on her own and coped with it all. Impressive. There's a couple of short chapters in here, one about the mangroves along the west coast around the equator, and one about seeing elephants and gorillas. But the bulk of this book is about her hiking expedition up Mount Mungo in the Cameroons. The weather is tough, scorching sun or thrashing rain. There's one brief description which evokes how much she suffered from the sun, saying that her face is a pain, and like a mask, and everytime she moves it cracks and starts bleeding. A case of very bad sunburn.
The very brief biography at the start is interesting as well. It mentions that she made three trips to Africa, and ended up dying on the third, aged only 37.
These aren't the longest of reads =). This one was pretty interesting, and a good read; very descriptive - I really got an image of the African mountains and mangroves in my mind from this little book.
This one is from the late 1800s, and from one of the few female adventurers in this collection. It's kind of amazing that this young woman went off travelling into Africa on her own and coped with it all. Impressive. There's a couple of short chapters in here, one about the mangroves along the west coast around the equator, and one about seeing elephants and gorillas. But the bulk of this book is about her hiking expedition up Mount Mungo in the Cameroons. The weather is tough, scorching sun or thrashing rain. There's one brief description which evokes how much she suffered from the sun, saying that her face is a pain, and like a mask, and everytime she moves it cracks and starts bleeding. A case of very bad sunburn.
The very brief biography at the start is interesting as well. It mentions that she made three trips to Africa, and ended up dying on the third, aged only 37.
March 28, 2022
With all of the books paying homage to works that are much longer, all of the books in the Penguin series of Great Journeys {each around one hundred - one hundred and fifty pages} offer the reader a glimpse into a much longer, possibly daunting, text that they may well have never considered. I know a few of them even made me want to take a look at the book from which the abridged excerpt had been taken ... others, well, not so much.
Mary, a woman ahead of her times in many ways though as is probably to be expected she does hold some what we'd consider racist views. A 'tough cookie' who set off into the jungle with her trusty umbrella, some German camping gear, and a small group of native assistants, and seemingly quite the character; her 'jokes' often told at the expense of the 'natives' though to be fair the Germans also featured heavily in them, I thought The Congo & The Cameroons {taken from her 1897 memoir, Travels in West Africa} which covered her travels through modern Gabon and ascent of Mt Cameroon an entertaining and highly descriptive read of a place clearly loved and admired.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Mary, a woman ahead of her times in many ways though as is probably to be expected she does hold some what we'd consider racist views. A 'tough cookie' who set off into the jungle with her trusty umbrella, some German camping gear, and a small group of native assistants, and seemingly quite the character; her 'jokes' often told at the expense of the 'natives' though to be fair the Germans also featured heavily in them, I thought The Congo & The Cameroons {taken from her 1897 memoir, Travels in West Africa} which covered her travels through modern Gabon and ascent of Mt Cameroon an entertaining and highly descriptive read of a place clearly loved and admired.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
December 22, 2010
MHK was obviously a bit of a lass, roaming around West Africa in the years before 1900. This little book features her writing on the mangrove swamps typical of the final reaches of the great African rivers, describing an ecology based on death and decay, and the dangers of turning tides and being marooned in crocodile country.
Two thirds of the book deal with an ascent she made of Mount Cameroon at an unseasonable time of the year, gain a mist shrouded peak and become one of the first Europeans to have achieved that.
She is not particularly though when it comes to her dealings with the Africans who carry her equipment and strike camp for her. She writes of child-like buffoonery, with her boys falling asleep with their heads in the embers of cooking fires and their noisome arguments about shirts and trousers. This is only a selection from her larger book, but I don't expect that will provide any critical insights into life in the European colonies.
Two thirds of the book deal with an ascent she made of Mount Cameroon at an unseasonable time of the year, gain a mist shrouded peak and become one of the first Europeans to have achieved that.
She is not particularly though when it comes to her dealings with the Africans who carry her equipment and strike camp for her. She writes of child-like buffoonery, with her boys falling asleep with their heads in the embers of cooking fires and their noisome arguments about shirts and trousers. This is only a selection from her larger book, but I don't expect that will provide any critical insights into life in the European colonies.
March 20, 2014
Loved this short introduction to Mary Kingsley, she writes with such a modern voice and tone. Evocative description. Kingsley is feisty and funny and reading this made me want to read her work in full. I absolutely love penguin's great journeys series it has allowed me to sample the work of some wonderful historic travellers and the reading experience of these books is not just one of spatial travel but of time travel. An excellent series and this title is very definitely an excellent read.
May 5, 2017
This is part of a set of 20 books. Most of them are abridged.
Good as an introduction
Good as an introduction
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews