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Viajes y exploraciones en el Africa del sur
Nunca hubiera imaginado el joven médico escocés David Livingstone cuando en 1840 se embarcó hacia África del Sur para enseñar el evangelio en aquellas colonias, que se iba a convertir en uno de los exploradores más admirados de nuestra civilización. Sus diecisiete primeros años en África se condensan en esta maravillosa obra, donde narra su época evangelizadora en las colonias y su posterior incursión hacia el norte. Cruza el desierto del Kalahari con su familia, y tras decidir enviarla a Gran Bretaña, se interna durante cuatro años en las regiones inexploradas de Zambia, recorriendo el continente de Angola a Mozambique y descubriendo las cataratas Victoria. Se narran aquí sus observaciones y sus aventuras, pero sobre todo su convivencia con tribus que nunca antes habían visto a un hombre blanco, pero a los que éste considera sus hermanos.
789 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1857
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388 people want to read
About the author
David Livingstone
429 books53 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
David Livingstone was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th-century Victorian era. He had a mythical status that operated on a number of interconnected levels: Protestant missionary martyr, working-class "rags-to-riches" inspirational story, scientific investigator and explorer, imperial reformer, anti-slavery crusader, and advocate of commercial and colonial expansion.
His fame as an explorer and his obsession with learning the sources of the Nile River was founded on the belief that if he could solve that age-old mystery, his fame would give him the influence to end the East African Arab-Swahili slave trade. "The Nile sources," he told a friend, "are valuable only as a means of opening my mouth with power among men. It is this power which I hope to remedy an immense evil." His subsequent exploration of the central African watershed was the culmination of the classic period of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of Africa. At the same time, his missionary travels, "disappearance", and eventual death in Africa—and subsequent glorification as a posthumous national hero in 1874—led to the founding of several major central African Christian missionary initiatives carried forward in the era of the European "Scramble for Africa".
His meeting with Henry Morton Stanley on 10 November 1871 gave rise to the popular quotation "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
David Livingstone was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th-century Victorian era. He had a mythical status that operated on a number of interconnected levels: Protestant missionary martyr, working-class "rags-to-riches" inspirational story, scientific investigator and explorer, imperial reformer, anti-slavery crusader, and advocate of commercial and colonial expansion.
His fame as an explorer and his obsession with learning the sources of the Nile River was founded on the belief that if he could solve that age-old mystery, his fame would give him the influence to end the East African Arab-Swahili slave trade. "The Nile sources," he told a friend, "are valuable only as a means of opening my mouth with power among men. It is this power which I hope to remedy an immense evil." His subsequent exploration of the central African watershed was the culmination of the classic period of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of Africa. At the same time, his missionary travels, "disappearance", and eventual death in Africa—and subsequent glorification as a posthumous national hero in 1874—led to the founding of several major central African Christian missionary initiatives carried forward in the era of the European "Scramble for Africa".
His meeting with Henry Morton Stanley on 10 November 1871 gave rise to the popular quotation "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 6, 2020
Es tracta d'un llibre de viatge. Cal fer honor al cientifisme de Livingstone. Les seves observacions sempre precises, establint comparacions entre espècies, ressenyes d'altres científics en relació al que ell observava.
Per això des d'un punt de vista literari, a estones es pot fer pesat. Perquè no està pensat com a creació literària, sinó com a llibre d'anotacions de les observacions que feia.
Té interès però, perquè va ser el primer explorador que va traspassar d'un oceà a l'altre i descriu una Àfrica que jo que hi anat més decent anys més tard, ja no he trobat.
De Livingstone cal ressaltar l'exigència i el rigor del que observa, també el respecte per les tribus que visita tot i que sempre donant per establert la superioritat anglesa. Però el rigor que posa quan mira una planta també el posa quan observa un Cap, els costums d'una regió, com és rebut, els intercanvis que fan. Per això en certs aspectes, Livingstone va ser un precursor dels antropòlegs, ciència que llavors era tot just a les beceroles.
Per poder fer la seva exploració va passar moltes penalitats i privacions, però també és cert que quan va arribar a Londres va ser rebut amb tots els honors i distincions i aquesta sort no la van tenir molts altres exploradors del seu temps. Està enterrat a Westminster.
Per això des d'un punt de vista literari, a estones es pot fer pesat. Perquè no està pensat com a creació literària, sinó com a llibre d'anotacions de les observacions que feia.
Té interès però, perquè va ser el primer explorador que va traspassar d'un oceà a l'altre i descriu una Àfrica que jo que hi anat més decent anys més tard, ja no he trobat.
De Livingstone cal ressaltar l'exigència i el rigor del que observa, també el respecte per les tribus que visita tot i que sempre donant per establert la superioritat anglesa. Però el rigor que posa quan mira una planta també el posa quan observa un Cap, els costums d'una regió, com és rebut, els intercanvis que fan. Per això en certs aspectes, Livingstone va ser un precursor dels antropòlegs, ciència que llavors era tot just a les beceroles.
Per poder fer la seva exploració va passar moltes penalitats i privacions, però també és cert que quan va arribar a Londres va ser rebut amb tots els honors i distincions i aquesta sort no la van tenir molts altres exploradors del seu temps. Està enterrat a Westminster.
August 15, 2025
This was the my first time reading of the legendary book by David Livingstone (or anything written by him) and I really liked it, specially because I've been fortunate to travel deep through Southern Africa during the last decade and I can relate with many of the sensations and feelings he describes.
Please, you cannot forget that this journals have more than 150 years and the world was quite a different place... before starting to judge the way he writes about African tribes and culture (I concede, it's very condescending and paternalizing, but not particularly racist in my opinion) you have to remember how society worked back then and how important and really revolutionary Dr. Livingstone testimony was in order to start some awareness about the importance of respecting locals and the nature of a continent that Europe decided to dominate and rule with a strong fist, denying any rights to indigenous population and without any regret of the hideous crimes committed.
Please, you cannot forget that this journals have more than 150 years and the world was quite a different place... before starting to judge the way he writes about African tribes and culture (I concede, it's very condescending and paternalizing, but not particularly racist in my opinion) you have to remember how society worked back then and how important and really revolutionary Dr. Livingstone testimony was in order to start some awareness about the importance of respecting locals and the nature of a continent that Europe decided to dominate and rule with a strong fist, denying any rights to indigenous population and without any regret of the hideous crimes committed.
January 17, 2022
Lõuna-Aafrika on tänapäeval arvestatav rannapuhkuse sihtkoht. 19. sajandi keskpaiku, mil David Livingstone seal rändas, see muidugi nii ei olnud ja tema jaoks oli Lõuna-Aafrika muidugi ka oluliselt laiem mõiste. Palmi all tema ei peesitanud, vaid loksus tolleaegsete ainsate mõeldavate transpordivahenditega ehk härgade ja kanuude abil risti ja põiki mööda mandrit, seltsiks kohalikest suguharudest teejuhid. Minu jaoks oligi raamatu kõige huvitavam osa kohalike inimeste ja nende eluolu kirjeldamine, mis oli isegi rohkem psühholoogiline kui etnoloogiline. Muidugi oli aga Livingstone´i eesmärk ka geograafilised ja botaanilised avastused, mille kohta samuti raamatust lugeda saab. Hästi mõnus lugemine oli, lausa ootasin õhtuid, millal jälle selle raamatuga jätkata saab ja nii kahju oli, kui läbi sai.
February 21, 2018
I liked the places in the book when Mr. Livingstone told about people and animals; not so much when he discussed geography and science.
April 19, 2019
David Livingstone was a man born into adversity who worked hard and studied hard so that he could go to China. He learned medicine, science, and theology; and had a mind agile enough to communicate well across language barriers. He wasn’t able to go to China, but instead of staying in Britain and raising children to live in much greater ease from which he had grown up, he chose to go to Africa and live a very primitive life.
His time in Africa coincides with the slave trade running through that country (Africans selling fellow Africans to Portuguese and Arabs) as well as the Boers in South Africa taking advantage of any situation they could use to gain further power and footholds in the country. David Livingstone interacted with all parties to the best of his ability, but wished to find a way for the Africans to carry on legitimate trade (agricultural or the use of their natural resources) in order for their own advancement.
Most of the book describes journeying through Africa with several African natives, and the sights they saw, the interactions with humans, animals, insects, and weather. The author doesn’t dwell on himself so much as he describes his observations of his surroundings and brief information on how his fellow travelers and he obtained food and water. It seems he genuinely wanted to survey Africa south of the equator, he wanted to see if roads and transportation were feasible, and he wanted to walk the walk of a man with faith in God more than he wanted to stuff his religion down others’ throats. It would seem that our ability to read of his amazing adventure one hundred and fifty years afterwards bears testimony that his walk wasn’t in vain.
His time in Africa coincides with the slave trade running through that country (Africans selling fellow Africans to Portuguese and Arabs) as well as the Boers in South Africa taking advantage of any situation they could use to gain further power and footholds in the country. David Livingstone interacted with all parties to the best of his ability, but wished to find a way for the Africans to carry on legitimate trade (agricultural or the use of their natural resources) in order for their own advancement.
Most of the book describes journeying through Africa with several African natives, and the sights they saw, the interactions with humans, animals, insects, and weather. The author doesn’t dwell on himself so much as he describes his observations of his surroundings and brief information on how his fellow travelers and he obtained food and water. It seems he genuinely wanted to survey Africa south of the equator, he wanted to see if roads and transportation were feasible, and he wanted to walk the walk of a man with faith in God more than he wanted to stuff his religion down others’ throats. It would seem that our ability to read of his amazing adventure one hundred and fifty years afterwards bears testimony that his walk wasn’t in vain.
September 16, 2015
This journal of Livingston's travels in Africa has been most interesting. Although dry and a bit tedious in places, it has been a joy to read. The fact of walking in the steps of the great man has been a privilege. Plan to read more.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews