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guppiecatThis is a review of an audiobook version of Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard. It is also a rant about imperialism and cultural blindness. It is also a set of photos from the Winnipeg Zoo.
Sometimes life is like that.
Let me start by saying that I am fairly well educated, but my educational background in History is somewhat lacking. This is not unusual for an American, even an American who went to a liberal arts school. So a book about a period of history in which I am weak is particularly interesting. Into Africa got high reviews when I checked it out, so when I needed an audio book, I picked it up. I expected an interesting adventure story. What I got was a perfect illustration of how modern historians are still completely blinded by the racism of the past.
Which sucks, so here's a froggie.
Australian Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
See, the stories I had heard and read when I was younger discussed the Stanley and Livingstone story as a story about two men who braved the wilds of Africa in the interest of scientific exploration and fame, journeying alone into the heart of Africa. This is true so long as you ignore the fact that the "wilds of Africa" consisted of a whole bunch of African villages, kingdoms and Arabian traders. In one sense, Livingstone journeyed into the jungle alone... in the sense that he was the only white dude. In this sense, the word "alone" comes to mean "completely by himself and about forty other guys who are hardly mentioned at all because they were black."
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) - This owl is suspicious as to that method of counting.
Livingstone is touted as this wonderful explorer who went in search of the source of the Nile. The deeper story is that he was broke and needed to make a big splash of fame to make enough money to retire upon. He was sponsored by Britain to do this for the good of the empire, which at that time meant that if he found the source of the Nile and Britain claimed it, they could expand the empire all the way down the Nile and control the economics of the entire region. So it wasn't entirely scientific in nature. However, in context with other empires which were trying to control the region through slavery, the British facade of controling trade through exploration and science seems a lot better. Of course, it would better if they just had just left the people alone.
Ivory-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus azara) - This Aracari thinks that humans in general tend to get too involved in the business of others
Stanley, on the other hand, was a horrible screwup who wound working in newspapers because he failed at everything else. He was a driven and truly admirable man if you ignore his acceptance of selling young boys into sexual slavery... and then trying to murder the buyer to get enough money to continue his journey. Oh, he also helped to lead a losing war against an African king who wanted to kick the slave trading Arabs out of his kingdom. But really, what true explorer doesn't engage in a bit of pedophilia and warmongering now and then?
New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) - This gecko suspects, correctly, that I was being sarcastic there.
So anyway, time passes and we learn that Livingstone has significant health issues and winds up living alone, facing starvation in the middle of Africa... where "alone", of course means, near a market where well over ten thousand native traders come and where "facing starvation" means having to accept dining invitations from various rich people who want to hang out with another rich well-educated individual. Oh, and he had a house to live in. Like, a true, real house, providing shelter from the weather.
Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Just like this peacock
Stanley, at this time, isn't blazing a trail into the jungle in the hopes of finding Livingstone. No, he's slowly moving from major city to major city, pausing for many weeks in each. He is horribly abusive to his native porters because apparently if you give someone some wire and cloth, you get to do whatever you like to them. To his few European friends, he is much kinder though (spoiler alert), they don't survive. (Not much of a spoiler, really, as everyone involved is dead by now.) He winds up doing some quite interesting negotiations with the native kings, where "negotiation", of course means nearly choking one warrior to death while whipping him and then avoiding high taxes of the other kings by sneaking around. Simultaneously, in his journals, he extols the beauty of the land and the health of the people while claiming to detest his own friends.
This cat suspects a moral failing somewhere.
Throughout this all, the book discusses the great moral character of Livingstone, his piety and religion were apparently excellent. Except of course for all the African women with which he slept... at one point claiming to have had as many wives as Solomon. He was, of course, completely faithful to his wife because apparently African women aren't people in the eyes of god. Evidence of a young African boy with suspiciously light skin who accompanied Livingstone on his journeys has been careful eradicated from the historical record, so odds are that he didn't exist either.
The sexual proclivities of plants are better because they just make you sneeze, not retch.
So anyway, the two men meet up at least, with Stanley's rescue caravan full of individuals who probably had names but, for the most part, are not mentioned because they apparently weren't people. Livingstone then gets a second rescue caravan that was delayed because of a bunch of self serving bureaucrats along the route prevented it from moving along... and, really, they had no idea where to go. Africa, at that time, being a completely desolate wilderness filled with nothing but hundreds of thousands of native Africans who were telling stories about the weird white explorer who was wandering around.
Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) - That's a whole lot more people than these geese.
Once Livingstone is fully provisioned, the man who has lost his teeth, almost died several times due to tropical illness and disease heads back into the jungle to find the source of the Nile. 'cause apparently failure is worse than death. After he died, his body was preserved by the natives in his caravan. Upon returning to the port to return the body (minus the heart, which was buried, where it belonged, in Africa) to England, these people who had kept England's hero alive for years were promptly paid and then utterly ignored. The body, when observed by an English surgeon was apparently remarkably well cared for. It's almost like the people who lived in Africa were actually intelligent.
Rueppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) - This vulture thinks this is the best part of the story.
Stanley, in turn, rushed back to the United States to publish his articles and claim his fame and fortune. Because, really, this story which involved massive amounts of illness and death, a total failure to actually find the source of the Nile or, with one exception, advance the empire sure sold a lot of newspapers. Stanley rode his fame to a position of helping with additional colonization and managed to boost the slavery in the region to never before seen proportions.
Peahens do not approve of colonization that involves the abuse of native peoples.
In the end, this is a story of two intensely arrogant and rich men lording it over others and being alternatively helped and hampered by other arrogant and rich men. It's a great story if you like stories in which you don't like any of the characters... except the two people who showed any humanity at all. Livingstone's followers who decided, after spending years with this man, that his heart should be buried where it was most at home... in Africa.
Their names were Susi and Chuma. This should have been their story... but it wasn't.
Sometimes life is like that.
Let me start by saying that I am fairly well educated, but my educational background in History is somewhat lacking. This is not unusual for an American, even an American who went to a liberal arts school. So a book about a period of history in which I am weak is particularly interesting. Into Africa got high reviews when I checked it out, so when I needed an audio book, I picked it up. I expected an interesting adventure story. What I got was a perfect illustration of how modern historians are still completely blinded by the racism of the past.
Which sucks, so here's a froggie.
Australian Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
See, the stories I had heard and read when I was younger discussed the Stanley and Livingstone story as a story about two men who braved the wilds of Africa in the interest of scientific exploration and fame, journeying alone into the heart of Africa. This is true so long as you ignore the fact that the "wilds of Africa" consisted of a whole bunch of African villages, kingdoms and Arabian traders. In one sense, Livingstone journeyed into the jungle alone... in the sense that he was the only white dude. In this sense, the word "alone" comes to mean "completely by himself and about forty other guys who are hardly mentioned at all because they were black."
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) - This owl is suspicious as to that method of counting.
Livingstone is touted as this wonderful explorer who went in search of the source of the Nile. The deeper story is that he was broke and needed to make a big splash of fame to make enough money to retire upon. He was sponsored by Britain to do this for the good of the empire, which at that time meant that if he found the source of the Nile and Britain claimed it, they could expand the empire all the way down the Nile and control the economics of the entire region. So it wasn't entirely scientific in nature. However, in context with other empires which were trying to control the region through slavery, the British facade of controling trade through exploration and science seems a lot better. Of course, it would better if they just had just left the people alone.
Ivory-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus azara) - This Aracari thinks that humans in general tend to get too involved in the business of others
Stanley, on the other hand, was a horrible screwup who wound working in newspapers because he failed at everything else. He was a driven and truly admirable man if you ignore his acceptance of selling young boys into sexual slavery... and then trying to murder the buyer to get enough money to continue his journey. Oh, he also helped to lead a losing war against an African king who wanted to kick the slave trading Arabs out of his kingdom. But really, what true explorer doesn't engage in a bit of pedophilia and warmongering now and then?
New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) - This gecko suspects, correctly, that I was being sarcastic there.
So anyway, time passes and we learn that Livingstone has significant health issues and winds up living alone, facing starvation in the middle of Africa... where "alone", of course means, near a market where well over ten thousand native traders come and where "facing starvation" means having to accept dining invitations from various rich people who want to hang out with another rich well-educated individual. Oh, and he had a house to live in. Like, a true, real house, providing shelter from the weather.
Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Just like this peacock
Stanley, at this time, isn't blazing a trail into the jungle in the hopes of finding Livingstone. No, he's slowly moving from major city to major city, pausing for many weeks in each. He is horribly abusive to his native porters because apparently if you give someone some wire and cloth, you get to do whatever you like to them. To his few European friends, he is much kinder though (spoiler alert), they don't survive. (Not much of a spoiler, really, as everyone involved is dead by now.) He winds up doing some quite interesting negotiations with the native kings, where "negotiation", of course means nearly choking one warrior to death while whipping him and then avoiding high taxes of the other kings by sneaking around. Simultaneously, in his journals, he extols the beauty of the land and the health of the people while claiming to detest his own friends.
This cat suspects a moral failing somewhere.
Throughout this all, the book discusses the great moral character of Livingstone, his piety and religion were apparently excellent. Except of course for all the African women with which he slept... at one point claiming to have had as many wives as Solomon. He was, of course, completely faithful to his wife because apparently African women aren't people in the eyes of god. Evidence of a young African boy with suspiciously light skin who accompanied Livingstone on his journeys has been careful eradicated from the historical record, so odds are that he didn't exist either.
The sexual proclivities of plants are better because they just make you sneeze, not retch.
So anyway, the two men meet up at least, with Stanley's rescue caravan full of individuals who probably had names but, for the most part, are not mentioned because they apparently weren't people. Livingstone then gets a second rescue caravan that was delayed because of a bunch of self serving bureaucrats along the route prevented it from moving along... and, really, they had no idea where to go. Africa, at that time, being a completely desolate wilderness filled with nothing but hundreds of thousands of native Africans who were telling stories about the weird white explorer who was wandering around.
Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) - That's a whole lot more people than these geese.
Once Livingstone is fully provisioned, the man who has lost his teeth, almost died several times due to tropical illness and disease heads back into the jungle to find the source of the Nile. 'cause apparently failure is worse than death. After he died, his body was preserved by the natives in his caravan. Upon returning to the port to return the body (minus the heart, which was buried, where it belonged, in Africa) to England, these people who had kept England's hero alive for years were promptly paid and then utterly ignored. The body, when observed by an English surgeon was apparently remarkably well cared for. It's almost like the people who lived in Africa were actually intelligent.
Rueppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) - This vulture thinks this is the best part of the story.
Stanley, in turn, rushed back to the United States to publish his articles and claim his fame and fortune. Because, really, this story which involved massive amounts of illness and death, a total failure to actually find the source of the Nile or, with one exception, advance the empire sure sold a lot of newspapers. Stanley rode his fame to a position of helping with additional colonization and managed to boost the slavery in the region to never before seen proportions.
Peahens do not approve of colonization that involves the abuse of native peoples.
In the end, this is a story of two intensely arrogant and rich men lording it over others and being alternatively helped and hampered by other arrogant and rich men. It's a great story if you like stories in which you don't like any of the characters... except the two people who showed any humanity at all. Livingstone's followers who decided, after spending years with this man, that his heart should be buried where it was most at home... in Africa.
Their names were Susi and Chuma. This should have been their story... but it wasn't.
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no subject
Date: 2013-05-29 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-29 11:01 pm (UTC)You have spoiled me for all other audio-book reviews. No animal commentary, I'm not reading 'em.
Also, the clarity of the picture of the frog is amazing.
P.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-29 11:41 pm (UTC)Outstanding review of a book detailing a set of revolting "adventures" while lacking the perspective to, um, put them in a morally supportable perspective.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-30 04:38 am (UTC)