Martin Dugard's "Into Africa" offers a unique retelling of one of David Livingstone’s last expeditions through Africa. Fans of Chocolat and Apocalypse Now will appreciate this "emotionally empathetic" adaptation, as noted by Screencraft. The book delves into the untold story of Stanley and Livingston and the woman who played a pivotal role in their fame.
Henry Morton Stanley, whose journey is a central part of the book, faced many challenges in his search for Livingstone.
The Vanishing Explorer and a Desperate Plea
No one had heard from Janet Livingston’s brother in years. David Livingstone, the world-famous missionary and explorer, had captured the imagination of millions with his book about his travels through the Colonial British Empire, but then he simply vanished. When Janet received a cryptic message from Africa, along with a necklace their father gave him, she knew he was still alive and needed her help. However, a woman traveling alone to the farthest corners of the Empire was simply out of the question.
The Unlikely Alliance
Enter Henry Stanley, the over-confident American explorer. All too happy to make his mark by finding David Livingston, he was not about to let a woman slow him down. He’d lead the team, assuming Janet, who had never left her tiny Scottish town, would simply drop out before they even started.
Into Africa is the thrilling story of Janet Livingston, her epic clash with Henry Stanley, and her surprising relationship with their guide, Goma Foutou, amidst the brutal reality of a continent ravaged by the slave trade and European colonialism.
Read also: Flight into Egypt
David Livingstone, the missionary and explorer whose disappearance sparked the search.
A Journey Through Africa
The book starts with the Nile Duel, a debate between Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke. Speke had found a large lake that he named Lake Victoria. Although Speke did not circumnavigate Lake Victoria to completely prove his theory, he believed that it was the source of the Nile River. When Speke returned to camp and told Burton of the news, Burton wrote in his journal, “The fortunate discoverer’s conviction was strong, but his reasoning was weak.” (Dugard 25) The only proof Speke had was a map he had drawn based on the local populations opinions on Lake Victoria’s border.
The four month journey back to the coast was filled with arguments concerning Speke’s assumption. When Speke got back to Britain, he announced that he had found the source of the Nile River. When Burton got back a week later the disputes continued. Each explorer had their own public speeches defending their opinions for the next four years until the Royal Geographical Society set the date for the Nile Duel, September 16, 1864. On the morning of the debate, Roderick Murchison, the president of Royal Geographic Society, announced Speke dead.
10th November 1871: Henry Morton Stanley locates Dr David Livingstone
Historical Context and Themes
Dugard combines disease, danger, treachery, colonial politics, tribal warfare, wild animals, challenging terrain, racism, slavery, greed, love, courage, lust and even blind stupidity into a compelling and endlessly fascinating narrative that begins and then finishes all too quickly. Dugard has also taken the time to carefully place these events into the context of other events taking place around the world at the same time - the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars in Europe, the American Civil War, Karl Marx's publication of DAS KAPITAL, Franklin's hapless exploration of the Canadian Arctic, the competitive nature of British and American journalism, the appalling state of the slave trade across Central Africa, cameo appearances in America's frontier west by Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hitchcock, and, of course, the political shenanigans that drove the otherwise exemplary achievements of the Royal Geographical Society.
Map of European Colonization in Africa
Read also: A Journey of Faith and History
Livingstone wanted to resolve who was right, but also, wanted to prove them both wrong and to prove Herodotus right by finding his mythical ‘fountains of the Nile’. The two main characters of this book are Livingstone and Stanley.
Stanley's Famous Words
Stanley stepped crisply toward the old man, removed his helmet, and extended his hand. They wordlessly shook hands, each man appraising the other. Livingstone didn’t know who the young man was, or what he might want. The Arabs and citizens of Uijii crowded around. Stanley’s heart was beating furiously, and he was striving desperately to say exactly the right thing to such a distinguished gentleman. With formal intonation Stanley spoke the most dignified words that came to mind: ‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’ ‘Yes,’ Livingstone answered simply. He was relieved that the man wasn’t French.
Livingstone learned that an expedition headed by an American journalist employed by the New York Herald had come to his rescue. Well, not quite. Henry Morton Stanley had reinvented himself as an American, but he had been born in Wales. Furthermore, his real name wasn’t Henry Morton Stanley, it was John Rowlands.
Criticisms and Authenticity
One of the major criticisms of Dugard’s book is that all too often he accepts Stanley’s accounts at face value, while knowing that Stanley often exaggerated and even lied about his personal life and his exploits and that key pages were torn out of his journal in order to cover for his later version of events.
Factual Errors
It isn’t just the misspelling of Hickok’s name that bugs me, however. Dugard claims that the gunfighter was the sheriff of Hays, Kansas. No, he was the town marshal. A sheriff is a county law enforcement officer. He also writes that Hickok was at one time the mayor of Hays. Wild Bill, a mayor? Of course not.
Read also: Explore the contents of the Ethiopian Bible
My point for going into all this is that if this many mistakes were made in discussing an individual who is barely mentioned in the book, how many were made in the extensive accounts of the two principles?
Enduring Fascination with Africa
One of the good things about reading Dugard’s book is that it reignited my interest in the whole issue of African exploration, particularly the search for the source of the Nile.
Dugard emphasizes the significant role that media played in shaping the narrative of Livingstone's disappearance and Stanley's exciting expedition to locate him, highlighting the public's fascination with Africa and the intense competition among journalists to be the first to report the developments.
Table: Key Figures in the Exploration of Africa
| Explorer | Contribution |
|---|---|
| David Livingstone | Missionary work, mapping of Africa, efforts to abolish the slave trade. |
| Henry Morton Stanley | Found David Livingstone, continued exploration, helped open Africa to the Western world. |
| Richard Francis Burton | Explored Africa, debated the source of the Nile with John Hanning Speke. |
| John Hanning Speke | Found Lake Victoria, believed it was the source of the Nile. |
In Into Africa, Martin Dugard takes us on a historical journey deep into the heart of Africa, following the expeditions of two remarkable men. Dugard sets the scene for his narrative by highlighting the enduring allure that has attracted explorers and scholars to the age-old quest to uncover the Nile's origins.
Dugard portrays the Nile as an enthralling waterway that has held human fascination since antiquity, flowing from Africa's southern territories, traversing the immense landmass, and ultimately merging with the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Dugard recounts the adventures of pioneers like Herodotus, the Greek "father of history," who in the 5th century BC set out on voyages to navigate through the heart of Africa in search of the fabled sources of the Nile.
Popular articles:
tags: #Africa
