Tag Archives: David Livingstone

Livingston’s Adventures with Manioc [Cassava] in Southern Africa

Posted on 30/06/2015 by

Yesterday I had for lunch an African dish with fish and cassava [manioc] in a delicious sauce.  This reminded me of the oft negative descriptions of the crop as being something less that wonderful; as written by David Livingston : The … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-General, Crop harvests, Cuisine, David Livingstone | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wild Rice, Salt, and Navigation on Lake Tanganyika: 19th Century and Now

Posted on 03/09/2013 by

The first settlers and explorers in Burundi were from Germany.  Their initial port on Lake Tanganyika was established at Kajaga – which is close to where we live and where the Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika is now located on the northern shores … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Burton and Speke, Burundi, David Livingstone, European colonizers, European explorers, Explorers & exploration, Gatumba, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2, Imbo Plain, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Lake Tanganyika, Living here, Rusizi River ^ Wetlands, Sourcd of the Nile, Stanley and Livingstone | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday Funnies: Monkey-Business

Posted on 27/07/2013 by

While it is the human-like qualities of primates that attracts us to watch and enjoy them, it is the case that in rural Africa – at least the parts in which I’ve lived and travelled – they are simply considered … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-General, Chimpanzees, Explorers & exploration, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2, Lake Tanganyika, Living here, Primates, Susan Savage-Rumbaugh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Teeth-filing as a Mark of Beauty and Belonging in 19th Century Africa

Posted on 05/03/2012 by

This blog follows on Gambler’s House interesting Blog about Filed Teeth at Cahokia : One of the distinctive characteristics of Cahokia and its area of strong influence is the prevalence of filed teeth in many human burials. Filing of teeth as … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-General, Burton and Speke, Colonialism, Dark Continent, European explorers, Explorers & exploration, Social Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Monkey Business – 19th. Century and Now

Posted on 10/01/2012 by

Monkeys and gorillas in the 19th century were – and continue to be – found throughout tropical and sub-tropical Africa.  When colonial explorers began to encounter them, it was thought they might be somehow related to humans, and it was … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Chimpanzees, European explorers, Explorers & exploration, Stanley and Livingstone, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cuisines and Crops of Africa – The Lotus Eaters of Central Africa

Posted on 07/12/2011 by

Lotus plants of the species  Nymphaea lotus L. were an important ingredient in African traditional cuisine.   Found throughout tropical Africa and in the Nile Valley, their collection and processing for the table is reported by various colonial writers. The frustration, though, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-General, Agriculture, Colonialism, Cuisine, Egypt-Ancient, European explorers, Explorers & exploration, Food, History-General, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Livingstone Discovers South Carolina Rice in Southern Africa, c.1860

Posted on 06/11/2011 by

[First posted Nov. 2010,  Revised 06 November 2011] The Portuguese had been trading in and marginally colonizing east-southern Africa since the 15th Century.  When, two centuries later, the English decided to explore the region, small settlements of Portuguese and their Catholic … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Southern, African rice, Agriculture, Colonialism, Explorers & exploration, Food | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments