Tag Archives: West Africa

Mungo Park, an 18th Century Ethnologist Explores West Africa

Posted on 22/04/2015 by dianabuja

Mungo Park is the first explorer/writer of the 18th century who attempted to interpret local people and places from a local point of view   He was influenced by principles and practices of the Enlightenment. picture source – http://www.vialibri.net In this entry we … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-West, Agriculture, Arab traders, Colonial, Cuisine, Ethnography, Food, Mungo Park | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Missionaries in Nineteenth Century Africa – A Few Considerations

Posted on 09/04/2015 by dianabuja

The Rev. Robert Nassau, who first landed in West Africa in 1861, spent the following 30+ years in this region, as a religious official and graduate of Princeton University.  And while there is much to be criticized in these early years of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-West, Christianity, Colonialism, European colonizers, Explorers & exploration, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sacred Huts and Magical Aspects of Food

Posted on 01/04/2015 by dianabuja

Robert Nassau, as David Livingstone before him, was a missionary, explorer, and recorder of people, geography and customs in the areas through which he traveled and lived.  Also, as Livingstone, he was a product of the colonial era of the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-General, Cuisine, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Magic, Missionaries, Recipes, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Magicality of Cuisine 4: A Special Dish for a Woman Cultivator, 19th Century Liberia, West Africa

Posted on 13/02/2015 by dianabuja

As with other ‘magical dishes’ in this series, it is the context and activities associated with the dish that render it effective – not merely the specified ingredients: Pre-modern cuisine in many parts of the world can be more fully understood … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-West, Agriculture, Cuisine, European colonizers, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Organic Gardenig, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

An Account of the Plague in Barbary, North Africa, 1799 – Part II

Posted on 11/02/2015 by dianabuja

Some Account of a peculiar Species of Plague which depopulated West Barbary in 1799 and 1800, and to the Effects of which the Author was an eyewitness. By James G. Jackson, Mogodor/ Essaouira Part I, can be found here. From various … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-North, Africa-West, Colonialism, Ebola, European colonizers, European explorers, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Sahel | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Account of the Plague in Barbary, North Africa, 1799 – Part I

Posted on 10/02/2015 by dianabuja

Plagues have been important – and often deadly – aspect of long distance trade and travel for millennia.   As we enter into the 21st century plague that is now gripping West Africa, what can be learned from reports of ‘the plague’ … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-North, Africa-West, Caravan routes, Colonialism, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Niger River | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Magicality of Cuisine 4: Feeding the Soil a Stew of Leaves and Bark to Guarantee Successful Gardening, 19th Century Gabon, West Africa

Posted on 20/11/2014 by dianabuja

Just as people and spirits must be fed, so, too, is the case with the soils that are to be cultivated.  Hence, magically based recipes that are specially destined to nourish the soils and/or spirits associated with a woman’s garden … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-West, Agriculture, Cuisine, Ethnography, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Magic, Missionaries, Recipes, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments