david livingstone's travels to Bakwena country

David Livingstone’s “ Missionary Travels in South Africa” tells the story of David Livingstone’s stay of sixteen year in southern Africa. David Livingstone was a Missionary from Scotland sent to spread the Catholic faith by the London Missionary Society in 1840. The book covers the sixteen years of travel the Livingstone made in southern Africa. Livingstone’s travels took him from Northern Angola across the continent to Tanzania and parts of Mozambique. However, the part of book that I studied tells about his time in the Bakwain Country, which is located in southern part of what today is Modern Democratic Republic of the Congo. There, Livingstone lived with the Bakuena, or Bakwains, for most of his stay in the area. However, being a missionary, while also being an outsider, makes Livingstone’s travel and time in Africa difficult. During my reading I have come across many interesting examples of Livingstone’s troubles while in this part of Africa. Also, I will tell of the society that he encountered in this part of the book, along with some of their beliefs and how Livingstone perceives this new way of life. Finally, I will analyze the book from a modern standpoint to see if Livingstone has any preconceived notions or biases towards the people and their customs or society. The first thing that I noticed while reading the book was Livingstone’s manner. Livingstone, being a holy man, is not the typical explorer of his time in the sense that he does not portray the people he lives with as if they Neanderthals. Livingstone actually comments on how he perceives them by saying, “They might be called stupid in matters which had not come within the sphere of their observation, but other things they showed more intelligence than is to be met with in our own uneducated peasantry. They are remarkably accurate in their knowledge of cattle, sheep, and goats, knowing exactly the pasturage to each; and they select with great judgment the varieties of soil best suited to

Cited: Livingstone, David. “Missionary travels in South Africa Vol. 1”. Santa Barbra, CA: The Narrative Press, 2001. EBook Livingstone, David. “The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume II” London: Horace Waller, 2005. EBook