Good travelogue book and great info. on wildlife in Africa. ( )

379-1

Read during Fall 2003

Dated but still highly enjoyable travelouge through the wild game parks and wilderness of Southern and Central Africa, with an excursion on the Upper Nile as well.

Verslag van diverse safari trips in Centraal en Zuid Afrika in de jaren 1950/60. ( )

Well I don't want to be too critical, so perhaps it's best to start by saying that this book was written in the late 1950's, and played a significant role in bringing the richness and fragility of African wildlife into the public eye. Moorehead was perhaps one of the first (and certainly one of the more accomplished) writers to describe African wildlife as something to be seen and experienced rather than to be shot at. That said, his observations about the decline and further poor prospects for African wildlife couldn't really be said to be any more than casual. It certainly didn't seem to be the theme of the book, although the title suggests otherwise. He mentions a scheme 'here and there' to preserve wildlife, but he doesn't write about them with any particular passion or deep analysis, or put forward any ideas of his own.

What I am left with is a travelogue. What he does write about with some passion, and talent, is his experience of travelling to some of the remoter parts of Africa and the animals and tribes he encounters along the way. Indeed it seems at times (or perhaps all the time) that Moorehead is observing the tribal peoples in much the same way he observes the wildlife - assessing their value in terms of how attractive they are to look at, or how entertaining they are to the Western eye and sensibility. Some of this is jarring, and frankly sexist.

I am left with the impression that Moorehead loved travelling in Africa, and wanted to share the experience by writing about it. In his very restrained 1950's British way, he has managed to convey some of that passion. That this book, this enthusiasm, appears to have inspired others, particularly in the 1960's, is I think its saving grace. But unlike books that tell the story of Africa, or books written by people who were part of that story, Moorehead's has not stood the test of time. It was a significant book in its day, but it was always a book about looking at Africa, written from the outside looking in, and frankly we don't look at it that way any more. I read it as a historical curiosity, building a picture of how Africa was seen by outsiders in this period. But if you want to read about Africa, whether as it is now, or as it was then, I'd recommend going elsewhere. ( )