David Livingstone’s Achievement
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S EARLY LIFE AND TRAINING
- DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S ACHIEVEMENTS
- THE QUEST FOR NILE
- CRITIQUES ON DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S ACHIEVEMENTS
- CONCLUSION
- REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, had a formative influence on Western attitudes towards Africa between 1841 and 1873. He had thirty (30) years of travel and Christian missionary work in South, Central, and East Africa. When was he born? When and where was he trained? What were his achievements? The above questions are intended to be answered in this text. For analysis purposes, this article is divided into different sections. These sections discuss David Livingstone’s early life, education, achievements, and achievements. The main purpose of this study is to explore the achievements of David Livingstone.
DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S EARLY LIFE AND TRAINING
On March 19, 1813, Livingstone was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. He grew up with several siblings in a single tenement house, a typical Scottish family environment full of personal piety, poverty, hard work, educational zeal, and a sense of mission. His father’s family came from Ulvas’s island, off the west coast of Scotland. His mother, a Lowlander, came from a family of Covenanters, a group of militant Presbyterians. Both were poor, and Livingstone grew up as one of seven children in a single room upstairs in a tenement house for workers in a cotton factory on the banks of the Clyde. At the age of 10, he had to help his family and was employed in a cotton mill. With part of his first week’s wages, he bought a Latin grammar. Although he was raised in the Calvinist faith of the established Scottish church, Livingstone, like his father, joined an independent Christian community with stricter discipline when he came of age. By this time, he had acquired the mental and physical qualities that made him suitable for his African career. As a child, he began to work at a cotton mill and followed his long work schedule with school classes in the evenings and weekends.
He eventually studied medicine in Glasgow before training for a year with the London Missionary Society. In 1834, Livingstone decided to pursue this profession when British and American churches were looking for qualified medical missionaries in China. In order to prepare himself and at the same time work at the mill, he studied Greek, theology and medicine in Glasgow for two years. In 1838 the London Missionary Society accepted him. He completed his medical studies in 1840 at various institutions in London, England. The First Opium War (1839–42) ended his dream of going to China, but a meeting with Robert Moffat, the distinguished Scottish missionary to southern Africa, convinced him that Africa should be his sphere of influence.
DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S ACHIEVEMENTS
David Livingstone’s life and death in Africa shaped the Victorian missionary myth of exploration and sparked the Race for Africa. Nevertheless, he was never a typical imperialist and left an extremely charitable legacy. Here are his achievements:
- African Expeditions: In March 1841, David Livingstone embarked on a medical missionary journey to Africa. Upon his arrival in Cape Town, South Africa, he married Mary Moffat a few years later. Subsequently, Livingstone ventured northward, undertaking a challenging trek through the Kalahari Desert. In 1849, he discovered Lake Ngami, and in 1851, he encountered the Zambezi River. Over the ensuing years, Livingstone continued his explorations, reaching the western coastal area of Luanda in 1853. In 1855, he came upon the awe-inspiring Zambezi Falls, known to local populations as the “Smoke That Thunders,” which he christened Victoria Falls in honor of Queen Victoria. By 1856, Livingstone had traversed the African continent from its western to eastern edges, ultimately reaching the coastal region of Quelimane in what is now Mozambique.
- The Zambezi Expedition: During this period, David Livingstone was absent from Britain, departing on March 12, 1858, and returning on July 23, 1864, leading an expedition aimed at navigating the Zambezi River. The primary objective of this expedition was to encourage trade and promote civilization, with the goal of eradicating the slave trade. Notably, this expedition was far better organized than Livingstone’s previous solo journeys. It featured a paddle steamer, well-stocked supplies, and a team of 10 Africans and six Europeans, including his brother Charles and a doctor from Edinburgh named John Kirk. However, Livingstone’s renowned leadership had its limitations. Disputes and conflicts arose among the European members, leading to the dismissal of some. Both members of his own expedition and those of the ill-fated Universities’ missions sent to Central Africa grew disillusioned with Livingstone. Navigating the Zambezi by ship proved impossible, and Livingstone’s two attempts to find an alternative route along the Ruvuma River to bypass Portuguese-controlled territories and access areas around Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) also turned out to be impractical. Livingstone and his party were the first Britons to reach these promising colonization regions on September 17, 1859.
- Published Works: Livingstone received praise and, in 1857, released “Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa.” The following year, British authorities appointed him to lead an expedition to navigate the Zambezi River. Unfortunately, the expedition faced challenges, including crew disputes and the abandonment of the initial boat. While exploring, they discovered other water bodies, but Livingstone’s wife, Mary, succumbed to fever upon her return to Africa in 1862. Livingstone returned to England in 1864, where he vocally opposed slavery. In the subsequent year, he published “Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries.” Livingstone also discussed the use of quinine as a treatment for malaria and proposed a theory regarding the link between malaria and mosquitoes. Livingstone embarked on another African expedition, landing in Zanzibar in early 1866. His goal was to locate the source of the Nile River, and he explored further, discovering additional bodies of water. His journey led him to the village of Nyangwe, where he witnessed a horrific massacre perpetrated by Arabic slave traders, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. With Livingstone believed to have been lost, the London Daily Telegraph and New York Herald organized a transatlantic endeavor. Journalist Henry Stanley was dispatched to Africa to locate Livingstone. Stanley found the physician in Ujiji in late 1871 and, upon seeing him, famously uttered the words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Adding to Livingstone’s challenges, his wife, who had been determined to accompany him back to Africa, tragically passed away at Shupanga on the Zambezi on April 27, 1862. Furthermore, his eldest son, Robert, who should join his father in 1863, never reached him and instead went to the United States. Tragically, he lost his life while fighting for the North in the Civil War on December 5, 1864.
- Explorations and Achievements: In early 1867, a deserter absconded with his medical supplies, yet Livingstone continued his journey into central Africa undeterred. He became the first European to reach Lake Mweru on November 8, 1867, and Lake Bangweulu on July 18, 1868. With the aid of Arab traders, Livingstone reached Lake Tanganyika in February 1869. Despite battling illness, he pressed forward and, on March 29, 1871, he reached his farthest point in the north-western direction, Nyangwe, situated along the Lualaba River, which leads into the Congo River. This location represented a more westerly point than any European had ventured before.
- Impact: Often traveling to regions untouched by Europeans, Livingstone likely played a pivotal role in shaping Western perceptions of Africa more than any other individual before him during his extensive three-decade-long travels and Christian missionary work across southern, central, and eastern Africa. His findings, which encompass geography, technology, medicine, and social dynamics, contributed to a rich reservoir of knowledge that continues to be explored. Despite his paternalistic and Victorian-era biases, Livingstone held a steadfast belief in the potential of Africans to progress into the modern world. In this regard, he served as a precursor not only to European imperialism in Africa but also to the emergence of African nationalism.
THE QUEST FOR NILE
This cannot be considered a noteworthy achievement; rather, it was an endeavour with an unsuccessful outcome. On January 28, 1866, Livingstone returned to Africa with the dual goal of spreading the gospel and ending the slave trade along the East African coast. However, he also had a new objective in mind: exploring the central African watershed in hopes of uncovering the ultimate origins of the Nile. He embarked on this journey with only African and Asian companions. As the expedition was compelled to head south, some of his followers chose to depart.
On October 23, 1871, Livingstone was in a deteriorating health condition. Search parties had been dispatched to locate him due to his prolonged silence, and it was Henry M. Stanley, a correspondent for the New York Herald, who eventually discovered the explorer. Their meeting is marked by the famous quote, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” (The exact date of the encounter remains uncertain, as the two men recorded different dates in their journals; Livingstone’s journal indicates the meeting took place between October 24 and 28, 1871, while Stanley reported November 10.)
Stanley brought much-needed sustenance and medical supplies, leading to Livingstone’s swift recovery. He then joined Stanley in exploring the northern areas of Lake Tanganyika and accompanied him to Unyanyembe, which lay 200 miles (320 km) to the east. However, Livingstone steadfastly declined all of Stanley’s entreaties to depart from Africa.
On March 14, 1872, Stanley left for England, driven by his fervor for journalism and his mission to contribute to the David Livingstone saga. Livingstone once again headed south, driven by his unrelenting pursuit of the sources of the Nile and his unwavering determination to eradicate the slave trade. However, his health continued to deteriorate. In May 1873, at Chitambo, which is now in northern Zambia, Livingstone’s African aides discovered him as lifeless, kneeling beside his bedside as if in prayer. To preserve Livingstone’s body, they removed his heart and internal organs and laid him to rest in African soil. In a challenging nine-month journey, they transported his remains to the coast. His body was then transported to England and, in a grand victorian funeral, laid to rest in Westminster Abbey on April 18, 1874. The Last Journals of David Livingstone were published in the same year.
CRITIQUES ON DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S ACHIEVEMENTS
Upon examining the recorded achievements of David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, there appear to be numerous objections to his work and accomplishments. The British government, in particular, raised concerns about Livingstone’s expedition in 1863, as it became evident that his optimism regarding economic and political progress in the Zambezi regions was premature. At that time, Livingstone was strongly recommended to undergo a surgical procedure for his long-standing hemorrhoid condition, which had been a source of discomfort since his initial significant journey in Africa. However, he declined the advice, and it is likely that severe hemorrhaging from this condition contributed to his death at the conclusion of his third and most extensive African expedition. This raises questions about why a medical missionary would refuse such medical advice.
Furthermore, it can be argued that David Livingstone appeared to prioritize exploration over his missionary duties. This perspective is supported by the fact that much more has been written about his exploratory endeavors than his missionary activities. In addition, his relationship with his followers suggests that he had a greater inclination toward exploration than a deep commitment to people.
CONCLUSION
Livingstone is commonly portrayed as a committed advocate for the abolition of slavery, firmly believing in the worth and integrity of Africans, the potential for economic ventures on the continent, and the propagation of Christianity, even despite native spiritual traditions. His explorations revealed previously unknown information about the continent, contributing to the fervor of European nations in their imperialistic quest to claim African territory, a direction that some suggest Livingstone might have objected to.
REFERENCES
Golding, Vautier, “The Story of David Livingstone”, Yesterday’s Classics Chapel Hill, North Carolina (2010).
Owoeye, Saibu A. ‘Lecture Note: Activities of David Livingstone’, REL 645: African Church History II, OAU, Ife, delivered on January, 2020.
<https://www.biography.com/explorer/david-livingstone>[Accessed 14 January 2020]
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<https://www.britannica.com/print/article/344871>[Accessed 14 January 2020]
<https://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/sci-tech/2013/02/what-david-livingstones-legacy- 200-years-after-his-birth>[Accessed 14 January 2020]