Geography Lessons
Amongst the junk I found South Africa and the Congo, which was from the Lands and Peoples series and was one of the geography books used when I was at primary school.
Very enlightening it is, too: not so much about Africa, but about the English view of the world in 1939, which is when it was written (nb I feel I must point out that 1939 is a long time before I was at primary school).
Here it is on the subject of Pygmies (more often known now as the Babongo people):
When Stanley, who had no idea of their existence, saw one of these dwarfs for the first time, he believed that the ugly wretch with its yellow skin and thin beard was a cripple of some sort. At first the dwarf was frightened, but when offered a gift, he became quite friendly. Soon more and more dwarfs appeared and the surprised explorer realised that what he had believed to be a cripple was a normal man among his fellows. All these people were very small and ugly, with flat noses.
And what of Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was then called?
The natives are now on good terms with the white inhabitants. - - Unfortunately, some Negroes believe that everything that comes from Europe must necessarily be beautiful and build their huts of discarded petrol tanks and rusty tins. Of course these huts look dirty and ugly and so do their inhabitants, who sometimes think it very smart to wear an old dress coat over their bare skin or a top hat along with a swimming suit.
Oh yes, there are different ways of looking at things, all right. At least, over the past seventy years or so, some things have changed for the better.
Very enlightening it is, too: not so much about Africa, but about the English view of the world in 1939, which is when it was written (nb I feel I must point out that 1939 is a long time before I was at primary school).
Here it is on the subject of Pygmies (more often known now as the Babongo people):
When Stanley, who had no idea of their existence, saw one of these dwarfs for the first time, he believed that the ugly wretch with its yellow skin and thin beard was a cripple of some sort. At first the dwarf was frightened, but when offered a gift, he became quite friendly. Soon more and more dwarfs appeared and the surprised explorer realised that what he had believed to be a cripple was a normal man among his fellows. All these people were very small and ugly, with flat noses.
And what of Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was then called?
The natives are now on good terms with the white inhabitants. - - Unfortunately, some Negroes believe that everything that comes from Europe must necessarily be beautiful and build their huts of discarded petrol tanks and rusty tins. Of course these huts look dirty and ugly and so do their inhabitants, who sometimes think it very smart to wear an old dress coat over their bare skin or a top hat along with a swimming suit.
Oh yes, there are different ways of looking at things, all right. At least, over the past seventy years or so, some things have changed for the better.
posted by Daphne at 9:42 pm
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