It Is That On The Trade And Labour Problem In
West Africa, Particularly The Opinion Therein Expressed Regarding
The Liquor Traffic.
This part has brought down on me much criticism
from the Missionary Societies and their friends; and I beg
gratefully to acknowledge the honourable fairness with which the
controversy has been carried on by the great Wesleyan Methodist
Mission to the Gold Coast and the Baptist Mission to the Congo.
It
has not ended in our agreement on this point, but it has raised my
esteem of Missionary Societies considerably; and anyone interested
in this matter I beg to refer to the Baptist Magazine for October,
1897. Therein will be found my answer, and the comments on it by a
competent missionary authority; for the rest of this matter I beg
all readers of this book to bear in mind that I confine myself to
speaking only of the bit of Africa I know - West Africa. During this
past summer I attended a meeting at which Sir George Taubman Goldie
spoke, and was much struck with the truth of what he said on the
difference of different African regions. He divided Africa into
three zones: firstly, that region where white races could colonise
in the true sense of the word, and form a great native-born white
population, namely, the region of the Cape; secondly, a region where
the white race could colonise, but to a less extent - an extent
analogous to that in India - namely, the highlands of Central East
Africa and parts of Northern Africa; thirdly, a region where the
white races cannot colonise in a true sense of the word, namely, the
West African region, and in those regions he pointed out one of the
main elements of prosperity and advance is the native African
population. I am quoting his words from memory, possibly
imperfectly; but there is very little reliable printed matter to go
on when dealing with Sir George Taubman Goldie, which is regrettable
because he himself is an experienced and reliable authority. I am
however quite convinced that these aforesaid distinct regions are
regions that the practical politician dealing with Africa must
recognise, and keep constantly in mind when attempting to solve the
many difficulties that that great continent presents, and sincerely
hope every reader of this work will remember that I am speaking of
that last zone, the zone wherein white races cannot colonise in a
true sense of the word, but which is nevertheless a vitally
important region to a great manufacturing country like England, for
therein are vast undeveloped markets wherein she can sell her
manufactured goods and purchase raw material for her manufactures at
a reasonable rate.
Having a rooted, natural, feminine hatred for politics I have no
inclination to become diffuse on them, as I have on the errors of
other people's cooking or ideas on decoration. I know I am held to
be too partial to France in West Africa; too fond of pointing out
her brilliant achievements there, too fond of saying the native is
as happy, and possibly happier, under her rule than under ours; and
also that I am given to a great admiration for Germans; but this is
just like any common-sense Englishwoman. Of course I am devoted to
my own John; but still Monsieur is brave, bright, and fascinating;
Mein Herr is possessed of courage and commercial ability in the
highest degree, and, besides, he takes such a lot of trouble to know
the real truth about things, and tells them to you so calmly and
carefully - and our own John - well, of course, he is everything
that's good and great, but he makes a shocking fool of himself at
times, particularly in West Africa.
I should enjoy holding what one of my justly irritated expurgators
used to call one of my little thanksgiving services here, but I will
not; for, after all, it would be impossible for me to satisfactorily
thank those people who, since my publication of this book, have
given me help and information on the subject of West Africa. Chief
amongst them have been Mr. A. L. Jones, Sir. R. B. N. Walker, Mr.
Irvine, and Mr. John Holt. I have not added to this book any
information I have received since I wrote it, as it does not seem to
me fair to do so. My only regret regarding it is that I have not
dwelt sufficiently on the charm of West Africa; it is so difficult
to explain such things; but I am sure there are amongst my readers
people who know by experience the charm some countries exercise over
men - countries very different from each other and from West Africa.
The charm of West Africa is a painful one: it gives you pleasure
when you are out there, but when you are back here it gives you pain
by calling you. It sends up before your eyes a vision of a wall of
dancing white, rainbow-gemmed surf playing on a shore of yellow sand
before an audience of stately coco palms; or of a great mangrove-
watered bronze river; or of a vast aisle in some forest cathedral:
and you hear, nearer to you than the voices of the people round,
nearer than the roar of the city traffic, the sound of the surf that
is breaking on the shore down there, and the sound of the wind
talking on the hard palm leaves and the thump of the natives' tom-
toms; or the cry of the parrots passing over the mangrove swamps in
the evening time; or the sweet, long, mellow whistle of the plantain
warblers calling up the dawn; and everything that is round you grows
poor and thin in the face of the vision, and you want to go back to
the Coast that is calling you, saying, as the African says to the
departing soul of his dying friend, "Come back, come back, this is
your home."
M. H. KINGSLEY.
October, 1897.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 2 of 190
Words from 1010 to 2012
of 194943
