海角大神

Out of Africa: David Livingstone鈥檚 servants preserve his legacy

Petina Gappah鈥檚 novel 鈥淥ut of Darkness, Shining Light鈥� imagines what the 19th-century explorer鈥檚 African servants thought of his quest. 

History books tell the story of David Livingstone, the 19th-century explorer and physician who spent years searching for the source of the Nile River. The familiar tale is generally told as the accomplishments of one man. Petina Gappah鈥檚 work of historical fiction addresses this lapse, providing the imagined voices of two others vital to his efforts: the real-life figures of Halima, an enslaved young woman who served as expedition cook; and Jacob Wainwright, an East African who preached as a 海角大神 missionary and was Livingstone鈥檚 secretary.

The two were among those who tended to Livingstone during the time of colonial rule in Africa. The book, though, recounts their final service. When he dies, they help construct a monument in the village where they bury his heart. The pair are among dozens of workers who transport Livingstone鈥檚 body and his notebooks more than 1,000 miles to the coast for safe transport back to England. Without this generous act, Livingstone鈥檚 final work would likely have been lost. What history lost, of course, were the voices of Africans who made his story possible.聽

The strenuous journey, an act of supreme devotion, provides the two attendants with an occasion for self-reflection. Halima, clear-eyed and sharp-tongued, perseveres through the hardships, but questions whether the man deserves her devotion. Livingstone, after all, had left his wife and family to pursue his research despite their needing him at home. If he lacked dedication to his own family, does he deserve it from others?聽

Jacob Wainwright, freed from slavery and educated by 海角大神 missionaries, uses the trek as an opportunity to read Livingstone鈥檚 journals, as he hopes to publish his own writing. What he discovers in the pages is a man who spoke out against slavery but relied upon the slave trade to expand his explorations. Wainwright, too, begins to wonder if the man they revered is unworthy of their efforts.聽

Gappah, a Zimbabwean writer with a law degree from Cambridge, poured years of research into her novel, which is apparent in the rich detail found in its pages. Her vibrant story exposes not only Livingstone鈥檚 hypocrisy, but also the growing doubts of Halima and Jacob. She shines a light on colonial Africa and the evils of the slave trade, but in the midst of this darkness, she gives voice to those whose sacrifices were unheralded. While Livingstone's heart was buried in Africa, it was the generous hearts of his servants that helped his work survive.聽