Zambia safaris, two Kings, a Scout and a Knight; how did King Msiri, King Leopold II, Frederick Russell Burnham, and Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, “King of Copper”, all play a part in the development of Zambia?

Sir Alfred

While today, most Americans are unfamiliar with the geography of Africa, back in the early 1900s, Africa was the new frontier to adventurous Americans.

Map of Zambia

One very famous American, Theodore Roosevelt, led a year-long expedition to East Africa. It’s purpose was to collect specimens for the Smithsonian Institution, today known as the National Museum of Natural History.

A little earlier, another American, albeit of Welsh descent, explored Central Africa; Henry Morton Stanley went to Africa with the New York Herald, in search of the British missionary and explorer, Dr David Livingstone. Most of us will be more familiar with Stanley’s greeting on finding Livingstone; “Dr Livingstone, I presume?”

Two more Americans found fame and fortune in Africa; Frederick Russell Burnham and Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, the “King of Copper”.

King Msiri

But before we tell their story let me bring in King Msiri.

Looking at a map of Zambia, you’ll see the country is shaped like a butterfly in flight. The shape is due to the Congo Pedicle, a slender piece of neighboring Congo, which almost bisects Zambia in two. It was King Msiri, who, instead of signing a treaty with the British, represented by Cecil Rhodes, instead signed a deal with the King of Belgium, King Leopold II, granting Leopold mineral rights to his Kingdom.

King Leopold II of Belgium

Enter Frederick Russell Burnham! With his tracking and hunting skills, learned growing up on a Sioux Indian Reservation in Dakota, Burnham became Head of Scouts to Cecil Rhodes. While leading an expedition into today’s Zambia, not far from the Congo Pedicle, Burnham noticed copper deposits, which he recognized from his time in Arizona, working on copper mines.

Frederick Russell Burnham

It wasn’t long before along came Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, an acknowledged expert on copper mining in Utah and Arizona. With American finance and expertise, the copper mines of Zambia and Congo are amongst the largest producers of copper in the world today.

Thankfully the copper deposits are restricted to the area around the Congo Pedicle. For not far away, in Zambia, is one of the world’s foremost wetland systems, the Bangweulu Wetlands, teeming with birdlife, and home to Black Lechwe, an antelope with lyre shaped horns, endemic to Zambia.

Black Lechwe, Zambia

The Bangweulu Wetland is also one of the few places one can still see the prehistoric looking Shoebill Stork.

Shoebill stork, Bangweulu Swamp

But if you decide to visit the Bangweulu Wetlands, you can thank Two Kings, a Scout and a Knight, that it’ll take you twice as long to get there, as you’ll have to circumnavigate the Congo Pedicle.

Congo pedicle

It would have been much quicker if King Msiri had granted the mineral rights to Cecil Rhodes and not King Leopold II.

Can you think of any other Americans who’ve been prominent in the early exploration and development of Africa? Leave your comments below and I’ll make sure to reply.

Thanks.

Jim Holden

Safari Jim (Musings on Africa).

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Have you ever wondered how many States there are in Africa?

Four more than the USA!

The USA has 50 and Africa has 54.

Of course in Africa, States are actually individual countries, with their own forms of Government, language and customs.

As with the determination of State boundaries in the USA, so the same issues occurred with the formation of boundaries between countries in Africa.

The simplest demarcation of a state boundary is geographical, in the way for example, that the Colorado river separates California from Arizona.

Similarly in Africa, anyone who’s visited the Victoria Falls, will know that the Zambezi River separates Zambia from Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls

But then there are the more contentious issues that have led to the determination of State boundaries, such as the wars between America and Mexico, over the boundaries between Mexico and California and Texas. “Remember the Alamo!”

In an effort to prevent war over boundaries in Africa, a conference was organized in Berlin in 1885, attended by the major powers of Europe at the time, to agree on borders.

Conference of Berlin

And so, just as with some of the boundaries between States in the USA, many of the country boundaries in Africa are straight lines, and do not follow any geographical feature, such as a river or mountain range.

Without regard to the people living in the area, some of these straight lines cut through the middle of villages and tribes. Without knowing it, the Masai living in East Africa were suddenly split between Germany in today’s Tanzania and British in Kenya. Of course to the Masai, the border was invisible as no fences or markers were erected.

But to the Kaiser of Germany, the exact positioning of the border between Tanzania and Kenya was very important. The story goes that Queen Victoria gave her cousin, the Kaiser, Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, as a birthday present!  As a result, the boundary between Tanzania and Kenya is a straight line, other than when it does a loop around Mt Kilimanjaro, positioning the mountain in Tanzania.

Kilimanjaro, Amboseli area

Queen Victoria could afford to be generous as she had Africa’s second highest mountain, Mt Kenya, situated in the middle of Kenya.

Do you know of any similar bargaining in the USA that has given rise to a State boundary? If you do, let us know on Facebook and on our website at www.HoldenSafaris.com.

Jim Holden

Safari Jim (Musings on Africa)

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Samburu tribe , Kenya Photo credit Tropic Air.

Most folks going to Africa for a safari are mainly thinking about wildlife and Africa’s so called Big Five, Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Cape Buffalo, and Leopard.

But what about the people?

It’s significant that the comment we see most often on our post safari surveys is, “we went to see the wildlife but came home in love with the people!”

So who are the people of Africa?

Well, much like people anywhere, but with striking similarities to the mosaic of people here in the USA.

How come you may ask?

In the USA there are the indigenous people, Native American Indians, divided into many different groups such as Cheyenne, Sioux etc.

Same in Africa, where the indigenous people are comprised of many different tribes; such as the Samburu and Masai in East Africa, and the Zulus in South Africa.

Holden Safaris “Women Travel with a Purpose” group visiting a Masai Village in Kenya, 2018

With reference to google, there are apparently 562 Native American tribes in the USA, with the largest being Navajo, Cherokee and Sioux.

How many native tribes do you think there are in Africa?

You might be surprised, when going onto google again and finding references from Wikipedia to over 2000 tribal groups in Africa!

Zulu tribe dancer, Photo credit Wikipedia

As many as 3,000 different ethnic groups, speaking more than 2,100 different languages!

But then the African continent is about three and half times the size of the USA.

So how many of the 2000 tribes do you think there are in East and Southern Africa, where most safaris take place?

Probably around half. In Zambia alone, where I’m from, there are as many as 72 ethnic groups, all with different dialects.

Fortunately, getting around Zambia, doesn’t require being able to speak all 72 different dialects!

By language, there are nine major groups, the Nyanja-Chewa, Bemba, Tumbuka, Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Nkoya, and Lozi.

Thanks to the gold mines in South Africa, a labor intensive industry, a lingua franca was developed at the height of their development, so all these different tribes could understand each other.

Today, with fewer people employed on the gold mines, that lingua franca has died out with lack of use.

It’s still relatively easy to navigate one’s way through East and Southern Africa, with just three native languages, Swahili, Chinyanja and Zulu.

And if that’s too difficult, English will suffice throughout the countries that make up safari Africa.

And that’s because the other ethnic group you’ll find in Safari Africa, will pretty much mirror what there is in the USA. And that is most of the cultures of Europe!

Just as Europeans came to settle in America, so they did to Africa. You’ll find people of Dutch, French, English, German, and Portuguese origin throughout Safari Africa.

And as English has  become the language of America so it has of Safari Africa. Be thankful therefore, that you can talk to all these different language groups in English!

But next time you’re on safari, remember to ask your guide, or wait staff, or room attendant, what tribe they belong to, and what language they speak, other than English.

You’ll be amazed at the differences and realize that the peoples of Africa are even more fascinating than the Big Five!

Jim Holden

Safari Jim (Musings on Africa)

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One of the most important considerations when planning a safari is what to take and what to leave.

By this I’m referring to how to pack for a safari.

I recently gave a talk on this subject, to a group of interested travelers at our local Rootens Luggage shop, here in Orange County.

I’m always struck by the different expectations people have of Africa and how they feel they should prepare for a safari.

Almost everyone has Africa on their bucket list, drawn by what they see and hear on TV, and in magazines and books, about Africa’s unique wildlife, particularly the Big 5, lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape Buffalo.

But when preparing for safari, most people think of Africa as a primitive destination, where they will need to be as self-sufficient as possible, taking everything with them for every eventuality.

Thorntree River Lodge Room, Zambia. Example of a gorgeous lodge overlooking the Zambezi river

Nothing could be further from the truth!

When going on safari, be prepared to stay at some of the most sophisticated hotels and lodges in the world, indulge in haute cuisine, be conveyed in modern aircraft and vehicles, and have some of the world’s best trained guides at your side, to keep you safe and informed.

Wonderful cuisine at Mara Ngenche lodge in Masai Mara

At my Rooten’s presentation therefore, I advise anyone thinking of going on safari, to leave almost everything at home!

All you need is two sets of safari clothes, consisting of khaki colored pants and shirts.

Besides underwear, a good sun hat is essential, and a light fleece or jacket for early mornings and evenings.

And for footwear, one pair of comfortable walking shoes, not boots, along with a pair of casual shoes to wear in the evening, so that your daytime walking shoes can be cleaned for the following day.

And that’s it!

Everything else will be provided.

No need to take soap and shampoo; most lodges and hotels provide them. And all lodges do daily laundry.

No need to take your dinner jacket or evening dress as more and more lodges let you dine when and how you like.

For photography, an iPhone is more than adequate for the amateur photographer. People coming back from safari invariably talk about how close they got to the wildlife. No telephoto lens needed.

And as far as bugs, snakes and dangerous animals are concerned, the only one to look out for is the mosquito. But it only comes out at night. And all lodges guard against mosquitoes using mosquito netting, and getting rid of stagnant water, where mosquitoes breed.

So when you’re packing to go on safari, take just the clothes you’ll wear on safari, and leave space in your suitcase to bring back all the exotic curios and artefacts you’ll buy in Africa, that you can’t get in the USA!

Do you have trouble packing light when you travel? Please leave your comments in the section below. We love to hear from you.

Safari Jim “Musings on Africa”

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Have you ever wondered where the phrase, “Big 5” comes from? Most clients will ask, when requesting a safari, “are we going to see the Big 5?”

Big 5

The term is attributed to the hunters of old, who used the term to describe what they determined were the most dangerous animals to hunt in Africa.

They are lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and Cape buffaloes. All formidable foes indeed when being hunted by man.

Fortunately nowadays, most countries in Africa have banned hunting in favor of photographic safaris.

Now what about the giraffe? If dangerous refers to size, the giraffe is the tallest land animal, as the elephant is the biggest land animal.

Giraffes in the Masai Mara, Kenya during our “Women Travel with a Purpose” Safari.

So if the requirement was size, the giraffe would make the cut and we would have the Big 6!

The most dangerous aspect of a giraffe is its kick. Lions, when hunting giraffe, have to keep out of the way of the giraffe’s kick, not to sustain an ugly wound, or even death.

When not being hunted by man or beast, giraffes mind their own business, and add beauty to the landscape with their long necks and eyelashes.

Scientists can’t agree on how many different types of giraffes there are in Africa. Some say only one main species, with four sub species, while others say seven species in total.

Thornicroft giraffe, Zambia

Whatever the number, those of us who grew up in Zambia, claim our very own species of giraffe, the Thornicroft’s giraffe. Take a look at our sample itinerary to Zambia where you are likely to spot the Thornicroft giraffe. It’s found in the Luangwa.

To the uneducated eye, different species of giraffe will all look the same. It’s only their coloring and markings that distinguish them from each other.

And that long neck is actually used as a weapon! Giraffes spar with each other with their necks. Which is quite extraordinary when you realize their necks have the same number of vertebra as us humans, seven!

And if you were a baby giraffe, you would have come into the world with an almighty thump, as giraffes give birth standing up.

And those long legs? Unlike other animals, giraffes move both legs on one side and then both legs on the other side.

While they look ungainly, the giraffe can get up a good head of speed, around 35 mph. As a human, you won’t quite be able to catch up with a giraffe; not even Usain Bolt!

Next time you’re on safari, you might want to add the giraffe to the so called Big 5, if for no other reason than their unique characteristics.

Jim Holden explains what is Safari.

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Elephants in Madikwe, South Africa.

“Growing up on a farm in Africa in the sixties, poaching was a big part of farm life.

Our farm was one of the closest farms to the major city of Lusaka, capital of Zambia. We raised Angoni cattle, hardy local cattle, with immunity to many common cattle diseases, they were coveted by the local people to whom cows represented wealth.

They were also desirable to the locals, housed in villages close to the farm, as a food source.

And so every weekend we would mount our anti-poaching patrols, knowing that was the time that poachers would break through our fences to reach the angoni cattle.

The poachers would come in the dead of night, armed with old muzzle loaders that fired a single round and could be heard from afar, the sort of gun associated in romantic books with pirate stories.

Our job as the anti-poaching unit, was to listen for the gun shot and then close in on the poachers, as they skinned and cut up the animal, before they made their get-away with the meat.

Often they would flee with some of the meat to get away quickly, hiding the rest of the meat under bushes, with the intention of returning the next night to haul away what they had left.

If we found hidden meat we would set an ambush, keeping quiet and lying low through the day, waiting for the poachers to return.

The sad part of all this is when we did catch a poacher, he invariably turned out to be a poor subsistence farmer, trying to supplement his food supply. We would turn the poacher over to the police who would impose a small fine or a short prison sentence.

That was then! Today poaching is big business. Especially when it comes to elephants and rhinos.

An ounce of  ground rhino horn sells for more today than an ounce of gold!

The local subsistence farmer has become part of the poaching syndicate’s front line troops, armed with the latest armory and anti-detection devices. He earns more for his labor in poaching one elephant than his predecessor did in a lifetime of poaching.

And similarly, the modern day anti-poaching unit bears no resemblance to our amateur efforts to combat poaching on the farm; infinitely more sophisticated with infra-red surveillance, radios and drones.

And then there’s tourism. Now the world’s largest single economic sector, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism is also helping to contain poaching.

Simply by tourists visiting wildlife areas, their presence serves as a deterrent to poachers, who prefer to remain unseen and go to places which are sparsely populated, but where there are elephants and rhinos.

Anyone taking a safari can therefore feel that they are doing their small part in helping to combat poaching.

The ultimate weapon to reduce poaching is education of those buying ivory, some of whom don’t realize the elephant is killed to get its tusk, while to others, ivory is a status symbol.

And here again, tourism plays its part, helping educate others when tourists see elephants in the wild for themselves and marvel at their complex family structures, so similar to the way our own families are organized.

So to those of us in the safari business, it is a rich reward to know that every time we send someone on safari, we are helping to conserve Africa’s wildlife in our small way.

Safari Jim “Musings on Africa”

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The exceptionally hot weather we’re experiencing at the moment here in the USA, reminds me of a particular month in Zambia, the country where I was born.

October in Zambia is called suicide month. It’s usually the hottest month of the year. Growing up in Zambia we would dread October as few houses, if any at that time, had air conditioning. Zambia is fortunate, being at an elevation of 4000 feet, it has an equitable climate most of the other months of the year. But come October, the fans would come out in a forlorn attempt to keep cool.

Back then, the 60s, not even cars had air conditioning, as they mostly came from England, Zambia at that time being a British colony, where a heater was more important in a car than air conditioning. One way to try to keep cool in October was swim in one of the many local rivers, usually the Kafue River, which was not far from our home in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.

But then you ran the risk of contracting a disease we all feared at that time, bilharzia. It has a long official medical name, schistosomiasis. Bilharzia is a disease caused by parasites in rivers that burrow into you and attack your liver. Nowadays treatment is effective and simple; and the disease is not as prevalent as it was back then with more awareness of the importance of bathing in clean water. We feared bilharzia more than the hippos and crocodiles! For bilharzia can stay in your system for many years, without any symptoms, while it attacks your liver.

One of the symptoms is extreme tiredness. At our English style boarding school, in the middle of the bush in Zimbabwe, to which we would travel by two days steam train journey from Lusaka, it was an often used excuse; “sorry Sir, I’m falling asleep in class so I must have bilharzia”!

I don’t recall ever being excused from lessons at school due to extreme heat or extreme cold for that matter. Winters could be brutal; especially as our official school uniform dictated we wore khaki shorts and short sleeve khaki shirts, come hail or shine!

“Downtown Lusaka today.” Photo credit Zambia Let’s explore

Of course, when you visit Zambia today, any reference to suicide month is a reference to the past. Today there is air conditioning in cars as well as offices.

Safari Jim, “Musings on Africa”.

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