Ukraine in the Irish Classroom

What Do We Know About Our Newly-Arrived Neighbours?

In August, 1979, the Irish government agreed to take in over two hundred Vietnamese refugees. 

Later refugee populations to arrive in Ireland under an Irish government scheme came from Bosnia, Syria and Afghanistan.

The latest refugees this time to arrive in Ireland are from Ukraine.

Africa in Ireland is making a special exception to look at a country (and a subject) outside the African continent; we are directing attention to Ukraine and its citizens during this terrible period in their country’s history.

Ukraine: the World’s Tragedy

Ukraine’s tragedy is the world’s tragedy; a country which has been home, short-term or long-term, to citizens from many other countries, continues to be attacked and destroyed in a war which no-one knows when it will all be over. 

The pain of Ukraine (the land, rivers and all that they hold); the suffering of Ukrainians themselves are shared by the whole world.

We acknowledge the work of Ukraine’s immediate neighbouring countries to the west and south-west: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, who are at the forefront (and frontline) of international assistance.

School-going Age Arrivals

In all cases, arriving refugees have also always included those of school-going age, who will be continuing their learning alongside Irish children.

So, what do their newly-encountered Irish classmates know about them and their country of origin?

Thanks to the NCCA, we have the answers: in the SESE Geography primary curriculum, the relevant strand unit is People and Other Lands.

A second strand unit which will introduce Ukraine to Irish children is Myth and Legends in the Story Strand of the SESE History primary curriculum; as the saying goes: “It starts with a story”.

One can never go wrong with a good story, and that’s why this is a good starting point; myths and stories from the place under discussion are also included in the People and Other Lands strand unit.

The Myths and Legends strand unit also offers integration links as illustrated below:

People and Other Lands: the strand unit areas

In a peaceful Ukraine which we are all praying for, what will your hosts feed you? 

It is the wish of the world’s majority to see Ukrainians baking their favourite Paska this coming Easter in a peaceful country without a hostile foreign presence.

Paska (Easter Bread)
Photo Credit: Korena Vezerian

In a peaceful Ukraine without foreign occupation:

What are their myths and stories? Art and Culture?

What are the similarities and differences between Ukraine and Ireland?

All these and many other questions have been posed and are expected to be answered in the People and Other Lands strand unit, where a helpful exemplar has also been included (please, see below):

As we continue to pray for peace to return soon to the beautiful country of Ukraine, we need to provide Irish children with the necessary information about that country, in order to broaden their perspectives and achieve understanding of their newly-arrived neighbours.

Thanks to the NCCA, resources on Ukraine, with a focus on the two strand units identified earlier: People and Other Lands in SESE Geography and Myths and Legends in SESE History can be produced as the first step in the broadening of perspectives and the achievement of understanding.

Open Letter to Our Kenyan Friends in Ireland

What Happened to Dr Wangari Maathai’s Legacy?

Dear Kenyans in Ireland

We are writing to you about an issue which is a matter of urgency and great importance.

On Christmas Day at lunchtime, the following Advert, Effects of Climate Change in Africa: The Human Cost was aired on RTÉ One television.

One may never know the reason why the sponsors of the advert decided to schedule this to be transmitted at that particular time; needless to say, imagine if an Irish family had invited African guests for Christmas dinner?

The stated date for this advert as seen on YouTube is 27 January, 2021; and it has been airing on Irish television channels over the last twelve months.

Two issues currently under public discussion in Ireland are: 

mental health; and 

attitudes towards ‘the other’, including people of African heritage.

Under normal circumstances, it would be preferable if those who are the subject of a story in question would speak for themselves and respond accordingly.

However, because recipients of messages might not necessarily make a distinction, but would rather tend to see a story from one relatively small part of Africa as representative of an entire continent, something needs to be done.

The classrooms in Ireland are where your children are receiving their education. This is also were messages by non-educational bodies about Africa are directed.

 

Here is what Professor Jane Plastow of Leeds University Centre for African Studies wrote:

Whether consciously or not, the words and images we use about a place and / or its people evoke powerful feelings in those they are meant to portray, and the reaction of Professor Plastow’s son is an illustration of this.

Dear Kenyan parents in Ireland, do you know how your children feel being subjected to these messages, both in the classrooms and at home through television adverts?

Kenya 🇰🇪 is the home of the Green Belt Movement, @GreenBeltMovmnt 🌳 which was founded by the late Dr Wangari Maathai. This was also long before the world woke up to the environmental crisis.

The world had now come to know and remember the late Dr Maathai as the recipient of the following awards: 

Right Livelihood Award (1984)

Goldman Prize (1991)

Nobel Prize (2004)

West Africans, for example, are envious of the fact that the late professor was not ‘one of our own’, so to speak; notwithstanding, we are equally delighted to share your happiness in her successes.

What, therefore, would the late Dr Maathai be thinking from her final resting place about this depiction of her Motherland here in Ireland through the advert referred to?

Twenty-six years ago to the day today, the 16th of February, Comhlámh organised a Conference which was attended by representatives of all the Irish NGOs involved in projects in Africa; yours truly was in the audience.

The guest speaker was Dr Ikaweba Bunting, former Oxfam Communications Officer for East Africa and a citizen of your neighbouring country, Tanzania.

Below, was what he had to say, among a lot of things, during his presentation:

Dear Kenyans living in Ireland, can the rest of Africa rely on you, our East African friends, to allow your “voices of dissent to be heard”?

We hope so.

Toga the Dancing Goat

 A retold version of the Ethiopian Dancing Goats Legend

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a goat called Toga, who lived in a country now called Ethiopia.

Toga the Goat and his cousins were looked after by Kaldi, a young boy whose father owned many goats.

Every morning, just before sunrise, Kaldi would gather Toga and his cousins together and lead them out into the fields, where Toga and his cousins would spend the whole day wandering and feeding on the lush green grass of the gentle rolling hills.

Kaldi the herder also played the washint, the Ethiopian flute made from bamboo and, sitting under his favourite tree, he would often pass the time playing pleasant tunes on this, as he watched Toga and his cousins feed on the lush green grass out in the open fields.

Sometimes, Toga and his cousins got bored eating the same lush green grass and roaming around the same fields, and soon began to think of things to do. 

One day, on a particularly warm afternoon, while Kaldi was having one of his naps, Toga wandered a little bit away from his cousins, and from where Kaldi was having his nap.

That day, Toga also decided to visit those parts of the green rolling fields he had not yet seen.

After a while, Toga came across a plant with green leaves. But what caught Toga’s eyes were the bright red berries which grew around the branches of the plant.

Toga slowly and carefully moved towards the green plant with the bright red berries, for he had been taught by the older goats to be careful should he happen to come across something new.

Standing a little distance away, Toga took a good long look, first at the leaves, and then at the bright red berries. Next, he moved a bit closer, but very slowly, towards the plant. 

Toga wondered to himself what these berries might be; indeed, he wondered what they might also taste like! But, what tempted Toga most was the pleasant smell which came from the bright red berries.

It didn't take long before Toga took a bite of some of the bright red berries, which also tasted as nice as they smelt. After a few more bites of the bright red berries, Toga began to have a very interesting kind of feeling.

The Central Character in the Story!

Toga's descendant, one of Ethiopia's 52.5 million goats (2020 FAO estimates) photo credit: Armin Kübelbeck

It was also the kind of feeling which made Toga want to dance and, before he realised it, Toga found himself dancing, even dancing for the best part of one hour.

Toga looked around and suddenly realised that it was getting late and that he had also wandered a bit too far away from his cousins and Kaldi, so he started to return to them.

Luckily for Toga, he also managed to get back, and before Kaldi woke up from his afternoon nap, so he hadn’t noticed that Toga had gone missing.

Later that evening, after Kaldi had gone to bed, Toga told his cousins about his adventures earlier that day. Toga also promised to take his cousins to show them the plant with the green leaves and bright red berries.

The next day, just before sunrise, and just as he had always done every morning, Kaldi led Toga and his cousins out into the fields, where Toga and his cousins would spend the whole day wandering and feeding on the lush green grass of the gentle rolling hills, as they had always done.

After some time, when it began to get a little bit warmer, Kaldi started to have one of his naps. 

As soon as Toga noticed that Kaldi was having one of his afternoon naps, he whispered to his cousins and asked them to follow him.

Toga led his cousins towards the part of the field a little bit further and away from Kaldi, and to where he had seen the green plants with the green leaves and bright red berries the day before.

After a little while, Toga and his cousins arrived at the place where Toga had been the day before. Toga told them how he had tasted the bright red berries and how these made him feel. He then moved closer and picked some of the bright red berries to put into his mouth.

However, Toga’s cousins were not so sure he should go ahead and taste the bright red berries, and warned him to be careful.

All the same, Toga [still] went ahead and took a bite at some of the bright red berries, as his cousins looked on very anxiously, and then he asked them to try some.

At first, Toga’s cousins were not so sure, but after a while and a little nudging, they decided to trust Toga and so they tried some of the bright red berries.

Before long, Toga and his cousins had finished eating most of the bright red berries on one of the branches of the plant with the green leaves.

Before long, Toga and his cousins began to have a funny feeling - a happy funny kind of feeling the same as Toga had felt the day before - and which also changed the way they acted.

Once again, just like the day before, this happy funny kind of feeling turned into the dance which Cousin Toga had performed.

First, Toga - for it was him who was the first to taste the bright red berries - lifted his front left foot, followed by his front right foot and did a terrific somersault - the kind you will also only see the best gymnasts perform at the Olympic Games.

After landing on all four feet, Toga performed another dance which, years later, became the best dance one would ever see in a ballet performance. Indeed, this ballet was the best one would likely ever see outside of Russia as performed by the Bolshoi.

Meanwhile, Kaldi had woken up from his afternoon nap and, slowly, he began to rub his eyes, as he looked left, looked right, looked straight ahead and, finally, looked behind him.

Kaldi was looking for Toga and his cousins but couldn’t see any of them. Starting to get very worried, Kaldi was sure his father would be very upset with him if he returned home without Toga and his cousins.

Kaldi had to find Toga and his cousins, so he looked left, looked right, looked straight ahead and, finally, looked behind him. "Which way?", he wondered.

After scratching his head for a little while - the way one would do before deciding to do something - Kaldi chose to go left. Maybe because he saw some droppings he was sure belonged to Toga?!

Kaldi walked across the rolling fields, keeping his eyes wide open and his ears very alert to see or hear any sign or sound of Toga and his cousins. And, of course, he was looking for more droppings which he was sure would belong to Toga!

After a rather long walk, Kaldi saw from the distance something which made him jump.

“What’s going on over there?” Kaldi wondered as he suddenly stopped, surprised at what he was seeing.

Toga and his cousins had got themselves in a circle. Then, after what seemed to Kaldi like a count of one, two and three, they all stood on their hind legs and jumped up together. Next, they all faced outside and, once again, at the count of one, two and three, they all did the somersault together.

Kaldi watched Toga and his cousins as they performed different dances. In fact, any dance you could think of, Toga and his cousins performed: the chariot dance learnt from Thor the Thunderer's goats, Tanngniost the Tooth Gnasher and Tanngrisnir the Tooth Grinder. 

Next, they danced the Irish ceili which had been learnt from King Puck of Kerry. Indian kathakali, Spanish paso doble, Argentinian tango, Brazilian lambada; even modern dances like rock and roll and the twist. 

Finally, they performed the ballet as the Bolshoi would have done!

By now, Kaldi didn’t know what to think. Yes, he had found Toga and his cousins; but, how was he going to get them to stop dancing and bring them back home?

How was Kaldi also going to explain to his family what he had just seen happen in the fields; and if his family would even be convinced of or accept as true his story about the dancing goats?

Besides, whoever heard of dancing goats?

Kaldi drew closer to have a good look at what was happening and as he did this, he noticed that one of the goats was eating some berries. 

Kaldi paused for a little while and then picked some of the bright red berries which he put into his mouth to see what would happen. Definitely, not a safe or clever thing to do! Remember what his parents had said?

After another little while, Kaldi felt the same way as Toga and his cousins had felt earlier on and, before long, he also started dancing.

After some time, Toga and his cousins began to feel tired; and so did Kaldi, who decided he should better get the goats home, but not before he had taken some of the bright red berries with him in his bag.

Because of their adventures earlier that day, and because they were also a bit far away from their usual place in the fields, it took them a bit longer to arrive back home, where Kaldi's family and neighbours were waiting for them with worry.

Back home, when Kaldi was alone with his father, he showed him the bright red berries and told him about Toga and his dancing cousins. After a long pause, as old people usually do, Kaldi's father decided to taste some of the bright red berries himself.

He felt some kind of energy, the same as Toga, his cousins and Kaldi had felt when they ate the bright red berries, but he stopped himself from dancing.

Kaldi's father then suggested that they should take the bright red berries to show to the monks in the local monastery. These monks had been having problems staying awake during prayers.

The monks, after carefully examining the bright red berries and having listened to the effects these have had on the way Toga, his cousins and Kaldi all behaved afterwards, decided to experiment by boiling the berries. They then drank the juice from this.

As the monks had correctly guessed, drinking the juice from the boiled red berries kept them awake during their prayers, especially at night.

After some time, Toga became too old to go out into the fields with the younger goats. However, he stayed at home, where his nephews and nieces brought him his dinner, and after which he gave dance lessons for a long time afterwards.

Image Source: https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/250090585527229955/

Many, many years later, people from other parts of Ethiopia came to visit Toga’s hometown and asked if they could be allowed to take seedlings of the plant back home with them.

In those days, people from across the Red Sea in Yemen in Southern Arabia also travelled to Ethiopia. On one of these journeys they asked if they could be allowed to take seedlings of the plant back home with him.

It was the people of Yemen who also decided to take the seed, also known as a bean, out of the fruit; the green beans are first dried and then roasted until the beans turned from green to dark brown.

The roasted beans were then crushed in a grinder and, when hot water was added, is what we know today as the coffee 'grown-ups' drink.

Image Source: https://www.dancinggoats.com/

So, boys and girls can now tell their grown-ups where the coffee they like to drink came from, and how a goat was responsible for finding the plant from which the coffee berries or beans also came from.

Tales from the Skies: King of the Birds

A Story from Southern Africa

Main Characters: Eagle, Owl, Kori Bustard, Warbler

"*Gogo?" Thobeka was the first to break the silence around the fire that night.

Gogo looked at the most curious of her grandchildren with a broad smile.

"Yes, my dear one," she answered.

“Gogo, I know that Bhubesi the Mighty Lion, is king of all the land animals. Is he also king of the birds?”

"Ah, that is an interesting question, Thobeka." 

The children sensed a story coming and drew even closer together. 

"You are right when you say that Bhubesi the Lion is the king of all the land animals. 

“As for the birds, well, I will have to tell you about the time they decided to have a leader of their own . . . “

“Kwasuka sukela. . . ." Once upon a time ...

Some time after God the Creator had finished making the beasts of the sea, land, sky, and was busy putting the finishing touch to His work by creating Humans, the great Nkwazi (nkwah'-zee) the Eagle called a meeting of all the birds. And they came: from the Flamingo to the Weaver, from the Warbler to the Owl, they all came.

"Ah-hem," Nkwazi the Eagle began by clearing his throat. The chatter died down as everyone turned their gaze on the magnificent eagle.

"I have asked you all to be here for a very important reason. As you all know, the Great Bhubesi the Lion is the king of all the beasts of the land. 

“But he dare not speak for us, the great winged creatures of the air!” Nkwazi the Eagle continued, “It is therefore my suggestion that we choose from among us a bird to be our leader!" 

The chattering resumed as the birds turned to one another to discuss the idea. 

"Ah-hem!" Nkwazi the Eagle cleared his throat once more; he waited until he had the attention of all present. 

"As I am the most majestic and regal bird present, I suggest that I, Nkwazi the great Eagle, should be chosen as the King of the Birds! No, I insist that I will be!"

A great deal of mumbling began from all parts of the gathering. Then one voice rose above the others, demanding attention.

"Yes, Nkwazi, you are indeed majestic." It was the voice of sKhova (skoh'-vah) the Owl. 

"However, I actually think that I should be the king of the winged creatures. You see, I have the largest eyes of any of the birds. I can see everything that happens, and that makes me very wise. It is wisdom we need in a leader more than stateliness."

Again, a low murmur went through the crowd until a third voice demanded attention. 

"I accept sKhova's wisdom and Nkwazi's regal bearing. However, I would propose that I should be chosen as king of the birds." 

Ngqithi (ng*ee'-tee) the Kori Bustard walked to the centre of the circle as he spoke. "I am the largest of all the winged kingdom. Certainly strength is an important factor in leadership?!"

All the birds began to speak at once. Some threw their support behind Nkwazi the Eagle, others were convinced sKhova the Owl should be the king, while others preferred the Kori Bustard.

Finally, after a long period of arguing, a little voice was heard rising above the confusion.

"Excuse me. Excuse me, please!" It was Ncede (n~ay'-day) the tiny Warbler. He was so small and hardly noticeable that he was easily overlooked. 

Finally, the crowd became silent and allowed the little bird to have his say. 

"If we are going to choose a king of the birds, well, I think it should me!" Ncede the Warbler declared.

Everyone broke into laughter. Surely, this tiny warbler was joking?! Ncede the Warbler, King of the Birds! Unthinkable! Silly creature for even thinking about it!

What, the audacity of this little thing! What arrogance! What rudeness, cheekiness and disrespect!

"And what reason would you give for asking us to choose you as our king?" asked Nkwazi the Eagle, staring into Ncede the Warbler's eyes.

"Well," began Ncede the Warbler, "no real reason, other than to say that I should be given every bit as much opportunity as anyone else!"

While they laughed at Ncede the Warbler's suggestion, all the same, the assembly was impressed with the little fellow's courage!

"What we need is a contest!" Nkwazi the Eagle suggested. "We will have a contest to see who is fit to be our king!" Everyone seemed to like this idea.

It was agreed that on the first day after the full moon, all the birds would gather again. They would meet on the open field when the sun was high in the sky.

When the sun touched the tallest tip of the mountain, the birds would take off and become airborne. The bird who could then fly the highest and touch the hand of God would become the king.

On the appointed day the birds assembled. Patiently, they watched the sun make its way down from the sky. 

At the exact moment when the sun touched the tallest peak of the mountain, all the birds rose into the air. 

It was a magnificent sight to see!

Now, little Ncede the Warbler was there. He was determined to prove that he had just as much right as anyone else to the throne and with it, title of King of the Birds. 

But, he also knew that his little wings could not lift him very high and far. He had therefore come up with a special plan. 

Just before the birds took off, Ncede the Warbler silently crept underneath the wing of the mighty Nkwazi the Eagle. He carefully pushed his way deep down into Nkwazi the Eagle's largest feathers, who was so busy concentrating on the descent of the sun, he didn't feel a thing.

Higher and higher the birds soared. The little ones fell out of the race after only a short distance and, slowly, they drifted back down to earth to watch the bigger and fitter ones. 

Before long, only three of the birds remained in the contest. 

Nkwazi the Eagle, sKhova the Owl and Ngqithi the Kori Bustard fought to see who would claim the prize, and with it, the title of King of the Birds. 

They were so tired, but they pushed on, higher and higher. The strain was too much for sKhova the Owl, and with a resigned "Hoo-hoo," he dived back towards firm ground. 

Now, it was Nkwazi the Eagle and Ngqithi the Kori Bustard. 

Up and up they went, closer and closer to the hand of God. But no matter how much he tried, the feat was too much for the heavy Kori Bustard, the largest of the birds. 

After a final effort with his mighty wings, Kori Bustard called out to Nkwazi the Eagle: "Ah, my friend, it seems you are the winner. I can go no further."

This admission seemed to temporarily strengthen the very tired Nkwazi the Eagle, who gathered his last bit of strength and climbed beyond Ngqithi the Kori Bustard.

"Wheeeee-whee-whee!" The victorious sound of Nkwazi the Eagle's call filled the sky.

“Not so fast, Nkwazi!”, chirped Ncede the Warbler, as he shot out from under the mighty bird’s wing where he had been hiding, “you have not won yet!”

And with that, Ncede the Warbler rose above Nkwazi the Eagle towards the hand of God.

No matter how hard he tried, Nkwazi the Eagle just didn't have the strength left to climb any higher. With a groan, Nkwazi the Eagle allowed himself to begin gliding down to earth.

Now, in the meantime, all the birds below had watched what was taking place and were annoyed by Ncede the Warbler's trickery, and as he returned to earth, he did not find the royal welcome he had expected.

Instead, every bird in the kingdom was ready to pluck the feathers from little Ncede the Warbler's back. But, the quick little bird saw their anger and quickly flew into a deserted snake hole.

"Come out, Ncede!" snapped Ngqithi the Kori Bustard. "Come out and get the prize, or rather the punishment, that you deserve!"

"Yes!" echoed all the other birds. "Come on, Ncede! Where's your brave face now?"

But Ncede the Warbler stayed hidden. 

The birds guarded the hole until long after sunset, waiting for Ncede the Warbler to show his face. All through the night they waited, thinking and hoping that Ncede the Warbler had to come out for food or water soon. In the morning, Ncede the Warbler had still not appeared.

"Listen," said Nkwazi the Eagle, "I am getting hungry. We do not all need to guard the hole. I suggest we take turns until the little joker decides to come out!"

Everyone agreed, most of them terribly tired by now.

"I am not yet tired nor hungry," volunteered sKhova the Owl. "I do not mind taking the first watch. Just make sure that someone comes back in an hour or so to take over from me!"

A quick roster was drawn up and everyone, except sKhova the Owl, went off to sleep or hunt for food. sKhova the Owl was used to being still and waiting for his prey. He waited and waited for what seemed to him forever. 

Finally, he decided to close just one of his eyes. 

"After all," he thought, "even one of my eyes is bigger than both eyes on any other bird and can see better!” sKhova the Owl closed his right eye and peered into the dark hole with his left eye. 

Several minutes later, sKhova the Owl decided to switch and so he opened the right eye and closed the left. This went on for quite a while, until one time sKhova the Owl forgot to open the right eye when he closed the left!

There he was, both eyes closed! And he fell fast asleep.

Now, this was the moment Ncede the Warbler had been waiting for, and before the chance was lost, he shot out of the hole and disappeared into the forest. 

Nkwazi the Eagle, who was on his way to take over from sKhova the Owl, saw the little creature escape, and cried out. 

He went to sKhova the Owl and found the bird in a deep sleep.

"Wake up, you fool!" Nkwazi the Eagle shouted at sKhova the Owl. "You fell asleep and Ncede the Warbler escaped!"

Well, sKhova the Owl was so embarrassed by his mistake that, to this day he sleeps during the day and hunts at night so that none of the other birds will remind and tease him about having been caught sleeping on the job. 

As for Ncede the Warbler, he hides out in the forest, flittering from here to there, never stopping anywhere long enough to get caught.

"So, Gogo," Thobeka asked, when several moments of silence had passed, "who then became the king of the birds?"

"That, my child," Gogo looked at her grand-daughter with a smile, "no one knows. I think they are arguing to this day about the position!"

*Gogo is the affectionate name for ‘Granma’ in the isiZulu and most languages in South Africa.

Notes: * = "q" in Zulu is a "click" sound made by drawing the tongue down sharply from the palate. ~ = "c" in Zulu is also a click sound. It is the sound made when the tip of the tongue is drawn away from the back of the front teeth. Similar to the click of exasperation made in most European countries.

http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/kori_bustard_facts/916/

The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species (ranging from Africa to India to Australia) in the large-bodied Ardeotis genus. In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight.

This species, like most bustards, is a ground-dwelling bird and an opportunistic omnivore. Male kori bustards, which can be more than twice as heavy as the female, attempt to breed with as many females as possible and then take no part in the raising of the young. The nest is a shallow hollow in the earth, often disguised by nearby obstructive objects such as trees.

The African yellow warbler is a medium sized warbler in which the whole of the upperparts and tail are yellowish-brown, with a slightly browner crown and yellower rump. The wings have brown feathers edged with yellow. The underparts are bright yellow with an olive wash on the sides of the breast, flanks and lower belly. The bill is pale on the upper mandible and blackish on the lower and the legs are blackish. Females have duller underparts, the juvenile are similar to the males but are buffier. The total length is 13 cm and the birds weigh between 10g and 15g

A Tale of Two Scots (in Africa)

James Bruce and David Livingstone

The characters above in this tale, set on the African continent, lived in two different centuries: nineteen years after James Bruce died (in 1794), David Livingstone was born (in 1813).

Below, are biographies of the two men as extracted from britannica.com:

James Bruce, (born December 14, 1730, Larbert, Stirling, Scot.—died April 27, 1794, Larbert), explorer who, in the course of daring travels in Ethiopia, reached the headstream of the Blue Nile, then thought to be the Nile’s main source. The credibility of his observations, published in Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1790), was questioned in Britain, partly because he had first told the French court of his discoveries. Reports by later travelers, however, confirmed the accuracy of his account.

As British consul in Algiers (1763 and afterward), Bruce studied many antiquities of North Africa, recording what he saw in fine drawings. Beginning in 1765 he traveled widely in the Mediterranean region, notably in Syria, and arrived at Alexandria in July 1768. Intent on reaching the source of the Nile River, he left Cairo on an arduous journey by way of the Nile, Aswān, the Red Sea, and Mitsiwa (now Massawa, Eritrea), eventually reaching the Ethiopian capital of Gonder on February 14, 1770.

Despite serious political unrest in Ethiopia, Bruce continued his expedition and reached Lake Tana, where the Blue Nile rises, on November 14. The journey homeward was one of extreme hardship. He arrived at Marseille in March 1773 and returned to London in 1774. Following retirement to his estate, he began writing in 1780 his vivid account of his travels, which is considered one of the epics of African adventure literature. (from Britannica.com)

David Livingstone, (born March 19, 1813, Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland—died May 1, 1873, Chitambo [now in Zambia]), Scottish missionary and explorer who exercised a formative influence on Western attitudes toward Africa.

In 1834 an appeal by British and American churches for qualified medical missionaries in China made Livingstone determined to pursue that profession. To prepare himself, while continuing to work part-time in the mill, he studied Greek, theology, and medicine for two years in Glasgow. In 1838 he was accepted by the London Missionary Society. The first of the Opium Wars (1839–42) put an end to his dreams of going to China, but a meeting with Robert Moffat, the notable Scottish missionary in southern Africa, convinced him that Africa should be his sphere of service. On November 20, 1840, he was ordained as a missionary; he set sail for South Africa at the end of the year and arrived at Cape Town on March 14, 1841. (from Britannica.com)

One aspect of the Story of Africa is the versions of the narrative as presented by the outsider; and these two Scots present two contrasting narratives of their time on the continent. 

The writings of and about both men are now available to download through the Project Gutenberg website.

The contrasting narratives by two people from the same country in Europe about the places in Africa they visited is also worth noting: while the first to visit the continent came across as going with the purpose of seeking knowledge, the other who followed in a later period in history was more interested in what he claimed he was bringing to his hosts.

The place of these two Scots in Africa’s history will be examined in future posts.