Ignorant and
curious
Drums still remind me of Africa. They bring back vivid
childhood memories full of mystery and foreboding. Ominously portrayed
in films
and books of the time as the "Dark Continent," the Africa revealed to my
hungry young eyes included a land cloaked in dark steaming
jungles teeming with hideous wild animals and naked black savages. I
still remember what horror I felt watching one particularly gruesome movie (before the
days of PG ratings) about a hapless expedition of "great white
hunters" captured and tormented by screaming hoards of wild
natives. Frenzied feathered warriors stomped menacingly around a big blazing bonfire
eventually taking some of the expedition's black porters and ripping
limbs from their bodies with a frighteningly primitive mechanism.
National Geographic magazines helped dispel some of my earliest
juvenile misconceptions, but left me with others persisting far into
mature adulthood. What red blooded American boy hasn't snickered over
detailed photos of bare breasted black girls liberally sprinkled
throughout the pages of every article on Africa during the mid-1900's? I
dare say my most reliable early knowledge of female anatomy came from my
treasured collection of the those thick magazines with the distinctive
slick yellow covers and freshly printed smell.
Years of education have changed little my gut feel for what goes on
down there in that mysterious land. A constant barrage of troublesome
news reports arriving during most of my adult life has created confusing
images of a continent in turmoil, perpetually struggling to shake itself
loose from the duel yokes of economic colonialism and religious
hegemony.
True Life Adventure programs aired on public television left me
seriously misinformed about the relationships between wild animals and
the burgeoning human populations, too. As I prepared to travel there, my
vague expectations for Africa still included hungry man-eating lions
lurking in the tall grasses everywhere; primitive social, political, religious and
cultural practices; savage tribalism
culminating in violent bloody clashes between uncivilized groups and rampant political corruption.
Exploring Africa early in 2001, my fresh education along the road
progressed slowly as I sought to see with the eyes of a child. I wanted
to discover for myself how things really are without preconceived
notions of how others think they are, trusting in fate and serendipity
to see me through unforeseen ordeals, unexpected challenges.
links.