Imperialism
Imperialism is a concept that usually inspires images of military force and political oppression. But there is another level to imperialism that is more social in nature: the colonized are always viewed as inferior precisely because they allowed themselves to be enslaved to the empire. This results in a social dynamic in which all things are native come to viewed as open for exploitation. Balboa was made into a legendary figure by virtue of the imagery of his standing heroically on the precipice of the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European to ever lay eyes on it. No matter that literally millions of people had already swum in that ocean. The pursuit through Africa to find the source of the Nile becomes a competition existing partially outside any actually useful purpose in order to situate itself as an accomplishment proving the superiority of Europeans over Africans. Not matter how many Africans might have swum at the source of the Nile for millennia before any European could ever claim credit for its discovery.
Search for the Nile and Fame
Irrespective of the racial overtones of finding the source of the Nile, one thing cannot be questioned: the search itself presented a very real danger. From malaria to a javelin which entered Burton’s face through one cheek, partially exited through the other and stayed completely intact in the process (thereby leaving a definitive scar which immediately identified him forever as a man not to be trifled with), the search for the source of the Nile was to be a dreadfully dangerous undertaking regardless of the outcome. The story of Burton and Speke is a reminder that the compulsion to find wealth and fame and celebrity is nothing new. The only thing that has changed is that once upon a time a person actually had to accomplish more than creating a viral video or being the offspring of a notorious person in order to attain the level of fame required to be world famous.
Racism
This book covers a part of history already well documented. And, as expected, Burton and Speke are clearly the two main characters, and it is upon them that the themes of imperialism and celebrity hang. Ultimately, however, this is a book about three significant players and it is not mere accident that the third is far less famous. Sidi Mubarak Bombay is the African guide (not unlike the Sherpa who also scaled Mt. Everest alongside Edmund Hillary) who proved to be of extreme use to a number of various British explorations in Africa. He would eventually receive the honor of being officially recognized for his party by the Royal Geographical Society, but from the far distance of his homeland rather than being extended an actual invitation by the organization. The book covers not just this particular act of racism, but the underlying concept of how essential racism was to Victorian society. The exploration of the biblical-inspired myth of white supremacy is deeply explored through the consequences of Speke’s unspeakably racist interpretation of the divergence of lineage between Hutu and Tutsi tribes in Rwanda.
