Zebras outside my room near the top of Victoria Falls.
Much of the scenery in Superintendent is drawn from my time in Africa, as are the political and historic issues raised in the book. There is a lot to say about that continent, about where it has been and is going, and what it means to all of us.
Africa is addictive. Something about the shape of those endless savannahs, the dry, clean smell of the air and the honest, straightforward way in which nature goes about her business there strikes a chord. Some sort of harmonic vibration within. Say what you will about ‘species memory’ or genetic ties to certain places, I can’t claim to know about any of that. But something about the continent from which our species sprang still rings true in the way we’re made. Those who have visited the preserves and wild areas of Africa know how it feels to walk there, that it is a place just slightly more natural to human perception than others.
There is variety. Not in the same sense as most other parts of the world,
where variety pops up in a million shades. North America can boast mountains and deserts, and dozens of subtypes within these extremes. The Rockies and Appalachians are both mountains, but both wildly different from each other. Africa tends to push its extremes to the limit and call it good. You want a mountain? Here, it’s called Kilimanjaro. Enjoy. World’s largest waterfall? Victoria Falls. You want hot? The North holds the record for one of the hottest recorded temperatures on Earth. Cold? Okay, the south has penguins. Have fun. There are fewer shades to the type of variety, but no continent pushes the envelope farther. What nature does in Africa, she does to extremes.
A big part of that is the wildlife. We weren’t the only interesting species to spring from that continent, and she certainly didn’t stop work when we travelled beyond her. One has the sense that her ecosystem has hyper-evolved to the point where predator and prey operate on margins which would be unsustainably small anywhere else. The lions make it clear when they pass the jeep: when you’re in the jeep, you’re neither predator nor prey, and they just don’t have time to even notice you. The gazelles have evolved to the point that they take x number of calories to bring down, and the predators watch that caloric budget. There’s not a lot of time or energy left over.
Beside this point, or because of it, the species which have evolved from Africa’s ecosystem are tremendously specialized and a joy to watch. Lions, rhinoceros, giraffes, all are so specialized as to hint at a very specific system which has driven them into some incredibly fine evolutionary niches. Hyenas are as specialized as pack hunters can be, cheetahs have utterly exploited the specialty of speed, and baboons . . . Baboons thrive by being jerks.
Theft, bullying, intimidation, all the tricks by which utter jerks profit, baboons have set up shop in each of these behaviors, and carry them to new highs (lows), gaining by every jerk tendency and maneuver a person can’t predict. Other specializations exist within the monkey kingdom, and certainly hominids are known for their diverse specialties. Many of the best expeditions address monkeys to the exclusion of all other creatures, and one may become lost in the endless niches developed by the large hominid brain.
The deck of my room at Singita Lodge.
It’s all accessible. Not only are these treasures literally standing out in the open, but the economic situation which persists in Africa provides a silver lining in making these areas more affordable. There are ways, and it is certainly worth the trip. African nations are as protective of their tourist trade as any other country, indeed they have far more to be protective of than most of their competitors in the tourism arena. ‘Roughing it’ isn’t an accurate characterization of most wildlife activities in Africa. The tradition of bringing style and luxury to the wilderness persists, indeed is a core value behind most of the tourist offerings available. Of all the standards laid down during the British occupation, this hospitable idea of providing the best for visitors within one of Earth’s last great unspoiled wild lands was an interesting tradition to carry on. The contrast of seeing nothing but wild animals for miles around while enjoying eminently civilized sundowners is a unique treat.
About 5% of Victoria Falls.
Sadly, not all of Africa is open all the time. Tragic occurrences persist in some African nations and flare up time and again despite all hopes and efforts to improve matters. The human rights atrocities which crop up again and again deserve nothing short of the outrage and action of the rest of the world. People, fellow humans, are put to terrors unimaginable under an eye from the first world which has, too often, been blind. The lesser part of this tragedy is that some areas of our shared human heritage are put outside our reach. A failure to connect with these areas is, in future generations, a failure to realize on any real level that they exist. This, in turn, makes it easier to ignore what transpires there. Even putting this aside, I can state simply that people are made better by visiting Africa’s great centers of beauty and human heritage. Conversely, we are made worse by being deprived of this. Victoria Falls is as primal an experience as any available in this world, but going to Zimbabwe is tricky just now.
The author, in a goofy borrowed raincoat at Victoria Falls.
I went there a decade ago as head of a group, and matters were sticky even then. “Border Fees” had to be paid in cash to “officials” (sweaty guys in undershirts with AK-47’s) in cash, at a rate determined on the day. Forking over $1,300 in Benjamins to get my people through the fence was an experience, but not one I could recommend to everyone. Well worth it, certainly, but probably less than advisable at present. It’s just the notion that this place, which is in a constant state of blinding downpour simply due to the fact that that much water falling that fast creates a permanent cloudbank, is off-limits that makes one’s soul die a little. It belongs to humanity, collectively, as our heritage and our responsibility. Means exist for fixing the situation, many of the causes and questions about solutions are to be found in Superintendent, which was meant merely as a starting point. But current policy will not be enough. Too often, a blind eye is too convenient.
Even the beaches are extreme in Africa.
Africa is a land of contrast, in a totally different way than we’re used to. I love my native United States, and will be the first to point out her many and varied beauties, which exist in totally different directions than those found elsewhere. But in this world of globalization, we balance increased competition with increased access. We are not yet to the point where we can freely enjoy the splendors our neighbors take for granted while treating honored guests to the beauties of our homeland. Occasionally, yes, but not universally. Still, we are farther down that road than our species has ever ventured before. Map lines are useful, but they are ceasing to be an excuse when we define our duties, our freedoms and the responsibilities which unite the one with the other. In short, map lines constrain our lives less than ever before. We can learn to live like that.