Showing results by author "Mary Kingsley" in All Categories

Mary Henrietta Kingsley (13 October 1862 – 3 June 1900) was an British explorer and writer who greatly influenced European ideas about Africa and its people. Kingsley was an outspoken critic of European colonialism, a champion for indigenous customs, and a dedicated campaigner for a revised British policy which supported traders and merchants over the needs of settlers and missionaries.Her adventures were extraordinary and fascinating. Among other things she fought with crocodiles, fell into native spear traps and was caught in a tornado on the slopes of Mount Cameroon. She traveled in West ...

Based on "Travels in West Africa" by Mary Kingsley, this is the account of a Victorian lady's journeys up the rivers of West Africa in the 1890s. AUTHOR: Mary Kingsley was born in 1862. She was trapped by the conventions of her time until her parents died but then, with an income of £500, she was free to travel and in 1893 went to Africa.