David Livingstone

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Recommended: European missionaries in Africa 19th century

David Livingstone

“True, by this time it was not a blank space any more. It had got filled since my boyhood with rivers and lakes and names. It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery – a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness” (Conrad, 71).

Existing as a great mystery to Europeans during the 19th century, this “blank space” of Africa was slowly discovered by the great Scottish missionary David Livingstone. As much of an explorer as he was a missionary, Livingstone discovered many previously unseen parts of Africa and helped to fill the blank map of Africa with “darkness.”

Born in Blantyre, Scotland, on March 13, 1813, where he spent the first twenty-three years of his life, Livingstone began his childhood working in a cotton mill. Although his work in the mill took up a large majority of his time, Livingstone still studied books and nature during any moment of free time he had. His zeal for studying allowed him to happen upon “an appeal on behalf of Chinese Missions which captured his imagination and determined him to go to China as a medical missionary” (Blantyre High School). Because of the opium wars, Livingstone’s departure to China was hindered and he attended a meeting conducted by Dr Robert Moffat, “a pioneer missionary to Africa” (Royer), who spoke of Africa and “the 'smoke of a thousand villages' where the gospel had never been preached” (Blantyre High School, Smoke of A Thousand Villages), a meeting which caused Livingstone to pursue his first trip to Africa as a missionary. Sailing for Africa on December 8, 1840, Livingstone learned how to run a mission in Kuruman with Dr. Moffat; however, he did not like staying there because he wanted to trave...

... middle of paper ...

...of prayer. Livingstone’s heart was buried in Africa and his body was carried back to England and buried in Westminster Abbey, an end to a life of exploration and dedication to unveiling Africa to the world.

Works Cited

“David Livingstone.” Southern African Safari. 2002. David Livigstone. 5 October 2002 <http://home.vicnet.net.au/~neils/africa/livingstone.htm>.

“Dr. Livingstone – Man of Africa.” Blantyre High School. 2002. David Livingstone Museum. 5 October 2002 < http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/blantyre/living/livmenu.html >.

Royer, Galen. “David Livingstone: Africa’s Great Missionary and Explorer.” Worldwide Missions. 2002. Wholesome Words. 5 October 2002 <http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/bliving2.html >.

The Great Ones: David Livingstone. 2002. IExplore. 5 October 2002 <http://www.iexplore.com/res/explorer_livingstone.jhtml>.

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