Mungo park; the explorer of Niger river
You've probably been hearing learning and wondering about one of the most recognised explorers of West Africa, Mungo Park.
Mungo park
Mungo park was a Scottish explorer of the famous River Niger in West Africa Nigeria. He began his exploration as early as 1796. Though his work was terminated at a point in time when he was killed during his journey down the Niger, his discovery has been a guide to subsequent geographers and even the British colonial masters.
He was a young but committed man who researched to discover the fountain of the Niger River. After some success in his works, he decided to write a travel book titled TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR DISTRICT OF AFRICA. The book was commended to be influential and popular. In this very book, he made it known that according to what he had discovered, the River Niger and River Congo were same River; claiming that both rivers merged together.
After this first theory, he decided to proceed in his second expedition where he has covered 2 out of 3 of the Niger.
The Niger Congo theory of mungo park remained unproven till 1830 when it was later discovered that the Congo and Niger were not in any way related, in fact they're just two separate rivers. Therefore the speculation of Mungo park became disqualified.
After his death, this young explorer remained in history and remembrance especially in West Africa and Britain.
BACKGROUND LIFE.
Mungo park was the seventh out of thirteen children of his family. September 11th 1771, he was born in Selkirkshi Scotland and at Foulsheils on the Yarrow water. He was delivered on a tenant farm rented by his father from the leader of Buccleuch. His father was just a farmer but they could provide him with good education before he died. When Mungo Park turned fourteen years, he started practising as an apprentice to Thomas Anderson, he became friend with Alexander his son and also acquainted to Allison his future wife.
In October 1788 he got into Edinburgh university to study Medicine and botany, then graduated in 1792. As recommended by Joseph Banks, he was employed as an assistant surgeon on the east Indian company ship Worcester. After some of his journeys he settled at his birthplace for a short while in 1799 and got married to Allison the daughter of his Master.
He afterwards moved to Peebles where he practised his medical profession as a physician.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Before his death he led exploration team of the British successfully with outstanding results.
On 26th September 1794, Mungo Park offered his services to the African Association , then looking for a successor to Major Daniel Houghton , who had been sent in 1790 to discover the course of the Niger River and had died in the Sahara .Supported by Sir Joseph Banks , Park was selected.
22nd May 1795, Mungo Park left Portsmouth, England, on the brig Endeavour , a vessel travelling to Gambia to trade for beeswax and ivory.
On 21st June 1795, Park came the Gambia River and to a trading station named Pisania . On 2nd December same year, with two guides, he journeyed for the yet unknown interior. He selected the route which meant crossing the upper Senegal basin and also cutting across the semi desert region of Kaarta.
This particular journey led him to be imprisoned in Ladabar by the chief of the Moors for at least 15 weeks . However on the 1st of July 1796, he escaped. He is now all alone and with no penny; just his horse and compass. After 20 days of rough journey, he finally arrived at the sought River Niger at Ségou , He followed the river down up to 80 miles (130 km) to Silla, where he was left with no other choice than to go back, due to the fact that no resources are available to forge ahead
His going back was not giving up but he got more prepared and set out again 29th July. He took a route more to the south than the former route, keeping close to the River Niger as far as Bamako, thus tracing its source for about 300 miles i. e 500 kilometres. According to known history Mungo Park was the first European man ever to discover the Niger river and this was his greatest achievement of all time.
In 1803 he embarked on his second journey when he was summoned by the British government to lead another team to the Niger. He accepted the offer but his journey had to be delayed as Park needs to learn to speak Arabic. He was taught by a native of Mogador, present day Essaouira in Morocco named Sidi Ambak.
Finally on 31st January 1805 he sailed from Portsmouth for Gambia, commissioned as head of the government expedition. His team members includes Alexander Anderson, his brother in-law and second-in-command. George Scott, a fellow Borderer, along side five artificers. At Gorée, they were joined by Lieutenant Martyn R.A., some privates and two seamen.
Mungo Park and his crew did not reach the Niger till mid august. At this time, most of them already died owing to fever and some other common diseases leaving just eleven of them to continue from Bamako. From there they travelled with canoe to Ségou. Because Park hasn't travelled to the end of the river, he converted two canoes to a boat of about 20×2 metres to prepare for the unknown.
The Moors tribals requested of their Cheif (Mansong Diarra) to have the explorer killed for they did not recognise him as just an explorer. Mansong Diarra declined and they went further to the other tribes along the river. When Park discovered how things were going, he took some measures to ensure the safety of he and the expedition. He wrote his wife that he wasn't returning until he reaches his destination and that was the last time they heard from him.
The British government sent Isaaco to confirm how Park was doing and his whereabouts, he met Amadi who has been a guide to Park through Ségou and told them all that had happened while he was still with them. Isaaco was able to get some information but his journal was not recovered. So in 1827, Park's second son also travelled thinking that his father must have been held a prisoner in Boussa but unfortunately, he died of fever when he journeyed a few inland.
As a result of the patriotic demise of Mungo Park, the African Association compensated Mungo Park's wife with £4,000 as agreed and she later died in 1840.
After his death the certainty of the river Niger remained tangled and people later received his proposal of the Niger-Congo. Only after 25 years of his death (1830) did Richard lander and his brother trace the river down to its ocean source
Both in Britain and in Africa, a lot of structures has been built in remembrance of him but the most exclusive one is the Mungo Park's monument where he was actually buried. The monument is now a tourist attraction located close to the Niger river at Jebba, Niger state, Nigeria.
Mungo Park's monument Jebba, Nigeria
Here is one of his sayings that can really preach change to the current state of things in the world:
"...whatever difference there is between the negro and European, in the conformation of the nose, and the colour of the skin, there is none in the genuine sympathies and characteristic feelings of our common nature."
— Park 1799
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