Statue of David Livingstone, Scotland
Memorial to David Livingstone, Scotland.
Statue of David Livingstone, Africa
Blantyre in Scotland, where David Livingstone was born.
David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary and explorer who left Scotland for Africa, searching for the source of the Nile. He was known for being outspoken against slavery.
He studied medicine with the intention of becoming a medical missionary.
In Africa he attempted to shoot a lion which was killing the animals of the local African people. the lion managed to leap on Livingstone and injure his left arm permanently, before a local African speared it. That is why statues show Livingstone with a lion.
In one statue his left arm is damaged but he holds a bible in his right arm.
His wife followed him to Africa where she died of Malaria, as did other missonaries who followed him.
Mary Moffat burial site in Mozambique.
He stayed in Africa until he died at the age of 60. In the last few years he was ill, and his letters did not all reach home. After he 'disappeared' a US newspaper sent Stanley to look for him. Stanley was not the man's first name but his surname. Full name
Statue of David Livingstone
Finding the only white man for several hundred miles, Stanley is supposed to have greeted Livingstone with the words, 'Dr Livingstone I presume'.
Whether or not he actually said these words no longer matters. After I researched my book on quotations, Who Said What When, I found that a great number of famous sayings were not said by the person to whom they were attributed, or were said by many people. Whether or not it was said then, by that person, the memorable phrase is now in the English language.
A fascinating story. As a modern traveller who is relieved to return to civilisation, in an era, April 2020, when citizens worldwide enduring the horrors and lockdown of coronvirus, and fights over toilet paper, I can only admire somebody who travelled through rural Africa in more primitive times.
Statues of Livingstone are in Scotland, in Glasgow, and Africa near the Victoria Falls.
He is buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England.
Livingstone Museum, near Victoria Falls, Zambia.
The easiest to read article about Livingstone is the one catchily entitled, the Man With Three Wives. The three wives were the river, slavery and religion. Lvingstone had only one wife.
Useful Websites
UK
ZAMBIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livingstone_Museum
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/man-with-three-wives
About the Author
Angela
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