Wandering is not something to be feared. Wandering with purpose is not about wandering, it’s all about asking questions. You become a storyteller by sharing the experiences you have while travelling. Storytelling is what makes you who you are. It depends on your interests and where you’re travelling. Rabindranath Tatore and David Livingstone were two of these people, well-known for their contributions.
Livingstone and Tagore did not share much, when all was considered. One was a Scottish Christian Congregationalist. The other was an African pioneer missionary with London Missionary Society. They also belonged at different times. This is why there are so many similarities between them. It’s Africa. Tagore did not visit Africa. However, the images Livingstone describes in his account of his journey to Zambezi bring out the similarities. This is because storytelling is a common theme. Livingstone’s Expeditions to the Zambesi Tributaries 1858-1864 contains a story about a rebel who traded slaves. Livingstone, landing at the Zambesi to salute his friends, found himself in the foul smell of slave trading and among the bodies of the slain. Livingstone, after unsuccessfully trying to find someone to help the Governor to the steamer and not wanting to put him in such danger, went into the hut and was dragged to the ship by his Excellency. He was tall and moved a lot, making Dr. Livingstone look like a drunken man. While some of the Portuguese soldiers stood bravely in front against the enemy, others shot at their slaves fleeing into a river. The rebels quickly left and the Portuguese fled to a Zambesi sandbank, then to Shupanga to find safety. There they remained for several more weeks, gazing at the rebels from the mainland. The Portuguese were inactive due to the fact that they had exhausted all of their ammunition.
Tagore’s Ode to Africa tells of the colonizers as well as the shackled slavery trade.
Africa was snatched from the primordial oceans by the brutal arms. It was a place of incomprehensible privacy. There you were surrounded by leisure and tranquility. You laughed at the Terrible, assuming the appearance of the unpleasant. This was only your attempt to overcome fretful apprehension. Alas, the 0 VeiledOne Under the shadow of your dark facade, your human identity was hidden. They appeared, manacles held in hand; their claws were sharper than those on your wolves. Your darkest, sunless forest. In stark nakedness, civilization’s barbaric greed is exposed. Your bemoanings and tears mixed with the fetid vapours of jungle. The dirt transformed into a noxious swamp. Your humiliation is written upon the pages of your history, in the mud-laden tracks that demonic cleats have left behind.
The poem is structured to show the progress of Africa. It has three stanzas that each manage Africa’s colonization, creation, and post-expansionism. This system allows you to differentiate the time frames. This gives the impression that Western colonialism was not in good faith. Tagore feels that Africa’s colonialism has stopped the country from moving towards civilisation. This is evident in his frequent use humanoid attribution, which gives an African measurement. The sentiments in Africa also reflect Tagore’s originalization of Western expansionism, which was driven by an uninformed feeling that scorn has cruelly abused the landmass. Livingstone was completing a colonizers task and saw it firsthand. Tagore did not travel to Africa but wrote about it, hearing other people’s stories or keeping a travel journal.
But what about the story beyond daily travel? Their narratives or approaches are what make the difference. In Tagore’s letters and diaries (1861-1941), unlike many other great voyagers/explorers or travelers, he doesn’t give details about his surroundings. Instead, he gives a metaphysical understanding, which relays his reflection and gaze… The isle where our ship is now anchored is called Biliton. The population is small. Tin quarries are managed by managers and laborers. It’s amazing how they milk the entire planet. These people used to sail off in large swarms into unknown waters. They traveled around the globe to get to know it and to measure it. This history of familiarization was long and dangerous. I wonder if they were nervous when they first started to set up their sails here on the coasts far from home. These were unfamiliar to them because of the diversity of plants, animals and humans. Today, however, all is well and good! We have been defeated, so I think.
They are not static, they are dynamic. They could get around easily, and because of that they are well-informed and have a thirst for more knowledge. Our stagnation has made our appetite for knowledge weaker. Even though we know a lot about our neighbours, our desire to learn more is lacking. Our home is too big. The people who lack the vigour to learn are less likely to survive. Their archeologists have shown the same enthusiasm that allowed them to gain all rights over Java. But, just like the island, their archeology was completely foreign to them. While we are ignorant about our surroundings, their desire to learn more about the far reaches of the world is unassisted. They conquer the world by their passion and muscle. We are intimately domestic…
Livingstone, however, writes in detail about each encounter. One can say that his narrative conveys the only purpose of his voyage.
The island was home to large game, including buffaloes and wild zebras. But no one could see them. Over on the right bank, there were the amusements of small bird-eating flocks. They flew in small columns and made such precise movements that we thought they had to be guided by one leader. Other small birds, such as the Senegal swallow, are now being flown in groups. This bird is clearly in a migration state from the north. The common swallow and brown kite are far beyond the equator. It leads to speculation that there could be a double migration. However, this cannot be confirmed by birds of passage like ourselves.
This reveals the intentions of each of these travelers. Livingstone was specifically focused on commerce and trade, while Tagore is a humanitarian worker. It is clear that both the travelers and the writers have kept journals or diaries of their daily experiences, regardless of the language or the narratives. This is because they were driven to write and travel with a specific purpose that transcends all assumptions. Because of their stories, we now have great stories, and a desire for the same lands. Ibn Battuta said, “Traveling makes you speechless, and then you become a storyteller.”
