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Victoria falls: Mosi-oa-Tunya
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
David Martin
1,001 books24 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
February 7, 2014
When the book first arrived, I was surprised at how small it is. The blurb says: "Part of the new series of pocketsized guides to the places, people and animals of Africa, this new volume covers the world-famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and the surrounding attractions. Beautifully illustrated and produced, the guide covers the geology, archaeology, climate, history, and the Zambezi National Park."
What I really admire about David Martin's small guidebook is his respect not only for Mosi Oa Tunya but for the indigenous people. In talking about David Livingstone's supposed "discovery" as a white man, Martin sees "racist and sexist" connotations. Good for him. Long before Livingstone gave the insulting name of "Victoria Falls" to them, the Falls were called Mosi-va-Tunya ("the Smoke that Thunders") by the Kololo people on the northern bank. The Nambya people on the southern bank called them Chinotimba ("The Place That Thunders").
Martin is honest in being appalled at what both colonialism and tourism have done to this World Heritage site. I share his disgust with "booze cruises" and noise pollution levels caused by helicopters and aircraft. And this statistic stunned me: "Had each visitor last year picked a flower or a leaf weighing only five grams, some 2,500 KILOGRAMS of rain forest would have been lost...Conversely had each visitor picked up a piece of litter weighing only ten grams then around five TONNES of litter would have been removed."
He does have a good recommendation for Victoria Falls Safari Lodge: http://www.victoria-falls-safari-lodg... He says this lodge is built with the environment in mind, and the rooms do not have TV or radios. However, note that they DO have mosquito netting. The Falls is in a malaria area, and Martin recommends taking a prophylaxis course before traveling and six weeks after the trip.
What I really admire about David Martin's small guidebook is his respect not only for Mosi Oa Tunya but for the indigenous people. In talking about David Livingstone's supposed "discovery" as a white man, Martin sees "racist and sexist" connotations. Good for him. Long before Livingstone gave the insulting name of "Victoria Falls" to them, the Falls were called Mosi-va-Tunya ("the Smoke that Thunders") by the Kololo people on the northern bank. The Nambya people on the southern bank called them Chinotimba ("The Place That Thunders").
Martin is honest in being appalled at what both colonialism and tourism have done to this World Heritage site. I share his disgust with "booze cruises" and noise pollution levels caused by helicopters and aircraft. And this statistic stunned me: "Had each visitor last year picked a flower or a leaf weighing only five grams, some 2,500 KILOGRAMS of rain forest would have been lost...Conversely had each visitor picked up a piece of litter weighing only ten grams then around five TONNES of litter would have been removed."
He does have a good recommendation for Victoria Falls Safari Lodge: http://www.victoria-falls-safari-lodg... He says this lodge is built with the environment in mind, and the rooms do not have TV or radios. However, note that they DO have mosquito netting. The Falls is in a malaria area, and Martin recommends taking a prophylaxis course before traveling and six weeks after the trip.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review