Canada's Little War: Fighting for the British Empire in Southern Africa, 1899-1902

Summary:marjory kempe
The Boer War is just a footnote in our history, not even rating an entry in McClelland & Stewart's Canadian Encyclopedia. We remember it as a British concern that had had little to do with us, and to which we gave only token support. It was indeed, from a Canadian perspective, a "little war ". Yet Carman Miller, one of Canada’s foremost experts on this subject, believes that this war was a significant epoch in our country and deserves greater consideration. Mr. Miller's most persuasive argument is the connection he makes between the Boer War and World War I. Most Canadian historians would say that Canada came of age during the Great War. For the first time we stood as an equal among the nations of the world, not merely as Great Britain’s dependent. Yet this is only part of the truth. When Canadian soldiers requested the right to fight under their own officers and in their own regiments during World War I, the reputation they earned for courage and resourcefulness during the Boer War helped to support their cause. Many Canadian officers in the later conflict had sharpened their leadership skills in South Africa. One man we would recognize, John McRae, served on the veldt years before he saw the poppies of Flanders fields. That point is well made, and is the strength of the book. Where the book stumbles is in the battle scenes. Mr. Miller fails to find the balance between too little and too much detail in his accounts, making the picture either too muddled or too vague. Battlefield stories can't help but produce memorable, flesh-and-blood characters, but I had the feeling that this same material in another writer's hands could have come to life so much more. One of the stories that did stand out reflected the Boers’ attitude toward their enemies. After a particularly ferocious fight, an outnumbered group of Canadians finally surrendered. Even though the Canadians had decimated the ranks of their attackers, the Boers congratulated them on their courage, helped them bury their comrades, and set them free to return to their regiment. Mr. Miller also illustrates in great detail the effect that the war had upon the civilian population of Canada. The patriotism that swept the country was unlike anything seen before.

Entire communities raised money to contribute to the comfort of soldiers and their families. People wrote sentimental, stirring ballads that celebrated the gallantry of the Canadian soldier and moved the masses to tears. Manufacturers produced patriotic souvenirs of every description--mugs, handkerchiefs, toy soldiers--anything with a war theme. Yet this enthusiasm only highlighted a deep rift in the country. While English Canada largely embraced the cause, French Canada was disdainful, its leaders asking in Parliament why Canada had to fight battles for a foreign power. This division erupted into violence briefly in the Montreal Flag Riot of 1900 and remained festering for years afterward. The title of this book designating the Boer War as a little war seems very appropriate when Mr. Miller presents the battle statistics. Only seven thousand troops were sent, in groups of one or two thousand at a time, and for a service limited to one year. Two hundred and seventy soldiers were killed over the course of three years. These numbers seem ludicrously small compared with the horrific numbers of casualties from later wars, yet the impact of these deaths on the country was profound, and Boer War veterans met to commemorate them every year until 1962. This book continues in that tradition of remembrance. With a wealth of illustrations ranging from pictures of war artifacts, contemporary posters, portraits and photographs of soldiers and their uniforms, it resembles a scrapbook. Even if you’re not in the market for a thoughtful, scholarly discourse on the relevance of a forgotten war, you might enjoy spending a few minutes flipping through the pages and reading the captions to the illustrations to become acquainted wa little-known story of our past.
Canada's Little War: Fighting for the British Empire in Southern Africa, 1899-1902 Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/humanities/history/487196-canada-little-war-fighting-british/

South Africa – a Perfect Destination for Adventure and Attractions

Review:AbhishekKuMishra
Located at the southern tip of Africa, this amazing country features incredible landscapes, exotic wildlife, and diverse cultures.

From excellent infrastructure to desert safari destinations, South Africa has everything to delight every type of traveler. While you may visit the whole nation in a few weeks, you should consider concentrating on either the east or the west region depending on what you will like to explore. Situated in the western part of South Africa, is the marvelous Cape Town, which is comfortably settled beneath the Table Mountain. This part of the country is widely renowned for its ‘never-go-out-of-style’ beaches, scenic beauty, enthralling nightlife, and a laid-back atmosphere. You can also spoil yourself with the beautiful wine-lands and delectable treats in this city while exploring its cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Moving on to the east side, we have the City of Gold - Johannesburg, the largest and wealthiest city of South Africa. It offers endless options of shopping, entertainment, nightlife and dining, and a pure metropolitan experience. The popular places to explore here are the Apartheid Museum - which takes you through the rise and fall of South Africa, Johannesburg Zoo, Nelson Mandela Bridge, and Drum Café.

If you are up for some fun and excitement, then you must visit Sun City, a luxury casino and resort, which is also known as ‘Africa’s Kingdom of Pleasure’. This amazing theme park offers all the entertainment and recreation options for you and your companions, whether it’s family or friends, under one roof. You can indulge in safaris, adventure activities, various thrilling rides, and visit world-class restaurants, nightclubs and casinos here. All this adds up to a one-of-its-kind experience. You can either stay in the resort for a couple of days or come here for a day tour, depending upon your budget and preferences.

Other exciting places to explore in South Africa are Garden Route, Kruger National Park, Robben Island and Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve.

To delight your taste buds, South African food corners and restaurants offer various local and Western cuisines. One must try a well-prepared local meal like Tripe and Morogo for an enriching experience as each dish reflects the culture and tradition of that particular region. A trip to the country is incomplete without a visit to the local breweries and vineyards. Various wine and food festivals also keep happening throughout the year.

There are various famous shopping places in the major cities of the country from where you can buy everything from spices and watches to books and clothes. Wrapping it all, a vacation to South Africa will surely take you through adventurous as well as entertaining aspects of this beautiful country, which is an amazing blend of rural culture and thoroughly modern areas. It’s a country where every corner, every turn, and every monument has a story to tell, but only if you are willing to listen!
South Africa – a Perfect Destination for Adventure and Attractions Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/travel/destination/2394046-south-africa-perfect-destination-adventure/

Man in Africa & His Literature

Summary:bali
Previous Page continent.
Migrations in historic and prehistoric times have taken people, along with their cultural creations, from one edge of Africa to another. Since ancient times traders have journeyed back and forth between inner Africa and the ocean shores. River highways and camel caravans have carried not only men and goods, but information, Tradition, tales and beliefs. Today a story told among the Ivory Coast Baoule also may be heard among the Amazulu far to the south. The trickster hare of Zaire performs the same clever mischief as the spider trickster in Ghana and Togo. Many of the musical instruments of West Africa are equally known in the east and south. And while the music of Central Africa may have local characteristics, it nevertheless belongs to a general musical system on which diverse peoples such as the Ashanti of Ghana, the Shangaan of South Africa and the Kamba of Kenya also draw for their music making. Even where Islamic or European influence has intruded and hybridized the sound, the overall African character can be readily recognized. So, too, with dancing, the arts of orating and storytelling, and games played by adults and children. There is no part of the continent that does not know some variant of the counting game played with beans or stones on carved playing boards, and known under the names wari, munkala, adi and many others.
Though religious systems vary, there is a general ized African view regarding the forces of nature. Throughout much of West, Central, East and Southern Africa there prevails (except where initiated by European influence) the concept of a total world made up of the seen and the unseen, of forces that for all their invisibility are none the less real and which must be coped with through rituals and magico-religious means.

The goodwill of the ancestors is vital to the well-being of the living, and the dead are therefore supplicated and placated by an unending series of individual acts and prescribed rituals. While contacts with Islam and Christianity have moderated such concepts, the African view of a partly seen, partly unseen universe remains strong. The invocation of a Christian saint is not regarded as greatly different from appeals to one''s ancestors; nor, to many is the Christian God, remote and invisible, incompatible with the supreme sky deities who live in the traditions of the Yoruba, the Ashanti, the Bantu cultures of Central Africa, and others. Intruding non-African religious systems have themselves vouched for the existence of a physical world surrounded by spiritual forces, reinforcing what earlier generations of Africans saw as the real nature of the universe. Thus the oral literature of Africa reflects ideas, themes, suppositions and truths that are widely shared, at the same time that it reveals creations unique to, and particularized by, a tribe, village or region. A tribe may be united with a mainstream of African traditions and yet have legends of its own heroes, kings and demigods, its own conflicts and migrations, and its unique ancient origins. A village may reshape, to its own liking, a widespread tale- A narrator may embellish, recast and refine stories known elsewhere and give them the mark of his own creative genius, or compose
Man in Africa & His Literature Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/humanities/1677358-man-africa-literature/

The city is a financial Juggernaut on the African continent. Pulsating with energy and drive, Johannesburg is a hub of culture and excitement

Johannesburg- South Africa

Review: ElkabberAwi
The city is a financial Juggernaut on the African continent. Pulsating with energy and drive, Johannesburg is a hub of culture and excitement
Name: Johannesburg, also referred to as Jozi, Joburg or Egoli (place of Gold)
Province: Gauteng Province
Population: 3,2 million
Altitude: 1753m
Geography: Located on the eastern high-lying plateau in South Africa referred to as the Highveld.
Climate: Dry with winter temperatures ranging from 24°-16°C. Summer is temperate with temperatures exceeding 30°C and afternoon thundershowers.
Key Economic Sectors: Retail, Finance
Professional Football Clubs: Bidvest Wits, Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows Orlando Pirates (Premier) FC AK, Jomo Cosmos (1st Division)

The Republic of South Africa, is located on the southern tip of the African continent and inhabits 1,219,912 square kilometres (471,011 square miles) of land. It is neighboured by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique to the north and Swaziland in the east. South Africa wholly encompasses the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
The country has a population of more than 47 million that spans across nine provinces. The provinces are the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, North West and the Western Cape. The Northern Cape is by far the largest province, but also has the smallest population while the smallest province is Gauteng, which has the densest population.
South Africa is a democracy with the president as the head of state. The country has clear separation of powers, with the legislative seated in the parliament and headed by the speaker of the house, administrative with the president and his cabinet (also members of parliament) and the judiciary headed by the chief justice. The constitution of South Africa however, is the supreme law and supersedes all branches of government. South Africans are proud of their constitution and it is considered to be one of the most progressive and liberal of its kind in the world.

The country has three capitals: Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). The government is further divided into three tiers: national, provincial and local.
The country is a juxtaposition of natural beauty that includes vast open plains, rolling hills, mountains, lakes, coastline and bustling, sophisticated cities. There are two trans-frontier parks, the internationally renowned Kruger National Park and four natural UNESCO World Heritage sites. The uKhahlamba/Drakensburg Mountains are a combination of cultural and Natural heritage because of the high volumes of Rock Art left by the San who lived in the area for 4000 years.
The most precious possession South Africa has is its people and this led the Archbishop Desmond Tutu to refer to it as the 'Rainbow Nation'. This was in reference to the diverse cultures, histories and languages which permeate the country
Johannesburg- South Africa Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/travel/destination/2008123-johannesburg-south-africa/

Winston Churchill was so besotted by the country that he gave it the name that has endured: the Pearl of Africa .

Uganda - The Pearl Of Africa Glows Again

Summary:xoomout
Uganda - The Pearl Of Africa Glows Again


Uganda is a beautiful country with an impressive people. This is one of my favorite countries in all of Africa. The people of Uganda have survived the troubles of 1967-86 period and emerged standing upright and wearing a smile. In that short period, the country suffered under the caprice of two despicable despots. One was the indisputably insane Idi Amin and the other, the arguably insane Milton Obote.

This is now history - a testament to the dignity and endurance of this people. The transformation of the country in the period since normalcy returned is nothing short of astounding. And it shows in the faces of the people you meet. That the graceful beauties of Uganda have not received the recognition they deserve in international beauty pageants is for me incontrovertible proof that most of these events are really fixed.

Winston Churchill was so besotted by the country that he gave it the name that has endured: the Pearl of Africa . His observations about Uganda remain true today: The scenery is different, the vegetation is different, the climate is different, and, most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere ...in the whole range of Africa .

Travelers to Uganda are drawn by its stunning landscape - green rolling hills, snowcapped mountains, rainforests, majestic rivers and massive lakes. There are also a number of outstanding national parks for your safari encounter with the wildlife for which Africa is renowned. Unfortunately, I have to advise you to skip Kidepo Valley -a well-resourced park in the north, as it is not considered safe. The country’s edge as a worthwhile destination is further enhanced by its endowments for white water rafting and sport fishing. Tour operators have on offer a variety of Uganda safari and tour packages.


Gorilla tracking is limited to small groups and the licenses are issued to ensure minimum disruption to the routine of the animals. Tracking gorillas is an arduous task and you should be prepared for up to 8 hours of hiking. Good physical condition is a must. You are advised to make arrangements 4-12 months prior to the date of your visit. Bwindi is essentially a rain forest and it is necessary to bring along a raincoat, walking boots and gloves.

Though not as famous for safari as neighboring Kenya and Tanzania, Uganda still has some pretty good game sanctuaries. The 3,840 sq. km Murchison Falls National Park is the largest and most spectacular of them. Aside from game, it is renowned for its scenic beauty. Rolling savannah, tall grasslands and thick bush woodlands make up the park. But you are advised not to miss out the magnificent waterfalls after which the park is named. The waterfall is formed where the Nile tapers from 50 metres to rush through a 7-metre gorge, falling 45 metres in a breath-taking leap. This phenomenon is said to be the most powerful natural flow of water anywhere on Earth.

Traveling from Kampala to the Queen Elizabeth or Bwindi, most visitors break at Lake Mburo National Park. The park is 230 km west of Kampala along the Mbarara road and is the most accessible in the country. It is a very attractive park of rolling hills, open grassy valleys, interspersed with thickets, woodlands and rich wetlands. In addition to viewing game including zebra, cape buffalo and eland, you can relax by taking a boat trip on Lake Mburo.


Mount Elgon sits by the Kenyan border and is the shell of an ancient volcano. The main attractions here are the waterfalls, caves that were once used by indigenous people, hot springs, the mountains vegetation, the various peaks, the Suam Gorge and the caldera itself. After millions of years of erosion, the oval shaped caldera now measures roughly 7 by 8 kms, one of the largest in the world.

The traveler with a sense of history will want to visit the Source of the Nile at Jinja. Jinja is 60 km to the north east of Kampala and is easily accessible byy road. This is where the White Nile begins, as it exits Lake Victoria on its 5,600 km journey to the Mediterranean. The source of the Nile was a thousand year old mystery that was decisively settled by the explorer John Speke in 1862.

If you want to drive around Uganda, you need to show an international drivers license to hire a vehicle. Rental cars in Uganda are available in Entebbe and Kampala. Roads radiate from Kampala and are of varying quality. In the north of the country the security situation is still doubtful and so are the roads. Its is a good idea if you are on self drive to get local advise about the condition the roads you intend to use.

Uganda enjoys a tropical climate tempered by altitude. The hottest period of the year is from December to February when temperature rise to 29 degrees Celsius. For the rest of the year, temperatures range between 21 to 25°C.The country experiences two rainy seasons: April to May and October to November, with April being the wettest month. The best times to visit are December-March and June-September. Light informal clothing is generally adequate. But you need warmer wraps and sweaters for the evenings and early mornings. You are also advised to carry some rainwear, just in case.
Uganda - The Pearl Of Africa Glows Again Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/f/humanities/5503-uganda-pearl-africa-glows/