Sofia Samatar’s “Ogres of East Africa” chronicles Alibhai Moosajee’s quest to collect information about East African ogres for his British employer. Samatar skillfully alternates between Alibhai’s official accounts of the ogres, intended for his employer, and his personal accounts etched into the margins of his catalogue. Samatar creates a two-sided story—one side intended to reach Alibhai’s employer and one side that will never be deciphered by him. The two sides of Samatar’s story represent the two opposing stories of imperialism in Africa. The imperialist’s story was one of conquest, power, and disregard for the indigenous people, while the indigenous people’s story was one of resentment and disillusionment.…
In chapter 1, the author puts off by explaining what was happening. In 1961 a civil war is being fought between UN Irish peacekeepers and the newly formed Nation of Katanga, which recently seceded from the Republic of the Congo which is located in South Africa. Congo was the third largest country on the continent of Africa. Then we are introduced to the origins of the Congo.…
Bonobos Have you ever heard of a bonobo? If not, then you are missing out. When taught at a young age, these creatures have the capability to learn up to 348 symbols. When Kanzi was an infant Sue Savage-Rumbaugh tried to teach his mother, Matata, to communicate using a keyboard labeled with geometric shapes. Matata never really got the hang of it, but Kanzi- who usually played in the background seemingly oblivious, during his mothers teaching lesson- picked up the language.…
- The bonobo's range falls in the lowland forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a land currently beset with warfare and insecurity. - In mapping the bonobo's territory, the researchers found that proximity to human agricultural areas was the most important predictor of bonobo presence. - Bonobos that live in closer proximity to human activity and to points of human access are more vulnerable to poaching, one of their main threats - only 27.8 percent of suitable bonobo habitat lies within protected forest areas. - only a quarter of the bonobo range that is currently suitable for bonobos is located within protected…
1. Write a minimum 4-5 sentences (good sentences, not little short ones) paragraph explaining what the article is about. Bonobo plays a critical role in the Luikotale forest, making them a keystone species. Bonobo consume fruit, which contain seeds that go through their digestive system and then gets excreted. This process increases the biodiversity, and the chance that the plant will survive past the sapling stage. Bonobo are helping not only the plants, but herbivores that consume the plants so they don’t starve to death.…
The Western Lowland Gorilla are native to central Africa and usually inhabits lowland swamps, mountainous forest, ancient woodlands, and second growth forest. They are warm blooded animals and are members of Chordata, Mammalia, Primates, and Hominidae. They are also members of the Gorilla geneus and Ggorilla species. Male Western Lowland Gorillas are generally between 1.5 to 1.8 meters, and their weight ranges from 140-270 kilograms. Females are smaller and lighter than their male counterparts.…
There has been an over sixty percent drop in the elephant population in the Congo rainforest because of those logging roads. A loss of biodiversity is a common problem caused by deforestation. The roads that have lead deeper into the forests made by logging companies results in overhunting of varies species such has the western lowland gorilla, leopard and elephant. This occurs because the roads are giving bush meat hunters more access to parts of the forest that were previously isolated , this sadly leads to extinction. The DRC Congo has been inhabited by humans for…
This species of gorilla can live up to 50yrs old or old, both in captivity and in the wild. Adult males can weigh from 350 to 450 pounds; adult females usually weigh up to 150 to 250 pounds. Males can be up to 6ft while standing upright and Females can be up to 4ft. Interesting Western Lowland Gorilla facts I found out about from The Atlanta Zoo’s website; gorillas have unique nose prints, just like humans have different and unique finger prints. Gorillas actually don’t get water from the earth, they get it from the foods they.…
Our design for a VR experiment is where you’re in the shoes of Harambe, the Lowland Gorilla of the Cincinnati Zoo. The simulation starts in the gorilla pit, where you’re just sitting there, munching on some leaves, and walking around, about to drink some water to quench your thirst. Then, a screaming child falls in the pit, and you’re very confused. You catch the falling child and put it in your arms. You ask yourself “What is going on?…
The beauty of the world and the universe is something that is hard to grasp for most people because of the magnitude of how riveting the beauty is. “In the Forest of Gombe” an essay written by Jane Goodall, describes how she was experiencing many different types of beauty from within the forest. The essay describes how we as humans look through many different lenses while we are searching for the meaning of the world. It truly is “our human responsibility” to better understand the awe aspiring world we live in; since, there is so much beauty and that there are so many unknowns that if we leave them unknown we will never grow as a civilization. As humans, we can see the world from many different “windows” and those lenses we see the world from…
The story of a new born baby is significant to look at when it pertains to the story of the bonobo Kenzie. When a baby is born he/ she does not know a specific language or culture. As they grow and develop language is learned and so is culture. Everything we know as humans through experience by another being. We learned how to communicate, we learn right from wrong, and we learn how to conduct ourselves as human beings.…
The Congo Wars were a bloody conflict that occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the first war occurring from late 1996 to mid 1997 and the second war occurring from late 1998 to mid 2003. The first Congo War started in late 1996, when the Tutsis began to rebel against the authoritarian rule of one of the key players of the conflict, Mobutu Sese Seko, and his supporters, the Hutu. The Tutsis quickly gained traction and when they neared the capital of the DRC from various strategic points, Mobutu declared a state of emergency to try and regain control. Ultimately, this failed and a new president, Laurent Kabila, was established in 1997. A year later, a new rebellion in complaint of the remaining Hutu in the DRC by the Tutsi…
The Sahel is the hardest part of the Saharan region to live in. Due to the fact that the Sahel faces long term drought and desertification. It is very inadequate, that some countries even have advertisements to persuade their citizens to stop using wood for their homes and to switch to coal. In addition to the drought and desertification, the countries in the Sahel also have marginal land. Marginal land is land that is not suitable for farming.…
‘Based on the findings of the workshop, the okapi were officially classified ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’(okapi conservation). ‘Okapi Conservation Project works with ICCN and communities throughout the Okapi Wildlife Reserve’(okapi conservation). ‘The OCP relies heavily on zoos around the globe to educate the international public about this unique, captivating creature and the importance of its rainforest habitat. ’(okapi…
THE CONSERVATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF NILE CROCODILES IN THE OLIFANTS RIVER: MPUMALANGA, SOUTH AFRICA OBSTRUCT The outlook for Nile Crocodiles in the Olifants River does not look optimistic since the increase in capacity of the Loskop and Flag Boshiela Dams, Crocodile population was left with no basking or nesting sites and has and has declined over the past 30 years shortly after the massingire Dam in the Mozambique filled to full capacity an estimated 160 Crocodiles died in the Olifants River gorge, a couple of kilometres upstream from the Dam. The Oliphants River is acknowledged by many experts as one of the most polluted rivers in South Africa and acid mine drainage, industrial pollution and untreated sewage in the river are all contributing…