Hello from Bwana Moja. Africa is NOT "The Dark Continent"

[CAustin]

Greetings to All,

I might know a handful of the good women and men who contribute to this forum. I met Jerome a few years back. He gave me a really cool hat and it blew off my head when I was taking a helicopter ride hovering above the Okavango Delta.

I might chime in from time to time. I'm here to read more than write. Someone had written somewhere on one of these forums that I had exited hunting and had become anti 2A. That was trash. Some chump trying to take a shot at me. Wasn't the first time.

I'm a world record lesser kudu and bongo away, from just about everything I'm after on the big continent. I'm doing alot more writing for SCI publications and elsewhere, than hunting now. That's for sure. I guess I reached that point where there's really...not that much else to take. I'm still deeply embedded in Africa, flying over periodically to go hang out with my African friends. If there's really something splendid I'll chase it. Been chasing a 17-18 foot croc forever now. Passed on a few 16-footers. I believe there's a 60" LDE lurking, if I can ever get back into C.A.R.. I'd pay a pretty penny to go after Giant Sable in Angola, if it ever reopened, to benefit conservation.

My love affair with that continent has laid the foundation for my affinity for writing about African safaris and animals. I try to write intelligent pieces. Stuff that other writers don't write. Stuff that you don't even know. I'm not good at writing the same ole stuff everyone else does. I write to make the hunting community smarter, and to enable you to come home in one piece and shoot just one shot. Not doing any filming anymore or video production.

One pet peeve I'll share with you all, and this is mirrored by all my Africa friends who share the same skin tone as me. Please stop referring to that continent as "The Dark Continent." There's nothing about Africa that's dark anymore. That's a colonial days term. It's dated, disrespectful and portrays you as out of touch. We're trying hard on this side of the world to revolt against any acts of neo-colonialism. That above-referenced moniker was placed on that part of the world by people living outside of Africa. It's high time to do away with it. I know you might think it has such a good ring to it. But it doesn't. It's a cuss word.

That's all for now.
Asante,
Moja

View attachment 482439

Welcome to AH. Thank you for telling all of the forum members about yourself. I do hope that you are able to get an 18 foot croc someday and that you will share the experience here.

 

[steve white]

I genuinely believe everyone deserves respect until they prove otherwise, so I struggle when people introduce themselves in a way that seems they believe they are doing me a favor by allowing me to be in their presence.

But one thing I'm getting extremely tired of is an individual or group deciding on the definition or re-definition of a word or term and feel it's ok to shove it down my throat.

Another is using celebrity to push an agenda.

I've enjoyed your writings in the past. Stick with writing and your readership will determine the level of agreement.

I agree with you with one caveat: I think everyone deserves courtesy, but respect should and must be earned. Wokeism at it's core is demanding respect without having done anything to earn it...

 

[TERMINATOR]

I agree with you with one caveat: I think everyone deserves courtesy, but respect should and must be earned. Wokeism at it's core is demanding respect without having done anything to earn it...

This dude probably thinks the Black Hills on the South Dakota / Wyoming border were named that because of all the black people living in that area.

 

[mdwest]

Home - Dark Continent Adventures

darkcontinentadventures.com

I’m pretty sure George is neither a racist or colonial…

 

[Rubberhead]

I agree with you with one caveat: I think everyone deserves courtesy, but respect should and must be earned. Wokeism at it's core is demanding respect without having done anything to earn it...

Agree. Wokism is what racists do when they are no longer allowed to practice racism.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Home - Dark Continent Adventures

darkcontinentadventures.com

I’m pretty sure George is neither a racist or colonial…

He totally needs to change the name of that business .... it's just too racist.
(looking for a sarcasm emoji)

 

[jacques smith]

Reading this thread was a total waste of time. I agree with Wab, Spike,and Zambezi and quit reading further. I’m too dammed old to listen to stupid shit

 

[Flipper Dude]

I think it’s probably ran it’s course.

 

[Jeff505]

Bwana, I have hunted the “Dark continent” 4 times and have a trip planned next year. By far hunting the “Black death” is the most exhilarating hunt I’ve been on. My go to round for this dark beast is the 505 Gibbs, I’ve taking a pic of this cartridge in front of a pancake box for scale. Good luck with your pursuit of a big croc. Remember if we can’t laugh at ourselves then who can.

 

[JetA1]

For someone that says he writes, and researches, a lot. Sure missed the pot on why it was called the dark continent.
I should know, I'm from there. Great way to kill some time while suffering a head cold.

 

[ActionBob]

Bwana, I have hunted the “Dark continent” 4 times and have a trip planned next year. By far hunting the “Black death” is the most exhilarating hunt I’ve been on. My go to round for this dark beast is the 505 Gibbs, I’ve taking a pic of this cartridge in front of a pancake box for scale. Good luck with your pursuit of a big croc. Remember if we can’t laugh at ourselves then who can.

View attachment 482713

I think it’s probably ran it’s course.

Or not!

 

[Nembwe]

Dark Continent = Racism what rubbish…

Strange how “visiting” folks (not all folks) but maybe some “bwanas” to our Dark Continent have so much criticism, yet the folks that have lived and survived here, and still live and survive here for a few generations don’t see what the visitors do.
Only once you have lived and experienced life through both good and bad situations with, and shoulder to shoulder, together black and white do I feel you can shed light on many of our situations.
I refer to living- in my case- farming, fighting in war, hunting, fishing and then experiencing death, - family members being murdered generations being shattered and forced to leave our Dark Continent/ home/ farm in ruins.
Some may say we have the “right” to get racist for what we (black and white) have endured under tyrant/dictatorship, maybe so- but only HIS grace is sufficient for that.
So please dont try make our Dark Continent a scape goat or a discussion for a new book or movie (or has been metioned to gather additional ammunition for a next Africana article expressing racial connotations ) after a few flighting visits, when I am sure your wealth placed you in grand and luxury hunting camps etc. Spending more in one night than many folks earn in a year here.
There are plenty of Africans and non-African on this site that can share a few experiences that dont need to be racism linked.
Long may “our” Dark Continent live …….
Just my African 2cs worth.
N

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

In the US Marines the old Gunnery Sergeants (Gunny) would advise in no uncertain terms, "You have to have a think skin". That meant don't let things bother you. The Marines of course have an "in your face", "up close and personal" method of leadership that is effective in making Marines and willing battles, to paraphrase Commandant Krulak.

In society today it seems that everyone is a softy with no skin. Everything offends them. Maybe they are just seeking attention, like those Hollywood people who are, to quote the late Lauren Bacall, "Famous for being famous".

"Don't cry lion", is what my wife of Zambian decent tells her American born teenage daughter. That's good advice for all of us.

 

[uplander01]

Nothing is going to get better or change in this world until the "race card" is pulled from the deck for good.

 

[rookhawk]

In reading the OP the pet peeve isn't well defined. We can debate whether the term fits if we can agree to define the term.

"The Dark Continent" I had always defined in written prose as alluding to a place crowded in mystery, peril, and adventure.

But in the spirit of woke fairness, we could select a new definition for the "Dark Continent" and appropriately correct it. I prefer the original definition but here's my nominees for other definitions and their corrected form:

1.) If "Dark Continent" was a racist term as if it pertained to the amount of melanin in the skin of the ruling class of Africa, I nominate it to be called the "Yellow Continent" reflecting the recent ownership and controlling interest of the continent. Upon renaming, I nominate the racist term Yellow Continent to be adjusted to the simple term "Chinese Owned Resources Abroad".

2.) If "Dark Continent" was a term suggesting dark or sinister behaviors by tribes and leaders I nominate the new term to be "Corrupt Continent" more accurately reflecting the disproportionate suffering leaders will subject their own people to in order to rule supreme over a crumbling nation rather than to improve it with fair dealings.

3.) If "Dark Continent" was a term suggesting uncharted mysteries not yet seen I recommend the new term "Completely explored and largely exploited continent with few exceptions" accurately representing the failures to manage and protect nature and its resources in large swaths of the continent.

4.) If "Dark Continent" was suggesting unlit, underdeveloped, and backwater I strongly disagree as evidenced by the sophisticated damns, rail systems, power distribution, and other major public works of mid-20th century Africa. In that case, I nominate the new name "The crumbling public infrastructure continent" to accurately represent the recent situation, unless the corruption of definition #2 led to sovereign foreclosure of major public works resulting in definition #1.

On second thought, after thinking about this and all these possible definitions and their pejorative descriptions, I think maybe going back to the hyperbole and prose of the original "dark continent" that alludes to mysteries and wonders unknown is definitely the least harmful and most alluring after all.

 

[Inline6]

Well....that was an interesting read.

Knowing I'm not the most educated man in the room. Means extra care is given to answer or ask questions. With that said knowing the way most Americans think, it doesn't matter which race, education level, or social economic background you come from. As a rule, telling us to do something generally does not go over well (meaning you should probably know how this was going to turn out). Gathering from some of the responses here looks like most people are not happy about it. Type A personalities do not respond favorable to it no matter which country they call home.

Just knowing the little I do about the human psyche, most hunters are Type A personalities and most Type A personalities do not like being told what to do or how to think.

If you want to get your point across and actually have people take you seriously. It best to build relationships, at minimum a rapport with the forum members. If it is something you feel strongly about, some one on one conversation could have been had, to at least get a different perspective. Before you made a blanket statement.

The sad part about all this, sounds like you have a lot of knowledge to contribute. It will take 10 times the effort for people to take you seriously due to the way your introduction was played. It to bad, most will judge a book by its cover and first impressions do matter.

 

[Hogpatrol]

At least for South Africa and some other countries in that hemisphere, the "Unlit Continent" probably would be more up to date.

 

[mark-hunter]

If you want to get your point across and actually have people take you seriously. It best to build relationships, at minimum a rapport with the forum members.

This is probably true.
I was member here for quite some time, before i started getting likes on my posts.

And only after that, I was not slammed when writing something which is not "forums or hunters main stream narrative". If my occasional opinion was bit out of ordinary view, it was accepted as mine. But it was not taken against me.

 

[Red Leg]

In reading the OP the pet peeve isn't well defined. We can debate whether the term fits if we can agree to define the term.

"The Dark Continent" I had always defined in written prose as alluding to a place crowded in mystery, peril, and adventure.

But in the spirit of woke fairness, we could select a new definition for the "Dark Continent" and appropriately correct it. I prefer the original definition but here's my nominees for other definitions and their corrected form:

1.) If "Dark Continent" was a racist term as if it pertained to the amount of melanin in the skin of the ruling class of Africa, I nominate it to be called the "Yellow Continent" reflecting the recent ownership and controlling interest of the continent. Upon renaming, I nominate the racist term Yellow Continent to be adjusted to the simple term "Chinese Owned Resources Abroad".

2.) If "Dark Continent" was a term suggesting dark or sinister behaviors by tribes and leaders I nominate the new term to be "Corrupt Continent" more accurately reflecting the disproportionate suffering leaders will subject their own people to in order to rule supreme over a crumbling nation rather than to improve it with fair dealings.

3.) If "Dark Continent" was a term suggesting uncharted mysteries not yet seen I recommend the new term "Completely explored and largely exploited continent with few exceptions" accurately representing the failures to manage and protect nature and its resources in large swaths of the continent.

4.) If "Dark Continent" was suggesting unlit, underdeveloped, and backwater I strongly disagree as evidenced by the sophisticated damns, rail systems, power distribution, and other major public works of mid-20th century Africa. In that case, I nominate the new name "The crumbling public infrastructure continent" to accurately represent the recent situation, unless the corruption of definition #2 led to sovereign foreclosure of major public works resulting in definition #1.

On second thought, after thinking about this and all these possible definitions and their pejorative descriptions, I think maybe going back to the hyperbole and prose of the original "dark continent" that alludes to mysteries and wonders unknown is definitely the least harmful and most alluring after all.

That was pretty good!

 

[npm352]

Commoners! Hear ye! Hear ye! Pease join my new forum to continue this discussion. It is dedicated to all of us mere peasants who aren't intelligent enough to know what the latest woke thing is.

We are so sorry Mr. Bwana.

I thought because I just had my 13th COVID booster and still triple-mask I'd be accepted. I also posted a black square on my social media back when that was a thing and I proudly have the Ukraine flag as my profile picture on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat

Sadly, I have still been deemed an unintelligent, unwoke racist by his highness.

www.darkcontinenthunting.com