Film Lesson: "Mountains of the Moon"
The movie is a good story about the expeditions of Captain Richard Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke. And above all, it is a moving true story about the strength of the Europeans in Africa despite their experiences of hardships and suffering there when they explored almost every aspect of its country.
In the movie, Richard Burton and his companion first traveled to the northern coast of Somalia (in 1854). And after that they journeyed to the Islamic city-state of Harer, which is now in Ethiopia. It is a destination that is forbidden to non-Muslims. So when people who are not Muslims go there, they will get killed. This was a threat to the Europeans and was also a great challenge for them who were exploring there, but they still continued their expedition despite the hardships that could get on their way.
Richard Burton and his company went through a lot of hardships on their journey to Africa. They walk through a lot of rocky places, including deserts, that they get wounded on their walk. Even their camels were not allowed to be brought with them because the camels cannot walk through those rocky or slippery places. There were also a lot of flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches there that could kill people, especially malaria, which is a deadly disease from mosquitoes. Many of Richard Burton's companion got killed because of that disease. But Richard Burton is believed to have been the first European to enter the ancient walled city and survived. This gave his companions a hope and confident on their journey.
At their first expedition to the Somali interior, some of Richard Burton's companions got killed of the attack because there were strange tribes called Somalis, that appeared from the deserts who suddenly attacked them. And both Richard Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke got wounded. And Richard Burton was also hit with a spear through both of his cheeks, which is so dangerous because it could take out all of his blood due to his excessive bleeding on his both cheeks. But it was a good thing that someone from his companions offered him a cloth to cover up both of his cheeks. So sooner, they planned to go back to England because there was no doctor in Africa at that time who can help him stop the bleeding.
Now this time they came back to East Africa with a more challenging expedition because they were commissioned by the British Royal Geographical Society to identify the source of the Nile.
They found the Lake Tanganyika and thought it was the source of the Nile, but it wasn't. When they were finding the source, they traveled to the desert and most of them really suffered from mosquitoes and died on Malaria. They walk through very hot places and sandstorms and also met wild animals there that could kill them. On that time, Richard Burton was almost killed by a lion and was also very ill to travel. And when the night came, his friend Lt. John Hanning Speke forgot to use a mosquito net, which made the bug or cockroach went inside his ear. He really suffered from that pain, but its a good thing that he killed the cockroach by putting something inside his ear.
Lt. John Hanning Speke was the person who continued to explore on his own because Richard Burton was too ill to travel. And at that time, he found the Lake Victoria, which is the 3rd largest lake in the world. And then, Speke declared that the Lake was the source of the Nile, but Burton didn't believe him at first. And Both of them went back to London to announced their findings.
And Speke killed himself on his hunting while Burton was still announcing. But the Lake Victoria was soon proven to be the source of the Nile.
The Lake Victoria is strangely named after the Queen Victoria of Britain because the British people were the one's who first founded the Lake and explored it, on which they have the power to name the Lake. And by the name itself, it would really be known to people that it was founded by the British because the name is Queen Victoria, which is their Queen.
The primary technological advantage that the Europeans had over the African people was the guns, because African's doesn't have guns. They only have spears to defend their selves. And the gun was also one of the advantage to conquer the Africa so easily because most of the native people or tribes they met, was their first time to see a gun and to hear its loud and terrifying sound. And it scared the Africans. The Europeans also have many gifts to give to the Africans that the Africans have never seen before. And it allowed the Europeans to be able to continue on exploring the country. The European's are also rich in technology at that time because they have steam engine that uses steam power, and coal to power the engine. And England has a lot of Coal, which is a big advantage on their technology. And since their country was rich at that time, they have the advantage to pay the African people.
This experiences is known to be written by Richard Burton in the book called First Footsteps in East Africa.
In the movie, Richard Burton and his companion first traveled to the northern coast of Somalia (in 1854). And after that they journeyed to the Islamic city-state of Harer, which is now in Ethiopia. It is a destination that is forbidden to non-Muslims. So when people who are not Muslims go there, they will get killed. This was a threat to the Europeans and was also a great challenge for them who were exploring there, but they still continued their expedition despite the hardships that could get on their way.
Richard Burton and his company went through a lot of hardships on their journey to Africa. They walk through a lot of rocky places, including deserts, that they get wounded on their walk. Even their camels were not allowed to be brought with them because the camels cannot walk through those rocky or slippery places. There were also a lot of flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches there that could kill people, especially malaria, which is a deadly disease from mosquitoes. Many of Richard Burton's companion got killed because of that disease. But Richard Burton is believed to have been the first European to enter the ancient walled city and survived. This gave his companions a hope and confident on their journey.
At their first expedition to the Somali interior, some of Richard Burton's companions got killed of the attack because there were strange tribes called Somalis, that appeared from the deserts who suddenly attacked them. And both Richard Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke got wounded. And Richard Burton was also hit with a spear through both of his cheeks, which is so dangerous because it could take out all of his blood due to his excessive bleeding on his both cheeks. But it was a good thing that someone from his companions offered him a cloth to cover up both of his cheeks. So sooner, they planned to go back to England because there was no doctor in Africa at that time who can help him stop the bleeding.
Now this time they came back to East Africa with a more challenging expedition because they were commissioned by the British Royal Geographical Society to identify the source of the Nile.
They found the Lake Tanganyika and thought it was the source of the Nile, but it wasn't. When they were finding the source, they traveled to the desert and most of them really suffered from mosquitoes and died on Malaria. They walk through very hot places and sandstorms and also met wild animals there that could kill them. On that time, Richard Burton was almost killed by a lion and was also very ill to travel. And when the night came, his friend Lt. John Hanning Speke forgot to use a mosquito net, which made the bug or cockroach went inside his ear. He really suffered from that pain, but its a good thing that he killed the cockroach by putting something inside his ear.
Lt. John Hanning Speke was the person who continued to explore on his own because Richard Burton was too ill to travel. And at that time, he found the Lake Victoria, which is the 3rd largest lake in the world. And then, Speke declared that the Lake was the source of the Nile, but Burton didn't believe him at first. And Both of them went back to London to announced their findings.
And Speke killed himself on his hunting while Burton was still announcing. But the Lake Victoria was soon proven to be the source of the Nile.
The Lake Victoria is strangely named after the Queen Victoria of Britain because the British people were the one's who first founded the Lake and explored it, on which they have the power to name the Lake. And by the name itself, it would really be known to people that it was founded by the British because the name is Queen Victoria, which is their Queen.
The primary technological advantage that the Europeans had over the African people was the guns, because African's doesn't have guns. They only have spears to defend their selves. And the gun was also one of the advantage to conquer the Africa so easily because most of the native people or tribes they met, was their first time to see a gun and to hear its loud and terrifying sound. And it scared the Africans. The Europeans also have many gifts to give to the Africans that the Africans have never seen before. And it allowed the Europeans to be able to continue on exploring the country. The European's are also rich in technology at that time because they have steam engine that uses steam power, and coal to power the engine. And England has a lot of Coal, which is a big advantage on their technology. And since their country was rich at that time, they have the advantage to pay the African people.
This experiences is known to be written by Richard Burton in the book called First Footsteps in East Africa.
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