Nachdem gewichtige Stimmen auf höchst beachtenswerte Spuren bildender Kunst in dem zu lange unterschätzten schwarzen Erdteil aufmerksam gemacht haben, richtet sich die Frage auf das, was Afrika in der Dichtung geleistet hat. Märchen als die verbreitetste epische Spielart sind in grossem Umfange gesammelt worden, doch mit Lücken, die einen Gesamtüberblick noch nicht zulassen, und noch weniger gewährt ihn, was bisher an Lyrik, also gebundener Rede, zu Tage gefördert wurde. So mag ein Versuch, das Augenmerk auf ein Feld zu lenken, das sich durch die Fülle seiner Früchte vor andern hervortut und immer weiter ausdehnt, der Mühe wert erscheinen.

In the year 1796 Dr. Lacerda, on his way to the capital of ‘the Great Kazembe’, mentions the existence of a ‘Tomboka’ people near the head waters of the Loangwa River in what is now Northern Rhodesia. By 1850 the German missionary Rebmann at Kilimanjaro had compiled a map from slaver sources in which he inserted the name ‘Kamanga’ to the east side of Lake Nyasa at its northern end. Later, when his book on the Kilimanjaro area was published, he corrected this and placed the Kamanga people to the west of the north end of Nyasa. And by that time the Coast traders used no other name to designate the area of their operations west of Nyasa, northwards of a line provided by the Dwangwa River which flows east to Nyasa from the Rhodesian border in Lat. 12½ S. It is quite possible that Lacerda's ‘Loangwa’ should be taken as the Nyasaland Dwangwa and not the Rhodesian Luangwa, but the point is, for the purposes of this note, unimportant. It is sufficient to emphasize the fact that, in a large area lying between Lat. 9½ S. and 12½ S., the two names used here represent the earliest traceable occupants, and in the order here used.

Because the African continent looks a solid block, and because most of its inhabitants are dark-skinned and woolly-haired, we are apt to treat it as if it were really homogeneous and devise some general plan for governing and educating the whole. For in one and the same man one rarely finds the capacity for both the wide and the detailed view. But how vastly different in character, customs, capacity, and life are the innumerable tribes and nations which make up Africa. Even in such a comparatively small area as Kenya, after grouping together the more similar tribes there are quite a number of divisions which, if the true interests of the people are not to be sacrificed, should have different treatment. Their future development will be different, and it is neither wise nor humane to attempt to coerce them all to a pattern, a pattern devised by a race so totally different, and without the requisite knowledge to consider what is truly best for each group of people, especially from its own point of view.

Sofala, Portuguese East Africa, is not very easy of access. The journey has to be made from Beira, in a small hired motor-boat, and takes about six hours in favourable weather, but the Indian Ocean in the vicinity of Beira is often notoriously rough. In the dry season, part of the journey may be made overland, in a machila or travellinghammock. On our forward voyage in January 1930, the engine of the motor-boat was put out of action by the amount of water shipped. This caused a delay of about half an hour while bailing was done by the natives who managed the boat, and we were glad to enter the calm waters of Sofala Bay about 1.30 p.m., having left Beira at 7.30 a.m.

A young man named Nyagumbe starts off to seek a bride. He finds the girl he wants; but while he is staying at her parents' home, she shows no signs of returning his love. He therefore refuses to take the food she prepares for him. The girl's mother advises her to love the young man, and then all will be well. Nyagumbe is secretly amused at his own plans for winning the girl's affection.