Thinking black : 22 years without a break in the long grass of Central Africa.

CRAWFORD, D. (Daniel) (1869-1926)

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London : Morgan and Scott, 1913. Second edition, second impression. Thick octavo (225 x 150 mm), publisher's black cloth decorated and lettered in gilt (very lightly marked); top edge gilt;pp. xvi+486+18; illustrated with numerous b/w photographic plates and 4 colour plates; offsetting to the endpaper maps, occasional pencil lines in margins, some pages unopened, two of the black backing sheets for the colour plates are torn. 'Daniel Crawford(7 December 1869 ? 3 June 1926), also known as 'Konga Vantu', was aScottishmissionaryof thePlymouth Brethrenin central-southern Africa. He was born inGourock, son of aClydeboat captain. He was influenced to go to Africa by meetingFrederick Arnotin 1888, a missionary who had just returned from two years atBunkeya, capital of the Garenganze King,Msiri, where he had founded the Plymouth Brethren's GarenganzeEvangelicalMission. Crawford arrived at Bunkeya in 1890 to join two Plymouth Brethren already at the mission. He was therefore a junior observer rather than a player in the dramatic events of late 1891 whenBritishandBelgianexpeditions competed to take Msiri's kingdom into their respective colonies, and Msiri was killed byLieutenant Bodsonof the Belgian expedition, In the aftermath of the killing and amassacreof Msiri's men, the 10,000-strong population of Bunkeya fled into the bush, and Crawford moved to the western shore ofLake Mweruand established a mission there. TheCongo Free State's agents took over Katanga with a brutality which caused many refugees to come to Crawford's mission, which was the origin of his nickname 'Konga Vantu' which means 'gatherer of the people'. Crawford also persuaded many chiefs to give up their slaves whom he took into his mission. Soon he had to move to a better site which could support more people at the Luanza River near where it flows into Lake Mweru. Crawford was an individualist who did not work well for long in the company of his seniors or colleagues, but he did much to travel around theLuapulavalley founding and encouraging other outposts of theGarenganze Evangelical Mission. He studied African languages and sought to understand African customs and traditional rule, and was a frequent visitor to chiefs such asMwata Kazembe. When the latter rebelled against and was defeated by the British, Crawford and his mission colleagues had a role in persuading the chief to accept the inevitable and to achieve a working relationship with the colonial authorities. He wrote two influential books, of which one,Thinking Blackwas recommended reading for those Europeans who wanted to work in partnership with, rather than over, Africans. Crawford also encouraged other Protestant missions to come to Luapula, such as theLondon Missionary Society, and he was invited to open theirMbereshiMission in 1900. Despite once believing that a missionary should not marry, Crawford married Grace Tilsley and continued to be based at Luanza until his death in 1926. He only returned to Britain once, although he did visit the US and Australia to recruit missionaries and obtain funding. One of Dan Crawford's grandchildren isMairi Hedderwick, author and illustrator of theKatie Moragseries of children's picture books.' (Wikipedia).

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• Titre: Thinking black : 22 years without a break in the long grass of Central Africa.
• Reliure: Couverture rigide