Book Review - Origin Africa: A Natural History - Princeton University Press

 

     I come away from reading this incredible book exhausted, overwhelmed, dismayed and exhilarated all at the same time. There is lot to absorb from one of Africa's foremost evolutionary biologists and a staunch defender of the Continent, and its role in the protection of biodiversity. It may seem hard to accept when dealing with a book of this nature, but I swear on a stack of Origin of Species there were times when I could hardly put it down.

     Quite apart from the literary talent displayed, and the wealth of information provided, the artwork is spellbinding. Page after page is filled with Kingdon's beautiful work and I was left in awe at the creativity of it all.

     Each picture weaves a message, at times more powerful than the text.

     Kingdon was born in what is now Tanzania to British colonial parents, but grew up in a household where an indigenous African became an integral part of his family, and he learned to speak Swahili with the same facility as English, a skill that would serve him well throughout his life. His mother was a talented artist and by the age of five Kingdon too was displaying considerable creative prowess.

     Kingdon traces the evolution of primates in Africa, culminating in the rise of Homo sapiens, with clear evidence of the fact that the unique circumstances of Africa mean that it could not have happened anywhere else. 

     Africa is the largest and most habitat-rich continent yet its biodiversity is under threat everywhere. The Continent has been colonized by every major European power ( and the USA and China have joined in the pillaging), and forests that harbour unique life are still seen as mere assets on the balance sheets of foreign corporations, to be exploited at will. The anthropogenic destruction of African flora and fauna has been, and continues to be, both shocking and threatening. And it needs to be stopped.

     African unity, united in the protection of land and water, resisting the transformation of landscape into industrialized monocultures with single GMO crops, remains a hope for the future. The restoration of traditional African lifestyles and farming methods are key to healing the land and restoring its unique wildlife, with special consideration for the megafauna of the Continent. Africans themselves will be the key to this renewal by resisting the pirates and bandits who have for too long enslaved Africans and claimed Africa's resources to be used for their own commercial ends, with no recompense to its people, and no consideration of the ravages inflicted upon the land, and the inevitable destruction of nature.

     In the final chapter, Process as Principle, Kingdon outlines what needs to happen for the Continent to heal. He is scathing in his criticism of the colonial mindset, past and present, and argues for a transformation based on holistic values. He says, "Every practicing student of human evolution and ecology, every environmental idealist, every media-savvy campaigner is a gallant pioneer, a secular songster in our species' Hosannah for dawning self-knowledge and for the beauty of a living, not a dying, planet."

     That's a challenge we can all rise to. Indeed we must; there is no longer any other choice.

Origin Africa: A Natural History - Princeton University Press

Joanathon Kingdon

Hardcover - US$39.95 - ISBN: 9780691228532

472 pages - 6 x 9.125 inches (15 x 22.81 cm)

Publication date: 25 July, 2023

Book Review - The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals, Second Edition - Princeton University Press

     Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the literature of African fauna knows East African Mammals - An Atlas of Evolution in Africa - a six-volume magnum opus by Jonathon Kingdon, a veritable tableau of excellence, eclipsing all previous attempts at coverage of this group of mammals (and arguably all attempts since). Upon publication it received this level of praise from no less an icon than Richard Dawkins, "...it is more magnum than any opus has any right to be."
     With this background, however, one does have every right to expect a superlative field guide by the same author, and that expectation is satisfied in spades. The first edition was legendary, the second edition improves on legendary! Within the parameters of a standard field guide, designed to slip into a pocket or pouch, it covers all the mammals of Africa and updates taxonomy and adds new species since the original version in 2004. The illustrations, all done by the author, are designed as an aid to identification in the field, not as miniature artworks, and they admirably fit the bill in this important aspect.

     There is a very useful section at the beginning of the book dealing with the African environment where the relationship between climate, elevation and vegetation are linked to the presence of species. Several excellent photographs and diagrams are included in this section.
     This review is not the place to get into a discussion of the newly emerged concept of Afrotheria brought about by the science of molecular phylogeny, but a useful, succinct summary is provided, especially important for those unfamiliar with either the terminology or the concept of Afrothere radiation.
     The bulk of the work follows the standard, user-friendly format of most modern field guides, and its very familiarity and ease of use are key to its efficaciousness. Animals are divided into their various orders and families, with pictures on the right hand page and diagnostic notes and range maps on the left.  Some smaller groups are treated generically, as in the bats, for example, e.g. Tomb Bats, Taphozus, since the species in this group are impossible to tell apart in the field and for the average observer are seldom captured in the hand for more detailed examination. Where extensive morphological variations occur in well known species they are dealt with in detail, e.g. Giraffe, Giraffa (camelopardalis). 
     The book does what every good field guide should do. It gives you the tools to go out and observe creatures, and, by referring to the book, identify them. It is compact, user-friendly and accurate. And it will stimulate further study of Africa's fascinating and often unique fauna, and a concurrent desire to protect it. Who could ask for more?

The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals: Second Edition
Jonathan Kingdon
Paperback - US$25.95 - 9780691203522 - 304 pages - 780 colour illustrations - 5in. x 7 1/2 in.
Publication date: 25 February 2020