African Association
The African Association (The Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa ) was one of the so-called African societies. It was founded on June 9, 1788 in London of twelve influential men. 1831 went out of the African Association, the Royal Geographical Society forth.
Genesis, objectives and structure
The idea of the African Association was based on a twelve-member Saturday 's Club, whose members dined together usually in the St. Albans Tavern in London's Pall Mall. Exceptionally found the meetings of the Saturday Club, on the evening founded the Association, held on a Monday.
The Board consisted of the Member of Parliament Henry Beaufoy as secretary and Joseph Banks as treasurer. That evening the nine club members present also chose the five-member committee of the Association, which also Banks and Beaufoy belonged. The committee was applied to select the job travelers, to maintain and manage their finances the correspondence of the Association.
The Resolution establishing formulated its objectives as follows:
" The members of this club are joining forces in a society in order to promote the discovery of the inner regions of this part of the world [ Africa ] "
Although operated the European nations have long been trading along the African coast, especially with slaves, but they did not penetrate deep into the interior before. Beaufoys plan of the Company from 1790 said: "... the map of his mind is still only a far more extensive white spot ... ". The members of the African society meant, " ... this ignorance must be considered a great shame for the present age. " In the study, they focused on West Africa and the Middle East. In particular, the Niger, were known of which neither history nor source or mouth, she was interested. Also the gold towns of Timbuktu and Hausa should lie along the Niger.
In addition to this there were geographical and commercial interests in the members. So said Sir John Sinclair, in addition to the two boards also a member of the committee on that Timbuktu:
" ... There is gold in such abundance that you can decorate the slave so that even ... If we could keep our products in this country, we 'd soon have enough gold. "
However, it was thought at that time nor that trade could not selfish, but take place for mutual benefit.
The Association was financed via a subscription model. Each member agreed to pay annually for three years, five guineas, for which the information that is sent back to posted travelers from time to time, have only passed on to the members of the Association in return. Due to the limited financial revenue only small one-man expeditions were carried out.
The superiority of European culture stood for the Association out of the question. The members meant well when you " civilize " the Africans wanted, for so Beaufoy finally in the plan of 1790:
" [ The African Association ] can not remain indifferent to the idea that in the pursuit of these benefits - with means that are as peaceful as the purposes of justice - the amenities of civic life, the benefits of artisanal and mechanized craftsmanship, knowledge of the science, the energies of the civilized mind and the refinement of the human character the peoples who are at the mercy of a hopeless barbarism and general contempt to this day, can be communicated to a certain extent. "
Explorer
- Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Belle Fund (1799-1883), French explorer
- Jean Louis Burckhardt
- William Richard Hamilton
- Friedrich Conrad Hornemann
- Daniel Houghton
- John Ledyard
- Simon Lucas
- Mungo Park
- Henry Welford
Lobbying
In addition to the posting of passengers, African Association tried to win the British government for the development of the continent. So the company asked the government in 1792 to the appointment of a Consul for Senegambia based in Fattatenda, which described the traveler Daniel Houghton suitable:
"There is reason to believe that a broader and more profitable trade of Great Britain over the Gambia and Niger can be opened ... [who] equally promote the interests of the public and the geographic progress, what are the ultimate goals of this society, would make it easier, the Committee is invited ..., [ the government ] at least the tentative and temporary appointment of a Consul for Senegambia [ propose ] "
In fact, James Willis was in April 1794 for a short time General of Senegambia.
End
The number of members rose to 1790 on 95. Among them were many opponents of slavery: besides the Board Beaufoy also the parliamentarian William Wilberforce, who joined the Association in 1789. The cartographer James Rennell was appointed in 1792 as an honorary member of the official geographer of the Association. He processed the journey on maps on ( ref: Müller, 1980, p 44; Sattin, 2003, pp. 78-79 ). The Association had a total of 212 members and in 1831 merged with the newly founded Royal Geographical Society. Mungo Park first trip was with 1307 pounds of the most expensive expedition of the Company and their only success.