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The Gates of Africa: Death, discovery and the search for Timbuktu

Speaker: Anthony Sattin
22 January 2005

Africa was once seen as an El Dorado - a gold-encrusted continent of hope and prosperity, where the ancient civilizations of the Phoenicians and the Egyptians might have survived intact. It was fascinating, but elusive. So in 1788 a group of London-based gentlemen formed The African Association, the world's first geographical society, and sent a succession of travellers to explore the northern half of the continent. In many respects this band of adventurers, scholars, politicians, and humanitarians were astoundingly modern in their views, hoping to learn from Africa as well as teach and to develop strong trading partners rather than to control. In this talk, Anthony Sattin will describe many of the colourful characters of the time and ask why their relationship with Africa turned from fascinated enquiry to imminent colonisation.

Anthony Sattin is a writer, critic and broadcaster. Since completing a literature degree at Warwick University and an MA in creative writing at the University of East Anglia, he has combined writing, reviewing and travelling. He is the author of several books including a novel Shooting the Breeze, and the highly acclaimed The Pharaoh's Shadow, the subject of a Radio 4 documentary.

His passion for the Middle East, where he has lived for some years, also led to the discovery of Florence Nightingale's unpublished letters from Egypt, which he edited, and subsequently presented as a Book of the Week on Radio 4. His latest book, The Gates of Africa: Death, Discovery and the Search for Timbuktu, has been universally praised as 'the definitive study of the opening up of the African interior' (Sunday Times), 'a worthy prequel to Alan Moorehead's The White Nile' (The Economist), 'a remarkable story told remarkably well' (THES) and 'narrative alchemy' (Guardian).