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It's
almost a forgotten fact that two Cornish brothers were the first
to trace the route of the River Niger. The original expedition took
place 200 years ago over a distance of 2,600 miles. But the river
is now rarely linked with Richard and John Lander.
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| The
explorers were greeted with dances and displays. |
To
mark the bicentenary of the journey, Cornishman Simon Hendra and
officers from the Metropolitan Police retraced his steps and sailed
down the River Niger in a specialy made canoe.
Richard
Lander was born in Truro in 1804 and after walking to London at
the age of nine went on to a life of discovery and adventure on
the African continent, becoming the first white man to follow the
course of the River Niger.
The
original journey was a treacherous task taking the two explorers
through hostile communities and dangerous waters. Hundreds of explorers
failed to complete the route alive including the famous explorers
Hugh Clapperton and Mungo Park.
The
existence of the river was known for many years, in fact it was
known since the time of the Greeks. But for 2000 years no one knew
where the river went.
Armed
with Richard and John Lander's very detailed journals, the 2004
expedition stretched over 700km down the River Niger to the new
Lander Brothers Anchorage and Museum on the banks of the River Niger
at Asaba. The team presented their expedition boat and other artifacts
to the Lander Museum held a memorial service to celebrate the lives
of these brave, unsung Cornish heroes.
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| Simon
Hendra with a picture of Richard Lander. |
Along
the route, the team stopped off to visit local schools where they
delivered educational equipment which had been donated from the
UK. The experts were greeted with traditional dances and displays
from the locals and were treated like royalty through out their
journey. A team of armed guards protected them through the more
dangerous areas of the expedition.
See
the photos from Simon Hendra's journey:
Visit
the Richard Lander website for more info. www.richardlander.org.uk
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BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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