African Exploration Society

African Exploration Society
Name	African Exploration Society
Type	Non-governmental organization
Founded	1922
Founder	Major Percy Powell-Cotton
Headquarters	London
Region served	Sub-Saharan Africa
Key people	Sir Wilfred Thesiger; Mary Kingsley; Hugh Clapperton

African Exploration Society The African Exploration Society is a London-based organization founded in 1922 focused on supporting and coordinating exploratory, scientific, and conservation-oriented expeditions across Africa. It has historically linked fieldwork, museum curation, and publishing, drawing participants from institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, the Royal Geographical Society, and universities including University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. The Society has engaged with colonial-era figures and postcolonial researchers alike, operating amid shifting relationships with states like Kenya and Nigeria and engaging with protected areas such as Serengeti National Park and Kruger National Park.

History

Established in the aftermath of World War I during a period shaped by figures like Major Percy Powell-Cotton and contemporaries associated with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), the Society emerged alongside institutions such as the British Museum and the Imperial College London naturalist networks. Early expeditions paralleled journeys by Mary Kingsley and Hugh Clapperton in earlier centuries, while later mid-20th-century activities intersected with careers of explorers such as Wilfred Thesiger and conservationists working in regions like the Congo Basin and the Sahel. Throughout the Decolonization era the Society adjusted its partnerships in former colonies including Gold Coast (now Ghana), Sierra Leone, and Tanganyika Territory (now part of Tanzania), responding to developments like the establishment of OAU institutions and later African Union cooperation frameworks. Post-independence, the Society professionalized field methodologies influenced by museums including Victoria and Albert Museum and academic programs at institutions such as University College London.

Organization and Membership

The Society has been led by chairs and directors drawn from amateur and professional circles linked to Royal Society fellows, curators from the Natural History Museum, London, and academics from University of Edinburgh and SOAS University of London. Membership historically included military officers, colonial administrators, and later scientists affiliated with Smithsonian Institution collaborations and networks with African institutions such as the National Museums of Kenya and Iziko South African Museum. Governance structures mirrored trustee boards similar to those at the Wellcome Trust and the British Museum with fundraising ties to philanthropic organizations and patrons who have supported projects in places like Uganda and Zambia. Educational partnerships have involved field training with departments at University of Cambridge and research exchanges with Makerere University.

Expeditions and Activities

Expeditions ranged from zoological collecting to ethnographic survey and mapping, operating in landscapes that include the Ethiopian Highlands, the Okavango Delta, and the Sahara Desert. Field teams have collaborated with specialists in herpetology, ornithology, and archaeology, sometimes alongside archaeologists studying sites such as Great Zimbabwe and paleoanthropologists working near Olduvai Gorge. Activities have included survey mapping comparable to work by David Livingstone and logistical support for botanical collecting in the spirit of collectors who contributed to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The Society mounted multidisciplinary projects that intersected with conservation programs in Gaborone-based initiatives and species monitoring in areas such as Virunga National Park.

Research and Conservation Contributions

Contributions include specimen collections that supplemented holdings at the Natural History Museum, London and comparative collections used by researchers at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. The Society supported field studies informing conservation efforts for species like the African elephant and the black rhinoceros, and collaborated with organizations such as IUCN and regional protected-area authorities involved with Transfrontier Conservation Areas. Research outputs have influenced habitat management in ecosystems like the Miombo woodlands and policy dialogues involving ministries in Botswana and Namibia on community-based conservation.

Publications and Outreach

The Society published expedition reports, field journals, and monographs circulated among libraries including the Bodleian Library and the British Library. Its bulletin and newsletters fed into bibliographies used by scholars at SOAS University of London and informed exhibits staged in partnership with museums such as the Natural History Museum, London and National Museums Liverpool. Outreach included lectures at institutions like the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and collaborations with broadcasters that paralleled programming on networks referencing voyages by explorers such as Richard Francis Burton.

Criticism and Controversies

The Society's history intersects with critiques of colonial-era collecting practices and debates over provenance and repatriation similar to controversies faced by the British Museum and other institutions. Critics have raised concerns about artifact acquisition ethics and impacts on communities in areas such as the Congo Basin and West Africa, prompting calls for restitution and collaborative curation with partners like the National Museums of Kenya and university museums at Makerere University. Later reforms responded to scrutiny comparable to wider institutional debates in the museum sector and academic fields addressing decolonization, notably discussions involving scholars associated with University of Cape Town and University of the Witwatersrand.

Category:Exploration organizations Category:Organizations established in 1922 Category:History of exploration