Memories can be joyful or painful, brighten our days or make us sad. They can remind us of good times or bad, births and deaths, beginnings and endings. As we get older, our collection of memories gets bigger. One of the amazing powers of the human brain is that memories can stay hidden for years and then be remembered in an instant, triggered by a word, a picture, a sound or a smell.
One of my memories from 40 years ago, something I have hardly thought about since leaving Africa in 2003 was triggered this week by an email from a good friend who had recently watched a video about Cape Buffaloes in Africa. He asked if I had any experience of these animals. After replying to him I thought my reply might be of interest to you. It also got me thinking that memories can be both a blessing and a curse.
Many of the “old” big game hunters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the “real” hunters who walked through the bush and used non-automatic rifles often with only 4 round magazines, considered the Cape Buffalo to be one of the most dangerous of the Big 4: Elephant, Lion, Rhino and Buffalo.
Memories of Distant Childhood
As a child in the late 1950s, my parents took me to Gorongoza game reserve in Mocambique and Wankie in North-Western Rhodesia. We were often stopped by huge herds of Buffalo and Wildebeest (Gnu) flowing across the road in great, seething grey / black masses. Generally when in herds, both species kept moving and did not appear threatening. There was always the possibility that a slight shift in direction would cause the fringe of the herd to run over the car.
In those days in the savannah of Gorongoza, before poaching became a problem, the gentle slopes of distant hills were black with thousands of these large mammals. Also, Elephant and Sable antelope, and equally large herds of brown-coated, Kudu, Eland, Impala and many smaller species of antelope. Although Wankie was bigger and supported similar vast herds of wild animals, the countryside was flatter and more heavily wooded so one only saw large concentrations of game in clearings and swampy areas along river beds.
Military Service
During my military service, I spent weeks walking through Wankie and remote areas in the Zambezi valley. I had close encounters with Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Hippo and other large animals. The closest and almost painful one with Buffalo was when 6 of us in a Landrover were slowly travelling back to base on a very narrow and bumpy dirt road. Three Buffalo bulls came out of the bush at an angle of 45 degrees to the road and slightly ahead of our vehicle. It seemed as if we would hit the first one so we yelled at our driver to put his foot down.
The old series II, 4 cylinder Landrovers were notoriously slow on acceleration. Buffalo can reach 35 mph. I was in the back corner of the truck bed looking straight at the buffalo as he passed behind us with inches to spare. I could make out every one of his eyelashes and the beads of moisture on his muzzle. With hindsight, we didn’t think the bulls were aggressive, just frightened by the vehicle and we were in their line of escape. Had we collided, our landrover would have been flipped over and there would have been casualties.
Although I saw many other Buffalo during my military commitments, all were at a safer distance. They are certainly formidable animals.
Fading Memories
For many years after arriving in the safety of Canada, memories of tension and the need to be constantly alert for threats were never far below my consciousness. Any loud noise would have me looking for cover from imagined land mines or bullets. Groups of people innocently walking down a farm road would trigger memories of angry mobs trying to stop my truck or attack my house.
Those stressful memories have faded with the years, replaced by more pleasant memories of my life in that different world before it fell to pieces. The stores of reminiscences increased by newer memories from my life in Canada, adult children, grandchildren, new people and new experiences with no connection to my old world.
For more stories from my life in Africa read these posts
Conclusion
Memories do enrich our lives, it’s fortunate that time softens the bad ones. The good ones enrich our lives if we get them in perspective, enjoy them, savour them but not mourn for the people, places, things and times that created them.
Share your thoughts on memories in a comment.
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