![]() The river and its seasons very much determined the life of the peoples. The mainly Jesuit or Dominican pioneers left the first written accounts on the life and culture of the African peoples living here, and Newitt uses insightful quotations from such texts. Much of this part of Africa was first colonised by the Portuguese, who brought Catholicism to central Africa. ![]() The river flows through what is today, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Later, the Zambezi became a war zone during the “Scramble for Africa,” the struggle for independence and the civil wars that followed the departure of colonial powers. Hitherto unused manuscripts illustrate Portuguese and British colonial rule over the people of the long-lived Lunda kingdoms, and the Lozi of the Barotse Floodplain. In his book - which is less about the river as such - historian Malyn Newitt quotes rarely used Portuguese sources that throw vivid light on the culture of the river peoples and their relationships with Portuguese creole society. Newitt, however, does not deal with the rich natural riparian wildlife or ecology, but looks solely at its peoples and their history. These developments have changed the character of the waterway, and impacted, often drastically, on the ecological systems of the valley and the communities living alongside its banks. The Zambezi - “Great River” in the language of the Tonga nation - is Africa’s fourth longest river and one of the continent’s principal arteries of movement, migration, conquest and commerce, had its first bridge built only in 1905 and, since 1959, three enormous dams, transforming its behaviour from a wild and often magnificent, raging torrent to a largely tamed, placidly flowing stream modern steamers now transport people and commodities. Pearce argues that the solution to the growing worldwide water shortage is more efficiency and a new water ethic based on managing the water cycle for maximum social benefit rather than narrow self-interest.WE OFTEN think of rivers as unchanging and ancient as the hills and valleys that encircle them, but in very recent times human beings have challenged such views by playing god with these torrential beasts. With vivid on-the-ground reporting, Pearce deftly weaves together the scientific, economic, and historic dimensions of the water crisis, showing us its complex origins-from waste to wrong-headed engineering projects to high-yield crop varieties that have saved developing countries from starvation but are now emptying their water reserves. In this visionary book, Fred Pearce takes readers around the world on a tour of the world's rivers to provide our most complete portrait yet of the growing global water crisis and its ramifications for us all. Book excerpt: A new edition of the veteran science writer's groundbreaking work on the world's water crisis, featuring all-new reporting from the most recent global flashpoints Throughout history, rivers have been our foremost source of fresh water for both agriculture and individual consumption, but looming water scarcity threatens to cut global food production and cause conflict and unrest. This book was released on with total page 328 pages. Book Synopsis When the Rivers Run Dry, Fully Revised and Updated Edition by : Fred Pearceĭownload or read book When the Rivers Run Dry, Fully Revised and Updated Edition written by Fred Pearce and published by Beacon Press. ![]()
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