In the Shadow of Man

The older form of the country name “Tanzania,” which the British used when Tanganyika was a British colony, this is also the name of a major lake in East Africa that extends through Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Burundi. Lake Tanganyika features prominently in Goodall’s work since Gombe Stream National Park is located in the mountains that border the lake, and she and her mother crossed it by boat when they needed supplies. Goodall describes the many local villages along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, which largely subsist on the lake’s fish.

This National Park was the site of Goodall’s research on chimpanzees. While some African people lived in or around the park, this wild area was sparsely populated and not easily accessible. Goodall describes Gombe’s lakeshore and steeply mountainous forests, which boasted a wide diversity of wildlife, from monkeys, chimps, and baboons to birds, snakes, and leopards, among other animals. Over time, the local communities and authorities permitted Goodall to develop a permanent research station at Gombe.

A small city in western Tanzania, Kigoma is located on Lake Tanganyika. Goodall mentions this city several times in her work as the place where she chartered a boat to travel to Gombe.