We have arrived in Africa - Happy Birthday Mr. Mandela!

July 19-20

Johannesburg, South Africa

It was Nelson Mandela’s birthday and we were headed to Johannesburg. Thoughts of the South African winter were melting away while sitting on the sweltering tarmac of Dulles International Airport.  Local weather was calling for near-100 degree  temps with humidity rising.  EO Wilson of Harvard and Elizabeth Prend of Tufts had just flown down from Boston meeting Jay Vavra of High Tech High, San Diego. 

The first leg across the Atlantic Ocean landed in Dakar, Senegal.  Arriving in Dakar at dawn we could only make out some local ravens representing the first animals to be seen on the continent soaring and scavenging above the downtrodden block housing adjacent to the small airport.  We decided this would be no place to stay too long. To the east of the airport we could see the hulking sculpture of the "African Resistance."  The scale of it is enormous. The statue of a Senegal family had been built by a North Korean group for nearly 50 million USD.   Besides the other South African Air jets and Mali Air the airport was populated with hulking US Airforce transport planes (Hercules?).   Why were they here?  Preventing more North Korean sculptures?

After enough time for Dakar passengers to disembark and a few new travelers to board South African Airlines we took to the air once again.  Numerous fishing boats could be seen being launched from the beach as we circled away from the airport.  They were of a longboat style and propeled by long oars by fishermen heading out into the Atlantic.    They appeared to be the same boats seen in the old surf classic “Endless Summer” when those wandering surfers explored this coast over 50 years ago.  This wide open coast is the birthplace of the hurricanes that march across  to the Carribean and these fishermen must get their share of conditions to battle.

From Senegal the flight passed over Guinea, back over the South Atlantic Ocean, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and then South Africa 8-hours later.   As we touched down an African Spoonbill flew alongside, some Helmeted Guinea Fowl foraged in the tall grass, and a Blacksmith Lapwing stood motionless looking for prey.  Africa… at last! 

All bags made it through this notorious airport of lost luggage.  On the way to the hotel smoke from the brush fires we saw on the approach could be smelled along the drive.  The brown filter of smoke could be seen hanging over the entire city in the fading light.   We talked of the cycle of burning and the returning of nutrients into the ground for the next season’s grass for the grazing animals.  Ed commented “In the savannah fire means life.”

Time to sleep off the jetlag after the 18-hour journey here.  Tomorrow may hold a trip out to some forested areas to explore for local insects.  We figure this will be a prelude to what will be found in Gorongosa.   

We also discussed  a visit to the Origins Centre, a museum of human evolution.  Ed recounted an experience from when he first began teaching as a graduate student in 1951, at the age of 21, at the University of Tennessee.   A true “missing link” had recently been discovered in South Africa, Australopitethecus africanus and Ed wanted to add this discovery to his lesson for the introductory biology class he was teaching.  Yet, there was some concern as the Scopes Law banning the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools was still in effect.  After getting  approval from a department chair Ed decided to give the lesson.  At the end of class everyone of the 60 or so students filed out  of the classroom except one.  Expecting a contentious undergrad the student approached and asked the age-old question “Is this material going to be on the test?”