The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Explorer Livingstone to be given ‘memorial he deserves’
History: Scots doctor remembered more in Africa than in his birthplace
The birthplace of Dr David Livingstone is to be refurbished in a multimillion pound project to create the “memorial he deserves”.
Leaders of the David Living-stone Trust say he is better understood and remembered in Africa than in the land of his birth, and they hope to “reawaken” his story and legacy.
The explorer was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, in 1813 and despite working 14-hour days in a cotton factory from the age of 10, he managed to complete his education and qualify as a doctor and missionary.
He spent much of his life in Africa where he became the first European to “discover” and name the Victoria Falls, advanced the use of quinine to fight malaria and campaigned to end slavery in east Africa.
He also travelled extensively across the continent, gathering knowledge about geography, medicine and science.
The explorer died from malaria in a village southeast of Lake Bangweulu in present-day Zambia and was buried at West minster Abbey in London in 1874.
The first part of a potential £3.5million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will be used to open up more historic buildings and collections at the David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre. Dr Isabel Bruce, chairwoman of the David Living-stone Trust, said: “David Livingstone was a remarkable man, and is warmly known by many Africans because of his views on their potential for self-development and his respect for their human rights.
“In spite of the recent bicentenary events to mark his birth, it is still fair to say that today he is better understood and remembered in Africa than he is in the land of his birth.
“This project gives us the opportunity to reawaken his story and provide the memorial he deserves in Scotland while enhancing his international legacy.”
Colin McLean, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “We are delighted to support a project which will allow us to celebrate David Livingstone’s rich heritage and put his birthplace on the world’s stage.”