Non-urban Motoring in Colonial Africa in the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

Popular histories of motor-car use in colonial Africa draw heavily on narratives about a handful of sensational trans-continental motor trips. Some such motoring was propagandist, sponsored by commercial motor manufacturers. This paper uses multiple English-language texts to indicate the nature and extent of other kinds of motoring outside urban areas. It documents the diversity of drivers and passengers, their journey purposes, and the common experiences and symbolism of motor vehicle use. Recorded non-urban motoring in colonial Africa in the 1920s and 1930s involved white settlers and visitors who travelled on government or scientific assignment, on safari, or to promote road provision. All journeys were tests of motor engineering and personal stamina, patience, and luck. A new genre of travel reporting points to a taste for adventure, and a yearning for flexibility and speed in off-rail journeys. Early long-distance motoring confronted poor road and bridge infrastructure as well as treacherous seasonal weather and topographies. The capabilities and geographies of motorised colonial mobility show a new technology of empowerment mediating colonial governance, science, and leisure along racial and gender lines.

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