Was cultural interaction positive or negative? Both?.
I feel that the cultural interaction between the white men and the black men is both positive and negative. As evidence from the movie and from history we can see both positive and negative aspects of cultural interaction. .
There are many positive aspects of a cultural interaction between the English and the Africans. For example the white men brought over new forms of technology that they traded with the Africans, which furthered the Africans culture and in return allowed the white men to keep going on their journey. For example in the movie Mountains of the Moon, Burton and Speke offer the African tribe gifts. Burton gives the minister a pistol. The Africans had never seen a pistol. Items such as pistols and other new technologies brought reform in Africa. The English man benefited because they were allowed to explore Africa and study the life of its inhabitants. .
Negative aspects of cultural interaction are just as vivid as the positive ones. The whites being the intruders exploited the natives. The white man also created a sense of hostility, which led to battle, then leading to many deaths on each side. The black men (though not shown in the movie) were taken away from their homes and used as slaves. Many casualties came cause of the White mans presence, for example when Burton gave the African man the pistol; the minister shot one of his people. .
After watching the Mountains of the Moon, one could conclude that the negative aspects of the cultural interaction almost weighed out the positive aspects. Though the maps had to be completed, the pain and agony both sides had to go through made one wonder about the voyages importance. Speke really understood the positive aspects and Burton really understood the negative aspects. Both positive and negative resulted from the cultural interactions.
2. In what way did economics play a role in the expedition?.