About 5 miles from Joy in the Harvest is a place of great historical significnce in Africa.  On October 27, 1871 an expedition funded by the New York Herald newspaper, and led by journalist and explorer Henry M. Stanley entered the village of Ujiji, located on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in today’s Tanzania.  There they located Dr. David Livingstone who many had thought dead, as he had not been heard from in four years.  Upon seeing Livingstone, who had been reduced to a skeleton of a man, Stanley allegedly uttered the famous words, “Dr. Livingstone I presume?”

Livingstone was Africa’s greatest explorer.  During the Victorian era of the 19th century, when little was known about Africa, Livingstone traveled a phenomenal 29,000 miles, a greater distance than the circumference of the earth.  He mounted three major expeditions.  Livingstone was a medical doctor, linguist, explorer, and missionary.  Among his many goals was to find the source of the White Nile River.  He did not succeed in doing so, but he did find the source of the Congo River.  He was very much antislavery and is has been some credit for helping end slave trade in Africa and the Arab world.  He made many major discoveries including Victoria Falls, which he named after his Queen.

His explorations and 32 years in Africa took an extreme toll on his health. He had survived 30 bouts of malaria as well as other health crises.  Almost a year and a half after the famous meeting in Ujiji, Livingstone died in a remote area of Zambia on May 1st 1873. He was sixty years old when he died.  His body was returned to England and was buried in Westminster Abbey.  

In Ujiji, on the outskirts of Kigoma, there is a memorial on the spot of the famous meeting.  Also there is an interesting small museum.  We often take visitors there to enjoy sitting under Mango trees and hearing a lecture given by the local curator of the museum. 

 Joy in the Harvest honors the memory of Dr. Livingstone by holding the Dr. David Livingstone Annual Soccer Tournament.  Up to 1,000 local players participate each year.