h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My dear fellow researcher!!

Well, you have stupified me with your knowledge.!!

Unfortunately I do not have all my research files with me so cannot confirm the date of the early twenties which I quoted with reference to Gandhi living in South Africa.

There are obviously things/events which are either not reported or incorrectly reported. I remember going to the British Library on one of my visits from South Africa and asking for a copy of the Treaty of Vereeniging. I returned the day afterwards and was told there was no Treaty of Vereeniging only an Agreement of Vereeniging.

Well I read it, and although not a historian by profession - I call myself a Sociologist of Law - I realised that there were pretty important articles in this (in)famous agreement. When I returned to South Africa I went to the Department of History at my |University where I had enrolled for my PhD. and spoke to someone I knew and informed him of my findings. He said that it was of no consequence and there the matter ended,

At no time did I realise that Gandhi had spent such a long time in south Africa, I seem to remember that he lived in Phoenix but I was under the impression that it was either an African township or an Indian township.

I am afraid that in my research I always concentrated on the effect of the apartheid regime on the indigenous African population.

Oh dear! there is so much to talk about. Unfortunately I am inevitably advanced in age and although I have had a stroke have recovered enough to feel a great urgency to put all my exeriences in South Africa in writing.

I see that you were born in Kenya so that means that you are considerably younger than I and have more opportunity and scope to investigate the "miscarriages of History!,

As usual we must abide by the house rules. I know that Lil auntie Giggles has my RL name and address, If you could address her then hopefully she will together with the powers that be. give you my RL name and address and we could certainly share some very important and significant information about South Africa at the turn of the last century.

With many thanks. I shall read the rest of your contributions later as my brain only appears to "function" and my eyes "see" for a limited amount of time. !!

Christiane M. E.
AlsoRan80

Hi AlsoRan80.

I hope and pray that you are keeping well.

You are correct when you mention that I was born in Kenya. In fact I wrote an article on this site entitled "Asians in East Africa," which deals with how Asians, most of who were from the Indian subcontinent went to East Africa at the beginning of twentieth century and I have pasted a link to this below. I will tell you what really inspired me to write this article and that was that I, for quite a long time, was trying to trace my roots and also felt that we, the world was loosing out on Historical information on how the railway was built in East Africa. I also felt that many Asians (Indians) who originate from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and who have been born in coutries such as the United Kingdom,will soon not remember and not know their roots. But while researching my own roots, I never received any assistance from my own family members. The only things that did help me were the people on this site, my late father's own diary, my own historical knowledge of the region, my mother and a family friend, who does not want to be named, as well as whatever I could find. I had no help from anyone else. Then when this was published on the site, I sent a link of this to one of my cousin from my mother's side, who I am very close to and he replied by saying that somebody else had sent him the link and he had read it. He found it very interesting as he himself was from Tanzania and since, he was sending the links to his friends, some replies that were forwarded to me were from Canada and as far as New Zealand and that this reminded them of their roots and that they had enjoyed reading the article. The other thing, regarding the article is that it also involves a bit of South Africa and Jan Smuts and so I think you might like this one as well. The link is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A32016241

Another one that I think you may like is on "David Livingstone," which I have also written here. Again this does involve South Africa. the link is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A33659445

Here I did receive some help from a friend of mine, with who I was at college with and as he had lived in Zambia for many years and who now lives in Durban but does not want to be named and also help, again from people on this site.

I am currently researching for more articles, which I hope to add on to this site as soon as I can.

I am not sure what you mean by " know that Lil auntie Giggles has my RL name and address, If you could address her then hopefully she will together with the powers that be. give you my RL name and address." Please let me know what you mean.

Also I hope that you like reading my work.

Regards
kitrapsjasani.

Hi my dear friend,

I had to go right back as I had not been on my site for a few days and practically lost you. !!

It is late, my eyes are tired and I shall read all your wonderful links tomroww.

I shall also ask my friend to contact you and give you my Rl name and addy. I would like to keep in contact with another researcher as I cannot get to London now to visit either SOAS or LSE which were where I did practically all my research and of course the One at Kew.

Go well, and will write tomorrow.

ALSO Ran80