The Black Safari

Overview

The well-worn trope of the “intrepid white explorer attempts to explain the ways of African tribes” is subverted in a masterful fashion by Horace Ové in The Black Safari. We follow Yemi Ajibade, Merdel Jordine, Bloke Modisane, Horace Ové, and Douglas Botting as they go on an expedition across the Liverpool-Leeds canal in search of the English community and the strange cultures that they currently involve themselves in, all while attempting to find the centre of England. The imagery of the Queen of Spades, the boat that the explorers travel on, complete with the sound of African drums going through these towns in middle England feels provocative, especially as baffled locals look on in astonishment. The little seen The Black Safari makes for compelling viewing; it is a biting satire that never fails to raise a smile.