Name
Maiga Aboubacar Abdoulwahidou
Scholastic degree
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Academic rank
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Honorary rank
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Organization, job position
Saint-Petersburg State University
Web site url
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Articles count: 1
This article examines the story of the unexpected stay
of lieutenant Vasily Golovnin in South Africa in 1808
during his famous navigation around the world. In fact,
the Russian sailor had to stop in Simonstown for a
short while to stock up and put his boat in shape.
However, his visit on this archipelago which newly
belonged to British had coincided with the moments of
crisis between Russian and British empires in Europe.
These events obliged Golovnin to stay in the Cape of
Good Hope for thirteen months. Enjoying his freedom
of movement, the young navigator will exploit this
long stay to describe the daily life of South African
people. During his travels across the Cape Colony,
Golovnin meets with colonists and colonized, and tells
about the mechanism of their cohabitation. Even if it is
not so abundant, his travelogue remains the first one
realized by a Russian on South Africa and will always
be crucial for the future generations of Russian
mariners who will follow his itinerary. From Kronstadt
to Kamchatka, Golovnin described the amazing events,
but there, it will exclusively focus on the part of his
travelogue [3] about his long and exceptional “stay at
the Cape of Good Hope”