<em>Growls from Uganda</em> is a book of reflections on various aspects of modern life written by an unidentified Englishman living in Uganda in the early part of the 20th century. The author’s pseudonym, Critolaos, is taken from a relatively obscure ancient Greek philosopher who was a member of the school of Skeptics. The first chapter, entitled “Civilisation from a Distance,” describes the experience of the author living in a Baganda grass hut, built to his own specification and fashion. Successive chapters deal with what the author sees, from his detached perspective as a recluse in Africa, as the evils of modern European and American civilization: advertising, commercialism, excessive desire for money, a flawed educational system, and accidents involving motor cars. The concluding chapter recounts the author’s earlier life as a gold prospector in British Columbia, Canada, with reflections on the possibilities of “striking it rich” and the injustices that often befall prospectors. Little is known about the true identity of the author, why he went to Uganda, or how long he remained, although one scholar states that his real name was H.B. Cater, the author of a 1905 book on unemployment published under the same pseudonym.
<br>Civilization; Ganda (African people); Gold mines and mining
Critolaos
1909<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1909-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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