“Dr Livingstone, I presume?” were the famous words uttered by Henry Morton Stanley when he found David Livingstone at Ujiji, Tanzania on 28 October 1871.

“Dr Livingstone, I presume?”  is also the title of a song, written in 1968 by the English rock band, The Moody Blues.

Dr. Livingstone, I presume,
Stepping out of the jungle gloom,
Into the midday sun.

What did you find there,
Did you stand a while and stare,
Did you meet anyone?

I’ve seen butterflies galore,
I’ve seen people big and small,
I’ve still not found what I’m looking for.

Stanley’s 19th Century search for Livingstone and indeed Livingstone’s own books and the talks that he gave about his travels in Africa gripped the imagination of Victorian Britain and he was met with approbation and adulation wherever he went. Yet here we are, 200 years after his birth on 19 March 1813 and 140 years after his death on 1 May 1873, and people all around the world are still inspired by his story. Some have even called him ‘Africa’s first freedom fighter’ in recognition of his efforts to stop the slave trade. And, of course, let us not forget that he was also Zambia’s first tourist, visting and naming the Victoria Falls in November 1855.

Events taking place in Livingstone (Zambia) during 2013 to celebrate the Bicentenary of his birth are many with a Inter-business Football Competition on 13 April and an Academic conference entitled  Imperial Obsessions David Livingstone, Africa and world history: a life and legacy reconsidered from 19 to 21 April. Speakers at this conference come from Universities and Museums all round the world including Scotland, Malawi and, of course, Zambia, the countries where he spent much of his time and where he was born and died.

1 May, a public holiday (Labour Day) will also be Livingstone Memorial Day and 4 May will see the hosting of the David Livingstone Bicentenary Golf Tournament. For further information on these events, email events@livingstone2013.com.  For information on events later in the year (and there are many) check future editions of The Lowdown for the final details. These events include motocross, a regatta and a music festival.

We will also be bringing you a little bit more about the man, his travels and his discoveries.