Vol. 5 · No. 2 · 2001 · pp. 125-153 (29)
'The Vast White Place':
A History of the Etosha National Park in Namibia and the Hai//om

Ute Dieckmann

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In the African version of wildlife conservation history, the experience has been that game reserves are White inventions which elevate wildlife above humanity and which have served as instruments of dispossession and subjugation.
(Carruthers 1995: 101)
Introduction

For many people, in particular those in Western countries, Africa represents a remote continent, associated with a small and distinct set of stereotyped and exotic ideas. While war, drought, ethnic conflicts and underdevelopment represent the dark side, the variety of wildlife, vast savannahs, and beautiful landscapes form the positive images. The beautiful imagination of wilderness or 'nature' serves as a contrast to 'our own modern society', reflecting the alleged dichotomy of culture versus nature. The African wilderness is mostly confined to National Parks, which are now important symbols of the continent.