Memories of a Scientist. The Carp Expedition to the Save River in Zimbabwe and Mozambique

In this memoir, a Swiss natural scientist looks back at his first expedition to a remote corner of south-eastern Zimbabwe and the adjacent area in Mozambique. In 1950, William Büttiker-Otto, a parasitologist, participated in one of the so-called Carp scientific expeditions that surveyed plant and animal life for museums and botanical gardens in various southern African colonies. The expeditions also documented aspects of rural African life such as food production and local handcrafts.

This booklet brings together William Büttiker-Otto’s recollections and a selection of his materials, including photographs and a short DVD film of the expedition. His reminiscences are complemented by those of his wife Sonya Büttiker-Otto on family life as Swiss emigrants in Harare between 1949 and 1952.