Figure 1.--.

Scouting is probably the weakest in Africa. Again it is large a question of economics. The middle class in most African countries is weak. Most boys just can't aford to be Scouts. The strongest movement appears to be in South Africa where the movement played a positive role through the difficult Apartheid era. Most of the strongest Scout movements are in the former British colonies. Please have a look at available information on Scouting in the following geographical areas and the development of the various national uniforms in each different area.

Botswana

Egypt

HBU has been able to find virtually no information on Egyptian Scouting. Scouting appears to have been founded about 1912 in Egypt. Egypt is the most populace country in the Middle East and probably has the largest Scout movement in the area. As in most of the Middle East, the Scout movement in Egypt appears to be relatively small.

Ethiopia

Scouts were active in Ethiopia in the 1920s and 30s. We are not sure when the Scouting movement was founded there. We note Scouts assisting in the resistance to the the Italian Fascists in 1935. The Italians banned Scouting as they had done in Italy itself. Scouting was also banned by the Communists in the 1970s.

Ghana

Nigeria

Senegal

South Africa

South Africa played an important role in the formative period of Scoting. It was in South Africa that Lord Baden Powell became known to the British public and British boys. Some of the Scouting legends come from South Africa. The movement was probably the most integrated insitution in the country during the Aparteid era, especially English Scout units.

Zimbabwe

Scouting began in Bulawayo in the 1930s and is still active there. Zimbabwe was known at the time as Soputhern Rhodesia and was a British colony. We do not yet have information on the rest of Zimbabwe. Most of the early Scouting photographs that we have found show mostly white boys. We are unsure to what extent the movement was integrated. This suggests that Scouting was mostly a movement involving white boys. It may also mean that white Scouts have preserved their mementos better and are more sctive in the internet. Hopefulkly readers can provide more information here.