FöF Lecture: Carsten Möhle - Paul Graetz's Expedition with the Motorboat Across Africa - 1911 to 1912 and Today - Multivision Presentation

In February 2025, Carsten Möhle reported in PS.SPEICHER on Paul Graetz's adventurous journey across Africa by automobile—a project that contemporaries deemed completely insane. Now follows the continuation: the motorboat expedition from 1911 to 1912, which escalated everything and was "a notch crazier." With the two custom-built boats "Sarotti" and "Hygiama," Graetz aimed to traverse the continent via rivers and lakes. What sounds like an exotic dream turned into an almost unimaginable test of strength: the boats had to be pulled over land for more than 240 kilometers on vehicle wheels, sometimes by 60 helpers. The journey was filled with dramatic events: the French cameraman Octave Fieres lost his life in a buffalo fight, and Graetz survived severely injured with a shattered jaw, which he stabilized with a belt. In the end, both boats sank—but Graetz still reached his goal: crossing Africa by motorboat. In his multimedia presentation, Carsten Möhle shows historical original slides, excerpts from the rediscovered expedition film, as well as his own images from his research on-site, including the legendary Stevenson Road. His very personal adventures—such as the journey with a self-built floating "wardrobe" on the Congo—are also included in the presentation, bridging the past to the present. Background: Paul Graetz (1875–1968) was one of the great German adventurers and is considered a pioneer of motorized mobility in Africa. More: www.paulgraetz.de Carsten Möhle, Africa travel specialist and founder of Bwana Tucke-Tucke. "Bwana" means "Lord" or "Master" in Swahili. More: www.bwana.de An evening full of history, adventure, and expedition—and the exciting continuation of a topic that captivated the audience at PS.SPEICHER the previous year.