Chapter 526: Beacon of Civilization
"Ernst!"
As soon as he got home, Ernst was on his way to the office to work when he was stopped by his old father who had just returned from Bagamoyo.
"What's wrong, father?"
"Yesterday I went to Bagamoyo. Walking on the street, I was very pleased to see the urban development in East Africa. However, I heard in the newspaper that the city of Chicago has built a building several dozen meters high and plans to complete it in the next few years. I want to know if we can build one in East Africa. The cities in East Africa are almost exactly the same as those in Europe, without any special features."
As soon as Ernst heard it, he knew what his father was planning. If he guessed correctly, the tall building Constantine mentioned was the Chicago Home Insurance Building, the world's first skyscraper.
"Father, I feel that the buildings in East Africa are very good. There is no need to pursue height blindly. Moreover, the buildings in East Africa are also ornamental and artistic."
"What do you know? I just think East Africa lacks iconic buildings that catch people's eyes. It's not until Chicago is about to build a skyscraper to attract attention that I remembered it. Besides, even without the Statue of Liberty, New York also has a bunch of bulky buildings. What a bunch of nouveau riche."
Hearing the old man's sour tone, Ernst couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at? I'm asking you a question!"
"Okay, I almost know what you mean, father. You just want to build a landmark building. Tell me what you have in mind. I will definitely help you if I can do it."
For Ernst, Constantine's happiness was all that mattered, and spending some money was not a big deal. Did Ernst lack money? Of course he did, but a rich man like Ernst lacked big money, and building wonders was just small money.
Of course, some of these wonders are very expensive and can even hinder national development. Ernst and Constantine are not the kind of people who pursue pleasure, so they are sensible.
Sure enough, after hearing Ernst's words, Constantine was in a good mood and really consulted carefully: "We must not learn from those upstarts in the United States."
After careful consideration, he said, "First of all, our building should be highly artistic and ornamental, and cannot be worse than those in other countries, otherwise it will be the same whether it is built or not. Secondly, it must have historical and cultural elements, which must distinguish it from those nouveau riche buildings in the United States. Finally, it is best to have some practicality and the price should not be too high."
Although Constantine's requirements may not seem high, they are actually quite high, especially the second one, historical and cultural elements, which is exactly what East Africa lacks, and it is not as good as most countries in this respect.
Ernst thought about it carefully and decided that the most representative thing about East Africa is the lions on the grassland. This is probably the first impression of Africa for most people.
This was taken into consideration when the East African flag was designed. After so many years of development, East Africa has been a learner without any innovation in the cultural field. Its only unique feature is its natural heritage. Black people have some civilization of their own, but it is not considered high-end.
Ernst said: "What we lack most in East Africa is historical and cultural heritage, so it is better to use the perspective of world civilization and mix in some unique cultural symbols of East Africa as reference in this regard."
Constantine nodded and said, "That's right, how about adding national history?"
According to Constantine, although East Africa has a very short history, it has developed for more than ten years, and a country with such a large area will definitely leave a significant mark in human history in the future.
But Ernst doesn't think so. Isn't the history of East African countries a history of feudal slavery? This is exactly the biggest stain on East Africa, so much so that Ernst didn't even set up a national day in East Africa, which is as ironic as Thanksgiving.
In the future, when all black people in East Africa disappear and slavery is abolished, Ernst plans to separate the future East Africa from the current East African Kingdom. The fact that the kingdom is a slave state cannot be changed, but the empire can be a brand new empire.
Ernst shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. I'm not optimistic about national history. Our East African system is not in line with mainstream international opinion. I'm afraid it will attract some criticism if we start from this aspect."
Feudal autocracy, slavery, market restrictions... are not good words, so it is better to use the perspective of world civilization to develop the main body of this landmark building.
Ernst's words also enlightened Constantine: "You are right, I do have concerns in this regard."
Even Constantine felt that his own East Africa was all black and had no advantages. In fact, it did have advantages, and that was the national strength and royal status of East Africa accumulated through these stains.
Seeing his father was a little depressed, Ernst comforted him: "Using the perspective of world civilization may not be a bad thing for us. We say that it is based on the theme of world civilization, but as long as this landmark is finally settled in East Africa, it belongs to East Africa and no one can move it away."
"Really? You are smart. I almost fell into the wrong thinking." Constantine reacted.
Culture belongs to the world, but it ultimately depends on the region. For example, the Great Wall stands on the land of the East, so it belongs to the Far Eastern Empire first, and then to the world.
Similarly, anything built on East African soil cannot be separated from East Africa, and with the help of the righteousness of world civilization, East Africa and world civilization can be forcibly tied together.
Suddenly an idea flashed in Ernst's mind.
"Father, how about we build a lighthouse!"
"lighthouse?"
"Yes."
"Lighthouse, I feel like there's nothing new here?"
Speaking of lighthouses, they are extremely common, especially after the West entered the Age of Exploration.
Many lighthouses have been built in East Africa, especially after many new ports were opened in East Africa. In terms of size alone, some of them are even ranked among the best in the world.
After all, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa are also world-class ports. Although they are not as big as cities with millions of people like New York and London, cities with a population of hundreds of thousands are not very common in this era. Moreover, the population of Dar es Salaam's new and old urban areas combined has exceeded 200,000, and is expected to reach more than 300,000 in the next few years.
"Lighthouses are common landmarks, especially for port cities. Alexandria is one of the seven wonders of history, so if this material is built well, it will be of great use."
"So what do you want to do? Mombasa or Dar es Salaam?" Constantine asked.
As for lighthouses, they are naturally built at ports, and landmarks are for people to see, so Constantine naturally thought of the two East African international ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. These two cities are the only two cities in East Africa that showcase the country's features to the outside world.
"Let's choose Dar es Salaam! Mombasa's climate is still a little bit worse."
If it were in the previous life, Mombasa would definitely be more developed than Dar es Salaam, but in this life, the two have reversed, especially after the Central Railway was completed ahead of schedule, Dar es Salaam's development is far ahead, and other cities in the Central Province have provided support.
"We are going to build a 'beacon of civilization' this time!"
"A beacon of civilization?"
This is a good name, Constantine muttered to himself.
In fact, Ernst had a flash of inspiration before and thought of the name "Beacon of Civilization". In the past, the West always liked to label the United States as a beacon of civilization.
What if there is really a "beacon of civilization" in East Africa? Ernst thought it was very interesting. If someone mentions the concept of a beacon of civilization again, they will inevitably mention this "beacon of civilization" in East Africa. However, it is different from a symbolic beacon of civilization. This is really a beacon in the physical sense. Does this count as a fraud?
(End of this chapter)
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