Dutch Culture: To International Women's Day

Today’s post is an ode to International Women’s Day last week. Although this post may seem a bit late and almost as if an afterthought, this time that is not true. I feel very happy that this year I was able to really get involved with IWD, I went to Amsterdam on the 11^th, to march for equality for everyone. It felt like fictional pathetic fallacy at work on the day, the sun was shining so brightly as if to say that something good was happening, and it was. It was so nice to feel solidarity with such a large number of people, marching peacefully for something that we all felt so strongly about. All of the marching and talk of international women’s day really got me thinking about women who are important to me, and women around the world who have done courageous and important things, that should be celebrated and talked about.

            It seems appropriate, being that I am studying in the Netherlands, and studying geography, that I pay a little tribute to a Dutch female who has done something inspiring in the general field of geography. After some research, I came across the intrepid and fascinating story of Alexandrine Tinné – a Dutch explorer from the 1800’s. Alexandrine was born into a wealthy Dutch family who lived in The Hague. Throughout her childhood, Alexandrine travelled extensively with her family, visiting many countries in Europe. It was this initial exposure to travel that provided Alexandrine with a longing for more and a passion for exploration and the unknown (Alexandra Tinne, 1870). As a young adult, Alexandrine set out on several expeditions with her mother and aunt discovering the joys of Egypt and the river Nile, her aim was primarily to map the White Nile (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2001). During one particular expedition, her mother and later her aunt sadly passed away after suffering bouts of tropical fevers. Despite this devastating turn of events, Alexandrine managed to maintain spirit and continue travelling through Cairo, Algeria, Tunisia and the Mediterranean, gathering important knowledge about the local climate, geology, flora and fauna. Sadly, Alexandrine met her untimely death whilst embarking on a fearless exploration of the Saharan desert.

            Alexandra Tinné was a courageous woman, and few of her kind from the 19^th century have been documented and celebrated. She was fearless, intrepid, and had a passion for exploration. She dedicated her life to gathering knowledge and information at a time where it would have been considered most unbecoming and peculiar for a woman to have the capacity and desire to live her life this way. Hopefully this small post will help cement this tremendous woman’s mark in exploration history, especially as it appears to be so deeply buried and hidden beneath a plethora of exploration triumphs and tales by men.

References:

Alexandrine Tinne. (1870). Temple Bar : A London Magazine for Town and Country Readers, Dec.1860-Dec.1881, 28, 304-309.

Encyclopedia Britannica. (2001). Alexandrine-Pieternella-Francoise Tinne | Dutch explorer. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexandrine-Pieternella-Francoise-Tinne [Accessed 20 Mar. 2017].