But Steampunkish middle-grade fantasy novels are still cool, right?

I have read the middle-grade fantasy in question and I say yes, without a doubt. Still cool.

The books (not yours) that seem to be created using some sort of matrix of profitability where YA + (Steampunk - whimsy) + LOTS AND LOTS OF COGS WITH SCIENCE THAT MAKES NO SENSE? nsm ... ahem.

How would one celebrate the exploration of Africa without being accused of racism?

Well, Africa was hardly unknown to the people who lived there. Which is rather the problem with celebrating explorations and discoveries. The Native Americans knew very well where they were when Columbus arrived: he in fact was the one who was lost!

Yeah, I'd go with "Explorer." You could reference historical figures such as Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon [link] Matthew Henson (African American, may have been the first person to reach the geographic north pole in 1909--Edwardian's still ok, right?) [link] or Nain Singh Rawat [link]

They're all male, though. The female explorers I've found from around that period have been pretty much European/American.

I will, but I suspect that the people behind the event really REALLY want to wear pith helmets and feel like they're the heroes in a Rider Haggard novel.

I'd suggest Oswald Bastable again, but but I suspect the people you are talking ab out would totally miss the point, assuming they knew who Bastable was in the first place.

Whooo. Well, never mind. I just talked to one of the event organizers, let them know about the current RaceFail happening in the subculture, and gently suggested that "Safari" may need re-thinking. He nodded a lot, and said something along the lines of, "But we're reinterpreting the history the way we want it to, without the awful parts", and "We've all talked about it, and we don't want to cater to the whims of people who rant about imperialism any time someone wears a pith helmet."

Oooookaaay, then. Not going to that event next year, nope.

Wow. OK they are way beyond the point where Bastable could help.

Yeah, I'd go with "Explorer." You could reference historical figures such as Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon [link], Matthew Henson (African American, may have been the first person to reach the geographic north pole in 1909--Edwardian's still ok, right?) [link], or Nain Singh Rawat [link]

I still feel like the end result would be pretty much anohter layer of - pardon me - whitewash over the original concept.

Maybe if the idea had started there.

How would one celebrate the exploration of Africa without being accused of racism?

Um, not much to celebrate about that? Colonization of Africa and the Caribbean was, for the most part, a pretty brutal process and not so great for those who lived there, and was also horribly racist. Therefore, to answer your question, you cannot, because the "exploration" of Africa is racist.

*history, without all the awful parts*

...

...

yeah. I'm still boggled. Fail.

Wow. Yes. Because "we're doing history without any of the bad bits" isn't problematic AT ALL.