Travelogues and Other Memories

Cape Town

  • The Bombay Africans

    The Bombay Africans The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) tells us: “Originally forced into slavery in Africa, the group who came to be known as the ‘Bombay Africans’ were liberated by the British Royal Navy from Arab slaving boats and taken… Continue reading

    The Bombay Africans

  • The Fall and Rise of the Bontebok

    I was reminded this week of the remarkable story of the Bontebok, the first African antelope to be saved from extinction, dragged back from the precipice when there were just 17 left in South Africa. I feel very privileged to… Continue reading

    The Fall and Rise of the Bontebok

  • The Royal Navy & The East African Slave Trade – 1808 to 1853

    Introduction Between 1640 and 1807 approximately 12 million Africans were transported from the west coast of Africa to the Americas; around 3.4 million of those were transported on British Ships. In May 1787 the first meeting of the Society for… Continue reading

    The Royal Navy & The East African Slave Trade – 1808 to 1853

  • Sowing the Seeds of Extinction

    Where Did all the Lions Go? We are all too aware that the demise of wild life in Africa is as a result of human activity and it is well recognised that this started in the colonial era but, naively… Continue reading

    Sowing the Seeds of Extinction