Ivory Trade
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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
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The East African Maritime Slave Trade
Sometime between 30 and 40 AD, when Tiberius or his nephew Caligula was the emperor of Rome, an unknown Greek or Roman merchant wrote a trader’s guide, a “periplus”, to the Indian Ocean. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea covers… Continue reading
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An Image of Slavery
This photograph was taken in Stone Town, Zanzibar by an unknown missionary around 1890. The original is a lantern slide measuring just 83 x 83 mm, the width of a credit card, yet in that tiny space, it exemplifies the… Continue reading
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The Demise of Malawi’s Elephants: Part 2 – The Nightmare Years
We are watching a breeding herd of elephants at a muddy wallow, babies frolicking in the mud, tumbling over each other as they spray muddy water in all directions. Their aunts are just behind and often standing over them as… Continue reading
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The Demise of Malawi’s Elephants: Part 1 – Before the Slaughter
Malawi was once famous for its huge herds of elephants, described in the 18th century as an “elephant rich country” with the land between lake Malawi and the Luangwa River in Zambia “teeming with elephants”. A country where, in 1859,… Continue reading
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Origins & History of Liwonde National Park
The Liwonde National Park was established in 1973 but its origins are entwined with a story of exploration, exploitation and finally conservation. A story that starts with Doctor Livingstone and ends with the revitalisation of one of Africa’s finest parks.… Continue reading
Travelogues and Other Memories 