This scholarly account traces the emergence of the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa in the early nineteenth century, under the rule of the ambitious and iconic King Shaka. In contrast to recent literary analyses of myths of Shaka, this book uses the richness of Zulu oral traditions and a comprehensive body of written sources to provide a compelling narrative and analysis of the events and people of the era of Shaka's rule. The oral traditions portray Shaka as rewarding courage and loyalty, and punis...
A Century of South African Theatre (Cultural Histories of Theatre and Performance)
by Professor Loren Kruger
“Theatre is not part of our vocabulary”: Sipho Sepamla’s provocation in 1981, the year of famous anti-apartheid play Woza Albert!, prompts the response, yes indeed, it is. A Century of South African Theatre demonstrates the impact of theatre and other performances—pageants, concerts, sketches, workshops, and performance art—over the last hundred years. Its coverage includes African responses to pro-British pageants celebrating white Union in 1910, such as the Emancipation Centenary of the abolit...
The Fate of the Eastern Cape
This unique collection combines historical accounts with current socio-political analysis to present an agenda for social-spacial justice for the people of the Eastern Cape. The title explores economics, the environment, development and service delivery, and includes a series of case studies. The contributors' areas of expertise range from political science, social policy, economics, geography, anthropology, biology and education. The Fate of the Eastern Cape not only provides a biography of the...
After the so-called Langalibalele rebellion of 1873, Colonel Anthony William Durnford was blamed for the loss of three colonists at the Bushmans River Pass. In this book, written under a male pseudonym, the author sought to vindicate the action of the man she loved.
The Zulu Kings and their Armies
by Jonathan Sutherland, Diane Canwell
Covering nearly one hundred years of Zulu military history, this book focuses on the creation, maintenance, development, tactics and ultimate destruction of the Zulu army. It studies the armies, weapons and tactics under the rule of the five Zulu kings from Shaka to Dinizulu. The rule of each of the five kings is examined in terms of their relationships with the army and how they raised regiments to expand their influence in the region. All the major battles and campaigns are discussed with ref...
Coming Revolution in South Africa (New International, No. 5.)
by Jack Barnes
Introduces the geography, history, people, and culture of Zimbabwe.
This book is aimed towards advancing an understanding of the South African past essential to an appreciation of the South African promise and problems. It presents a survey of the archaeological data, and describes the hunting, herding, and cultivating peoples, and the dominant colonial society.
African Foreign Policy and Diplomacy from Antiquity to the 21st Century (Praeger Security International)
by Daniel Don Nanjira
A reassessment of the controversial Natal campaign of the Boer War, this book analyzes contemporary sources using previously unpublished reports and letters. It describes the actions of the campaign and discusses the roles of Warren, Roberts, Buller and White, questioning many long-established "official" views of this campaign. Many myths surround the events and personalities of this period of British colonial history, not least because reputations were protected, destroyed and subjected to scru...
Brick by Brick is essential reading for anyone interested in discovering more about the history of South Africa. The title gives an overview of important political and social events in this country's turbulent history. South Africans and foreigners alike will find this an invaluable introduction.
In bringing alive the link between past and present, we find ways of imagining our future...In this fascinating collection, full of different textures, narratives and nuances, sixteen authors have begun to tackle the task of writing South Africa's history from an overtly feminist perspective, giving readers an opportunity to understand and reflect on debates about real women's power in completely new and fresh ways. Taking readers on an eclectic journey through the major themes of South African...
Africa is the cradle of mankind and the first traces of modern man come from South Africa. But the country has also experienced waves of inward migration from the earliest times, and the turmoil and wars that accompany them. Dutch settlers landed at Table Bay in 1652. In the young colony inter-racial marriages were common but the segregationist trend was soon clear. The 19th century saw the rise of several African states, notably the Zulus under their leader Shaka; the Zulu wars; the discovery o...