The African Queen Today

Hope yet for African Queen gunboat on Lake Tanganyika

Mozambique country profile

Thanks to the BBC for this:

Mozambique country profile

Thirty years of Zimbabwe in graphs

A study of decline -- Thank YOU, Robert Mugabe!

Thirty years of Zimbabwe in graphs

Zimbabwe's 30th Birthday: A Time to Grieve

Audio Slideshow: Zimbabwe at 30

African slavery apology 'needed'

A sign of a mature view of history. Let the whole story be told.

African slavery apology 'needed'

Zimbabwe: Untangling the 'Zaka Rinopisa' Mystery

Here's an interesting story trying to sort historical fact from popular fiction.

Zimbabwe: Untangling the 'Zaka Rinopisa' Mystery

Serengeti Shall Not Die

(Click on photo to view full size)

Bernhard and Michael Grzimek brought the Serengeti to world attention with the book and movie Serengeti Shall Not Die. Unfortunately, Michael Grzimek was killed in a plane crash when a griffon-vulture hit his wing and blocked the rudder cables. He was buried on the rim of Ngorongoro crater overlooking the base of the crater. Above is a photo of the memorial erected at his grave.

Olduvai Gorge

In 1960 I got my first subscription to National Geographic Magazine. That year there was an article that fascinated me greatly. It was about the discovery of Australopithecus boisei, or Zinjanthropus man, by Louis Leakey in Olduvai Gorge in Tanganyika. Little did I dream that about 10 years later I would have the privilege of visiting the site.

Olduvai Gorge

Olduvai Gorge

Olduvai Gorge

The site of the discovery of Zinjanthropus man.

Leakey's assistant, I believe his name is Francis, showing the major excavation site at the time of my visit. It was covered to protect it from the elements.

Small markers indicate fossils being carefully excavated from the site.

A portion of a leg bone of a prehistoric elephant.

Almost any stone lying around contained fossilized remains.

I later was able to see the Zinjanthropus man skull at the National Museum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Fort Jesus

Construction of Fort Jesus began in 1593 on Mombasa Island. The Portuguese moved to Mombasa from their trading base at Malindi along with the local ruler of Malindi.

For almost a century and a half the Portuguese based their activities along the eastern coast of Africa in Fort Jesus.

In March 1696 a fleet from Oman laid siege to Fort Jesus for 33 months.

Fort Jesus came under the rule of Oman.

This ended Portuguese rule north of the Rovuma River.

In 1699, 1703 and 1710 unsuccessful efforts were made by the Portuguese to retake Fort Jesus.

The Portuguese did retake the fort in 1728, but surrendered it again to the Arabs in 1729.

The British came upon the scene in the early 1800's as they began efforts to stop the slave trade.

Mombasa was a British Protectorate for a couple of years and then annexed to the sultanate of Zanzibar.

When the British colonized Kenya, they used the fort as a prison for a while.

In 1958 the fort was declared an historical monument.

James Kirkman (center above) excavated the fort from 1958-1971.
(He also excavated the ruins at Gedi.)

Gedi

The ruins of the ancient city of Gedi lie a short distance south of Malindi, Kenya.

Based upon the mosque and Islamic architecture, Gedi was an arab town dating from the 15th century. Some date the habitation of the town as early as the 12th-13th centuries. Archaeological evidence indicates trade with China although it was not an important enough center to be included in accounts of Arab, Swahili or Portuguese historians of the time.

Gedi was abandoned in the 16th century. It is uncertain as to the cause of this abandonment. The Galla, a fierce tribe that moved south from Somalia, occupied the site for a time in the 16th century and they, too, abandoned it.

In 1948 Gedi was made a national park. James Kirkman excavated the site in the 1960's and is one of the foremost authorities on the site.

Malindi Postscript

Most tourists visiting Malindi concentrate on the beaches or the monument Vasco da Gama built to commemorate his visit to Malindi in 1498. However, the pillar tomb near the Juma Mosque is a mystery that lives on today. It dates from the 15th century and is unlike anything found in other Muslim cemeteries. Some believe that it was built for deceased Portuguese. The significance of the pillar is unknown.