Shaka Zulu

Product Information

In Shaka Zulu, I found a character who wasn't reacting, on the whole, to external actions, but forging a Black empire, a Zulu empire, as the result of internal forces and experiences. This book helped me set Shaka’s story in a wider context and for that alone it deserves a place on this list. The story of two brothers, one with Down syndrome, and their extraordinary journey of resilience and repair. In the 15th century, the Zulu were a small clan of Nguni people descended from Zulu kaMalandela, a common ancestor who founded the royal line. At the peak of his career, Shaka was assassinated by his jealous brothers, and within fifty years his work was undone.

Turning off the personalized advertising setting won’t stop you from seeing Etsy ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive. By the time he was assassinated by his half-brothers in 1828, on the eve of Boer and British incursions, Shaka reigned over much of present-day Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa.

He lives in Durban, on the verdant east coast of South Africa, where reality continues to interfere with his life. In exile, Shaka builds his skills as a military leader and is soon noticed by Dingiswayo, king of the Mthethwa confederation, a collection of some 30 Nguni societies united under his rule. By the early 19th century, the Zulu under Shaka dominated the northeastern areas of current day South Africa including KwaZulu-Natal.

Omer-Cooper took as his subject those Black Africans, most especially those occupying what we know as South Africa. Read more about the condition Very Good: A book that has been read and does not look new, but is in excellent condition.May have some underlining and highlighting of text and some writing in the margins, but there are no missing pages or anything else that would compromise the readability or legibility of the text.

The author also doubted accounts that Shaka was illegitimate and bullied as a child, claims that some historians treated as fact. Gathering about him a nucleus of some 500 untrained tribesmen, he built up an immense army of skilled warriors, conquering and pacifying a territory larger than Europe -- all in the space of twelve years. I am a professor emeritus of history at the University of San Diego, and taught courses in African and South African history for over three decades. The Zulu army had its roots in the early groups of young men who took part in combats between tribes, but such warfare was limited to disputes over cattle ownership, grazing rights, or avenging insults.Ian Knight charts the development and training of the men that formed the impi which later operated so successfully under King Cetshwayo. At the peak of his career, when he was about to give his empire the benefits of western civilisation, Shaka was assasinated by his jealous brothers, and within fifty years his work was undone. Ian Knight details how the Zulu army functioned and ties its role firmly to the broader context of Zulu society and culture. Forces of the independent Zulu kingdom inflicted a crushing defeat on British imperial forces at Isandlwana in January 1879. Margaret Atwood takes the art of storytelling to new heights in a dazzling novel that unfolds layer by astonishing layer and concludes in a brilliant and wonderfully satisfying twist.

Knight, a British historian, has spent his career studying and writing about the Anglo-Zulu War and is the author of the award-winning National Army Museum Book of the Zulu War . This remarkable Zulu king was a contemporary of Napoleon, and his achievements rivalled the Emperor’s. Nowadays it would probably be written in a more dramatic, less scholarly fashion but it is informative, readable and his observations and comments are generally backed up where necessary by other reliable commentators.Our mission is to enliven early learning with fun stories that foster literacy, bolster self-esteem and celebrate Africa's rich history and diverse culture.