Journey To Gubuluwayo: Silver Series, 24 – Henri Depelchin

Description

Journey to Gubuluwayo: Letters of Frs H. Depelchin and C. Croonenberghs, S.J. 1879, 1880, 1881 is a compelling historical account and valuable Rhodesiana reprint, offering first-hand insight into missionary and colonial life in 19th-century Southern Africa. This newly translated and annotated edition presents the original letters of two Belgian Jesuit priests who journeyed by ox-wagon from Grahamstown to Tati and on to King Lobengula’s royal kraal at Gubuluwayo, where they founded a mission in the heart of Matabeleland.

Originally published in Brussels in 1882 as Trois ans dans L’Afrique Australe, this English edition — translated by Moira Lloyd and introduced by R.S. Roberts — features comprehensive annotations, a detailed introduction, and additional maps and illustrations that bring the narrative to life. The Fathers’ vivid descriptions of the Matabele people’s customs, ceremonies, and political structure under Lobengula provide a rare and valuable ethnographic record, while their personal experiences chronicle the trials and rewards of missionary work in unfamiliar and often perilous territory.

An essential addition for historians, collectors of African colonial literature, and anyone with an interest in Matabeleland’s history, Journey to Gubuluwayo is a richly detailed and culturally significant work preserving the voices and observations of a formative period in Southern African history.