The Matabele Mission – JPR Wallis

Description

The Matabele Mission: A Selection from the Correspondence of John and Emily Moffat, David Livingstone and Others, 1858–1878 is a remarkable historical collection that offers intimate insights into missionary life and colonial encounters in Southern Africa during the 19th century. This carefully compiled volume brings together personal letters exchanged between notable figures such as John and Emily Moffat, renowned explorer David Livingstone, and various missionaries and officials operating in Matabeleland. Covering the two decades from 1858 to 1878, these correspondences reveal the challenges, aspirations, and cultural exchanges experienced on the frontier of British missionary and colonial expansion.

Edited with historical expertise, the book sheds light on both the personal and political dimensions of the Matabele Mission, offering commentary on missionary work, indigenous relations, and regional conflicts. The letters capture a vivid portrait of life at the mission stations, the difficulties of travel and communication in remote territories, and the complexities of interacting with Matabele rulers and communities during a critical period in Southern African history.

The Matabele Mission is a valuable primary source for historians, students of colonial and missionary history, and readers with an interest in the personal experiences of those shaping Southern Africa’s colonial past.