Zulu Terror: The Mfecane Holocaust, 1815-1840

The historian and author of The Great Trek recounts the devastating period of violence among indigenous peoples in early 19th century southern Africa.

From 1815 to 1840, southeastern Africa experienced a devastating period of warfare between the Zulus, the Matabele, and other indigenous peoples. Though the causes of the unrest—which the Zulu called the Mfecane—are still debated by historians, we know that hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Some estimate the total number of deaths to be n...