CONTENTS

List of Maps

Preface

Introduction

PART I

  1  Land of the Pharaohs

  2  Venture into the Interior

  3  A Clash of Empires

  4  Death on the Nile

  5  Roman Interlude

PART II

  6  Saints and Schisms

  7  The Arab Conquest

  8  Highways of the Desert

  9  Zanj

PART III

10  A Chain of Crosses

11  In the Land of Prester John

12  The Middle Passage

13  Southern Frontiers

PART IV

14  Mamluks and Ottomans

15  The Black Guard

16  The Sword of Truth

17  A Matter of Faith

PART V

18  The Gates of Africa

19  The Pasha

20  Pieds Noirs

21  Bibles, Ploughs and Bullets

PART VI

22  Masters and Servants

23  The People of the Heavens

24  Republics on the Highveld

25  The Missionaries’ Road

PART VII

26  The Tunes of Zanzibar

27  Unlocking the Congo

28  The Pearl of Africa

29  A Game of Thrones

PART VIII

30  The Khedive

31  Equatoria

32  Delegate of the People

33  The Expected One

PART IX

34  Diamond Fever

35  The Fellowship of Afrikaners

36  The Washing of Spears

37  A Chosen People

38  The Most Powerful Company in the World

PART X

39  This Magnificent Cake

40  Spheres of Interest

41  The Eagle and the Lion

42  Carving up the Niger

43  By Right of Conquest

PART XI

44  New Flower

45  Omdurman

46  A Desert Fraternity

PART XII

47  Bula Matari

48  The Rubber Regime

PART XIII

49  A Tale of Two Towns

50  The Road to Ophir

51  Marching to Pretoria

52  The Extermination Order

PART XIV

53  Interregnum

54  A Veiled Protectorate

55  Elect of God

56  The Goal of Mastery

57  The Turn of the Tide

PART XV

58  Before the Deluge

59  Revolution on the Nile

60  The Nationalist Urge

61  Gone with the Wind

62  ‘An Honourable Exit’

63  The Congo Bet

64  In the Name of Apartheid

PART XVI

65  The First Dance of Freedom

66  Coups and Dictators

67  Lost Decades

68  Liberation Wars

69  In Search of Democracy

70  Soldiers of God

71  Platinum Life

Chapter Notes

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Select Bibliography

Index