Zambezi, A Simple History: A Cavalcade of Strangers

by Mark Igoe

Zambezi Cavalcade is the story of the Zambezi River and the many visitors who have travelled its waters or settled by its banks, from the earliest riverside kingdoms and Muslim traders to the first tourists at the end of the 19th century. The author tells of some of the history of the river itself, and of its geology, legends, merchants, hunters, warriors and missionaries that travelled on it, and supplies more than 20 interesting links. Here you can discover the lost river ports of Ingombe Ilede and Zumbo, find the story of Diogo Simões Madeira and the African princes, hear of the bandit chief Bongo the Wildcat and meet the French aristocrat who rolled his cigarettes from an English Bible. Here is the cavalcade of characters that through history has passed along Africa’s fourth longest river.

45 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Mark Igoe was an occasional contributor to travel, political and historical publications before writing his first book, a guide to Zimbabwe, with his wife, Hazel in the early 1980s. This was the first guide to the newly independent country, and was followed by several other regional guides, a short history and the historical fiction Rivers of Good Portent. ("...a delicious tale, deliciously told", Jayne Southern, Goodreads),
In the 1990 he worked on a number of books for Cadogan Guides in London, which included co-authoring of the best selling Buying a Property in France. Since then he has added more books on France, Africa and Norfolk, England (“no better way to enjoy a virtual tour of God's Own County than in his affable and intelligent compan” - Simon Knott, Norfolk Church site) where they now live. He has 8 e-books available through Goodreads, most recently a short history of Zimbabwe at the request of and in conjunction with that country’s premier archaeologist guide, and an historical introduction to the Zambezi River.