This account of south-central Africa, written in 1648, provides rare detail about the life of the African people of the region and their relations with the Portuguese creole community. As well as the work of the Jesuit mission, Gomes describes African gold mining, politics and social relations (including costume, marriage, medicine, witchcraft, litigation and slavery). His narrative also provides details about the coastal Macua and Portuguese knowledge of Lake Malawi, and he reports conversations with Africans in order to explain aspects of African society that might surprise or shock his fellow Jesuits. The narrative also describes the Maldive Islands and gives information about Madagascar.

About the Author
Malyn Newitt taught at the universities of Rhodesia and Exeter where he became Deputy Vice Chancellor. From 1998 until he retired in 2005 he was the Charles Boxer Professor of History at King's College London. A specialist in Portuguese colonial history he is the author of 20 books on the subject including A History of Mozambique (1995) and the recently published A Short History of Mozambique (2017).

Reviews
As I read it, I could not stop imagining myself using Gomes's text to discuss with my students the strengths and weaknesses of the written document as a historical source, and what, even in the same document, might count as primary and secondary source. In this way, both the independent researcher and the guided student of pre-colonial African history will benefit from this book. * Festo Mkenda SJ, Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu *
It will be a useful reference for the scholars and academics who work on East Africa during the Early Modern History and the Relationships between the Europeans and African people. * Herve Pennec, Catholic Historical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197266793
Author Malyn Newitt
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 560g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 161mm * 20mm