The Anglo-Zulu War: The History and Legacy of the British Empire's Conflict with the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa

“He is Shaka the unshakeable, 

Thunderer-while-sitting, son of Menzi 

He is the bird that preys on other birds, 

The battle-axe that excels over other battle-axes in sharpness, 

He is the long-strided pursuer, son of Ndaba, 

Who pursued the sun and the moon. 

He is the great hubbub like the rocks of Nkandla 

Where elephants take shelter 

When the heavens frown...” (A Zulu song) 

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history.