| East Africa Contributor(s): Newitt, Malyn (Editor) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0754601811 ISBN-13: 9780754601814 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $161.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2002 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History |
| Dewey: 967.601 |
| LCCN: 2001053589 |
| Series: Portuguese Encounters with the World in the Age of the Disco |
| Physical Information: 0.56" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.09 lbs) 224 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - African |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Portuguese appear to have been the first European visitors to encounter East Africa, with the arrival of a lone traveller, Pero da Covilham, in c.1491. Covilham left no account of his experiences, so Vasco da Gama had little idea of what to expect when he led his first voyage to the region in 1497. The account of this expedition paints a vivid portrait of the first contacts between Portugal and the coastal peoples of East Africa. This account, together with a wealth of carefully selected documents comprise this volume of writings which detail Portugal's relationship with East Africa from the late fifteenth century through to the seventeenth century. As these documents demonstrate, the best Portuguese writers had a deep interest in the African peoples and carefully observed the way their societies worked. The Portuguese in East Africa lived alongside their African subjects and the independent chiefs and to a large extent adopted their life style, technology, business practices, and even their beliefs and customs. This collection of contemporary writings from the period brings to life this extraordinary relationship. |