Harare Review of Books

201 pp. Published February 13, 2025 by University of Pennsylvania Press. Non-fiction.

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For a recent birthday, my personal people treated me to a holiday in Maputo, Mozambique; which, completely amazing. Three things we did there were: a walking tour of Maputo; crossing the bay to visit Inhaca; and visiting the old Fort where you can learn about the exile of the last king of Gaza. For a lover of the secrets of history (as I am), these are just some of the fantastic things you can do in the area.

So, when I came across a book about two eighteenth century princes from Maputo Bay, as it later came to be known, I was thrilled… and it lived up to all of my expectations. I love it when non-fiction entertains as it educates; O’Neill threads that needle perfectly in The Two Princes of Mpfumo.

Choosing a speculative angle to fill in the gaps—the reason is clear, the thoughts and feelings of Africans famously not being very well represented in European histories—O’Neill tells the story of Princes [John] and [James] (their baptismal names). Aged around 19 and 24 respectively, they set off with the East India Company’s Captain White on an ambassadorial trip (they thought) to London. What really transpired was a journey to London via present-day Madagascar, then Jamaica, and near-death in a hurricane off Cuba.

It’s an astonishing account—and that’s just from the facts extracted from archives, even without O’Neill’s speculation. This was just before or on the verge of European maritime competition—later intensified by the trade in enslaved persons—and well before European conquests of Africa’s interior. It shows a much more equal relationship, based on trade, between the Europeans and local kings, but also how the Portuguese had established links already that the English and Dutch coveted. Readers will also learn more, as I did, about the trade in enslaved Malagasy people.

I cannot recommend this fantastic and immersive read highly enough. I am a lover of history (I interview older people to keep family records, and I’ve been known to spend time digging in the National Archives…) and am particularly interested in (alt-)histories of Africa, so this is admittedly right up my street. But I’m quite sure everyone will enjoy this story of two young African princes who went on an eighteenth century adventure which, sadly and not unexpectedly, did not go to plan. It’s well worth your time, and like me, you’ll probably want to tell everyone around you this astonishing history.

Thank you to University of Pennsylvania Press and NetGalley for an early DRC.

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