A Modern Slavery

A vivid, first‑person record of a 1904‑05 expedition into Portuguese Angola and the nearby islands, this work follows the author as he moves from the endless yellow beaches and dense purple forests of the “Coast” to the cramped colonial outposts that still bear the scars of forts built for ivory and slave trade. Through detailed observations and his own photographs, he captures the stark contrast between the sparse white presence—soldiers, officials, missionaries—and the vast, resilient African population that surrounds them. The narrative exposes the daily hardships, disease, and the grim reality of a modern slavery system that persists behind the veneer of civilized settlements.

The author’s tone is both compassionate and unflinching, describing the lives of native laborers, the cruelty of the slave‑ship routes to São Tomé, and the uneasy hospitality offered by missionaries and expatriates. While the journey is framed by the author’s own frailty and occasional illness, it remains a careful, on‑the‑ground study that brings the geography, culture, and moral complexities of early‑20th‑century West Africa to life for listeners.