Welcome to Old Africa

your window into East Africa’s past.

Old Africa books

Old Africa books are well-told stories in the same tradition as the shorter pieces

our readers have come to enjoy from the pages of Old Africa magazine.

After two decades in print, Old Africa is now fully digital and free for all! That’s right: zero shillings, endless stories. Yes, we’ll miss the smell and feel of fresh paper too — and to our loyal subscribers who’ve stacked us proudly on bookshelves, we thank you for your loyalty. The stories stay rich, the history stays deep — only the format has changed.

But while the magazine won’t cost you a cent, creating it still does. If you enjoy digging into Africa’s rich past with us, toss a coin (or a few) our way. Help us keep history alive — minus the printing bill. Consider donating to Old Africa to keep the stories coming.

 

‘Biltong’ Ross

‘Biltong’ Ross

Charles Joseph Ross ‘Biltong’ Ross was a larger-than-life Kenyan character. Born in Australia on 4 July 1857, he joined the Australian Mounted Police, rounding up gangs of bushrangers. As a young man he travelled to America where he lived with native Americans and...

Margaret Griffiths, a Missionary Wife

Margaret Griffiths, a Missionary Wife The women who accompanied their husbands on their early missionary endeavours in East Africa were a stalwart bunch. One such was wife of John Bynner Griffiths, a Methodist missionary at Mazeras. Margaret E. Edwards was born in...

The Kenya Firm of Hughes Ltd.

The Kenya Firm of Hughes Ltd. The firm of Hughes is famous throughout Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. What were its origins? It was the brainchild of John Joseph Hughes, a twenty-year-old sent to Kenya in 1920 as a buyer for the London firm of fibre merchants Robinson,...