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.

 

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Great African Baloonograph Safari Fizzles

1909 Charles Hughes spent his honeymoon in Kenya as the writer and secretary for the great African Balloonograph Expedition. His bride Anna didn’t join him. She spent their honeymoon with her mother in Europe. The couple’s strange start to married life is entwined...

Pioneering Postman Delivers The Mail

Author:  John Cherry Adapted from a 1955 East African Standard newspaper article written by John Cherry. The article also appeared in Awaaz magazine and was submitted to Old Africa by Alif Din’s son Ehsan H. Malik from Nairobi. 1912 “I need a volunteer to inspect the...

We Pushed the Governor out of the Mud

Author: Jill Simpson 1946 We rounded a curve on the wet road, chains spitting mud into the air, and found a big fancy car stuck in a mud hole. We were on school holiday at our Mianzini Farm near Turi. My parents had left the house earlier in the morning to help...