The Zulu of Isandlwana

On our first trip to South Africa, we spent a magical morning in Islandlwana with two historians, English and Zulu. They each described their version of what happened during the Battle of Islandlwana in 1879. They seated us looking up to the East where silhouetted by the sun, the Zulu, armed with assegai and shields and stamping their feet, were lined up on the ridge in front of us. The historians then directed our eyes to the valley below to the locations of 1,800 well armed British troops, and a few miles away, a concentration of 20,00 Zulu warriors.  Because of the diversion above the Zulu were able to make a surprise flank attack and defeat the British.

On a later trip to south Africa, I met my own Zulu warriors lined up on a ridge on an Ostrich Farm. I proceeded with caution!