"Mapa estatistico e descritivo da villa Inhambane"
An extraordinary survival - a poster-sized broadside, 63.5 x 88.5 cm (25 x 35 inches), printed in Goa in 1850, featuring a remarkably detailed description of the major Portuguese slave-trading port of Inhambane in Mozambique. 1/
An extraordinary survival - a poster-sized broadside, 63.5 x 88.5 cm (25 x 35 inches), printed in Goa in 1850, featuring a remarkably detailed description of the major Portuguese slave-trading port of Inhambane in Mozambique. 1/
The broadside is a report by the naval officer Duarte Manuel da Fonseca to his superiors in India, printed by the Imprensa Nacional in Goa; it provides a uniquely authoritative insight into the nature of a major southern African trade centre during the twilight of slavery. 2/
Included are copious statistics on the town’s demographics (divided into Christians, Muslims and enslaved persons) and on the government establishment; a listing of European and Asian residents; and the names of 113 local tribal chiefs loyal to Portugal. 3/
There is also an extremely detailed account of the town’s economy and its physical appearance; the ethnography of the indigenous Bitonga people; and an impression of the legendary warrior-king Manukosi. 4/
Fonseca’s description of Inhambane was clearly viewed as being so valuable and interesting that it deserved to be publicized, such that it was ordered to be printed by the crown’s press, the Imprensa Nacional, in Nova-Goa, the capital of Portuguese India. 5/
Only one other copy of this broadsheet exists, held by the Arquivo Histórico de Moçambique (Maputo). This is the first time digital images have been placed online. Researchers in relevant fields are welcome to DM me, and I will send a link to ultra high res images on request. 6/
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