ANGLO-ZULU WAR EXHIBITION TO BE HELD AT ROYAL

A new philatelic exhibition is set to open at the Spear Museum of Philatelic History at the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) shedding light on the 1879 Anglo-zulu War.

‘When British and Colonial forces invaded the Zulu Kingdom on 11 January 1879, they ignited one of the most famous conflicts of the Victorian era,’ the exhibition preview explains. The public exhibition, entitled ‘Clash of Empires: The 1879 Anglo-zulu War’, will display more than 500 postal, historical, and cultural objects exploring the context, history, and ongoing legacy of this period. ‘The exhibition’s narrative will begin in the early years of the 19th century with the emergence of King Shaka kasenzangakhona and the rise of the Zulu Kingdom and go all the way through to 2019, 140 years after the start of the 1879 Anglo-zulu War. The depth and scope of this context philately exhibition is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see the intertwined stories of this important history told through hundreds of artefacts.’

The exhibition preview explains the background of the war, immortalized for many modern Western audiences through the films Zulu (1964) and Zulu Dawn (1979): ‘On 11 January 1879, British and Colonial troops invaded the Zulu Kingdom, the most powerful African kingdom remaining independent in Southern Africa. The invasion was planned and executed by a British official on the spot, without the sanction of the Government in London. The events that followed have become one of the most famous and studied conflicts of the Victorian Era – the 1879 Anglozulu War. Within two weeks, the Zulu army successfully defeated a British and Colonial field force at the Battle of isandlwana, destroying half a column and forcing the rest to retire, besieged another at Eshowe and halted the advance of a third in the north of their country. The Zulu victory at isandlwana would prove the greatest single defeat to be inflicted on the British Army during the Victorian era.’

The exhibition will open to the public on 1 July 2023 and remain open, Monday-saturday, until 31 July 2023. The exhibition will be free, however pre-registration is required. Find out more at: clashofempires.org