I got my crew together and finally decided to face it: if I’m going to be colonizing Zanzibar, I best be off to meet the people that are already here. We slowly approached the village inhabited by natives. It looked as if someone was collecting firewood, and a woman was bathing her child. 

They looked frightened of us. All of the village activities stopped, as did I. Finally, I cleared my throat and began. 

“Ahem. Good day, fellow natives. My name is Francisco de Almeida. Do any of you happen to speak English?” I asked, in a voice as calm as I could manage. They gave me confused, scared looks. I’m assuming that they did not speak English. “Is this your village? It’s quite nice.” A child shifted on his feet uneasily. Most of them continued staring at me. I finally stopped speaking, for what was I to say? They didn’t even speak English, for heaven’s sake.  

Suddenly, a man on my crew spoke up. “This land is now Portugal’s! We are going to, eventually, begin colonizing it. Hopefully you all understand what that means.” I smiled a grateful smile at him. That was exactly what I wanted to say to the natives, but I didn’t know how to put it. But now, it was out, so I felt much better.  They didn’t know English, so I got an interpreter on my crew to define it for them in the native language they spoke. I’m not sure what it’s called, though.  

The village gasped. Obviously they understood what John and the rest of my crew had meant, due to the translation. I decided to add to what John had said, so that it didn’t seem so sudden. 

“However, we are willing to give you time to leave the island, or move your villages further away so it leaves more room for our colonization and the people who will eventually come here to live their lives. We don’t mean to sound so abrupt, but the sooner we get moving, the better. For all of us.” Perhaps it wasn’t good for the natives, but it was good for Portugal, so what did it matter? We were taught to claim any land we found, after all. I told the interpreter to let them know what I said. He said he would whenever we had a conversation. I thanked him for this, for now we had a way of understanding what everyone was saying. 

The natives discussed something quietly amongst themselves. Finally, a strong-looking man came out of one of the huts in the village. He was a native, but had more decorative animal skins and feathers on him, and he was painted in interesting designs. He looked angry, too.  

“The chief…” a man on my crew whispered in my ear. He sounded frightened, but what for? Who was this “chief,” anyway? I asked him to explain it to me.  

“A chief is like a king: the leader. We have kings and the natives have chiefs. The chief makes all of the decisions in the village and keeps it running, just like a king would in Lisbon or anywhere else. Everyone here honors the chief and is to greatly respect him. I guess he has something to say about the colonization of his land that already belongs to him and his village of natives.” 

We listened while the chief gave my crew and I quite the lecture.  

Francisco de Almeida

 The African natives of Zanzibar.

I am proud to say that, after much trouble and hardship, I’ve claimed new land for Portugal! Apparently, the island is called Zanzibar, and it’s located in Africa. The odd thing is, the people settling here aren’t white like me. They’re natives, African natives. I found this a little strange, for I thought that these people would be white, just like I am. 

I arrived at Zanzibar, and the people looked at me without speaking. They looked so confused, and I was at a loss for words. I wanted to talk to them, but I doubted that they knew English or Portuguese. I tied my boat to a tree on the island and set up camp there with the rest of my crew. I don’t know how the natives felt about that. Offended? Scared? Happy? Angry? Nevertheless, I spent the night there.  

Whether the natives like it or not, I will be colonizing Zanzibar. I don’t mean to be offensive or demanding towards the natives, but Portugal needs more possession of land. Also, it doesn’t appear that any other nation has colonized Zanzibar (besides the natives), so it’s the perfect opportunity. I’m sure that if the natives are kind people, and give me a lot of land for my colony, this colony will benefit Portugal. I strongly believe it will.  

I think Zanzibar will be a good place to colonize because, not only is it free to, but it’s beautiful. It’s a sandy island with trees that grow so tall, shading large areas of the beach. The village has many activities going on, but I don’t exactly know what’s happening; I don’t know how the natives live yet. Maybe I’ll get the courage to ask them tomorrow. 

But for now, I’m off to get some sleep. 

Francisco de Almeida

 

^ Zanzibar Island! ^

By reading the title of this post, you can confirm that today went better than planned! However, some parts of it could’ve gone better. The good news is, I took control of the spice trade from the Arabs. I also built some forts in Kilwa and Sofala. The Egyptians, however, saw their commerce as being threatened, so they built a fleet with the help of Venice. So, as a result, I had a battle with the Egyptians. It was quite intense; there were warships and killing every which way I looked.  

All of these wars and fighting is really starting to get out of control. Although I’ve fought in wars before, and lost great men and land doing so, I still despise it greatly. Killing never really appealed to me much. Why lose so many lives just for something that someone else will end up fighting you for, anyway?  

I guess some people just don’t see war like I do. Maybe they’re too greedy to care, or selfish. 

Well, I’m off to bed. I’m exploring more of Africa tomorrow.  

Francisco de Almeida

 The war against the Egyptians.

Recently, I have sailed around the Cape of Good Hope with 21 ships, just as I had planned. However, an event I hadn’t planned on was destroying Mombasa. Before that, I took up residence in Cochin. I had entered the fierce wars with Indian and South Asian kingdoms in order to build up a spice trade for Portugal; and eventually executed a treaty with Malacca. I’m glad about all of the success I’ve completed for Portugal, yet I really do despise war. Somehow, I feel that killing people kills a part of me. The spice trade, however, is doing well for Portugal. Portugal now has spices that they have never had before. I’m sure that Portuguese all around the world are thanking me for my success. I sometimes wish I was still home in Lisbon, but now is not the time to be home. I’m currently on the east coast of Africa, and soon to be exploring further. Going home now would just make the journey around Africa even longer and more tiring, and that is something I do not require! 

A big day is coming up tomorrow. I best be off to get some rest before the exploration of Africa. Wonder what I’m going to discover? What’s going to happen?

Francisco de Almeida

 A picture of the war.

Good day. Allow me introduce myself. My name is Francisco de Almeida. I have many roles to perform in life; I am a nobleman, soldier, and an explorer. I was born in Lisbon, Portugal, therefore I am Portuguese. I am currently living in Lisbon, but very soon I will be setting off on many journeys, just as any true explorer would. I am pleased King Manuel I made me the first viceroy of India.  

Life in Lisbon is good, but busy. I just returned from the Moorish wars; I was greatly recognized and made famous due to these wars. I don’t have much idle time, but when I do I take advantage of it. I go exploring as often as I can, and battling wars, so I rarely visit Lisbon. There hasn’t been much action as of late, so I expect to be called to duty soon.  

Life in Lisbon can be quite pleasant or horrible; it all depends on how you look at it. You either love life, or have a rough time with it. I like it, yet sometimes it gets difficult exploring and fighting in wars so often. We have kings in Lisbon for our leaders. Life is more pleasant because of feasts and parties whenever someone gets married, when a child is born, when there’s a new king declared, or anything else that is considered “good” for our society. The roads are made of stone and the buildings stand tall. There are local shops for people to purchase the goods they need, and there are a number of factories where people can gain employment. Some people are homeless, do not have enough to eat, sanitary conditions are so bad they sometimes cause diseases. Other groups of people, like wealthy women, dress in elegant dresses, and men wear outfits appropriate for work and socializing. This is basically how life in Lisbon works. 

Soon, I will be departing Lisbon. I’m going to the Cape of Good Hope. I’m not sure what my mission is yet; I will probably be involved in war sometime during my journey, and discover new land for Portugal. I’m getting excited for the new land I know I will discover, yet I will miss Lisbon when I leave again, as I always do when I go. I wonder what awaits me in the Cape of Good Hope. 

Francisco de Almeida

 This is me, Francisco de Almeida!

Hello my name is Tisha; I am a native woman living in a village on Zanzibar Island in Africa. I enjoy living on Zanzibar Island, it is very beautiful with lots of water and trees. There is a large fishing and dugout canoe production on the island. There is also a large harbour about 10 minutes from my home. I love to go down and watch the ships sail in and out.  It is hard to watch the  dhows leave because you know they are filled with slaves going off to India.

Most of the food that people on the island eat is food they grow themselves such as beans, squash, corn, potatoes, and carrots. We also eat berries and nuts that grow in the wild. If you happen to live near a river you would eat fish such as sammon and trout. Some people on the island eat wild meat such as deer, rabbit, or pigeon.

I have to go pick some fruit for breakfast. Right again soon.

-Tisha