From Diaspora to Diorama

This product is the latest and most up-to-date version of Robert Shell's "From Diaspora to Diorama: The old slave lodge in Cape Town"

Rob writes: "One purpose of this e-book is to encourage a change in the way history is researched, read and written. For too long history has been written by trained historians employed by universities and funded by large granting institutions. Such history is often of such a demanding and esoteric nature that the subjects of the history do not recognise themselves. Consequently, such books are neither read nor sold in the subject communities. Such books are also expensive. The people are therefore cheated of their own past and, ultimately, of their identity. In this production, I want to bring to the reader both the primary and secondary material of one topic, the old slave lodge in Cape Town.

From Diaspora to Diorama contains over 9,000 pages of interpretations, newly unearthed eyewitness accounts, newly commissioned aquarelles by John English and many new sketches and photographs by internationally famous model builder, Peter Laponder"

Of particular interest to the genealogist or historian are the appendices of 6,000 entries: slaves, political exiles, slave voyages to the Lodge; slave cargo lists, lodge slave baptisms, lodge censuses, slave lodge deaths and lodge manumissions. It is curious that the Lodge slaves are often better documented than the settlers.

A number of well-known researchers contributed to this publication, resulting in a well-rounded and well-researched product. In short, this publication is the most extensive single work on any one building and one community in South Africa.

A 56-page brochure for this item can be downloaded from http://www.cdbooks-r-us.com/supportdocs/diasporabooklet.pdf

Format:  Downloadable PDF of ± 251mb (which includes Adobe Reader 11 and Adobe FlashPlayer 11)