Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia: being a narrative of events in Matabeleland both before and during the recent native insurrection up to the date of the disbandment of the Bulawayo field force

by Frederick Courteney Selous

Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia - being a narrative of events in Matabeleland both before and during the recent native insurrection up to the date of the disbandment of the Bulawayo field force is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1896. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

Genres: History, Africa, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 1896

About the author

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederi... from above article: Frederick Courteney Selous, DSO (/səˈluː/; 31 December 1851 – 4 January 1917) was a British explorer, officer, professional hunter, and conservationist, famous for his exploits in Southeast Africa. His real-life adventures inspired Sir Henry Rider Haggard to create the fictional Allan Quatermain character.[1][2] Selous was a friend of Theodore Roosevelt, Cecil Rhodes and Frederick Russell Burnham. He was pre-eminent within a group of big game hunters that included Abel Chapman and Arthur Henry Neumann. He was the older brother of the ornithologist and writer Edmund Selous.

Reviews

[Tigere Mubayiwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

*A Review of Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia by Frederick Courtney Selous*

*Reclaiming Our Story from Beneath the Dust of Colonial Arrogance*

Frederick Courtney Selous’s Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia is often hailed in colonial circles as a gripping account of the so-called "Matabele Rebellion" and "Mashona Uprising" of 1896–97 (Chimurenga I). Yet, when examined critically, the book stands as a disturbing and unapologetic narration of cultural arrogance, spiritual desecration, and the systematic destruction of Zimbabwe’s indigenous knowledge systems. Rather than merely documenting events, Selous’s narrative justifies the brutal machinery of empire, romanticizing the conquest while erasing the deeper meanings of the African resistance he encountered.

*1. Destruction of Spiritual Heritage*

At the heart of Selous’s account is the deliberate targeting and violation of sacred spaces, particularly the Matopos Hills—Matonjeni, the dwelling of Mwari Nyadenga, the supreme deity in Shona and Kalanga cosmology. This was not accidental. The British, well aware of the centrality of spiritual leadership in African resistance, assassinated key mhondoro (spirit mediums) and destroyed shrines, often blasting caves with dynamite to flush out spiritual leaders and those seeking refuge.

These caves were more than physical shelters—they were the wombs of our identity, where the sacred word of Mwari was heard through masvikiro (mediums), where cultural memory was stored, and where moral codes were interpreted. By desecrating these sites, the colonial project attempted to cut the umbilical cord that connected people to their ancestors, their values, and their source of unity.

*2. Division of Unified Indigenous Groups*

The colonial narrative, as perpetuated by Selous, ignores the deep inter-group cohesion that existed between the Mashona, Matabele, Kalanga, Venda, and other communities. Contrary to the divide-and-rule myth, these communities were united by spiritual belief in Mwari, reinforced by intermarriages and cross-tribal kinship networks that prevented sustained warfare and enabled coordinated cultural life.

In Chimurenga I, we witness this organic coordination—not by accident, but through shared spiritual conviction and clandestine communication between religious leaders and warriors across territories. This unity challenged the imperial view of Africans as disorganized and tribal. It is precisely this spiritual-political cohesion that made the first Chimurenga so potent, and why the colonial regime responded with overwhelming violence, labeling sacred resistance as " *rebellion* " while engaging in cultural genocide.

*3. The Brutality of Conquest and Misrepresentation*

Selous writes with a disturbing calmness about using dynamite to blast caves where men, women, and children sought refuge. He describes the execution of spirit mediums and leaders without acknowledging the spiritual vacuum such acts created. By erasing indigenous agency and representing the British as bringers of "order," Selous reduces the African struggle for sovereignty to mere “outbreaks” of savagery.

He deliberately fails to capture the spiritual anguish inflicted by these acts—the silencing of oracles, the disruption of ritual practices, the shame imposed on elders stripped of authority, and the disconnection of future generations from ancestral wisdom.

*4. Legacy and the Work Before Us*

The aftermath of such brutality is still with us. Our Mhondoro, Masvikiro, and elders carry the trauma of desecrated altars and broken lineages. The challenge today is *monumental* : to re-educate ourselves and re-anchor our children in our heritage, to restore the value of spiritual custodianship, and to repair the torn threads of memory.

We must reject the colonial lie that Africa was a spiritual void filled by missionaries and guns. Our own cosmology, ethics, governance, and justice systems—rooted in Mwari worship, ancestral reverence, and community cohesion—were well developed, and they held society together through balance, not domination.

*5. Conclusion: Reclaiming Memory, Rekindling Fire*

Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia is not a neutral historical text. It is an ideological weapon of empire. But when read critically, it becomes a mirror—revealing the violence that founded Rhodesia, and the spiritual costs borne by indigenous peoples. *The true sunshine lies in the resilience of our ancestors* , who despite superior weaponry and betrayal, fought for their land, beliefs, and dignity.

Let this book remind us not of defeat, but of the duty to restore what was lost. The hills may have been blasted, but the voice of Mwari still echoes, calling us to rebuild, revere, and reclaim. For the sake of our children and generations unborn, we must teach them to listen again.

[Laura]

Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia Being a Narrative of Events in Matabeleland Both Before and During the Recent Native Insurrection Up to the Date of the Disbandment of the Bulawayo Field Force.

The author was known as a big game hunter and naturalist. He had established a homestead in Rhodesia, and then fought against what historians refer to as the Ndebele uprising in Matabeleland (now in Zimbabwe) during March 1896. The events covered in this book end in 1896, but the war concluded the following year.

Coming soon at Project Gutenberg.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning; dreadfully non pc but rather fascinating. Never knew anything about this uprising in 1896. Reads like a tale from the wild west in the US. Slightly samey after the first three scouting patrols though.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of it's time; today it is politically incorrect. It is the "boys' own" genre - a cracking story. In the greater history of Africa the verdict remains open.
At a time when the "white man" thought himself superior to the black-man, and the British Empire ruled above all, this story gets it's genesis. It is quite uncomfortable at times hearing some of these sentiments expressed in the book, but the ideas are of a bygone age.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this e-book on Barnes & Noble instead:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suns...
(The Amazon link went to a blank page with a picture of a dog.)