Civil war has broken out in another African land rich in gold. This land was once a remarkable state dominated by a place called Great Zimbabwe. I am told that Great Zimbabwe has great buildings, including an enclosed area with stone walls 800 feet long and 25 feet tall. Within these walls rises a large conical stone tower. These structures are made of huge granite slabs fitted together without mortar. On a nearby hill stand other buildings where the kings of this state are said to have prayed to their gods. Great Zimbabwe now lies abandoned, though none know why.

Now an empire called the Mwanamutapa Empire has taken the place of the Zimbabwean state. People called the Rozwi are trying to overthrow the Mwanamutapa kings and thus gain control of the rich gold trade. The Portuguese are interested in this civil war. They say that they want only to bring civilization and Christianity to the people there. But I suspect that they are interested in more than that in a land where, it is said, even the cows of the king wear collars of heavy gold.