He was only 12 years old when his life ended beneath the waters of the Congo.
His name was Ndugu Mhali.
But the explorer who took him from Zanzibar gave him another name: Kalulu.
Kalulu had been sold to Sir Henry Morton Stanley by an Arab merchant in Zanzibar. Still a child, he was taken into Stanley’s service and eventually traveled with him through Europe and the United States.
Between 1872 and 1873, Kalulu became part of Stanley’s public world. He posed for a wax figure that was later displayed at Madame Tussauds in London.
For a brief period, he was also sent to school in Wandsworth, London.
His headmaster reportedly described him as intelligent and noted that he was making progress in English.
But his education would not last.
After Stanley returned to Africa to continue the exploration work associated with David Livingstone, Kalulu was taken out of school and brought back with him.
In 1877, Stanley embarked on his major expedition through the Congo region. Kalulu traveled with him as a servant and porter.
Then came the tragedy.
During the expedition, Kalulu’s canoe was swept into the powerful waters of the Congo and plunged over a massive waterfall.
The boy did not survive.
The falls were later associated with his name, becoming known as Kalulu Falls.
Today, the photographs of Kalulu can look strangely distant from the reality of his life.
But behind the photographs was a child who had been taken from his homeland, given a name chosen by someone else, displayed before European audiences, briefly educated, and eventually carried back into an expedition that ended his life.
His image survived.
His story deserves to be remembered.
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