Sunday, February 14, 2010 Norwegian Emigration to SA Immigrants
from countries other than Britain also chose South Africa as
their destination. In 1879, the year of the Anglo-Zulu War, a
group of 47 Norwegians left Bergen to establish a colony on an
atoll in the Indian Ocean, Aldabra. The Debora Expedition, as
the venture is known, didn’t work out as planned; some of its
members remained in Madagascar and others decided to settle in
the British Colony of Natal. They were the first Norwegian
immigrants to settle at Port Natal (later called Durban). You
can read everything there is to know about the fascinating
Debora Expedition at http://salbu.co.za/debora/ Also visit
companion pages at http://salbu.co.za/ Until about 1880, America
had been the favoured destination of Norwegian emigrants, but
reports sent back by Norwegian missionaries in South Africa
encouraged interest, particularly in the Colony of Natal. The
farming community around Aalesund, Norway, made contact with the
Natal Immigration Agent, Walter Pe