Clash of Empires: The 1879 Anglo-Zulu WarClash of Empires: The 1879 Anglo-Zulu War

Clash of Empires opened at the Spear Museum of Philatelic History on July 1, 2023, and ran through July 31, Monday to Saturday, with free admission. It was billed as the largest artifact-driven museum exhibition ever devoted to the subject.

The story began with King Shaka and the rise of the Zulu Kingdom. It moved through the British invasion of January 1879, the Zulu victory at iSandlwana, the defense of Rorke's Drift and the death of the Prince Imperial. It continued into the films Zulu and Zulu Dawn and closed with the war's 140th anniversary in 2019.

Alex began developing the exhibition in 2015, as the Royal Philatelic Society London's first public museum exhibition, and co-curated it with the historian Ian Knight. Covers and letters were shown beside historical and cultural objects, so that each piece of mail could be read in its full context. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi recorded a message of welcome for visitors.

A four-day symposium, July 12–15, brought together more than 30 speakers from four continents. Alex gave the opening welcome, introduced the gallery and led a behind-the-scenes session with Ian Knight. The exhibition's 372-page deluxe hardcover, limited to 500 copies, and its two softcover volumes include his essay "My Journey to the Clash of Empires."

More than 2,000 visitors came from 29 countries, many of them encountering philately for the first time. The films and talks drawn from the exhibition have since passed one million views on YouTube.