The Cape to Cairo Railway Dream | The Heritage Portal
Nov 21, 2015· The catchphrase "Cape to Cairo" was first coined in 1874, by Edwin Arnold (editor of the Daily Telegraph) and was taken up by Cecil John Rhodes as a call for the "Civilisation" of Darkest Africa. To Rhodes civilisation meant the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the vast interior of the African continent. He was a controversial figure in his day and remains so today.