The 'lost' story of Enrique de Malacca, an enslaved Malay sailor, interpreter

The exhibition 'Skola Gambar Enrique de Malacca' by artist Ahmad Fuad Osman reflects on the first circumnavigation around the world by the Magellan-Elcano expedition in 1519. The expedition has, over time, gained allegorical significance, marking the start of the age of globalisation. Photo: Ilham Gallery

Five hundred years ago, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan embarked on a historic journey to circumnavigate the globe.

Five ships with 270 crew members set sail on this perilous three-year expedition from Spain, among them an enslaved Malay sailor and interpreter named Enrique de Malacca, whom Magellan had acquired during the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511.