He was acquired as a slave by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1511 at the age of 14 years, probably in the early stages of the capture of Malacca.

"[4] Antonio Pigafetta, a participant who wrote the most comprehensive account of Magellan's voyage, called him "Henrique" (which was Hispanicised as Enrique in official Spanish documents) and also referred to him as a slave.

Antonio Pigafetta writes that the survivor João Serrão, who was pleading with the crew from the shore to save him from the Cebuano tribesmen, said that all those who went to the banquet were slain, except for Enrique.

[8] A discourse by Giovanni Battista Ramusio claims that Enrique warned the Chief of Subuth [sic] that the Spaniards were plotting to capture the king and that this led to the murder of Serrão and others at the banquet.

It is not known if he ever had a chance to complete a circumnavigation, but it would have been possible: Cebu was part of the regional trade network that dealt in spices, gold, and slaves.

[17] Moreover, Yahya continued to write the novel about Enrique Maluku with the title of "Clavis Mundi" in 2022, together with his colleagues (Utama Prastha and Donna Widjajanto, as well as research by Reinhard Tawas).

[18] In 2021, the historical novel Enrique the Black by Singapore author Danny Jalil was published by Penguin Random House SEA.