Topic 3: East African Coast PDF

TOPIC 3: EAST AFRICAN COAST  In dealing with the history of East Africa, it has been traditional to treat the islands and the coastal zones separately from the interior for the following reasons: (1) It is only for the coast that there are written sources available for the reconstructi...

TOPIC 3: EAST AFRICAN COAST  In dealing with the history of East Africa, it has been traditional to treat the islands and the coastal zones separately from the interior for the following reasons: (1) It is only for the coast that there are written sources available for the reconstruction of pre-19th century. (2) Much of the archaeological research for East Africa was originally concentrated along the coast partly because of the ruins of the past civilisations which attracted archeologists. (3) The East African coast has tended to look more as an extension of the Arab-Persian civilisation and history rather than as part of the mainland history. Sources of Historical knowledge about the East African Coast. (a) Archaeology  Uncovered cultural remains prove that human beings have lived and organised themselves along the East African coast for many centuries before the 9th century A.D., which is given as the date for the founding of coastal settlement. Archaeological research has shown that characteristics of the coastal civilisation emerged made up of a settlement (midzi or miji) extending to as much of 50 hectares. The midzi people in time ‘integrated the whole region with the wider world.’ Ultimately, their civilisation declined leaving ruins and monuments which today reveal that the past occupants were in constant and mutual interaction with their neighbours further afield. (b) Written sources (i) Pliny, a Roman geographer who mentioned the Gulf of Aden in his Natural History written in A.D. 75 (ii) A Greek merchant from Alexandria who wrote a guide book for traders ‘the periplus of the Erythrean Sea’ of about AD 120-contains the first direct often rather vague references to people and places on the East African Coast. (iii)Claudius Ptolemy’s Geography contains references to Eastern African coast and dates from the fifth century.  These studies indicate that trading links between the East African coast with the Roman and Arab world started just before the Stone Age period was coming to an end.  New Stone Age (1500 years age to A.D. 1500) 1   The establishment of the Roman Empire around this time and the luxurious life of the Roman ruling aristocracy led to the growth in demand for ivory, rhinoceros horns, tortoise shells, slaves, leopard skins, ostrich feathers etc. Arabs, who had already established links with the Romans, procured these goods from the East African coast around the end of the Second Century B.C. The goods which coastal inhabitants got in exchange include swords, glassware, carpets, clothes etc.  These early writers refer to the East African coast as ‘Azania’ while to the Arabs it was known as the land of ‘Zenj.”  Arab travellers who visited the coast later on give much clearer and more detailed accounts including: (iv)Works of Al Masoad (10th C), Al Idris (12th C) and Ibn Batuta (14th C). These Arab merchants give first hand impressions of the coastal places they visited and people they met. (v) There are also written records of people living on the coast usually in the form of chronicles written in Arabic; they recount the names of the rulers, their exploits and achievements. These chronicles were oral traditions in written form. Examples include Lamu Chronicles. (vi)There is also the Christian topology of Cosmos Indio-Pleastustes written in the 6th C, supporting the Persian domination of the Indian Ocean trade. The Coast Before the Coming of Islam  Originally hunters and gatherers inhabited the Coast.  Were replaced by or merged with Cushitic speaking people from the north.  By the middle of the first millennium AD, Bantu speakers had established settlements along the coast  Shungwaya theory.  Assimilated the Cushites.  Along the Coast, the Bantu came into contact with traders from overseas and would have started the process of international trade, settlement and intermarriage that led to the formation of a distinct coastal people and culture.  Among those who came to East Africa by sea were Egyptians, Phoenicians, Indonesians, Greeks, Romans, Turks, Chinese, Persians, Arabs as well as people from Burma, Thailand and Malaysia. 2 *The Portuguese came in the 15th C followed by the Omani Arabs, Dutch, French and the British.  The culture of this pre-Islamic people on the Coast is not as fully documented as the later period. However, they had their own kings or chiefs and each state had its army. They cultivated bananas, millet and coconuts and possibly incipient urbanization of the market centres occurred. The Coming of Islam  By the 7th C AD, the coast and the islands were self-governing settlements that had established varying patterns of alliance and hostility with one another. Slowly towns developed centralized political organisation. Immigrant Arabs and Persians settled in the towns.  The populations of the towns thus became a mixture of indigenous people and immigrant races.  Individual ethnic or racial groups lived together in their own ward or quarter.  As different people were brought together, a language had to be evolved to make communication possible among all groups. Because the majority was Bantu, the language that evolved was a Bantu one- Swahili. Swahili was a language with Poetic forms linked to Arabic, a grammatical structure of Bantu origins, and literally inspirations and vocabulary derived from both.  A Swahili civilisation also grew up.  Interaction with Arabs and Persians facilitated the spread of Islam. Islam at the coast did not spread by force as it did in other areas. It was voluntarily embraced. Islam first came to the Islands before spreading to the mainland. Muslim Arabs and Persians settled in the towns, not undertaking any large scale proselytizing activity. Factors that facilitated the coming of the early visitors to the East African Coast (i) The accessibility of the East African Coast from the sea. (ii) Presence of natural harbours that made it easy for the visitors to dock at the coast (iii)Had knowledge of boat-making 3  (iv)Availability of trading goods (v) They were aggressive merchants (vi)Presence of the South Western monsoon winds between November and April and the North Eastern winds that took them back to their country between May and October. (vii) To escape religious persecution Islam had major effects at the Coast  The towns settled by Arabs and Persians were located on offshore islands like Lamu and Mombasa, separated from the mainland by tidal waters. The immediate mainland contained fields in which the islanders cultivated local staples such as rice, fruits and millet and kept cattle, sheep and poultry.  Commercial links with Arabia, the Persian Gulf and India grew even stronger. A growing demand for slaves and ivory and an increasing need for gold were to stimulate the life and widen the contacts in all the city states of the East African coast.  Groups of Arab and Persian origin set up new dynamics along the coast and settlements which had been hitherto predominantly Bantu in culture and role but now became centres of Muslim Arab and Persian influence.  Before the 9th C, the majority of the buildings were of mud and wattle with thatched roofing. The origin of state masonry and building has been attributed to the growth of Swahili civilisation.  Towns were governed by Sheikhs and Sultans following the principles laid down in the Koran. Customary clothing, food and architecture all followed Muslim ideas and beliefs. *This does not mean that African traditional systems were entirely removed, but the Swahili civilisation that emerged was a blend of African and Muslim cultures. Traders and Settlers  From about the 11th C AD, the pace of immigration and settlement at the coast seems to have increased. They were no longer travelling merchants, they were prepared to stay for a season or two before returning home. Cases exist of whole clans and families coming to establish new home for themselves and intermarrying with local populations. Moreover, a large number of traders and sailors travelled seasonally up and down the coast.  Persians from Siraf, Qais and Hormiz 4   Indians from Gujarat and the Malaya coast.  Arabs from Yemen and Oman etc.  The rulers of the coastal settlement took an active part in developing and encouraging trade through their towns. Among all the occupations of the inhabitants, that of the merchant was the most prominent and prosperous. Characteristics of East African coastal city states.  Towns were sited on islands or peninsular, giving them added natural al protection from the mainland.  Each town had its own ruler, a Sheikh or a Sultan, usually chosen from the leading local family, many of which claimed descent from Arab or Persian ruling families.  These rulers would govern with the advice of a small council, with specific tasks for certain officials:  The Kadhi was in charge of the courts and the Koranic system of law.  The Muhtasib was in charge of the police force.  The Amir/ Wazir supervised the administrative affairs of the state.  People spoke the Swahili language which, while Bantu in construction, was also strongly influenced by Arabic. While still relying on Arabic for writing, the system enabled the literate citizen to adopt it in writing the Swahili language. People began to record poetry, historical legends and religious writing and Swahili became a commercial language.  Their life was molded on the Koran and thus their society was primarily Islamic. Islam acted as a unifying force for the Arab population and kept their religious and commercial relationships with their motherlands intact.  Two types of political set ups existed along the Coast. There were chiefs who headed clans or lineages. These chiefs had councils of elders, bound by customs and limited to relatively small areas where a number of clans and their families settled. These rural chieftains were generally made subject to the rulers of the main city in the area. The political structure of the cities was decentralized. Each city-state was ruled by a Sheikh or Sultan from powerful Arab or Shiraz families.  The Arabs introduced new styles of dress and a system of writing. The Arab dress consisted of long robes and a small ‘skull-cap’ hat for men and kanga for women. The women dresses were primarily tailored to cover the whole body. 5   At the top was the ruling family, often of mixed African and Arab ancestry, but always zealous Muslim. These were followed by the principal landowners, merchants and religious leaders also of mixed blood, and finally the labourers, sailors and unskilled workers, many of whom were treated as slaves.  The towns consisted of tightly packed groups of buildings, some of stone, others of temporary materials usually flat roofed. Wealthier people had storeyed houses. Houses were usually built along a sunken courtyard, often with impressively covered and decorated entrances. Walls were built of stone and were thick and windows faced the courtyard. Water was always stored in cisterns within the houses.  The coastal towns were very prosperous with the rich living in considerable luxury eating off Chinese porcelain in glazed ware, dressing in silk and fine materials and decorating their walls with carpet.  The daily pattern of life was characterized by regular prayers offered at the mosques and observance of Muslim festivals. There was also coming of and going of ships and traders, occasional military operation on the mainland, the tending of fields and plantations, the weaving of cloth and the construction of new buildings. THE COMING OF PORTUGESE The Portuguese invaded the EAC in 1498 led by Vasco da Gama, as they searched for a sea route to India. The Turks (Ottoman Empire) controlled the overland route to India from Europe, and levied high taxes. The Portuguese also pioneered in the invention of the new ships. Prince Henry the navigator – son of King John of Portugal established a navigation school and supported exploration voyages. The Portuguese later conquered the EAC so as to control the profitable EAC coastal trade. 6  REASONS WHY THE PORTUGUESE CAME TO THE E.A.C 1. Wanted to trade with the city states so as to get items such as ivory, gold & slaves. 2. Wanted to establish a trading empire in the East and Far East – this would enable them to obtain trade goods from China, India & E. Africa. 3. Came to spread Christianity – wanted to convert both Muslims and Africans to Christianity. 4. Wanted to form an anti-Muslim alliance with the legendary Christian King Prester John who was believed to have lived in Abyssinia (Today’s Ethiopia). 5. They came to explore and satisfy their love for adventure due to the activities of Prince Henry the navigator – His school of navigation made the Portuguese to be leaders in sea travelling. 6. Due to the discovery of the sea route to India which paved the way for them. 7. Due to the presence of natural harbours – were deep and good for anchoring of ships. 8. Due to the strategic importance of E. Africa. The E.A.C. provided a central base for their trading and where their ships or sailors could get food and water. 9. Rivalry with other power- The Portuguese had for along time been challenged by the Arabs and Turks over the E. African trade. To stop them, the Portuguese had to control the EAC. THE PORTUGUESE CONQUEST OF THE E.A.C  The Portuguese conquest of the coast was a culmination of a series of expeditions led by Vasco da Gama and others.  The first Portuguese sailor to reach the EAC was Vasco da Gama in 1498.  He met hostility in Mombasa but sailed to Malindi where he was warmly welcomed by Seyyid Ali- the Sultan of Malindi.  He was accorded all the assistance he needed including a Gujerati pilot/ captain – Ahmend Bin Majid to guide him to India.  On his return back in 1499 he stopped at Malindi but did not go to Mombasa.  On returning to Portugal, he convinced the king to conquer the E.A.C. so as to control its profitable trade. 7  In 1500 the king sent Pedro – Alvares Cabral with a fleet of ships and soldiers to conquer Sofala but they failed.  In 1502, Vasco da Gama led another expedition. He conquered Kilwa and made the people pay tax.  In 1503 Francisco de Almeida with a large expedition of 20 ships and 1500 soldiers conquered Sofala and Mombasa.  Resisting city-states were ransacked and burnt.  He went on to establish the Portuguese headquarters at Goa, India.  In 1506, Tristao da Cuhna attacked and conquered Pate, Oja, Lamu and Socotra.  By 1515, the Portuguese had successfully conquered the E.A.C. REASONS FOR THE PORTUGUESE SUCCESS 1. Had better naval power – Had bigger and stronger ships called carracks compared to the dhows of the EAC people. 2. Had well trained soldiers with good military tactics. 3. Had superior weapons e.g. the Cannon (big gun) as compared to the crude weapons of the coastal people. 4. Due to the disunity of the coastal people the coastal city- states were rivals e.g. Mombasa & Malindi, thus they could not write to fight the Portuguese. 5. The Portuguese made alliances with some local rulers e.g. those of Malindi, Pemba and Zanzibar. These rulers sent people to fight alongside the Portuguese against fellow coastal people. 6. Due to lack of resistance from some city-states people in these city states put up no resistance against the Portuguese. They opted to surrender peacefully. 7. The Portuguese organized surprise attacks and fought with determination. 8. The Portuguese were able to get reinforcements from their headquarters in Goa, India. 9. The Turkish and the Persian navies in the Indian Ocean were too weak to offer any help to the coastal city-states. 8  THE PORTUGUESE RULE. Ruled the EAC for 200 years (1500-1696 AD). They made Mozambique their headquarters in 1507. They divide the EAC into 2 administrative units- Mozambique and Mombasa. These units were under a captain who was answerable to the Portuguese viceroy in Goa – India. Captains were to:  Collect tributes  Impose custom duties  Suppress resistance  Supervise the ruling families in the city-states. Through a policy of divide and rule, they managed to control the region e.g. they allied with Malindi against Mombasa. In 1593, the Portuguese built Fort Jesus in Mombasa for the following reasons: i. As a watchtower so as to spot the energy from far. ii. To serve as hiding place against the enemy attacks. iii. To serve as a military base. iv. To serve as a store for weapons. v. To serve as a prison for captured war prisoners. vi. To serve as storage for food. Portuguese monopoly was soon challenged by the Dutch, British and French. Portugal however managed to keep them away from the EAC. The Portuguese conquest of Hormus enabled them to control the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Eden and the Arabian Sea. 9  Characteristics of Portuguese rule  The Portuguese had poor relations with the EAC people because they were harsh and cruel. Also isolated themselves from the coastal people.  They also behaved as though their religion and race were superior.  They lived in their own settlements  Had their own churches  Were only interested in exploiting EA’s gold trade.  Were hated by the coastal people. FACTORS THAT LED TO THE DECLINE OF PORTUGUESE RULE 1. Portuguese administrators were inefficient and corrupt. 2. They lacked adequate personnel to control the region. 3. Had inadequate funds to maintain their administration. 4. Many coastal people revolted against the Portuguese rule because it was harsh and cruel. 5. The Persians and Turks assisted the coastal people in their revolt. 6. Arabs form Oman also attacked the Portuguese. 7. The Dutch, French and British came to compete with the Portuguese for trade in the Indian Ocean. This Weakened the Portuguese. 8. The Portuguese soldiers were afflicted with tropical diseases e.g. Malaria 9. The gold trade declined because of the frequent wars, thus African and Arab middlemen refused to co-operate with the Portuguese. 10. The gold trade also declined because the Portuguese were corrupt and selfish and were not paying the middlemen. 11. In 1696, the Omani Arabs laid siege in Fort Jesus and hence ended the Portuguese rule over the EAC. 10  RESULTS OF THE PORTUGUESE RULE Positive Results 1. They introduced new crops at the coast e.g. maize, as well as fruits such as avocado, pineapples and paw paws. 2. They introduced new words which enriched Kiswahili e.g. Meza (table) and Mvinyo (wine) 3. They brought new architecture to the EAC. 4. They left important landmarks along the coast e.g. Fort Jesus in Mombasa and Vasco da Gama Pillar in Malindi. 5. Closer links were established between the EAC and Goa in India- where the Portuguese had their headquarters. 6. They introduced Christianity to the EAC although they were unsuccessful. Negative Results / Effects 1. The coastal town’s people were exposed to heavy taxation by the Portuguese. 2. There was racial segregation as the Portuguese lived separately. 3. Their presence at the coast discouraged other trading powers from visiting the city states. 4. The coastal trade was disrupted due to frequent wars between the Portuguese and indigenous people. 5. The Portuguese intensified the slave trade which led to suffering and depopulation. 6. Many coastal towns declined because coastal people escaped to the interior to evade Portuguese taxation. 7. Many coastal towns that revolted were plundered and destroyed by the Portuguese e.g. Gedi. 8. The Portuguese corrupt, ruthless and cruel rule led to misery, suffering and destruction of the EAC people. 9. There was general insecurity due to the influx of weapons brought in by the Portuguese. 11  THE ESTABISHMENT OF OMANI RULE - It came after the defeat of the Portuguese in 1698. - They (Omani Arabs) left the local Arab families to rule the coast on their behalf due to internal difficulties at home. - The Mazrui family ruled Mombasa while the Nabahan family ruled Lamu. - The Mazrui family became independent rulers and forced other coastal towns like Malindi, Pate and Pemba to pay allegiance to them. - They also made friendship with the Mijikenda community. - Later they attacked Lamu whose governor appealed to Oman for assistance. SEYYID SAID In 1837, the Omani Arabs defeated the Mazrui rulers of Mombasa. This was after Seyyid Said’s son tricked the Mazrui family into Fort Jesus where they were arrested and deported to the Persian Gulf. In 1840, Seyyid Said, the Sultan of Oman moved his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, in order to control the Indian Ocean trade. Reasons why Seyyid Said picked Zanzibar as his Head-Quarters 1. The people of Zanzibar were friendly 2. Zanzibar was green and had a pleasant climate compared to Muscat 3. Zanzibar had good harbours. 4. Zanzibar had clean water 5. Zanzibar was centrally placed 6. Zanzibar had fertile soils to cultivate crops 7. Zanzibar was easily defensible as an Island was easy to see an enemy from far - Seyyid Said was now able to control the coastal towns from Zanzibar - He appointed governors to rule the coastal towns and collect tax on his behalf. 12 - Seyyid Said developed links with the interior of Kenya by having ties with the Mijikenda and Akamba. - Seyyid Said organized caravans into the interior to collect slaves and ivory thus the interior was opened to Swahili and Arab traders. Seyyid Said and the Development of Plantation Agriculture in East Africa - Sultan Seyyid Said introduced plantation farming in Zanzibar and Pemba due to their fertile soils. - He encouraged settlers from Oman to settle in Mombasa, Malindi, Lamu and Pemba. - In 1840s the plantations had attracted slave labour who were heavily overworked. - The Sultan encouraged the Swahili to establish the plantations along the coast. - The common crops grown were cloves, coconuts, rice, millet, maize etc. - Most of these crops were exported. - These plantations intensified slavery along the coast. - There was high demand for slave labour on plantation farms in Malindi and Mombasa and in clove plantations in Zanzibar and Pemba. - There was demand for slave labour in French sugar plantations on the Islands of Re- union and Mauritius. - There was demand for slave porters who participated in carrying products to and from the coast. - There was high demand for slaves to work as domestic servants and soldiers in Arabia. The above led to the intensification of slave raids. Communities fought each other and those captured were sold into slavery. - The slaves worked in plantation farms for long hours and under severely harsh conditions. - Later, a group of humanitarian Christian from Britain felt that slave trade was inhuman and had to be stamped out. 13 BRITAIN CHAMPIONED FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVE TRADE FOR SEVERAL REASONS 1. Britain was getting industrialized and needed the people back on the farm in Africa to produce cheap raw materials for her industries. 2. Britain also believed that the slaves could be a market for their processed goods 3. Machines were preferred as they required less human labour and were more efficient and reliable than slaves. 4. British public opinion was also influenced by many writings that exposed the evils of the trade e.g. Dr. David Livingstone journals. Such humanitarians condemned the trade and campaigned for equality of all human. 5. British economists such as Adam Smith also argued that free people were better and more willing workers than slaves. THE BRITISH SIGNED TREATIES WITH THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR SEYYID SAID IN AN EFFORT TO END SLAVE TRADE; 1. The 1882 Moresby Treaty – It forbade the sale of slaves to Arabia, West Indies and the French colonies of Re-union and Mauritius. - The British ships were to patrol the coastal waters to enforce this treaty. 2. The 1845 Hammerton Treaty- Forbade Slave trade between Zanzibar and Oman. 3. The 1873 Frere Treaty – Forbade any shipment of slaves from the EAC. NB: By 1907 Slavery was abolished in the EAC Effects of Slave trade on the Africans 1. Africans were subjected to untold suffering and misery during slave raids 2. There was loss of life during the raids 3. There was destruction of property during the raids 4. Led to displacement of people 5. Led to famine which resulted into starvation 6. Led to depopulation of the interior of E.A 14  7. Led to the decline of Agriculture as able-bodied were captured as slaves 8. Led to fear and suspicion as people lost confidence in their leaders 9. Led to increased inter-community warfare. 10. It undermined traditional industries as better and ready- made items were imported to the coast. 11. It led to the decline of pottery, basketry and iron smelting as people with such skills were taken as slaves. Questions 1. Discuss the sources used in the study of East African Coast and islands. 2. Discuss the development of the Swahili city-states. 3. Discuss the features of Swahili city-states. References Allen J. de V., Swahili Origins: Swahili Culture and the Shungwaya Phenomenon, 1993, Athens (USA): Ohio University Press. Chittick N., “The East Coast of Africa, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean,” in Cambridge History of Africa, Vol. 3, 1977, Oliver and J. D. Fage (eds.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sutton J. E. G., A Thousand Years of East Africa, 1990, Nairobi: British Institute in Eastern Africa 15