The Indian Ocean Trade began with small trading settlements around 800 A.D., and ended in the 1500's when Portugal invaded and tried to run the trade for its own profit. As trade intensified between Africa and Asia, powerful city-states flourished along the eastern coast of Africa,(Kimambo, I.N and Temu, A. J. (eds). (1969). These city-states traded with inland kingdoms like Great Zimbabwe to obtain gold, ivory, and iron. These materials were then sold to places like India, Southeast Asia, and China via the Indian Ocean Trade, and could be sold at a profit because they were scarce in Asian countries. At the same time, the East African city-states were buying items from Asia. Many residents of the city-states were willing to pay high prices for cotton, silk, and porcelain objects. These items were expensive because they were not available in Africa at the time
. The city-states were easy to reach from Asia by ship because of the favorable wind and ocean currents. And merchants enjoyed the fine restaurants, lodging, and entertainment offered by the port cities. A Portuguese captain Vasco da Gama came upon the bustling port cities of Sofala, Kilwa, Mombasa, and Malindi as he sailed up the eastern coast of Africa in 1498. His mission was to find a route to Asia by sailing from Portugal, around Africa, then on to India ( Sibanda, M., Moyana, H., and Gumbo, S.D.1997).
The contact between the people of
East Africa coast and those from the Far East and Middle East had very much
consequences in the rise of coastal city states as shown below.
The growth of Trade and towns or
cities[1] . Most
of Tanzania's
coastal towns were founded on ports from which slaves and
valuable goods were transported across the Indian Oceans. Many inland
towns on mainland Tanzania were important rest stops for trade caravans
and in the northern highlands small towns founded by Germans were canters
for colonial administration and agriculture. In modern day Tanzania, most
cities and towns still specialize in trade and agriculture and are the centers
for economical and political activity in the regions. There are many
historical and cultural sites of interest to visitors, especially in the
coastal cities and towns.
The
coastal cities were now at the apex of wealth and power. They established
trading sites at towns such as Zanzibar and Kilwa. In these towns, gold,
copper, and ivory were exchanged for cotton, silk, and beads. Ungama on the
Tana River linked the coast to and Tanzanian interior. Here, goods from both
the coast and the Indian Ocean were exchanged for millet, rice, and bananas for
local coastal consumption as goods that were to be transshipped overseas
including rock crystal, ivory, and rhinoceros horn. Each town now imposed tolls
on goods entering and leaving from both the Indian Ocean and the interior. In
fact, the towns also imposed custom duties on goods coming from other towns.
Introduction
of new crops in the Coastal city states. Farmers began to grow new food crops
such as rice, wheat, cloves, sugar cane and oranges were introduced in Swahili
Coastal from middle East and Far East . These grew so well that many people
adopted them as their staple foods bananas, introduced from India. Spicy
dishes made with Arabian cumin and Indian curry became popular. This maintained
the rise of states in Tanzania because the farmers were in position to keep them
families by accommodating the basic needs of their families like shelters and
food, hence permanent settlement and rise of the states. New crops such as. For
example rice is a staple food among many people along the Swahili Coast.
Introduction
of new styles of dressing[2]. the
people of Africa adopted new styles of dressing from the foreigners. For
example, they made clothes from Indians cotton cloth and Chinese silk instead
of the traditional materials such as bark, hides and skins. In addition, those
who converted to Islam also adopted the Islamic mode of dressing. This included
the long black robe for women, a long white robe for men, veils for women and
turbans for men.
The
introduction of Islamic religion in the coastal city states[3].
Many Swahili adopted Islam as their religion. Mosques were constructed,
and people prayed in Arabic. Men wore long Arab robes, and women covered
their hair in Muslim style. The Arabs and Persians who settled along the coast
of East Africa spread Islam all along the coastal states of East Africa . The
Arabs built mosque wherever they settled, they influenced the Africans who were very close to them,
especially the women they married and the traders they interacted within East
Africa. This situation was unified factors for the various communities.
Development
of the Swahili language and culture[4];
Developed as a result of intermarriage between the people of Swahili Coast with
Arabs and Persians who settled in the coastal towns. For instance, most of Seyyid
Said wives were Africans and most of his children spoke Kiswahili rather than
Arabic. This situation developed Swahili Coast in terms of language.
Introduction
of new architectural designs[5];
the coastal city states adopted new style of buildings. For example, the
Persians traders who settled along the coast introduced buildings using stone
in style similar to that found in Persia. Evidence of such buildings can be
seen in historical sites such as the ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Zanzibar.
Introduction
of strong weapons[6];
the Indian ocean trade leads to the emergence of strong weapons like guns which
helped them to protect themselves from their enemies and dangerous animals.
Therefore through those strong weapons the coastal city state emerged
The
trade also facilitated to the development of transport and communication;
during and after the end of Indian Ocean Trade, the area of coastal state was
almost connected with various infrastructures from and with the coast. The
harbor of Salam (Dar-es-salaam) was a result of the Indian Ocean Trade, many
traders from Asian and Europe both used this harbor. Traders from interior of
Tanzania also used to develop their roads which are now used in current life.
Therefore, the presence of almost infrastructures at the coast area is the
result of Indian Ocean Trade.
Introduction
of technology; People from the far East and middle East brought new technology
to Africans. For example , they introduced advanced navigation techniques as
the art of keeping records by writing. The dhows introduced by Arabs helped
Africans along the Indian Ocean shore line to travel further fishermen could
also sail into deeper seas and get larger catches.
Exposed
Swahili Coastal to the world[7];
The contact with the middle East and Far East exposed this coast to the rest of
the world. The visitors who came to Swahili coast also travelled to other parts
of the, taking with them reports and commodities from Swahili Coast. These
items sparked curiosity in other people and encouraged them to visit Swahili
coast. Also Swahili became involved in the world economy. Swahili coast
products such as animal skins, ostrich feathers, ivory and gold were very
popular and were sold all over the world.
Introduction
of money; Foreigners introduced the use of currency in trade. This was more
convenient and replaced barter trade as the method of exchange. Coins began to
be minted and used in the Swahili Coast.
Increase
of population; due to the growth of Indian Ocean Trade along the coastal area,
people tend to immigrate from different part of world especially from Asian and
European traders, example “around 9th C A.D, Africans, Arabs and
Persians who lived and traded on the coastal area tend to increase the total
population of the area[8]”.
Also people from interior of Tanganyika at that time tend to move from their
area and settled at coastal area as the result of the presence of trading
activities. Therefore due to the increases of population marked the development
of whole coastal cities that is experienced at this moment. So the current
development of the Tanzanian coastal areas as it caused by the increase of
population as it resulted from trading activities.
Therefore,
it is concluded that in the pre-colonial days many visitors came to Africa for
various reasons. These visitors included the Arabs, Persians, Syrians, Indians
and Chinese. Their reasons for visiting Africa were diverse. They included
trading, spreading Islam, escaping persecution, exploring and looking for new
areas in which to settle. These visitors introduced new commodities and
practices to the African communities that they interacted with. Their influence
had both positive and negative effects on the social and economical lives of
the local people. On the positive side, they brought new crops, new architectural
designs, Islam, technology and introduced the use of money. However, they also
exploited Africans and introduced the slave trade which led to great misery and
underdevelopment on the continent.
[1] Kimambo, I.N and Temu, A. J. (eds). (1969). A
history of Tanzania.pg45
[2] Davidson, B.(1988). The Growth of African
Civilization.pg30
[3] Illife, J. (1979). A Modern History of Tanganyika.pg19
[4] Clark, Leon.(1970). Through African Eyes.Pg44
[5] Sibanda, M., Moyana, H., and Gumbo, S.D.(1997). The
African Heritage.pg47
[6]Farah A.M Farah and B.A Karls, pp195
[7] Nyerere, J. K. (1967). Freedom and Unity.pg63
[8] Edward
A Alpers, pp35
REFFERECES
Clark,
Leon.(1970). Through African Eyes: Cultures in Change. Volume III: The
African Past and the Coming of the European. New York: Frederick A. Praeger,
Publishers.
Davidson,
B.(1988). The Growth of African Civilization: East and Central Africa
to the Late Nineteenth Century. Longman Publishing Company.
Sibanda,
M., Moyana, H., and Gumbo, S.D.(1997). The African Heritage: History
for Junior Secondary Schools. Book 1. Harare, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Educational Books (PVT)
LTD, (no date).
Illife,
J. (1979). A Modern History of Tanganyika.
Cambridge, Cambridge
University
Press.
Kimambo,
I.N and Temu, A. J. (eds). (1969). A
history of Tanzania. Nairobi:
East
Africa Publishing House.
Nyerere,
J. K. (1967). Freedom and Unity: a
selection from writings and speeches.
Dar
es Salaam: Oxford University Press.
Farah A.M and Karls B.A
(1997). World History: The
McGraw-Hill; New York
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