Is true that when the flutes were made in Zanzibar the African on the main land danced
There is agreement among historians that from 10th century, Zanzibar has been playing the role of a gate way for central Africa, south of Sahara desert, this had led to the creation of the proverb (When the flutes were made in Zanzibar, the Africans on the mainland danced), people from all corner of the world from East, West north and south were impressed by the climatic condition, geographical location and economic prosperity of the island.
Seyyid Said is the ruler who took a great interest in East Africa and in 1841 permanently moved his capital from Muscat, in Oman, to Zanzibar. He brought with him many Arabs, who settled in the mainland towns as well as on Zanzibar. About the same time, new caravan routes into the far interior were opened up the three main lines went from Kilwa and Lindi to the Lake Nyasa region, and from Bagamoyo and Mbwamaji (near present-day Dar-es-Salaam) to Tabora, where one branch continued west to Ujiji (and on into modern Congo) and another went north to the Victoria Nyanza region, and from Pangani and Tanga northwest into modern Kenya via Mt. Kilimanjaro. The caravans following the southern route obtained mainly slaves and ivory, along the more northerly routes ivory was the chief commodity purchased. As a result, the Swahili language (a blend of Bantu grammar and a considerable Arabic vocabulary) and culture gained new adherents. From the 1860s to the early 1880s Mirambo, Nyamwezi, headed a large state that controlled much of the caravan trade of central and North Tanzania, about the same time also Tippu Tip organized large caravans that passed through Tanzania to present-day Zambia and Congo, where ivory and slaves were obtained and all of them had a very close link to the slave trade which was controlled closely by sultan said of Zanzibar, In 1800 Kilwa was the biggest slaving port between Zanzibar and Mozambique. Therefore the activities which were done in Zanzibar not only benefited the people in Zanzibar but the people of the mainland and East Africa in general.
Is true that when the flutes were made in Zanzibar the African on the main land danced this saying mean how Zanzibar with the invaders has championed and brought changes in Tanzania main land, in addition what were done in Zanzibar had much significance in main land in particular,
During the early years after the Revolution in January 1964, Zanzibar experienced political, economic and social stagnation. However, during the recent decades, it has made many steps in the right direction to modernize the country and develop an egalitarian society, with a multi-party parliamentary system. The hard-handed early revolutionary rulers grossly mismanaged the country and created even greater inequalities, limitless oppression, systematic suppression of all human rights, harassment and confiscation of private properties handed over to political and bureaucratic leaders, with corruption and nepotism.
The establishment of Sultan Seyyid Said settlement from Muscat Oman to Zanzibar in the years of 1806 to 1856 enabled other people from main land and other parts of east Africa to shift to Zanzibar. These people were either as free men and women or as slaves who seek for labour in clove plantation ever since one remarkable aspect initiated by Seyyid Said in Zanzibar was the establishment of clove plantations. Most of the influx came from close by the mainland but also there were slaves from Congo because the influence of the Sultans went right up to the lakes.
The opening of slave market in Zanzibar at "Mnazi mmoja" made the Island to be the main center of slave trade in East Africa. In this case slave traders from Zanzibar could be found as far as west as Lake Tanganyika and eastern Congo, trades from Zanzibar reached Uganda via Lake Victoria. Therefore Zanzibar was the main base for European exploration of the interior or of Africa such people like Richard Burton, John Speke and David Living Stone who made use of the routes used by Arab Traders into the interior. This contributed to the slave trade to the main land Africa such as Malawi, Zaire. Example 1860's seventy thousands of slaves were being sold annually at slave market in Zanzibar, these slave came from a wide variety of places, the majority from southern hinterland between kilwa and lake Malawi, all these was done through missionaries and trader during pre colonial period.
Zanzibar led to towns and states development in most mainland and coastal areas, where there is town in the mainland developed simply because of the trading activities that conducted in Zanzibar in connection with mainland people, this situation made the mainlanders to dance because the trade opened in Zanzibar created environment for mainlanders to sell their product and slaves in Arab trader, Example Malawi, Kilwa, Bagamoyo and along the coastal area, these is because many chief from main land performed the so called middle men for trading after Arabs to settle in Zanzibar.
Also, insecurity and small resistance at mainland were slaves obtained, these was done by those middle men and Africans chiefs who organized the slaves from interior, some society like Hehe, Sangu were organized to resist the so called slave trade but on other hand some tribe like Yao, Nyamwezi benefited from transported good from interior of main land to coastal for trading activity. The impact of slave trade on mainland was devastating particularly in those areas which become the raiding ground for slaves. In this areas slave trading rather than increasing or maintaining the normal level of production.
Abolition of slave trade, before the coming of British and German in mainland in Tanganyika and Kenya, Sultan of Zanzibar was already established slave trade in Zanzibar, clove plantations had also free migrant labour from the mainland during the twentieth century some of them setting down on the plantations as squatters. After the arrival of British in Mainland in 1880s were not ready to see the tradition pattern of slave trade continue in those nearby areas especially in Zanzibar. Example British used the chance to end slave trade under the long council of Sir John Kirk (1870-1886) where Barghash ended slave trade after two decades later. Zanzibar become the usual starting point for journey into the interior, here the European missionaries and explorers paid their respect to sultan Seyyid who own most of the land they would pass through. Many explorers followed the established slave routes into the interior, often employing slave traders to act as guides.
Division of mainland among British and German, in the treaties of 1885 to 1886 British and German agreed to divide the sultan’s mainland into two zones the Southern and northern zone from the Lake Victoria. German with their company known as German East African Company (GEACO) claimed the areas of South of the line, also British under Imperial British East African company (IBEACO) claimed the northern zone. Both British and German left Zanzibar with narrow coastal strip, also on other hand Portuguese extended her border in Mozambique as the influence of Sultan domination in Zanzibar.
Many educated Zanzibar’s dismissed from the civil service were given responsible positions on the Mainland. Zanzibar primary school headmasters became principals at secondary schools in Tanganyika, and Zanzibar secondary school teachers became college teachers and university lecturers, some of them ultimately becoming professors at institutions in the West. For example Maalim Ali Ahmed Jahadhmi and Maalim Sultan Mugheiri in the US, and Maalim Salim Kifua in Japan. Some of them like Maalim Shaaban Saleh Farsy and Maalim Said Iliyas were commissioned to translate the Military Code and the laws of Tanzania into Kiswahili; and Maalim Jaafar Tejani, and Cutch Indian by origin, was selected to organize the Institute of Kiswahili Research at the University of Dar es salaam and lead the Kiswahili Dictionary Program sponsored by the President’s Office.
Zanzibar has become a cultural influence on the whole area of east Africa and its dialect is the base for standard Swahili. Zanzibar identified as an Afro-Islamic language is one of the first seven most principle languages of the world. It had spread far and wide from Zanzibar to Congo, former Zaire. In southern Arabia, western India and Madagascar there are people who speak Swahili. Many if the creoles in Mauritius and Reunion are of Zanzibar origin. It was 1960s that Tanganyika, Kenya and Uganda adopted Swahili as their political language. The use of mainland labour was facilitated by the existence of a lingua franca by Swahili; While Zanzibar also enjoyed high prestige as a center of Swahili culture life.
Zanzibar was only intellectual center source of Islamic education of East African countries under the Zanzibar sultanate. The Gofu and Barza mosques allowed students from the East African countries for the Islamic education . The Zanzibar Muslim Academy also offered the greatest hope for the vibrancy of Islam in east Africa. Nyerere a devout Catholic saw that the Islamic Zanzibar state, a threat to Christianity. He masterminded a clandestine movement against the so called Zanzibar Revolution under the leadership of John Okello, a radical Christianity from Uganda. It was not only prelude to the creation of Tanzania, but a continuation of crusade against Islam and extension of Christian colonialism. Zanzibar acted as source of Islamic education in some African countries like Kenya and Tanganyika, former principal of the Zanzibar Muslim academy Sheikh Seyyid bin Omar bin Abdullah bin Abu Bakr bin Salim(1917-1988) graduated from the Oxford University of London stated that the Zanzibar islands were instrumental in the penetration of the Shafili school in Tanganyika, Kenya and Uganda around the period of Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali (1058-1111).
During colonialism, Islamization of Tanganyika started from Zanzibar where sheikh Muhyddin bin sheikh bin Abdullah al-Quahtany (1789-1869), the chief Qadhi and prime minister of Zanzibar under sultan Said bin sultan(1806-1856) had numerous local students. Sheikh muhyddin bin sheikh Abdullah Al-Qahtany authored many Arabic books, including Takalibun Al-Haruf, his famous one on nahw (grammar) which he taught this text at the masjid Al-Haramyn in Mecca, but his most popular book in the west is redaction of the well-known, those book made Tanganyika people and other place to read the that led to adopt the religion and know Arabic language.
Zanzibar played a great role to the development of other African countries, after Arab arrival in island. They used to introduce some economic and social activities but those activities were not conducted in Zanzibar only even mainlander were used to participate on the activities. After Arab to introduce clove plantation on Zanzibar laborers were taken from mainland areas such of them were Nyamwezi, Makonde who used to provide labour in plantation established by Arabs in Zanzibar. Also during long distance trade some tribes on the interior participating especially chiefs who used to collect commodities, slave and sold to Arab traders.
REFERENCES
1. Ayany, S. G. A History of Zanzibar: a study in constitutional development 1934-1964, EALB, 1970.
2. Rigby, L.M. General Rigby, Zanzibar and the Slave Trade. London, Allen and Unwin, 1935.
Post a Comment