Tracing East African trade routes in Bagamoyo
9th C- Wakwora indigenous people arrived from Morogoro (inland Tanzania) looking for fertile lands
13th to 15th C - Arabs escaping the gulf arrived on the East African Coast and settled in the Kaole; they started a barter system of trade to obtain ivory and animal skin from indigenous people.
18th – 19th C (Old Bagamoyo town)- Germans, British and Christian missionaries occupy the town
Bagamoyo and Dar in relation to Kampala
(red lines - railway routes)
Streets and Buildings of Bagamoyo
The fish market
Towards the edge of Bagamoyo, oldest Church in East Africa
Some History:
Trees grew engulfing Kaole forcing a big movement to Bagamoyoo
In the ocean, British stopped Arabs transporting goods from Africa which slowed down Arab- African relations
17th C the Arabs returned to the gulf and Omani's took their place: they found Portuguese and natives along the coast and took over these areas
Zanzibar became a new centre for the Omani Sultan's business (along with Bagamoyo)
Commodities moved from inland to the cost and were sent to Zanzibar
Oman started trading slaves: kiwa, Bagamoyo and Tanga become hubs (early 19th C)
3 main slave routes through continent ending up at Zanzibar -
Bagamoyo means ‘lay down your heart’ . For the Arabs – they were please with slaves arrival in Bagamoyo, the last stop before Zanzibar. Slaves knew they had reached the end of their lives.
Germans came in the 17th C and paid Arabs for land
A world treaty agreement left Arabs with Zanzibar, all other land was given to Europeans.
Germans force Africans to work, stopped slave trade, demanded high taxes from Africans
1898-99, Busheer (African chief, slave master in Bgamoyo) started war with Germans and was supported by Arabs. He tried to quickly transport the last slaves he had to Zanzibar,
Germans lost soldiers and their first captain through the fighting; they retaliated by killing many African leaders
1897 move o Dar because of receding water line, no harbour/port could be constructed.
DAR:
Misizima ‘Fisherman land’ healthy town
Haven Peace, named by Germans, natives in dar didn’t fight
Raw materials generally collected in Tanzania
Germans allowed India’s and Arabic’s as investors
Indians said ‘Arsadam’ darasalaam’, peaceful city, Africans heard and used the word ‘Dar es Salaam’
Arabs called coastline people ‘Sahel’ and Africans heard and used the word ‘Swahili’
Old Fort (photos of it below)
Arabs kept slaves outside it and used it as a slave camp
Germans fortified it into a military camp
British used it as prison
Post independence until 1974 it was used as a prison
74-91 – police station
92 – conservation college (renovated in 92)
96 – ministry of natural resources
today - tourist information centre and protected site
Driving a Bajaji with Aileen on our departure!
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