18th century – 19th century
Zanzibar, Pemba, East African coast, and hinterland
The East African slave trade expanded alongside clove plantations and long-distance commerce during the nineteenth century. Zanzibar and Pemba absorbed enslaved labour for plantation production, while slaves were also exported to overseas markets. The trade intensified after 1840, remained highly profitable, and continued despite the 1847 Hamerton Treaty’s restrictions.
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The Story
The expansion of the slave trade into the East African interior depended heavily on plantation economies in Mauritius and Réunion and, more significantly, on clove plantations in Zanzibar and Pemba. Sayyid Said encouraged clove and coconut cultivation, and by the time his capital shifted to Zanzibar in the 1840s, clove plantations had become the dominant economic activity on the islands. These plantations were mostly operated with enslaved labour.
Plantation expansion created a class of landowners, originally mainly Arab and later also including indigenous Shirazi and Indian proprietors. By the 1860s, Zanzibar and Pemba were estimated to absorb about 10,000 slaves annually, in addition to slaves supplied to overseas markets. The Zanzibar market alone was estimated to handle as many as 70,000 slaves per year, although the extract warns that these figures may be greatly exaggerated.
The trade also expanded through inland caravan routes carrying ivory, slaves, and imported goods. Raiding and inter-group fighting associated with the trade reduced manpower in the Tanganyikan hinterland and contributed to regional underdevelopment. The system tied East African societies to an international capitalist economy on terms that redirected labour and resources toward raw-material exports and foreign manufactured goods.
In 1847, British consul Atkins Hamerton persuaded Said to sign an agreement banning the export of slaves beyond the sultan’s East African dominions. The treaty was inadequate in curtailing local and overseas demand, however. The slave trade therefore remained an important component of Zanzibar’s commercial system even as diplomatic restrictions were introduced.
18th century – 19th century
Zanzibar, Pemba, East African coast, and hinterland
The East African slave trade expanded alongside clove plantations and long-distance commerce during the nineteenth century. Zanzibar and Pemba absorbed enslaved labour for plantation production, while slaves were also exported to overseas markets. The trade intensified after 1840, remained highly profitable, and continued despite the 1847 Hamerton Treaty’s restrictions.
Continue exploring
The Story
The expansion of the slave trade into the East African interior depended heavily on plantation economies in Mauritius and Réunion and, more significantly, on clove plantations in Zanzibar and Pemba. Sayyid Said encouraged clove and coconut cultivation, and by the time his capital shifted to Zanzibar in the 1840s, clove plantations had become the dominant economic activity on the islands. These plantations were mostly operated with enslaved labour.
Plantation expansion created a class of landowners, originally mainly Arab and later also including indigenous Shirazi and Indian proprietors. By the 1860s, Zanzibar and Pemba were estimated to absorb about 10,000 slaves annually, in addition to slaves supplied to overseas markets. The Zanzibar market alone was estimated to handle as many as 70,000 slaves per year, although the extract warns that these figures may be greatly exaggerated.
The trade also expanded through inland caravan routes carrying ivory, slaves, and imported goods. Raiding and inter-group fighting associated with the trade reduced manpower in the Tanganyikan hinterland and contributed to regional underdevelopment. The system tied East African societies to an international capitalist economy on terms that redirected labour and resources toward raw-material exports and foreign manufactured goods.
In 1847, British consul Atkins Hamerton persuaded Said to sign an agreement banning the export of slaves beyond the sultan’s East African dominions. The treaty was inadequate in curtailing local and overseas demand, however. The slave trade therefore remained an important component of Zanzibar’s commercial system even as diplomatic restrictions were introduced.
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