The early contact Between Pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania with the outsiders

1. TITLE: The early contact Between Pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania with the outsiders.
ABSTRACT
The contact between outsiders with the Pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania has its genesis from
200B.C where there was a mutual aid between the two sides as each side was aiming to satisfy
its scarce needs. From 7th century onwards the outsiders started to dictate terms to the side of
Tanzania as they managed to change the value of Africans to that of commodity to exchange with
their less valuable items. The chains of this exploitation still exist through the racist speech
delivered by the prominent figures. “Africans need to be re-colonized at least for a century as
they are there for bad examples.” Coated from Donald Trump speech one of the contestant in
American election to be held 2017.
The discussion below will explore the factors for the rise of the early contact between outsiders
with the Pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania.
The contact between early outsiders along the Coast of Pre colonial Tanzania can be historically
traced back as 200B.C. This is evidenced with the early commercial contacts obtained through
from the remains of pottery, porcelain, coins, beads and tombs. The Periplus of the Erythrean
Sea written by Greeks traders around the first century AD is another evidence of such early
contacts. The East African Coast was known to the Greek and the Roman traders of the earliest
centuries. They referred to the region as “Azania’’ the earliest known written reference to the
land of Azania is in a first-century Greek hand book, the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea (The
Voyage of the Indian Ocean)’’ (Shillington, 2005, p. 120)
The contact between outsiders and Coast people of the pre-colonial Tanzania was divided into
three major phases.
First phases started from 7th century A.D to 15th century. This phase was occupied with the
people from Far East and the Middle East. The most traders at this time came from China,
Indonesia and India. This contact was aided by the monsoon wind which flow from north to
south at one season and from south to north on the other season. The voyage was also aided with
the compass direction which helps the traders to locate their specific destination. (Shillington,
2005, p. 129)
The second phase was from 15th century to 17th century dominated by the Europeans particularly
after the exploration made by Vasco da Gama in 1498 along the Coast of Tanganyika. When the
Portuguese rounded the Southern tip of Africa and sailed north along the East Africa Coast in
1498 they were the first Western European to enter the Indian Ocean from the south.
(Shillington, 2005, p. 129)

2. The third phase of this contact started from 17th century to 19th century. This ph (Temu &
Kimambo, 1997)ase is occupied with other European powers who were attracted with the trade
as the result of transformation which took place in Europe particularly industrial revolution
which attained its climax in 1850. “The inlands prosperities attracted foreign merchants. Asians
had a monopoly until 1830’s but then American merchants began to import their own cloth into
Zanzibar, British and German traders followed but American predominated until their civil wars
in 1861. Their victory made goods including fire arms, further stimulated long distance trade”.
(Temu & Kimambo, 1997, p. 42)
The factors that made the early outsiders to contact the Coast of the Pre-colonial Tanzania were
as follows;
Technological innovation was the major factor for the contact between outsiders with the
pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania particularly water going vessels with the discovering of compass
direction which aided the movement of the people from one part to another passing through the
water. “In the Western Indian ocean the monsoon wind blows toward east Africa between
November and March and towards India and the Persian Gulf between April and October. This
seasonal pattern of monsoon wind largely influence the pattern of cross-ocean trade that develop
between the East African Coast and the Islamic world of Western Asia.’’ (Shillington, 2005, p.
122)
On another hand the role played by the early explorers was another factor for the
development of the contact between outsiders with the pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania. The early
explorers revealed the potentialities of the Coast of Tanzania to the outside world.
The well details and narrative of events began with Vasco da Gama’s entrance into East
African water in 1498 and effectively ended with the expulsions of the Portuguese from
the Kenyan and Tanzanian Coast in1698. Suffice it to say that Portuguese success in
dominating the Coast for two centuries was due to two basic factors; (1) The
superiorities of Portuguese naval techniques and Portuguese weapons and (2) The lack
of the unity among the Coastal cities states which enabled the Portuguese to defeat these
one by one and to exploit pre-existing rivalries to their own purposes. (Temu &
Kimambo, 1997, p. 40)
In addition to that local compromises were another factor which aided the development
of the contact between the outsiders with pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania. After they had reached
the Coast of Tanzania the outsiders used the existing enemy among the local people to establish
their friend’s lines with some strong Coastal people.
According to Kimambo and Temu 1997, p.41 argued that the local compromises which
the Portuguese made with the ruling elites of various towns were not simply a matter of
blind collaborations by these Coastal rulers with the enemies. They were equally
alliances which enabled weaker dynasties to gain power and wealth at the expense of

3. their traditional enemies on the Coast even through these alliances necessarily meant
temporarily accepting Portuguese over rule themselves.
Not only that but also the need to exchange the scarce resources has contributed much to
the development of the contact between the outsiders with the pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania.
Each of the two sides of the contact had some limited resources for the satisfaction of the people
while its counterpart had those needed goods. Because of these the contact between the two sides
was much essential.
As the East African Coast was always an integral part of the Western Indian Ocean
commercial world. It should not be surprising that Asian Traders were actives in the
towns of the Coast in pre-Portuguese period. The people of Sudi are said to sell part of
their food and buy trade goods and silver (Money). When this silver has accumulated,
they buy slaves with it. They used these slaves in their plantations and cultivate with
them. Another of their trades in hunting elephants, If they get ivory, they sell it for silver.
(Temu & Kimambo, 1997, pp. 41-49)
The need to defuse technology from one part to another has also contributed to the rise of
the contact between the outsiders with the pre-colonial Coastal of Tanzania. At the time of
contact people from Far East, Middle East and Europe experienced highest level in technological
transformation hence the pre-colonial Coastal people of Tanzania were in desire to adopt such
highest level of technology as their counterpart. “ The Coastal trade was largely carried in
Swahili- owned boats called Mitepe locally built with Matting sails and ranging from twelve to
twenty tones. The Moors who live on the Coast are not rich enough to have their own ships,
Morice reported.’’ (Iliffe, 1994, pp. 37-38)
Moreover the integration of the long distance trade had contributed to the development of
contact between outsiders with pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania. Long distance resulted to the
attainment of the potential resources from the interior which was then exchanged with the
outsiders with the imported items.
During the 19th century Tanganyika Inland people made contact with the outside world
through long distance trading system based on Zanzibar with become the satellite of
Europe’s growing power in the Indian Ocean. Tanganyika experienced a transformation
more intense than any other region of the Tropical Africa at that time. The
transformation was not straight forward replacement of old by new. Me and the societies
experienced enlargement of scale more unevenly. (Iliffe, 1994, p. 40)
Furthermore the question of conquest cannot be denied as one factor for the development
of contact between outsiders with the pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania. After being conquered the
Coastal people of Tanzania seized all its authority to the intruders. The intruders after the
conquest invited their fellow men to the Coast of Pre-colonial Tanzania. “Oman’s conquest of
the Kilwa in 1698 led the Yao to travel instead to Mozambique Inland, but by 1776 Kilwa was

4. reviving. One of the reason was the growth of slave export first to the Persian Gulf and then to
Mascarene Island.’’ (Iliffe, 1994, p. 41)
Meanwhile the establishment of plantation systems in different parts of the world also
intensified the development of contact between the outsiders and the Pre-colonial Coast of
Tanzania. For example French plantation for sugarcane in Mauritius and Reunion Island which
demanded slave labourers from the Coast of Tanzania via Bagamoyo to Zanzibar integrated the
Coast of Tanzania to the outsiders. “Tanganyika’s second most important export was slaves. In
the 1770’s the French took some1500 slaves each year and another 1500-2000 went to Zanzibar
and the Middle East.’’ (Iliffe, 1994, p. 42)
The prosperities of the Coastal towns were other reasons for the flourishment of the
contact between outsiders with the Pre-colonial Coast of Tanzania. Some towns were rich in soil,
good climatic condition and potential labourers who survive in all the hardships whether in
plantation or any other domestic activities.
Zanzibar prosperities and rising ivory price around 1800 probably explained the
development of new long distance trade route through Central Tanganyika at that time.
Some foreign goods reached Inland societies via these regions during the 18th century
probably through exchange between one regional trade network and another. Rising
ivory price drove the traders forward, at Surat in western India ivory price doubled
between 1803/1804 and 1808/1809. Western India was the chief market for ivory and
also supplied the cloth exchanged with ivory. (Iliffe, 1994, pp. 41-42)
The rise of the contact between outsiders and pre-colonial Coastal Tanzania has some impacts on
the life of the people of Tanzania either positively or negatively. Among of these impacts were
as follows;
The contact resulted to the spread of Islamic religion along the Coast of Tanzania and in
the interior. At the Coast the religion spread in the earliest towns like Kilwa, Zanzibar,
Bagamoyo and Mafia. In the interior the religion spread in areas like Tabora, Ujiji and Karagwe.
“Of all the new Swahili towns Kilwa was destined to become the most important. Until this time
the gold, such as it was had been largely organized by Muslim merchants of Mogadishu’’.
(Shillington, 2005, p. 125)
Expansion of trade from the Inland was the also one of the impact of this contact because
of the high demands of goods which were obtained from the interior. Example of these goods
includes ivory, gold and slaves. “In 1776 the trade route leading south-west wards from Kilwa to
the dense population around Lake Nyasa was the only route inland from Tanganyikan Coast. It
was pioneered in the 16th century when the Portuguese seized the gold trade and forced Kilwa
merchants to trade with their own hinterland’’. (Iliffe, 1994, p. 40)

5. On other hand the contact between the outsiders with the pre-colonial Tanzania led to the
expansion of some state and empires in the interior parts of Tanzania. Example of the states that
rised as the result of the contact includes the Nyamwezi because of their direct involvement in
this trade. “ Twelve years of empire building saw a sizeable accumulation of ivory which Tippu
now wished to transport to the Coast via Tabora. Mirambo, the Nyamwezi chief involve in
endless hostility with Unyanyembe, Arabs and through whose territory the ivory should pass’’.
(Okot, 1996, p. 17)
The contact contributed to the adaptation of the new civilization by the Tanzanian people.
Some of the new elements of the world civilization were introduced for example new words,
modern houses and foods. “ From our ships the fine houses, terraces and minarets, with the
palms and trees in the orchards, made the city (Kilwa) look so beautiful that our men were eager
to land and overcome the pride of this barbarian, who spent all night in bringing into Island
archers from the Mainland’’. (Shillington, 2005, p. 132)
The contact between outsiders with the Coast of Tanzania was among of the earliest form
of exploitation which was ever experienced as the value of goods exported was quite different
with those which were imported to Tanzania. For example the value of ivory with clothes,
human being with mirror or wine. It was from this era that Coastal societies started to experience
the fate of this imbalance contact with the outsiders.
The Coastal towns of this period were mainly exporters of raw materials and importers
of manufactured goods and luxuries, oriental potteries, glass wear and Indian silks and
cottons. The main African commodity sought by overseas traders was ivory. This was in
particularly high demand in China were it was used for making ceremonial chairs for the
nobility. Captives were exported as slaves for the salt mines of Basra and the farming
plantation at the head of Persian Gulf. A small amount of gold was also exported. (Scarr,
1998, p. 59)
The spread of Kiswahili language and culture was also among the memorable impacts of
the contacts as many of the cultural elements which are in use at present in Tanzania has its
origin from this early contacts with the outsiders particularly with Arabs who have brought the
new vocabularies into kiswahii language which is the dialect of the Bantu speakers. Examples of
these vocabularies are like Bakora, Jambo, Salam and Marahaba. Kiswahili is today the popular
language not only in Tanzania but also East Africa and Africa at large. “Kiswahili today is the
most widely spoken of the African languages of Eastern Africa. It’s spoken all along the Coastal
regions and in many parts of the interior. It has also been adopted as an official language of the
modern Tanzania. The name’ Swahili’’ came originally from the Arabic word Sahil meaning
Coast. Thus Swahili means literary the people of the Coast’’. (Shillington, 2005, p. 126)

6. Notwithstanding, the contact between the outsiders and Tanzanian Coast resulted to the
formation of new race (mulatoes) because of the amalgamation between the Asian races with the
Coastal people of Tanzania. The species of this race is at present seen in the Coastal areas
particularly in Zanzibar and Bagamoyo. “The period 1050 to 1200 saw further immigration from
the Persian Gulf and Oman, possibly because pressure from new comers, a number of Northern
Swahili Muslims particularly from Shungwaya and the Lamu Island moved South to settle on the
Island of Zanzibar, Mafia, Pemba and Kilwa. Here the settled in existing trading towns and set
up new dynasties which ruled the Island for generation to come’’. (Shillington, 2005, p. 127)
The contact between outsiders with the Coast of Tanzania has resulted to the integration
of Tanzania into global system through all the stages of human transformation from the
merchantile period where Africa was the source of slaves, during the industrial revolution Africa
was the source of cheap labourers, investment areas, reliable market and raw materials. These
ties continue until now through the name of globalization where Africa, Tanzania being inclusive
experience lots of suffering from the conditionality of the capitalist system. It’s now the time the
Africans to think of the nature of the existing interaction between us and the Western powers.