[Although] Islam does not allow the enslavement of Muslims ... it recognizes two categories; those born in slavery or prisoners of war—as a product of a war declared on the inhabitants of Dar al-Harb or the Abode of War which lies outside Dar al-Islam or the Land of Islam.

Of course, Muslims were not the only group involved in the export of slaves from East Africa.

Slavery and its presentation on the island of Zanzibar The first recorded European to go to Zanzibar (locally known as Unguja) was Vasco de Gama in 1499. It was soon after this that the Portuguese began to take control of the western Indian Ocean maritime trade network with the construction of a series of forts along the mainland coast: Mozambique in 1500, Kilwa Kisiwani and Mombasa in 1505, and Malindi in 1509 (Pearson 2003). Zanzibar was attacked by the Portuguese twice and was eventually taken in 1509; subsequently, a fortified trading post was constructed in Zanzibar’s Stone Town

I argue that European colonization of Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania left material and ideological traces that structure how slavery is represented in the present day.

[Although] Islam does not allow the enslavement of Muslims … it recognizes two categories; those born in slavery or prisoners of war—as a product of a war declared on the inhabitants of Dar al-Harb or the Abode of War which lies outside Dar al-Islam or the Land of Islam.

The slave trade faced a considerable challenge when the Omani Sultan of Zanzibar signed the “Slave Trade Treaty” with Britain in 1873, which called for the end of slave markets in the Sultan's domain and an end to the export of enslaved captives

Slavery and its presentation on the island of Zanzibar

After all, those who built [Arab houses], those who generated the wealth that paid for them, and the vast majority that inhabited and serviced them were African slaves and clients or servants of African descent

The Arab slave trade did not end until several decades later. The last

verified slave export from East Africa was in 1899.

it expanded its work to include the harbouring of slaves fleeing from Arab and Swahili exploitation

The Arab slave owners indicated their hostility to the work of the C.M.S. mission

t there was an uneasy feeling among the Arabs who feared that the object of his mission was to liberate their slaves

The Agreement of 1889 declared that all children born to slave parents after January 1, 1890, were to be free. The Decree of August 1, 1890, declared as unlawful the exchange or sale of slaves after that date. It provided for the emancipation of certain categories of slaves: such as the slaves belonging to persons who "legally" held their slaves, but who died without legal heirs; the slaves owned by the subjects of the sultan, who married British subjects, and the off-spring of such marital unions; and the slaves owned by people who had once been slaves but were now free. People who were found guilty of buying, procuring or selling slaves were to forfeit their slave

being driven into a corner

the Treaty of

1873

Probably the greatest blow which has been inflicted on the Slave Trade since the signing of the Treaty in 1873,

proof of a Slave Trade being carried on by French

subjects

there are still estimated 50 million people across the world in slavery today, forced to work for little or no pay, trafficked with deceptive promises of jobs, relationships, and greener pastures only to find themselves trapped in lions’ dens, forced to sell their bodies for sex, working as drugs transporter bags, having their body organs ‘stolen’ and sold, debt bondages, and many other debasing and inhuman activities.

Reflecting on the situation in Tanzania, both slavery aftermaths and modern slavery still haunt our society. Modern forms of slavery can be witnessed in factories, farms, small businesses and side hustles, due to inexistence of effective labour protection policies and regulations.

There are also incidences whereby young girls have been transported from neighbouring countries like Malawi and Zambia for the same.

The historical bigger picture of slavery is that of foreign nationals with guns in our country, but deep within our communities, slavery in its modern forms is rampant and has mature roots.