
Lost Notes: The Slave Trade at the East African Coast
Hot dry monsoon winds catch the boat’s sail as our captain’s gaze across the Indian Ocean turns glossy. The ocean simmers and ripples in bright orange as it reflects the late evening sun. He squints his eye in a thoughtful mood, searching deep into his memories. He’s narrating to us one of the most important, controversial, hotly contested and silently dealt with topics
in African history, the East African slave trade. We’re on a traditional Arab dhow, having just left Shimoni caves on an excursion to Wasini Island for snorkeling and sight seeing. Close to the border of Tanzania, you can sail
to it from Diani Beach or Shimoni , or like Omani Arabs, to the Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. But who were the Omani? What’s the Portuguese connection to…