Épisodes

  • The Hamerton Treaty: Britain and Zanzibar's Slave Trade — Fexingo History

    The Hamerton Treaty: Britain and Zanzibar's Slave Trade — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In 1845, the Hamerton Treaty forced the Sultan of Zanzibar to ban the export of slaves from his mainland territories, tightening the noose on the Indian Ocean slave trade that had enriched Omani and Swahili merchants for centuries. Lucas and Luna explore the treaty's origins—pushed by British consul Atkins Hamerton—and its explosive impact on Zanzibar's economy and society. They examine how the sultanate tried to evade restrictions by funneling slaves through new ports and how the treaty deepened Zanzibar's reliance on clove plantations, which still depended on enslaved labor. The conversation also touches on the role of the British Royal Navy's anti-slavery patrols, the notorious slave market in Stone Town, and the quiet resistance of local slaveholders. This episode unpacks a pivotal moment when imperial pressure began to crack the foundations of Zanzibar's slave-based wealth, setting the stage for later abolition.

    #HamertonTreaty #Zanzibar #SlaveTrade #AtkinsHamerton #SaidbinSultan #BritishEmpire #IndianOcean #RoyalNavy #StoneTown #ClovePlantations #Abolition #OmaniEmpire #SwahiliCoast #1845 #AntiSlavery #Imperialism #History #FexingoHistory #SpiceIslands #AngloZanzibarWar

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    5 min
  • Zanzibar's Clove Economy and the Mrima Coast Plantation System — Fexingo History

    Zanzibar's Clove Economy and the Mrima Coast Plantation System — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the clove plantation economy that transformed Zanzibar and the Mrima coast in the 19th century. They explore how Said bin Sultan shifted the Omani empire's focus from the Persian Gulf to East Africa, establishing clove as a cash crop that demanded immense labor. The conversation covers the brutal system of plantation slavery, the role of free Swahili laborers and sharecroppers (watoro), and the environmental impact of monocropping. They also touch on the connection to British abolitionist pressures and the Moresby Treaty, and how the clove economy eventually declined due to global market shifts. Key figures like Princess Salme are mentioned, as well as the distinct roles of Unguja and Pemba in clove cultivation.

    #Zanzibar #Clove #PlantationSlavery #SaidBinSultan #MrimaCoast #SwahiliCoast #IndianOceanHistory #OmaniEmpire #19thCentury #EconomicHistory #Watoro #StoneTown #Unguja #Pemba #MoresbyTreaty #Sharecropping #ColonialEconomy #FexingoHistory #IndianOcean #SpiceIslands

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    5 min
  • Zanzibar's Great Rebellion: The 1840 Revolt at Mtoni — Fexingo History

    Zanzibar's Great Rebellion: The 1840 Revolt at Mtoni — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In 1840, the glittering Mtoni Palace—already a symbol of Omani power in Zanzibar—became the epicentre of a violent uprising. This episode explores the revolt led by the enslaved and the disenfranchised, a flashpoint that exposed the fragility of clove wealth. We trace the conspiracy hatched in the palace kitchens, the brief seizure of Sultan Said bin Sultan's own fortress, and the brutal reprisal that followed. Historians debate whether this was a planned liberation attempt or a spontaneous explosion of rage—and we weigh the evidence from contemporary Omani chronicles, British consular dispatches, and oral traditions passed down in Stone Town. We also examine how the rebellion reshaped the Busaidi regime's policies, accelerating the shift from slave labour to sharecropping on clove plantations. A story of forgotten defiance that challenges the narrative of a placid spice island.

    #Zanzibar #MtoniPalace #1840Revolt #OmaniEmpire #SaidBinSultan #BusaidiDynasty #Slavery #ClovePlantations #IndianOceanHistory #StoneTown #Unguja #SwahiliCoast #AfricanResistance #OralTradition #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Resistance #IndianOcean #SpiceIslands

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    4 min
  • Tippu Tip: Zanzibar's Elephant King and the Congo — Fexingo History

    Tippu Tip: Zanzibar's Elephant King and the Congo — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the life of Tippu Tip, the legendary 19th-century Zanzibari trader who built a vast commercial empire in the Congo Basin. They discuss his rise from a Swahili trading family to becoming the 'Elephant King,' his role in the ivory and slave trades, his tense negotiations with European explorers like Henry Morton Stanley, and his eventual retreat as colonial powers carved up Africa. The conversation covers the mechanics of caravan trade, the social structure of Zanzibari commerce, and the moral complexities of a figure both celebrated and condemned. Specific details include Tippu Tip's autobiography, his conflict with the Congo Free State, and the lasting impact of his trading networks on East African history.

    #TippuTip #Zanzibar #IvoryTrade #SlaveTrade #CongoBasin #HenryMortonStanley #Swahili #OmaniEmpire #19thCentury #ColonialAfrica #CongoFreeState #CaravanTrade #EastAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #IndianOcean #SpiceTrade #Biography #SpiceIslands #SaidBinSultan

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    7 min
  • The Moresby Treaty: Britain Clamps Down on Zanzibar's Slave Trade — Fexingo History

    The Moresby Treaty: Britain Clamps Down on Zanzibar's Slave Trade — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In 1822, the British Empire pressured the Omani ruler of Zanzibar, Said bin Sultan, to sign the Moresby Treaty, the first major restriction on the island's slave trade. This episode dives into the treaty's origins, terms, and consequences. Captain Fairfax Moresby, a Royal Navy officer, negotiated the agreement that banned slave exports to Christian nations but allowed the trade to continue within Muslim lands—a compromise that enraged abolitionists. We trace how the treaty transformed Zanzibar's economy, driving the slave trade underground and funneling captives to new markets in Persia and the Arabian Peninsula. We also explore the role of the British Navy's anti-slavery patrols, the 'Tippu Tip' connection, and the treaty's loopholes that sustained the trade for decades. The episode examines the clash between British moral pressure and Omani economic interests, and how this single document reshaped the Indian Ocean slave network. Key figures include Said bin Sultan, Captain Moresby, and later abolitionists like David Livingstone. A turning point in Zanzibar's history of exploitation and resistance.

    #MoresbyTreaty #Zanzibar #SlaveTrade #SaidBinSultan #CaptainMoresby #BritishEmpire #IndianOcean #OmaniEmpire #Abolition #RoyalNavy #TippuTip #StoneTown #CloveTrade #EastAfrica #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #SpiceIsland #SpiceIslands #SwahiliCoast

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    7 min
  • The Mtoni Palace: Clove Wealth and Omani Power in Zanzibar — Fexingo History

    The Mtoni Palace: Clove Wealth and Omani Power in Zanzibar — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    Episode 2 of The History of Zanzibar zooms in on the Mtoni Palace, the sprawling seaside seat of Omani sultans built in the 1830s. Lucas and Luna explore how Sultan Said bin Busaidi transformed Zanzibar into the world's dominant clove producer through brutal plantation slavery, and how the palace itself embodied that wealth and violence. They discuss the role of the Jofra Omani clan, the construction of the palace by enslaved Shirazi laborers, and the tragic life of Princess Salme, a daughter of the sultan who fled scandal and wrote a rare memoir of palace life. The episode also touches on the collapse of the palace after the British abolition of the slave trade and its recent restoration. Listeners get a concrete picture of how power, spice, and slavery intertwined in 19th-century Zanzibar.

    #Zanzibar #OmaniEmpire #SaidBinSultan #MtoniPalace #CloveTrade #IndianOceanHistory #PrincessSalme #Slavery #SwahiliCoast #StoneTown #Busaidi #19thCentury #Abolition #SpiceIslands #ColonialHistory #AfricanHistory #History #FexingoHistory #IndianOcean #SlaveTrade

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    6 min
  • Zanzibar Pilot: Ivory, Cloves, and the Indian Ocean World — Fexingo History

    Zanzibar Pilot: Ivory, Cloves, and the Indian Ocean World — Fexingo History
    Apr 23 2026
    This pilot episode of The History of Zanzibar opens in 1840, as Sultan Said bin Sultan prepares to move his capital from Muscat to Stone Town. We explore how Zanzibar became the commercial heart of the Indian Ocean—its monopoly on cloves, its role as East Africa's slave and ivory hub, and the shifting tides of Omani, Persian, Indian, and European power. Hosts Lucas and Luna trace the island's transformation from a remote trading outpost to a global spice powerhouse, touching on the monsoon winds that drove dhows, the rise of the Busaidi dynasty, and the environmental impact of monoculture. Future episodes will delve into the slave trade, British abolition, and the legacies of empire. Rich in specific names and dates, this episode sets the stage for a complex history of commerce, coercion, and cultural fusion.

    #Zanzibar #IndianOcean #SultanSaid #CloveTrade #SlaveTrade #IvoryTrade #StoneTown #Busaidi #Oman #EastAfrica #SwahiliCoast #Monsoon #Dhow #SpiceIslands #Abolition #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #OmaniEmpire #SaidBinSultan

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    7 min