Indians in Tanzania
Encyclopedia
There are currently over 90,000 people of Indian origin in Tanzania. Many of them are traders and they control a sizeable portion of the Tanzanian economy. Indians have a long history in Tanzania
starting with the arrival of Gujarati
traders in the 19th century. They came to gradually control the trade in Zanzibar
. Many of the buildings constructed then still remain in Stone Town
, the focal trading point on the island.
Post independence, the leadership of Julius Nyerere
ensure peaceful transition and equal representation for all Tanzanian people, thus escaping the conflicted path taken by Kenya and Uganda
.
Still some Indians migrated overseas to the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Some have achieved great prominence, most notably the late Freddie Mercury
(born Farouk Bulsara into the Parsi community of Stone Town, who reached fame as the lead singer of the rock group Queen
).
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
starting with the arrival of Gujarati
Gujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
traders in the 19th century. They came to gradually control the trade in Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
. Many of the buildings constructed then still remain in Stone Town
Stone Town
Stone Town also known as Mji Mkongwe is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania, as opposed to Ng'ambo . It is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago...
, the focal trading point on the island.
Post independence, the leadership of Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985....
ensure peaceful transition and equal representation for all Tanzanian people, thus escaping the conflicted path taken by Kenya and Uganda
Expulsion of Asians in Uganda in 1972
On 4 August 1972, the then President of Uganda, Idi Amin, ordered the expulsion of his country's Indian minority, giving them 90 days to leave Uganda...
.
Still some Indians migrated overseas to the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Some have achieved great prominence, most notably the late Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
(born Farouk Bulsara into the Parsi community of Stone Town, who reached fame as the lead singer of the rock group Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
).
See also
- Asians in AfricaAsians in AfricaPeople from, or with roots from, Asia live throughout Africa. Some came in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as indentured labour or coolies...
- Chinese people in TanzaniaChinese people in TanzaniaThere were Chinese people in Tanzania as early as 1891. However, most of the Chinese in the country trace their roots to three distinct waves of migration: 1930s settlement on Zanzibar, workers sent by the Chinese government in the 1960s and 1970s as part of development assistance to Tanzania, and...
- Indian diaspora in East AfricaIndian diaspora in East AfricaThe Indian diaspora in Africa refers to people of Indian origin living in Africa. Most Indians in Africa arrived in the 19th century as British indentured labourers, many of them to work on the Kenya-Uganda railway, while others had arrived earlier by sea as traders....