Trading hub

When the Arabs arrived in Zanzibar, they changed its topography importing rice and sugarcane from India. The British established a consulate at the island and continued to assert themselves. Once India was declared a British colony in 1858, Zanzibar became an administrative outpost reporting to the Bombay Presidency government. Bombay shared a rich trading history with East Africa but a small number of Zanzibaris too resided in Bombay. At the same time, many Goans moved to Bombay and worked in the city, making it a key stop for migrating people, before finding their way to Zanzibar.

Selma Carvalho