The Berlin Conference and the Swahili Sultanate of Zanzibar

This episode of the Fexingo History podcast picks up a thread that runs through the Berlin Conference but has never been our main focus: the fate of the Swahili Sultanate of Zanzibar. We trace how Sultan Barghash bin Said maneuvered between European powers, how the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty of 1890 traded the sultanate to Britain in exchange for the North Sea island of Heligoland, and what that meant for the Swahili coast, the slave trade, and the Omani diaspora. We also explore the architectural legacy of Stone Town and the cultural resilience of the Swahili people as their homeland was carved up. Expect names like Barghash, Khalīfa bin Harub, and the Mwinyi Mkuu, alongside the obscure 1889 Moresby Treaty and the 1873 Frere Treaty that tried to suppress the slave trade. This is a story of diplomacy, betrayal, and survival on the margins of the scramble. #BerlinConference #Zanzibar #SwahiliCoast #HeligolandZanzibarTreaty #BarghashBinSaid #StoneTown #SlaveTrade #OmaniEmpire #EastAfrica #ScrambleForAfrica #KhalifaBinHarub #MwinyiMkuu #MoresbyTreaty #FrereTreaty #BritishEmpire #GermanEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo