The Lost Grave: Zanzibar's 1879 Portuguese Alliance

In 1879, Zanzibar Sultan Barghash bin Said sent a secret embassy to Lisbon, seeking a treaty of friendship and trade with Portugal. This episode explores the forgotten Portuguese alliance—a last-ditch effort to counter German and British colonial pressure by invoking an ancient relationship with Portugal's East African possessions. We trace the journey of the Zanzibari envoys through Mozambique, the negotiation of a commercial treaty granting Portuguese merchants special privileges in Zanzibar, and the treaty's ultimate failure as Britain blocked ratification. The story reveals how smaller states navigated the Scramble for Africa, using old imperial ties to carve survival strategies. We also examine the role of Khoja merchant Tharia Topan as intermediary, and the forgotten grave of a Portuguese consul in Stone Town that marks this brief convergence. A tale of diplomacy, pragmatism, and the harsh realities of 19th-century geopolitics. #Zanzibar #BarghashBinSaid #Portugal #TreatyOfFriendship #ScrambleForAfrica #ThariaTopan #Lisbon #Mozambique #Khoja #BusaidSultanate #StoneTown #1879 #PortugueseEastAfrica #Diplomacy #ColonialHistory #IndianOceanTrade #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo