EPISODE · Jul 20, 2026 · 9 MIN
Zanzibar 1852 The Great Hurricane That Reshaped the Clove Economy
from The History of Zanzibar: Spice, Slavery, and Indian Ocean Power — Fexingo History · host Fexingo
In 1852, a devastating hurricane struck the island of Zanzibar, destroying thousands of clove trees and reshaping the economic and social landscape of the Swahili Coast. Lucas and Luna explore how this natural disaster impacted the Busaid Sultanate, the Indian merchant community led by Jairam Sewji, and the enslaved workforce on the shambas. They discuss the short-term famine, the long-term shift in clove cultivation away from the exposed eastern coast, and how the storm accelerated British pressure for slave trade suppression. The episode also touches on the resilience of the Khoja and Bhatia traders who rebuilt the clove economy, and the environmental legacy that still echoes on Unguja and Pemba today. #ZanzibarHistory #GreatHurricane1852 #CloveEconomy #JairamSewji #BusaidSultanate #SwahiliCoast #IndianOceanTrade #SlaveTrade #KhojaMerchants #BhatiaTraders #StoneTown #Unguja #Pemba #NaturalDisaster #ClovePlantations #ShambaSystem #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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Zanzibar 1852 The Great Hurricane That Reshaped the Clove Economy
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