Mombasa & the Kenyan Coast, Africa
The Portuguese were finally driven out by the emerging power of Omani Arabs in 1729. The ascendancy of the Omani Arabs lasted until Britain, a leading super power at the time, appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. The British came in under the guise of a humanitarian mission- the suppression of the slave trade. The Omani Arabs were notorious slave traders. Christian missionaries put pressure on the British government to persuade the Omani Arabs to pursue other trade other than trafficking in humans. This is somewhat like the problem the Americans face today in South America with respect to the cocaine trade.
The British were actually successful in this, by using time honoured carrot and stick tactics. Under the resulting deal, the Omani Arabs whose headquarters was in Zanzibar were recognized as overlords over a 16 km strip along the Kenyan coast. The sultan was to be paid an annuity as compensation for resulting loss of revenue. This territory acquired the status of a British Protectorate until 1963 when the Sultan of Zanzibar ceded it to the newly independent Kenyan nation.
Mombasa is today a cosmopolitan metropolis reflecting the influence of Africans, Persians, Arabs, Turks, Indians, Portuguese and the British. The Old Town is a grid of narrow winding streets lined with houses built to coastal Swahili and Indian styles. Some of the houses have intricately carved doors similar to what you find in Zanzibar and Lamu. In the Old Town you will find Fort Jesus, the permanent garrison built by the hapless Portuguese. Fort Jesus, in addition to being an attraction itself, houses a museum exhibiting various artifacts reflecting the various cultures that have influenced the Kenyan coast. You will also see articles recovered from the ill-fated Portuguese warship Santo Antonio De Tanna, which sank in the siege of 1697 that lasted 1000 days.
In Mombasa you can take an all day dhow trip and relive the experience of the traders who sailed along the East African coast and as far as India and the Persian Gulf aboard these vessels for centuries. For the past few years, every November the Mombasa Carnival has been staged in the town. The Carnival is a lively street parade where you see incredibly adorned musicians and other artists from the Kenyan coast and other parts of the country. Street comedians, Swahili Taarab singers, Maasai warriors, brass bands and individual artists in outrageous costumes brave the November heat to march in the parade.
