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There is some debate over the
origins of the name Mikindani. Some
say that the town was named after a
man from the Makonde tribe who
killed the sister of the first
immigrants from the Makonde Plateau.
An alternative, and more plausible,
story is that Mikindani was named
for the young palm trees (mikinda)
that grow around the town. |
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The protected lagoon has made a
superb harbor for generations of
fishermen and traders. Traders from
the Arabian Peninsula settled in
Mikindani in the 9th and 18th
centuries. By the second half of the
15th century, trade from Mikindani
was also going as far as Malawi,
Zambia, Angola and Zaire. The
products exported included ivory,
animal hides, tortoise shells and
copper, while manufactured products
such as clothes, household utensils
and weaponry were imported.
Portuguese expansion
along the East African coast
disrupted trade links in the 16th
century. |
However, From the mid-18th century, large
numbers of slaves were exported from Mikindani
to present-day Reunion, the Seychelles and
Comores. This trade continued well into the 19th
century, until the British government, under
pressure from notables such as Dr. Livingstone,
banned slave trading and encouraged other
countries to do the same. Dr. Livingstone set
out from Mikindani on his final expedition
In 1884, a conference was held in Berlin during
which Africa was divided between various
interested European powers. Tanzania was
allocated to Germany as part of what became
German East Africa. By the late 1880s, the
Germans had established an administrative
presence in Mikindani and started to exploit the
natural resources of the area including rubber,
sisal, coconuts and oil seed. Oyster pearl
fishing took place in the outer Mikindani Bay.
Trade also prospered with an influx of
commercially minded families from the Indian
sub-continent. In 1895, the Boma was built as a
fort and Southern HQ.
After Germany's defeat in the First World War,
Britain took control of Tanganyika. Mikindani
remained an important administrative post until
1947 when the British administration started the
development of the port in neighboring Mtwara to
be the export point for the peanuts grown on the
infamous Groundnut Scheme. Business and
administration subsequently shifted to
Mtwara and the fortunes of Mikindani
declined until it was little more than a large
fishing village. Fishermen still make their
living fishing from dugout canoes and dhows in
the deep outer bay.
SETTLEMENT AND ARCHITECTURE
Mikindani is a fascinating old town with winding
streets and an interesting blend of thatched mud
houses and coral houses influenced by Arabic
architecture.
The first settlers to the area were members of
the Makonde tribe who settled in the north west
of the lagoon. They were joined, in the 9th
century, by Arab immigrants from the Arabian
Peninsula who settled on the south east edge of
the bay. A further influx of Arabs settled in
Mikindani in the late 17th century, during the
reign of Seyyid Said, Sultan of Oman. Early
signs of Arab inhabitation still exist in
Mikindani; Arab graves and mosques can been
seen. In Mikindani, it was customary to mark the
grave of a Sultan with a baobab tree planted at
each end of the grave. These would eventually
grow together, as seen near the mosque at
Mitengo.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries,
Mikindani expanded and the residential links
between the earlier settled areas were
consolidated. The German colonial authorities
constructed administrative and residential
buildings around the Mnaida area, underneath
Bismarck Hill. These include the old fort, the
Governor's House and a commemorative "Slave
Market". This period was also characterized by
the construction of fine coral rag houses. These
often had delicate balconies on the upper floor.
Flat roofs and finely carved ornate doorways are
evidence of Arab architectural influence.
Prosperous Asian business families also built
houses with balconies, under which would be the
ground floor shop front.
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