Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History
Zanzibar and the Ivory Trade: Portugal's African Trail
In this episode, we follow the ivory trade from Sofala to Lisbon, tracing how Portuguese merchants and the Mwana Mwema sultans of Zanzibar built a commerce that reshaped East Africa. We look at the Swahili coast's long history before Vasco da Gama, the strategic role of Kilwa and Mombasa, and how the Estado da Índia tried to control the ivory routes through cartazes and feitorias. We also grapple with the environmental and human costs: the decimation of elephant herds and the shadow of enslavement. Along the way, we meet figures like the sultana of Zanzibar, Mwana Mwema, and Portuguese…
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