A Struggle for Emancipation: Sir. Hardinge on the Abolition of Slavery in East Africa
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Introduction
The correspondences, written by Sir Arthur H. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury, are found within a larger compilation of correspondence surrounding the status of slavery in East Africa and various islands. Sir Arthur H. Hardinge was a British diplomat and colonial administrator during his career, he was also the Governor of British East Africa based in modern-day Kanye and Uganda, Roberty Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil was the Marquess of Salisbury at the time. The correspondence was written in Nairobi, Kenya in April of 1900. The intended audience for this correspondence is the Marquess of Salisbury and those involved politically and socially in the abolition of slavery in East Africa and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Additionally, the article is intended for British officials involved in colonial administration and policymaking as the correspondence provides updated reports and challenges regarding the abolition of slavery.
The source discusses both an annual report of Native Africans freed from slavery, revealing an increase in those freed, as well as key points to support the report and perspective of the times. The evidence presented in comparison to the report illustrates applications and letters for freedom and puts them in perspective with other nations across the globe that have either experienced slavery or continue to utilize slavery. Key places such as India, Egypt, and other African Nations. The article discusses the transferring of information to British authorities about the progress of abolishing slavery in East Africa while also illustrating the complications and obstacles surrounding this change. Hardinge’s notes point out that while legal changes are crucial, there are greater factors such as economic and social conditions that continue to impact the progress of the emancipation of slaves. Hardinge acknowledges other examples of slave emancipation rates in other British territories and India. Through Hardinge’s reports and key examples, he points out the many factors that slowed down and hindered the transition from slavery and the emancipation of enslaved peoples in East Africa through his acknowledgment of economic and social structures as well as religious implications.
Analysis
Hardinge’s correspondence captures a key transition in East Africa’s colonial history: the abolition of slavery, and the replacement with labor contracts, which perpetuated economic dependency and servitude. Within the primary source, one important instance in the correspondence is Hardinge’s observation of the transition of power in the African areas in focus from local Walis to European commissioners. This example is important as it reveals the broader strategy of European colonists towards their aim to seize power from local authorities to centralize control over administrative matters. Furthermore, through this strategy, the British colonial administration looked to change the governance in East Africa, however, in many cases this tactic was often met with conflict between local systems of governance and economic policies.
Another key element in his report is his inclusion of notes on the slow process toward emancipation, largely due to an overall economic dependence on enslaved labor. Within Zanzibar and in Pemba, many farms and plantations relied on slave labor for a while in their economic practice and trade, which caused much resistance against the transition to wage labor systems. The agricultural system relied on enslaved peoples, which was a key factor at the pace at which enslaved people sought emancipation and revealed the economic obstacles to abolition. A specific instance in the text is when Hardinge notes that within the peak of the agricultural seasons, applications for freedom decreased significantly, a sign of the exploitation of enslaved labor despite legal reforms. This example shows how economic practices took precedence and held power against policymaking.
Hardinge also highlights the significance of social and religious norms in the shaping of resistance and emancipation. Within Zanzibar and Pemba, there was a strong Muslim population, as a result, many Muslim elites owned plantations that relied on slave labor and created many problems for the movement for emancipation. Hardinge contrasts their reluctance with examples from other countries, specifically Egypt and India, places that so similar obstacles when trying to make colonial reforms. His emphasis on the steady adoption of European legal and social norms such as marriage and civil courts illustrates to aims of local courts and institutions to align with the colonial’s objectives. This correspondence also reveals further implications of emancipation for labor systems in East Africa. The inclusion of a descriptive analysis of labor contracts as a replacement for slavery highlights the persistence of economic systems that continued to exploit African workers. Similarly, Egypt and India are used again as examples of colonial tendencies to replicate systems of servitude under the guise of reform. Sir Arthur Hardinge’s correspondence highlights the complications surrounding the abolition of slavery in East Africa under colonial rule. The transition from enslaved labor to labor contracts along with the transition of power from local leaders to colonial authorities contributed to economic and social reforms illustrating the many obstacles and limitations of colonial reforms. Hardinge’s report highlights the significance of the legal abolition of slavery while also including the many challenges of transforming this entrenched system.
McMahon, Elisabeth. Slavery and Emancipation in Islamic East Africa : From Honor to Respectability. First paperback edition. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Print.
Getz, Trevor R, and Liz Clarke. Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History. Oxford University Press, 2024.
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