par Clélia Coret

Nairobi, IFRA Nairobi, Mambo!, Volume X n°1, janvier 2012, 5 p.

This article dwells on the history of Witu, a sultanate founded in the 19th century on the mainland by the Swahili from Pate (an island and city-state on the Lamu archipelago in Kenya) which has been forgotten by the historiography, even though the region in general has been extensively studied by historians and archaeologists. However, studying the Witu sultanate also sheds light on issues pertaining to the Swahili coast in general such as plantation economy, runaway slaves, clientelism and resistance to colonial oppression (both European and Arab as the Omani ruled the coast from the first part of the 19th century). Moreover, in order to resist political, economic and social domination, Witu seemed to have been a refuge for the Swahili elite whose power was diminishing. In which way did the Witu sultanate try to bring together people whose views were to fight for the preservation of "Swahili" values and norms?