Black Indians: Africans of India and Pakistan!

Posted in Rastas by Don Jaide on September 30, 2006.

African Indians

Compared to the fate of Africans of the Americas, the history of Africans in India is still largely unknown to the west.

There are small communities like Jambur scattered along India’s west coast. They are the home to the descendants of Africans who arrived on theIndian continent thousands of years ago. Many of them travelled there as mercenaries, merchants and sailors.

Sea trade between east and southern Africa, and Gujarat in India was established more than 2,000 years ago.

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Many of India’s kings and princes recruited Africans as their ministers, personal bodyguards, and musicians. In some parts of India and Pakistan Sidis even rose to be powerful generals or kings themselves.

BBC: In pictures: India’s African Communities



2 Responses “Black Indians: Africans of India and Pakistan!”

  1. bladeboxe replied:

    Hye,
    I’m an african and i would like what is exactly the situation of black people there in India…just give the thruth.
    thanks
    bladeboxe

    May 22nd, 2007 at 7:58 am. Permalink.

  2. taru replied:

    i was just reading about Africans in India. check out a book called “African Elites in India - Habshi Amarat” by Kenneth X Robbins & John McLoad. Inda had links with Africa long before Europens arrived on the scene. some africans came as traders, merchants, or mercenary soldiers. others came as slaves. though it appears to me that this sort of slvery cannot be compared ti european trans atlantic slavery like in America. More like internal slavery within africa and the arab world, slaves were not regarded as lesser human beings and in many cases rose to prominent positions of power. In india up until independence two kindoms (Janjira and Sachin) were run by african dynasties. Its a pity how little we actually know of our history. In many ways India was a more global and less bigotted place few hundred years ago

    June 9th, 2007 at 10:16 pm. Permalink.

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