Effects of Zanzibar's trade (Seyyid Said) on the people of mainland Tanzania

Sayyid Said's activities did not only affect Zanzibar and the coast but also the interior of East African as shown below:

There was heavy depopulation of East Africa due to slave raids and wars. Many people were captured in the interior and ferried into slavery.

The increased demand for slaves increased slave raiding, warfare, insecurity not only at the coast but also in the interior of East Africa.

Slave raids disrupted families as many villages were set ablaze and tribal wars became more frequent than ever before. People in the interior were detribalized and left homeless.

Some Africans changed their economic way of life- from agriculture, fishing, herding to commerce which seemed be the only profitable activity at the time.

Local craft industries declined as skilled men were enslaved and imported Arab goods flooded the market. The interior people therefore lost their creativity and developed a dependency syndrome.

There was also the growth and development of trading in the interior like Tabora and Ujiji. These developed because of their trade contacts with the coastal Arabs.

New crops were introduced inland. These were foods of Atlantic origin like nee, wheat, sugarcanes and bananas. The interior people started growing these crops.

With time, Islam was introduced and spread in the interior. This was mainly through intermarriages and assimilation.

The mainland of East Africa was linked to the outside world and international market. The lucrative trade that was going on exposed the interior to the outside world especially Arabia and Persia.

Arabic ways of life were also spread inland for example, way of dressing (wearing kanzus, turbans, caps, sandals, long silk dresses and veils), eating (Arabic foods) and architecture (flat topped houses)

Some people like Tippu - Tip, Mirambo, Fundikira and Nyungu ya Mawe were able to build large commercial empires basing on the gains realized from the trade with the costal Arabs.

There were intermarriages between the coastal traders and the interior people. Swahili culture, language and Islam were partly spread inland through these intermarriages.

Some African chiefs became rich out the profits generated from the trade with the coastal people. Such people included Mirambo, Tippu Tip, Fundikira etc.

The Slave trade caravan routes later developed into proper communication lines (roads and railway lines). This later eased European penetration into the interior.

Sayyid Said’s influence was felt far and wide in the interior of East Africa. He gave out his red flag to accompany all trade caravans into the interior.

The Nyamwezi and Yao became major trading partners with the Zanzibaris and this opened up the interior for more traders and a more vibrant trade relationship was established