Indians in Tanzania


Indian Tanzanians constitute a significant minority within the demographic landscape of Tanzania, over 60,000 Tanzanian citizens of Indian descent reside in the country. Many among them are wealthy traders and entrepreneurs, and despite forming only 0.2% of the population, they are considered by the Hindu Council of Tanzania to have disproportionate ownership of Tanzanian companies. Indians also have a long history in Tanzania, starting with the arrival of Gujarati traders, and they gradually came to control the trade in Zanzibar. Several buildings from that period still stand in Stone Town, the primary trading center on the island.

History

Indian merchant and artisan community settlements are attested in both archaeological and literary sources. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Indian craftsmen utilized tube drawing technology to produce glass beads in Zanzibar. Trade between Malindi and Bengal is also attested during the Early Middle Ages. When Vasco da Gama landed on the East African Coast, he had encountered Indians residing in Kilwa Kisiwani, Mombasa and Mozambique.

Notable people