Tanzania-Oman Historic Ties: The Past and Present

Abstract

The recent past has witnessed Tanzanian and Omani delegations in discussions aimed to forge closer economic, political, and cultural cooperation. The assumption shaping these developments is that the cooperation will benefit the two countries because of shared history, common blood, and familial ties between them. This article situates this assumption within the context of long history of changing relations between the two countries from the nineteenth century to the present. Through recourse to history, the article reveals the illusion of this assumption by uncovering the role that the Omani traders, as agents of global capitalism, have historically played in the underdevelopment of Tanzania through slave trade, plunder of wildlife resources, and the colonization of Zanzibar. The article proposes that national economic interests should be the primary determinants of Tanzania ' s engagement with Oman, not familial or blood relations. The article also highlights the relevance of History in the correct understanding of diplomatic and strategic relations, like those between Tanzania and Oman.  *Lecturer, University of Dar es Salaam, Email: omasebo@gmail.com/omasebo@udsm.ac.tz