Manga Arabs

The Manga or Wamanga Arabs are Omani Arabs, specifically from the region of Muscat, who have immigrated to parts of East Africa such as Zanzibar. They are different from the Omanis who already were there since the first immigration wave, not only because of the time they have spent there, but also because of their level of education and integration, their knowledge of Islam, their socio-economic status and the length of time they intended to stay (usually, one generation).[1][2]

Due to their low level in all of these factors in comparison with their predecessors, the Manga Arabs usually only aspire to low-level economic positions unlike their predecessors who became aristocrats. Some Manga Arabs are small land cultivators, plantation supervisors, caravan managers or small traders.[1]

Etymology

The word is derived from the Arabic munqa'a (the sea). The Arabic root, naqa'a, also yields a verb meaning "to soak".[3]

See also

References
  1. Valeri, Marc (2007). "Nation-Building and Communities in Oman since 1970: The Swahili-Speaking Omani in Search of Identity". African Affairs. 106 (424): 479–496. doi:10.1093/afraf/adm020. ISSN 0001-9909. JSTOR 4496464.
  2. Lofchie, Michael F. (1965). Zanzibar: Background to Revolution. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-00008-4. JSTOR j.ctt183q0j7.
  3. Glassman, Jonathon (2011). War of Words, War of Stones: Racial Thought and Violence in Colonial Zanzibar. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-22280-0.


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