"Côte Est d'Afrique, commerce des esclaves à Zanzibar" (East Coast of Africa, Slave Trade in Zanzibar), 19th century This 19th-century engraving, titled Côte Est d'Afrique, commerce des esclaves à Zanzibar, captures the grim reality of the Zanzibar slave market, which served as the primary commercial hub for the East African slave trade. Strategically linking the labor demands of Indian Ocean plantations with African regional rulers, the Sultanate of Zanzibar oversaw a market defined by the dehumanizing "negotiations" and physical inspections depicted in the scene, where enslaved individuals were often examined for health and vitality before being auctioned. Attributed to the engraver Lechard and the artist Hemy, and featured in mid-19th-century publications such as Voyage autour du monde, the illustration documents the diverse participants of this trade, including Arab merchants and European observers. Although the trade was officially abolished in Zanzibar in 1873—with the institution itself ending in 1897—the historical weight of this site remains today, as the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral in Stone Town now stands on the former market’s grounds as a permanent memorial. DIMENSIONS: Plate: 3.5 x 5 inches; sheet: 6 x 9 inches $100-150
