“The Most Remarkable Man among Arabs, Waswahili, and Half-Castes in Africa”: The Image of Tippu Tip in the Memories and Travelogues of Europeans in the Second Half of the 19th Century

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to systemize and represent the references and descriptions of Hamed bin Mohammed al-Murjabi available in written sources. Hamed bin Mohammed, who is better known as Tippu Tip, was a Zanzibar merchant and one of the most influential figures in East and Central Africa in the second half of the 19th century. Corpus of sources are represented by memories and travelogues of the European explorers, colonial officials and missionaries, who personally knew Tippu Tip. The article examines the main features of his image and its evolution from “the most remarkable man among Arabs, Swahili, and Half-Castes” to “a renowned slave trader”, who embodies all evil of the Arab slave trade. The particular attention is paid to the conflict between Tippu Tip and Henry M. Stanley during the infamous Emin Pasha Relief Expedition; it is also considered evidences of Tippu Tip’s participation in raids on the local population of Central Africa in order to capture slaves and ivory.