Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 198 African Colonization (Part 1)

The vast African continent attracts countless adventurers to explore, and behind them are more or less government support. The productivity of this continent is unimaginable.

"We've finally circled this body of water; it's a huge lake. Bigger than any lake in Iran."

Khalid and Hassanzad summarized their exploration on the lake shore. They led a team of 20 people to the lake and, with the help of locals, explored the area around the lake by boat.

The northeastern part of the lake has many villages and a dense population. They make their living by herding and fishing, and have not yet formed a complete national organization. Most exist in tribal or city-state form, and trading with surrounding settlements is the greatest distance they have traveled.

The situation was different in the west, where several kingdoms existed, the most powerful of which was a kingdom called Buganda, whose army was also quite formidable. The expedition team traded their goods for ivory with Buganda and then returned safely.

“In the name of Allah, this lake shall be named Lake Naser al-Din,” Hassanzad suddenly said. This proposal was met with approval from everyone.

Naming places after monarchs is very common, and Iran is now following suit internationally, for example, with its expansion in Africa.

After colonizing Somalia, Iran began its southward expansion to colonize "no man's lands." In 1854, just as the Crimean War was drawing to a close, Iran established the African Association to handle a range of affairs in Africa.

During their southward colonization, they encountered local tribes, most of whom made their living by herding cattle. The more cattle one owned, the wealthier one became.

After the Iranians arrived, they began trading with the tribe, purchasing large quantities of cattle. What started as a peaceful transaction became so large that the tribe eventually refused to sell any more cattle. This violated free trade, so 150 Iranian soldiers opened fire on the tribe, forcing them to continue selling cattle to them.

This "fair" trade couldn't last long. The local tribes could only leave with the grain and other small commodities they had traded, because they had already sold their land to Iran.

The Shah's greatest mercy was to spare their lives and freedom. He had no intention of assimilating them; he simply wanted to expel them and leave their fate to fate.

Last year, Iran issued a land decree that clearly stipulates: "All public land currently controlled by the Shah or controlled by the Shah's protectorates, as well as all land already occupied by the Shah or soon to be occupied by His Majesty the Shah, in accordance with the land possession law, belongs to the Shah's territory."

Meanwhile, according to government Decree No. 15, immigrants going to Africa only need to swear allegiance to the Shah and pay 20 riyals to obtain a 100-acre plot of land in Africa. After cultivating the land continuously for five years, they can obtain the right to cultivate it. This has led some Iranian farmers in remote mountainous areas and Arabs in the desert to sign up and receive financial support from the government.

Another approach involved developing the local area through franchised companies or the influence of the nobility. Newly established African agricultural companies acquired vast tracts of land to cultivate coffee and wheat. Some Black people became local laborers, working more for half the wages of ordinary Iranians. Iranian royalty also acquired considerable land. One of the Shah's uncles owned 4455 acres of land and 1200 Black slaves. Due to the needs of Iran's domestic textile industry and the people, cotton and tobacco cultivation expanded rapidly. The profits from agriculture further fueled their expansion.

Driven by Iran's policies encouraging immigration, the number of immigrants to Kenya engaged in plantation farming is steadily increasing. Currently, there are 3236 Iranians residing in Somalia and southern Kenya.

Due to the expansion of controlled territory, the Governor-General of Somalia was renamed the Governor-General of East Africa. Two departments, military and civil, were established to assist the Governor-General in handling colonial affairs. The civil department comprised five sub-departments: agriculture, industry and commerce, trade, internal affairs, and transportation. This demonstrates Iran's emphasis on the economic sphere.

Unlike the Saigon colony, African colonies required long-term investment to show economic benefits. Government investment alone was insufficient, so the colonial governments turned to the Arabs in East Africa.

Besides the Arabs in Zanzibar, there were also large numbers of Arab merchants and herders from Somalia to the south. For centuries they had engaged in the slave trade, amassing considerable wealth. Now, due to the obstruction of Britain, the moral guardian, they had turned to short-distance trade and a nomadic lifestyle.

Iran's actions made them rich again. Leveraging their local expertise, they worked as guides and mercenaries. The large influx of expelled Black people also fueled their involvement in the inland slave trade, selling Black people to the interior in exchange for goods needed elsewhere, thus earning a fortune.

In the course of trade with Iran, some people became agents working specifically for Iran. Among them were some Black Arabs, but Iran still treated them as Arabs.

The funds they had became an important source of income for the development of the colony. These people felt that Zanzibar could not protect their interests, so they approached Iran, offering to undertake part of the colony's construction needs in exchange for their protection.

This expedition to Lake Naser al-Din was also sponsored by the association and Arab businessmen. The expedition team's assessment concluded that hastily annexing the area would likely lead to a major war. Due to the large population, highly organized society, and the inability of the area to adapt to the rainforest environment, it was deemed best to include it within the protected area.

Britain was the best colonial teacher, and its divide-and-rule strategy is worth learning from for Iran. However, while accepting the other side's policies, it is also necessary to retain one's own characteristics, namely the integration of economy, assimilation, and religion.

Iran's policies are more aligned with those of the French, and the government genuinely governs the colony as if it were the mainland. However, it requires a large influx of immigrants to replenish the population, much like the statehood process in the United States, where a certain population threshold must be reached before joining.

As for immigration, Iran welcomes people from all backgrounds, except for Black people, whether Asian, European, or American. As long as you convert to Shia Islam or have your faith recognized by the Shah, you become an Iranian citizen. This is quite attractive and has drawn a large influx of labor from Africa.

The colonies had a significant positive impact on Iran's domestic economy, with large quantities of raw materials being shipped in and then exported as goods. Those who invested locally also made considerable profits. Iran's current focus is on economic development, so colonization seems inevitable. The extent to which it's carried out depends on the government's actions.

(End of this chapter)