Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 199 African Colonization (Part Two)

Fahta, located in Kenya, is a newly established and rapidly growing town with a population of over 500, including Iranians and other ethnic groups.

"Thanks to our ancestors, we have settled in a new place. We are living well now, so there is nothing to worry about."

A man was praying for blessings for his family before the ancestral tablets; upon closer inspection, one could see he had a queue (braid) at the back of his head. He was clearly a Qing Dynasty person.

Outside the houses, there were many other people busy at work. Some with skills made small items to sell, while most were selling their labor, either farming or building houses.

"Ah Chun, are you going to work today?"

"Yes, we barely escaped with our lives, so we need to quickly earn money to bring our wife and children here. That way, they won't have to suffer anymore."

The thought of how they got here fills them with gratitude towards Iran.

They were originally kidnapped by foreigners and intended to be sold abroad. There were 150 of them in total. Later, an Iranian saw them, paid for the ship, and transported them here. The Iranian also gave them an arrangement: they signed a contract to work for Iran to pay off their debts.

They've become like pigs, forced to come here to work with Iranians to pay off their debts. However, compared to the discriminatory treatment in the US and Southeast Asia, Iran is relatively lenient towards them. If they want to become Iranian citizens, they must learn Persian and swear allegiance to the Shah.

At first, no one did this because they were all poor and wanted to work to earn money to return home. However, the Qing Dynasty did not recognize their identities; they were all considered traitors and were ignored overseas. In addition, life here was indeed much better than in Qing China, so a few of them diligently studied Persian and successfully joined Iran.

According to government decrees, newly naturalized immigrants do not meet the requirements of land laws; they can only purchase land at market prices, and the maximum purchase is 50 mu (approximately 3.3 hectares). This is already a significant restriction for the Iranian government, but for these Chinese laborers, it was like having a benevolent rule.

A major project has recently been launched in Fahta: the Governor's Office plans to build a railway from Mogadishu to Fahta. If an agreement is reached with the British, it could be extended to Mombasa. The estimated cost is around 400 million riyals, and the project has already been submitted to the government for approval.

To build the railway, the governor's office mobilized three groups: free men, Chinese laborers, and black laborers. Free men received a monthly salary of 10 rials, Chinese laborers received 6 rials, while black laborers received none; they were entirely driven to work.

As soon as the work bell rang, the Chinese laborers began their day's work. Driven by a thirst for money, they wielded their tools with such intensity that smoke billowed out, a sight that amazed the other workers.

When faced with the economic problems of the colony, East African Governor Salah also felt that it was possible to vigorously introduce Chinese laborers, because with their work ethic, it would be impossible not to become wealthy.

"If we want to develop Africa, we need a large labor force. Tehran has too few immigrants, so we may need to bring in a group of Qing Dynasty talents."

In fact, if you look at Africa, you'll see that quite a few Chinese people have already settled there. There are over a thousand Chinese in Mauritius and Reunion, and more than 400 Chinese living in the Cape of Good Hope.

"But the Qing Dynasty still hasn't lifted restrictions on workers going abroad; these are all being transported by British smuggling ships themselves. Moreover, this will face opposition; the missionaries won't tolerate it." The civil official expressed his opinion: although the Chinese laborers are hardworking, their different languages ​​and beliefs make integration difficult. This would likely provoke opposition from conservatives.

“I understand your concerns, but the Shah wants us to expand now. If we wait for the British to come, we will miss our chance.”

In the current context of African colonization, Britain and France haven't yet exerted their full efforts, and Germany and Italy haven't even been established. Now is the best time to enter Africa, as its abundant resources and arable land are exactly what Iran needs.

The Shah envisioned Africa stretching from Somalia to Mozambique in Portugal, encompassing the entire East African coast. But wouldn't that be a bit too greedy? The gentry of London are no pushovers.

Compared to Britain, Portugal, a European country, was hardly worth mentioning. Its preemptive colonial trade, which had been so promising, ended up in such a sorry state. Importantly, Brazil, after independence, never recovered and only had slightly more colonies than Spain.

However, given the current situation, it seems best for Iran to first expand its focus to Lake Naser al-Din. This shouldn't be too difficult at the moment; they just need to improve their agricultural economy.

Mogadishu has been developed into a major port city in East Africa, with a large volume of goods transiting through it. To ensure maritime security, a navy is also deployed to combat piracy. This is the result of Iranian colonization.

“I will report this to the Shah. If we cannot bring in labor, we will not be able to compete with the British.”

The Governor-General couldn't understand why the Shah was so hostile towards Britain, especially in Africa. The inland regions were too dangerous; rainforests, diseases, and unknown animals constantly threatened lives. Yet the Shah demanded they advance southward.

It seems they can still expand southward, but not westward. Unless something can help them cross the rainforest.

Iran's colonial activities affected the Sultanate of Zanzibar. While maritime trade remained unaffected, the pressure on land increased daily. However, Zanzibar was notorious for its weak army, and Iran's growing influence made the Sultan fear being annihilated. Therefore, the Sultan actively pursued diplomacy, strengthening trade ties with the United States, Britain, and other European countries to secure their maritime support.

Clove cultivation has developed rapidly on Zanzibar, making it a major export commodity. Its export value is second only to the combined revenue from the island's traditionally vital ivory and slave trades. Currently, Zanzibar has over 400 million clove trees, covering more than one-sixth of the island's total arable land. It produces half of the world's cloves annually, making it the world's largest clove producer.

However, cloves alone would not attract the protection of various countries, especially since Britain viewed Zanzibar as a bandit state that relied on its geographical location and had been obstructing British trade.

Moreover, Iran has now proven itself in the war to serve as a buffer between Russia and India, and its current value cannot be replaced by the small town of Zanzibar.

Of course, India is currently too preoccupied with other matters. It has relaxed its colonial influence in Africa; those regions are less profitable than India, which can be directly exploited. Africa requires continuous exploration and development, and Britain is paying to enjoy its resources, not to provide handouts.

(End of this chapter)