Much study and documentation has been done on the Western movement of slaves from Africa that began in the 16th century and forcibly brought millions of Africans across the perilous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. But this wasn't the only slave route that existed ruthlessly taking African's from their homes to foreign lands.
There was also a much older, but far less know, trade-route east that took African slaves across the Indian Ocean, between the first and 20th century, to the countries that line the peripheries of the Indian Ocean.
Beginning with the Arabs, the trade was continued by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, who depended on slave labour to continue their colonial expansion and even to help fight against the countries they were trying to maintain control over.
The abolition of slavery began in the 19th century led by the British, who's headquarters in Mumbai, India, sent out anti-slavery ships to intercept the incoming slave-boats. As a result thousands of boats were intercepted and slaves living on the continent were slowly released over time as deals were made between the Sultan's of Oman who controlled much of the trade and their customers, the powerful and the wealthy of South Asia. Whilst some returned to Africa many stayed, unable to return, forming communities that still exist to this day.
Out of all the communities that survive to this day in South Asia, the Afro-Sri Lankans remain the smallest in size and the one furthest east. Brought by a succession of colonial powers beginning with the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British, despite arriving as slaves, later generations were given certain privileges on Sri Lanka due to their close association to the colonial ruler. Many were trained as soldiers and even held government and administrative jobs within the British controlled Sri Lankan government.
Yet ironically, even with their origins as slaves the departure of the British in 1948 saw the beginning of the end for the Afro-Sri Lankan community. As a wave of Nationalism swept the country they were targeted and as a result were often ignored and excluded from the positions that many had previously obtained. In their own words "We were pushed back down" and they became a downtrodden community, subject to discrimination and lacking any opportunities.
As a result some saw their children as having a better chance in life if they inter-married with local Sinhalese and now the population can now never recover because of it.
But within these small isolated communities live individuals that still maintain and enforce a sense of pride and dignity amongst their declining community. In 2012 they forming the Ceylon African Society and actively preserve their traditional music and dance known as Kaffrinha, which is still sung in Sri Lankan Creole language and is an important source of income for them.
In 2013, I found The Sidi Project. This long-term project looks to document the African Diaspora communities around the Indian. I have spent time with the communities in India and Pakistan and in January 2017 I visited the Afro-Sri Lankans of Puttalam. There are two main communities both living on opposite parts of the island in Puttalam on the west coast and Trincomalee on the east coast. During Sri Lanka's long Civil war they were cut off from each other.
Despite historical records account to the first African slaves arriving on the island with the Portuguese, the Afro-Sri Lankans believe that their existence on the Island can be traced back precisely to 1817, a time when the British took full administrative control. As a result 2017, more specifically in September, they will celebrate their 200-year existence on the Island. The event will see the small, separated pockets of communities coming together to meet for the first time in decades. Whilst the event is a celebration it will also feel like a final farewell. With a population of a few hundred remaining it is extremely unlikely that they will be around to celebrate their 300th year.
I want to continue my documentary by visiting the communities again during this historically important time. The horrors of the slave-trade must never be forgotten and with this last small community we have an opportunity to remind people of those horrors again and the long-reaching effect such a trade had globally.
