Swahili Queen’s letters among documents surveyed at Goa archives, India’s oldest
In the 18th century, Mfalme Fatima, the queen of the state of Kilwa on an island off the East African coast in present-day Tanzania, wrote a series of letters to Mwinyi Juma, a Swahili spy in Mombasa (Kenya) working for the Portuguese. The correspondence coincided with political upheaval involving the Swahili, Omanis, and the Portuguese. The Omanis challenged the Portuguese control of the region, which lasted from the 16th to the 18th century. In 1595, Portuguese colonialists established the Goa archives department. Fatima’s letters, which relate to a key phase of East African history, are among the over 31,000 documents and manuscripts at the Goa State Archives, India’s oldest, surveyed as part of the Goa Manuscript Mission. Goa archives director Balaji Shenvy said they launched their survey around three months ago and have since surveyed over 31,000 manuscripts and items with the help of the Goa State Library, the Goa State Museum, and the Goa University. He added that the documents include Fatima’s letters, believed to be the earliest written records of the Swahili language …
