Chapter 142: The Economy of Slavery
In August, in the Mbeya mining area, the indigenous people were forced into labor using wooden shackles that bound their feet. They were tasked with clearing weeds and gravel from the ground while carrying hoes. This work was not particularly efficient, but the East African overseers were not concerned about productivity. They set daily quotas for the indigenous laborers, and failure to meet these quotas resulted in punishments such as lashings and reduced meals.
Efficiency was not the primary concern; rather, it was about maintaining a consistent quantity of labor. Indigenous laborers were assigned various tasks, including plowing soil, bricklaying, ditch digging, tree cutting, and more. These were skills that could be learned quickly.
In the Mbeya mining area, where the population was scarce, a large number of indigenous laborers were essential for coal production. The Mbeya Coal Mine employed over 3,000 indigenous laborers, although they were officially classified as laborers, they effectively functioned as slaves.
East Africa had transitioned from a society where indigenous tribes engaged in trade with Arabs using slaves as commodities, including for sacrifices and rations, to one where slaves were used for production and construction. Slaves had evolved from being commodities to becoming tools for production.
While the number of black slaves in East Africa was decreasing, the region was transitioning from a primitive society to a slave society as a result of the establishment of the East African colony. This transformation involved a shift from tribes of the Eastern Bantu people to a more organized slave society.
The difference lay in the use of slaves. Before the establishment of the East African colony, indigenous tribes in East Africa traded slaves with Arabs for various purposes. However, the colony transformed slaves from commodities to production tools.
East African immigrants hailed from feudal societies and had not been exposed to liberal ideas, ensuring a smooth transition into a short feudal era. Regardless of the stage of development, indigenous labor was essential for East Africa's construction and development.
Construction, especially in tropical regions, required a significant workforce, as labor-intensive tasks were unavoidable. The East African plateau was relatively mild, but other tropical areas posed greater challenges. The colonial government recognized the necessity of indigenous labor and sought to address labor shortages.
In the Mbeya mining area, the indigenous laborers were tasked with various jobs that did not require technical expertise and were labor-intensive. This included turning over fields after burning wasteland, where the indigenous people were used as substitutes for animal power.
The natives were unable to complete tasks requiring technical skills, and even seemingly straightforward tasks such as constructing wooden support frames for mine tunnels became challenging for them. The indigenous people appeared impatient and were more inclined to perform hard and physically demanding unskilled labor than engage in any work with technical aspects.
Before falling into the hands of the East African colonies, these indigenous people possessed various skills, including hut weaving, wood carving, weapon crafting, and more. However, upon becoming slaves, these skills seemed to vanish, and they were relegated to performing menial labor.
Agriculture was East Africa's primary industry, and food production played a crucial role in the region's economic success. Indigenous laborers were expected to contribute to agriculture. For instance, they were used as animal power for plowing fields. The work of indigenous people was limited to labor-intensive jobs with low technical content.
Despite being regarded as laborers, these indigenous people essentially served as slaves. They were subjected to harsh working conditions and punishments for failing to meet daily quotas. In the future, East Africa would become more reliant on indigenous labor for various large-scale projects.
The Mbeya coal mine primarily utilized indigenous slave labor, keeping costs low. While the mine required food provisions, it required minimal investment. Many tools were made from local materials, and only some iron tools had to be imported from Europe.
In addition to the Mbeya mining area, East Africa used a large number of slaves in various parts of the colony for construction and production. However, larger projects required the direct involvement of immigrants, as they could not remain idle. Immigrants also participated in military service, including wildlife control and colony expansion.