Pemba Island

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As I arrive on Pemba Island, I am greeted by the Persians who have recently migrated from places such as Lamu and Shungwaya. They examined my nice clothing, as I have begun to dress in fine silk cloth since I have become a merchant. During my trading voyages, foreigners began bartering with me for my goods and clothing which I had obtained throughout my trade. However, as a Waswahili, it was difficult to complete trade with currency because my coins are minted from silver and copper whereas these Persians use the Fatimid dinar currency, so we eventually traded a piece of cloth for some porcelain. On the other hand, my coins had extensive value throughout the city-states. I began to use these coins to purchase many forms of Swahili art. We, the Swahili people, valued arts very significantly and used geometric shapes in our art instead of recognizable objects. As I walked through the town near the port, I bring these pieces of art with me and enjoyed spreading our Swahili culture, while in return the other merchants I interacted with shared many ideas of their cultures with me. I am running out of paper so I will check back in the next few days once I reach Lamu Island.

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