This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
Shimoni Slave Caves: A Dark History and a Tourist Attraction ¶
Located in Shimoni, a sleepy fishing village near the Tanzanian border, the centuries-old slave caves have been transformed into a tourist attraction site, serving as a living testament to the dark days of slavery.
According to local folklore, the caves were initially used by people trying to escape the marauding slave hunters, and later became a sacred site used by Kaya elders for prayers and to offer sacrifices.
During the peak of the slave trade in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the caves were used as a place of confinement for captured slaves before shipment to slave markets in Zanzibar, Pemba in Tanzania, and Oman on the Arabian Peninsula.
Today, the caves are under the management of the Shimoni Slave Cave Management Committee (SSCMC), with technical assistance from the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). The caves are open for tourists and researchers as a memorial to the slave trade era.
Patrick Abungu, a senior curator with the NMK, said that the Shimoni caves are made of natural coral reef that has become dry land over the ages. He emphasized the importance of integrated management of the site by the community, which encourages relevance and proper safeguarding for posterity.
Abungu also pointed out that the Shimoni Slave Caves project is a good example of successful public-community co-management initiatives with tangible benefits and empowerment. The project has also led to the establishment of several community initiatives, including sponsoring bright poor students, buying drugs for local dispensaries, and paying salaries for school and madrassa teachers.
The caves are a significant part of the heritage landscape, which includes slave history, a shrine, unique rock structure, four species of bats, and indigenous forest inhabited with birds and rare Colobus monkeys.
As the Kenya Ports Authority prepares to construct a Sh500 million fishing port in Shimoni, there are concerns about the potential impact on the heritage sites around the area. NMK has called for a heritage impact assessment to be carried out before the project commences.
