The Manga or Wamanga Arabs are
Omani Arabs, specifically from the region of
Muscat, who have immigrated to parts of
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
such as
Zanzibar. They are different from the Omanis who already were there since the first
immigration wave, not only because of the time they have spent there, but also because of their level of education and integration, their knowledge of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, their socio-economic status and the length of time they intended to stay (usually, one generation).
Due to their low level in all of these factors in comparison with their predecessors, the Manga Arabs usually only aspire to low-level economic positions unlike their predecessors who became
aristocrats.Some Manga Arabs are small land cultivators, plantation supervisors, caravan managers or small traders.
Etymology
The word is derived from the
Arabic ''munqa'a'' (the sea). The Arabic root, ''naqa'a'', also yields a verb meaning "to soak".
See also
*
Muscat and Oman
*
Omani Empire
References
Arab diaspora in Tanzania
Arab diaspora in Africa
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