Page 1 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 03
March 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 937
INDIA’S TIES WITH AFRICA IN PRE-INDEPENDENCE ERA
Toshi Anand
Assistant Professor
J.D.V.M.P.G.College, Kanpur, U.P
One of the most significant contact between India and the African continent which was to
become historic and landmark achievement for India’s relations with Africa in general and
South Africa in particular was the visit of India’s Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi to South
Africa and his remarkable stay there . The first permanent political organization to maintain the
rights of the Indians in S. Africa was formed due to efforts o Mahatma Gandhi on August 22,
1894 as the Natal Indian Congress. Gandhi returned to India in 1901 after serving as the leader of
the Indian corps of stretcher bearers on the side of the British forces in South African War. In
1902 he returned to South Africa and in 1903 founded ‘the Indian Opinion’ newspaper. The
newspaper promoted passive resistance campaign. Gandhi was instrumental in opening of
Phoenix self help settlement scheme near Durban. The British Indian Association (BIA) was
launched by Gandhi to prevent proposed evictions of Indians in Transvaal under British
leadership. Arthur Lawley, the then Lt. Governor remarked that the whites were to be protected
against Indians in a struggle between East and West for the inheritance of the semi vacant
territories of S. Africa’ as quoted by him. In 1913, Gandhi initiated a new campaign in Natal to
protest against the 3 pound tax imposed on ex-indentured Indians. Thambi Naidu the leader of
the Johannesburg based Tamil benefit Society wanted to gain support of the working classes and
the mobilization of merchants there. Gandhi was arrested along with other leaders like P. K.
Naidoo but later released. The contribution of Mahatma Gandhi in awakening the people of S.
Africa is unparallel. Many leaders in Africa implemented non-violent strategies in their struggle
for independence like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, opafemi Awolowo of Nigeria, Julius Nyrere
of Tanzania and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.
India and Africa are two shore Neighbors and it was this geographical proximity and navigable
Indian Ocean that had made the people of the two regions known to each other. The idea of
Page 2 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 03
March 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 938
Afro-Asian emergence itself was a sign of emerging new relations between Indian and Africa.
Nehru’s visit to Brussel Congress of February 1927 had provided an opportunity to Jawaharlal
Nehru to meet many African delegates. Nehru, the architect of India’s foreign policy had a
personal commitment to Afro-Asian resurgence. When India became independent just one month
later on in September 1947. He said on a broadcast to nation that, “We believe that peace and
freedom are indivisible and denial of freedom must endanger elsewhere and lead to conflict and
war. We are particularly interested in emancipation of colonial and dependent countries and
peoples and in recognition of theory and practice of equal opportunity for al races.”
The experience of discrimination of Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa had left an abiding
influence in identification of the Indians with the freedom loving peoples of Africa. The
divergence of views between Nkrumah and Nehru and passing of leadership of India, to Egypt
after Cairo conference of (1957) contributed to it. From its own experience of colonialism in
India, it considered its own freedom struggle to be part of a worldwide movement against
colonialism and imperialism. The moral support and ideological identification with the cause of
African Liberation movement, against colonial and racial segregation, had always been a part of
India policy towards Africa. However as freedom can’t be attained just by this alone, african
nationalist expected, more than this from India and others.
The independence of India itself was perceived as a threat to European possessions in Africa.
Naturally the infant nation state of India was under direct and indirect pressure of colonial
powers during the early years of independence. India’s approach towards colonial powers in
Africa, to some extent was shaped by the above considerations and the relative position they hold
in these considerations. Secondly the attitude of India in 50s towards African liberation
movements had been to certain extent, based on its own recent experience and approach for
Indian freedom struggle. Indian ideological and moral commitment to African Liberation was
absolute but it had its reservation. On strategy for it’s, under its own experience, like that of non- violent path, and that determined its responses to various paths of liberation struggle in Africa.
Thirdly, the relative importance which Africa had for Indian in pursuit of its own legitimate and
enlightened national interests and imperatives, internal as well as external, despite its total
Page 3 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 03
March 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 939
commitment to Africa from racial and colonial situation , is equally important to understand the
change in dimensions and intensity of Indian role for African liberation struggles.
PRESENCE OF INDIAN DIASPORA IN AFRICA:
Sandwiched between the ruling white and the numerous indigenous Blacks, the emerging socio- political and economic situation of the Indians was a delicate one in the various countries of
East-Africa to which they had migrated. Accordingly, Indian political leaders consistently
followed the policy of advising them to integrate themselves in their newly adopted homelands,
so as to be accepted completely by the native population. For his part, Jawaharlal Nehru never
tired of advising them to become nationals of their countries of permanent domicile and to make
common cause with the indigenous people. As early as 1900, the first step was taken in Asian
Political activity by the formation of the Mombasa Indian Association on the initiative of L.M.
Sayle. He was joined in this enterprise by three of the wealthiest Indian businessmen in East
Africa Allidina Visram and the brothers Alibhoy and Tayabali Jeevanjee. The year 1914 saw the
establishment in Mombasa, of the Eat African Indian National congress with branches in the two
other countries.
In Tanzania under the wise leadership of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who was determined to build
a harmonious multi racial society. With his conviction that ujamaa or ‘family hood’ must be the
basis o0f his philosophy of African socialism, like Mandela he denounced all forms of racial
discrimination. He had already nominated Asian leaders like the Hon. A.Y.A. Karimjee and
Amir Jamal to important official positions soon after becoming Prime Minister of independent
Tanganyika in December 1961. By the early 1960s, the British colonies o Tanganyika, Kenya
and Uganda finally gained their Independence; there were over 360,000 ‘Asians’ in East Africa.
Today, the Indian Diaspora in East Africa does not even touch a figure of 230,000 of them; a
hundred thousand persons are to be found in Kenya, not more than 80 to 85 thousand in
Tanzania, and barely 12 to 14 thousand in Uganda. It is remarkable that the PIOs of Kenya have
been able to overcome the challenges of Africanization by diversifying from their former,
