Background
The town of Lamu was founded in the 14th century, although there were people living on the island long before this. Throughout the years, and as recently as the 1960s, the island has been a popular hide-out for refugees fleeing the mainland.
The original settlement of Lamu was located to the south of the town, and is said to be marked by Hidabu hill. There was also another settlement between the 13th and 15th centuries to the north of the present town. By the 15th century it was a thriving port, one of the many that dotted the coast of East Africa. However, in 1505 it surrendered to the Portuguese, began paying tributes, and for the next 150 years was subservient to them and to the sultanate of the town of Pate on the nearby island, part of the Omani Dynasty that ruled much of the East African coast.
By the end of the 17th century, Lamu had become a republic ruled by a council of elders called the Yumbe, who were in principle responsible to Oman. In fact the Yumbe were largely able to determine their own affairs, and this period has been called Lamu’s Golden Age. It was the period when many of the buildings were constructed and Lamu’s celebrated architectural style evolved. The town became a thriving centre of literature and scholarly study and there were a number of poets who lived here. Arts and crafts flourished and trade expanded. The main products exported through Lamu were mangrove poles, ivory, rhino horn, hippo teeth, shark fins, cowrie shells, coconuts, cotton, mangoes, tamarind, sim sim (oil), charcoal and cashews. Rivalries between the various trading settlements in the region came to a head when Lamu finally defeated Pate in the battle of Shela in 1813. However, after 1840 Lamu found itself dominated by Zanzibar, which had been developed to become the dominant power along the East African coast. At a local level there were factions and splits within the town’s population – in particular rivalries between different clans and other interest groups.
New products were developed for export including bêche de mer (a seafood), mats, bags, turtle shell, leather, rubber and sorghum. Despite this, toward the end of the 19th century Lamu began a slow economic decline as Mombasa and Zanzibar took over in importance as trading centres. The end of the slave trade dealt a blow to Lamu as the production of mangrove poles and grains for export depended on slave labour. Additionally, communications between the interior and Mombasa were infinitely better than those with Lamu, especially after the building of the Uganda Railway.
The airstrip on Manda Island was established in the early 1960s and the first visitors as such were white settlers on day tours who reputedly flew in for the day with packed lunches as there were no hotels. Then, as places to stay started to open their doors in the early 1970s, it became known as an exotic, remote and self-contained destination and began to attract hippies and other non-conformists drawn by its undisturbed traditional culture. Since then budget hotels have become popular with backpackers, and today there are also numerous top-end places to stay and some luxury villas to rent. Some people argue that Lamu’s popularity and increased tourism will ultimately undermine the unique value system and culture of this Swahili settlement. Indeed there is a sign posted for the benefit of tourists at the airport: “Please remember that Lamu is a conservative Muslim town with a heritage of peace and goodwill. This is our home. Please tread gently here for our children are watching. Please respect this, and enjoy the unique atmosphere of our enduring yet fragile culture”. Nevertheless, it cannot be argued that in recent decades the tourist trade has helped improve Lamu’s economic prospects greatly.
