Colonialism and Colonization

Abstract

In the early twentieth century the story of Zainab and oral traditions of zar began to overlap with historical records from the Blue Nile town of Modern (New) Sennar. This period also opens a window into a chapter of Sudanese history about which little is known: that of the Malakiyya colonies. These settlements illustrate the complex relationship between the heritage of military slavery, on the one hand, and the demands of the colonial state on the other, a tension that characterizes the recent history of much of northeastern Africa (Johnson 1989; Leopold 2006; Sikainga 1996). The new colonial administration singled out and promoted certain members of the Black battalions in order to strengthen their support bases in outlying regions, while ensuring a future source of army recruits. At the same time, from the perspective of the families of those ex-soldiers, the patronage of the new colonial government offered a measure of economic and social security undreamed of by former slaves, even though official records of the time make it clear that government motives were far from altruistic and the lives of people like Zainab were certainly not transformed overnight.