Over the centuries, East Africans have greatly distinguished themselves in India as generals, commanders, admirals, architects, prime ministers, and rulers. They have written a story unparalleled in the rest of the world: that of enslaved Africans attaining the pinnacle of military and political authority.
Known as Habshis (Abyssinians) and Sidis, they have left an impressive historical and architectural legacy that attest to their determination, skills, and intellectual, cultural, military and political savvy.
This exhibition, the first of its kind, retraces—in over 100 photographic reproductions of paintings and contemporary photographs—the lives and achievements of a few of the many talented and prominent Sidis of yesterday.
The sixth edition of Point, titled Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers, is based on an exhibition of the same name, curated by Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf and Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins, on view at The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from February through July 2013.
As generals, commanders, admirals, prime ministers, and rulers, East Africans have greatly distinguished themselves over the centuries in India. They have written a story unparalleled in the rest of the world—that of Africans, many of them enslaved, attaining the pinnacle of military and political authority, not only in a foreign country but on another continent.
Curated by Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf and Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins.
For more information on Africans in India, visit the online exhibition The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World.
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