The Messages Behind Carved Swahili Doors: Field Report on Pre-Dissertation Research in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ghana
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Abstract
For the powerful merchants who established control along the Swahili coast of East Africa in the nineteenth century, doors held great meaning. Especially prevalent in the Stone Town district of Zanzibar are extant examples of massive, elaborately carved wooden doors that adorned the front entrances of grand buildings. These facades stood as direct messages of power, wealth, heritage, security, religious beliefs, and more. They delineated space in a myriad of ways. Who was the audience for their messages, what visual propaganda was at play, and how might this inform our understanding of cultural exchange and communications in the region today?
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