Mombasa
Mombasa is a city on the eastern coast of Kenya, right next to the Indian Ocean. It’s the second biggest city in the country, Nairobi being the largest. It’s also a very popular tourist destination for those wanting to escape colder climates and enjoy white sandy beaches.
According to Kenyan school books, Old Town Mombasa was populated all the way back in the 10th century. Arab scholars mentioned the city multiple times in texts that have been found from the 12th-14th centuries as well. Regardless of when it was founded, Mombasa is definitely one of the oldest places in sub-Saharan Africa.
Unfortunately, throughout much of its history, the city served as one of the prime ports for the slave trade. This thrived for a long time and slowly came to an end midway through the 19th century. You can still see remnants of the trade throughout the city in the form of shackles. There’s also a bell that remains standing which was used to warn locals of passing slave ships.
Slavery of a different kind still hangs over the city. The peoples of the coastal region around Mombasa are predominantly Muslim, as seen by the many mosques that dot the skyline. There are several missionaries from AIM and other organizations that work in this region to bring the gospel to individuals and people groups that still sit in darkness, waiting for the news of Christ to shine into their hearts and set them free from their bondage to sin. Pray that one day minarets will serve as a reminder of a bygone era of shame, just as those shackles and bell are reminders of a past history that has been replaced with freedom.
