Cafres
Cafres or Kafs, are people in
Use of the term
Like the Sri Lanka Kaffirs, the name Cafres is derived from the Arabic word for infidels, kafir, which in East Africa came to mean Bantu-speaking Black people specifically.
In Réunion, contrary to other countries or regions of the south-west of the
The term is also used in the phrase 'fête des Cafres'. This is one of the names given to the annual celebration of the
Origins
The ancestors of the Cafres were enslaved Africans.[1] Brought from mainland Africa and Madagascar to work the sugar plantations; these were the first slaves to be introduced to the Mascarene Islands. The slaves came from Mozambique, Guinea, Senegal and Madagascar.[2] Most trace their roots to Madagascar and East Africa (Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia) although some descended from runaways from European pirate ships.[citation needed]
Religion
The Cafres are mostly Christian.[1] Due to the loose definition of the term, the rising number of second generation Muslim Comorians and Mahorians are also considered Cafres.
References
- ^ a b c
Medea, Laurent (2002). "Creolisation and Globalisation in a Neo-Colonial Context: the Case of Réunion". Social Identities. 8 (1): 125–141. S2CID 145370724.
- ^ ISSN 1021-9013, retrieved 2008-11-01
- ^
Mayoka, Paul (1997). L'image du Cafre. Saint-Denis: Publications Hibiscus. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-2-912266-00-2.
- ISBN 978-2-84129-240-0. Archived from the originalon 2009-07-09.
- ^ "Nourritures" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ^
Esther, Martine. Les Damnés des tropiques. Editions Publibook. p. 105. ISBN 978-2-7483-4222-2. Retrieved 2009-12-18.