India is one of the few regions outside Africa where people of African origin rose to positions of political power and influence. From the sultanates of Bijapur and Ahmednagar to the coastal principalities of Janjira and Sachin, members of the African diaspora played significant roles as rulers, military leaders, nobles, and spiritual figures. This session explores these layered histories and their visual and cultural legacies.

Led by noted scholar Kenneth X. Robbins, the talk traces how people of African origin were represented in courtly paintings and early photography. Moving beyond narrow narratives of “otherness,” the session examines how Sidis appear across a wide spectrum of social roles — including rulers, soldiers, scholars, Sufi figures, and cultural intermediaries — offering a more nuanced understanding of African presence in the subcontinent.

The talk will be followed by a live Baithi Dhamaal performance, a devotional Sidi musical tradition rooted in remembrance and spiritual expression. The performance features zikr compositions dedicated to Baba Ghor, the 14th-century Abyssinian merchant and Pir revered within Sidi communities. Through music, rhythm, and oral tradition, the performance brings living memory into dialogue with historical narratives.

Bringing together visual history and embodied cultural practice, the session offers audiences an opportunity to engage with interconnected histories across continents through both scholarship and performance.

About the Speaker:
Kenneth X. Robbins is a collector-scholar specialising in South Asia and the African global diaspora. His work explores South Asian histories, with a focus on African and Jewish communities in the region.

He has authored and edited 18 books and over 160 articles. He is the co-curator of the travelling exhibition Africans in India, presented internationally at venues including the United Nations and UNESCO, and co-editor of African Elites in India.

Drawing from his Afro–South Asian collections, his research spans topics from African rulers in India to Indian Jewish communities in Janjira.

Performers:

Sidi Sabbir Husain Kamar, Sidi Sakir Bhai S., Sidi Afjalbhai, Sidi Naeem Allabaxbhai, Sidi Firozbhai, and Murzan Ismail Sidibadshah.

Artists from the Baba Gr Dargah at Ratanpur, Gujarat

While you’re here, explore KNMA’s ongoing exhibition
TYEB MEHTA Bearing Weight (with the lightness of being)