🇺🇸
/əˈker.ɪz/
🇺🇸
/əˈker.ɪz/
🇬🇧
/əˈkɛr.ɪz/
🇬🇧
/əˈkɛr.ɪz/
Plural
askaris
Askaris are indigenous soldiers who served in European colonial armies in Africa—especially under German, British, and Portuguese rule—often as locally recruited, trained, and commanded infantry. Think of them as the backbone of colonial military operations in East and Central Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, like the famed Schutztruppe askaris in German East Africa.
During World War I, thousands of askaris fought alongside German officers in East Africa.
The British relied heavily on askaris to maintain order across their East African territories.
Historians now emphasize the agency and complex loyalties of askaris, rather than portraying them merely as colonial tools.
A memorial in Dar es Salaam honors the bravery and sacrifice of Tanzanian askaris in colonial conflicts.
The novel draws on oral histories of askaris who survived the brutal East African campaign of 1914–1918.
ʿaskar
Comes from Arabic 'ʿaskar' (عَسْكَر), meaning 'army' or 'military force'. It entered Swahili and colonial English via East African military history. The root conveys organized armed service, often in colonial or regional contexts. Examples include 'askari', 'askarial', 'askarism', and related terms in Urdu ('askari') and Turkish ('asker'). Core meaning: 'organized military unit or personnel'.