Zanzibar: A Journey through A Tropical Paradise
Zanzibar is an island archipelago off the coast of East Africa with a population of approximately between 1.5–2 million, and where the majority of the population are Muslims. The island archipelago forms a part of the East African country of Tanzania. It has a fascinating history that goes back to the time of the Rashidun Caliphate, encounters with imperial powers such as the Portuguese and British during the Age of Exploration followed by the rule of the Omani Sultanate. It also shares a dark history in the African east coast slave trade. A violent revolution swept the island archipelago in the early 1960s that overthrew the last vestiges of foreign rule imposed on the Zanzibari people. Hopes of independence and sovereignty were dashed given the context of the Cold War and the Zanzibari people were forced into a Union with the then nation of Tanganyika on the east coast of Africa, to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (now called Tanzania). Unfortunately, to this day the Zanzibari people face discrimination from the mainland and some yearn for independence.
I visited Zanzibar in 2016 with Qatar Airways by flying from Doha, Qatar via Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and landing at Zanzibar International Airport. This was when I used to work for Qatar Airways Cargo in Doha as an expatriate after I completed my undergraduate studies in Aviation Management from UNSW. In other words, I used to receive 50–90% discounts on tickets! I booked accomodation in the south of Zanzibar for 3 nights. Now, I could detail my experience during my 3 entire day holiday, starting with my visit to Jambiani Forest on the first day, swimming in the sea near Pemba Island on the second (and feasting on seafood that night, before I discovered I’m Hanafi) and ending with a visit to Stone Town with a tour guide on the third day. However, I would rather focus on the rich (and dark) history of the Island, a tropical paradise that was a living Hell for some.
As a side note, one of my biggest regrets was not taking the time to investigate and learn the seafaring and pearl diving traditions of the Qatari people during my time at Qatar. In fact, this seafaring tradition ties in with the history of the Omani people (from which the legend of Sindbad the Sailor originates from) as told in the classical Arabian Nights or The Book of Thousand and One Nights. As you will read shortly, Oman shares a shared history with Zanzibar.
I’ll divide this blog into four sections:
- History
The history of Zanzibar begins with the Bantu Africans from mainland Africa who settled on the Island approximately 3000–4000 thousand years ago. This was followed by the (supposed, since some academics dispute this) immigration of Persians to the Island from the Middle East around the 10th century. Interestingly, during the Abbasid Caliphate between 869–883AD, a rebellion and insurrection arose in Basra (in present day Iraq) and spread across the Abbasid Caliphate, led by a relatively unknown Shia scholar named Ali ibn Muhammed and comprised mostly of Bantu-speaking, enslaved slaves (who had been captured off the east coast of Africa and transported to the Middle East to drain the salt marshes in the south of present day Iraq). The uprising was known as the Zanj Rebellion and some scholars believe it was one of the most vicious uprisings to occur early on in Islamic history (following the passing of Hz. Muhammed SAV).
2. Age of Exploration and the Spice Trade
Long before the Europeans arrived on the Island, a Chinese imperial fleet led by the Muslim admiral and explorer Zheng He (originally named Ma Ho — the Chinese version of Muhammed) arrived on the Island in the early 15th century, as part of the Ming Emperor’s dictate to promote the Ming Chinese Dynasty to the rest of the world. This was followed by the Portuguese who were the first Europeans to arrive on the Island in the beginning of the 16th century and retained control until they were driven out by the Omanis in 1698. From then onwards, Oman and Zanzibar were ruled as a single kingdom by the Omanis. In 1840, Stone Town became the new capital of the Omani Kingdom when Said bin Sultan relocated the palace from Muscat, Oman to the Island. During the 18th and 19th century, Zanzibar grew to become an important hub for the spice and ivory trade.
Interesting Fact: The shortest war in History was fought in Zanzibar between the Zanzibari Omanis and the British Empire in the Anglo-Zanzibar war. It lasted approximately 45 minutes and ended when the Omani Sultan of Zanzibar surrendered following bombardment of Stone Town (the Capital of Zanzibar) by the British Royal Navy.
2. Slavery
The slave trade in East Africa grew in the 17th century. Slave traders ventured deep into the African mainland from the East coast. The slave trade coincided with the growth of the spice trade (especially cloves), much like the transatlantic slave trade was born from the need for labour to work (predominantly) in the Cotton fields in the United States. Slavery was outlawed in 1873 in Zanzibar by decree from Sultan Seyyid Barghash (albeit under pressure from Great Britain). Unfortunately, it would take years (if not decades) to ensure the practice was completely eradicated, given the fact slavery continued in Tanzania (under German rule) until the end of the First World War.
One of the famous slave traders to herald from Zanzibar was Tippu Tip. Tippu Tip was born as Hamad bin Muhammed bin Juma bin Rajab el Murjeb in 1832. A shrewd businessman throughout his life, he was born with both Arab and African ancestry. He would grow to become one of the wealthiest slave and ivory traders in Africa in the 19th century. ‘Tippu Tip’ was a nickname given to him on one of his expeditions to the interior of mainland Africa because of the sound his gun made (‘tiptip’) when fired in a battle encounter with a local African chief and his tribe. Later in his life would be conferred title-ship over the lands between Lake Taganyika and north-eastern Congo by the Sultan of Zanzibar and King Leopold II of Belgium. I visited his grave with a tour guide — if there is one thing I recall vividly was seeing a man urinate next to Tippu Tip’s grave.
Now imagine, you’re now standing outside Christ Church in Stone Town, an Anglican Church built on top of a former slave market, to commemorate the abolishment of slavery on the Island. Underneath the Church were tiny chambers used to house between 50–75 slaves. My tour guide explained to me that slaves (men, women and children) were locked together for 3 days with little or no food as a test to observe which one of them would survive and therefore fetch a higher price at auction. In fact, the slaves were forced to do their toilet in the chambers, where during high tide the ocean waters would sweep away the excrement. As a result, many died in such horrid conditions.
Unfortunately, I came across websites where tourists who had visited the Anglican Church and shared their experiences online, voiced their concern that this is a fabrication with no basis in fact. Why? And why would the tour guide and locals lie? I guess the simple answer is to promote the dark tourism to the Island, since tourism is the largest employer on the Island.
3. The Zanzibar Revolution of 1964
Zanzibar has become a British protectorate in 1890. As a side note, the emirates that make up the current United Arab Emirates (UAE) were, at one point, ruled as British protectorates as a result of protectives treaties that were signed between Great Britain and local Gulf tribes in the 19th century. These were known as the Trucial States. The primary reason for Britain’s interest in the Gulf was because of piracy that harassed British shipping
Zanzibar gained its independence from Great Britain in 1961. From 1961 and onwards, the Sultanate of Zanzibar would be ruled as a Constitutional monarchy under Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah with periodic elections. The majority of the population at that time was Swahili-speaking African, with a significant minority of Arabs and people from the Indian subcontinent. However, the local African population faced continued discrimination (which was especially evident in politics). Given that throughout history the Arabs were traditionally landowners and slave traders who ruled over spice plantations and people from the Indian subcontinent served in administration roles and banking, the local African population resented their second (or third) tier status and shared history with slavery. The two major parties were the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP) and the African Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP).
On the 12th, January 1964 at around 3am, a group of 600–800 poorly armed African insurgents staged an insurgency (and subsequent revolution) across the Island, resulting in the Omani royal family fleeing to the United Kingdom and the creation of the People’s Republic of Zanzibar. What followed was widespread ethnic cleansing and massacres committed by the local Africans towards the local Arabs and Indians. Zanzibar’s newly gained sovereignty would be short-lived — the backdrop of the Cold War would loom over the new Zanzibar Government under President Abeid Karume (with threat of intervention / meddling by Britain and/or United States for supposed communist ties) and force Zanzibar into a union with Tanganyika (under Julius Nyerere) to form the newly created country of Tanzania.
To this day, after nearly 57 years after undergoing a revolution to free themselves from oppression and discrimination, many Zanzibaris still complain of ongoing discrimination, this time from mainland Tanzania and some yearn and actively call for independence.
Zanzibar, an Island of contrasts.
By Atilla Olgun
