Zanzibar

Some background information for those interested - others skip to the photos.

Abbreviated history: It is assumed that the first inhabitants were fishermen who crossed from the African mainland during the first millennium BC. The monsoons that blow across the Indian Ocean allowed contact between Persia, Arabia, India, and the coast of east Africa (including the islands of Zanzibar) for over 2000 years. They sailed south on the northeast monsoon between November and February, carrying beads, cloth, and Chinese porcelain; then, between March and September when the winds changed direction, they returned north with tortoiseshell, ebony, ivory, and timber. The Arab traders called the East African coast 'Zinj el Barr' meaning 'land of the black people', from where the modern name Zanzibar is derived; alternatively the Arabs may also have derived the name from Zayn za'l barr, meaning 'Fair is this land'. Zanzibar remained the name of the whole coast, including the islands of Unguja and Pemba (which together make up the present-day state of Zanzibar), until the late 15th century.

The first European arrivals were Portuguese looking for a trade route to India, establishing a trading post in Zanzibar at the end of the 15th century. At the end of the 17th century the Portuguese were ousted by the Omani Arabs, and it was during this time that Zanzibar became a major slaving center. One of Oman's chief exports was dates, and the expansion of date plantations resulted in the import of African slaves since the rules of Islam forbade the enslavement of Muslims. It is estimated that there were about 5000 African slaves in Oman at the beginning of the 18th century, with about 500 new slaves arriving each year. Once the slave trade was abolished within the British Empire in 1807, followed shortly thereafter by laws against slave trading in the U.S. (1808), France and Germany, slaves were used in Zanzibar to work on newly established clove plantations.

The Omani sultan moved his court here in 1840 and the island became an Arab state and an important center of trade and politics in the region. Many European explorers, including Livingstone and Stanley, began their expeditions here during the second half of the 19th century. Zanzibar was a British protectorate from 1890 until 1963, when the state gained independence. In 1964, the sultan and the government were overthrown in a revolution; in that same year, Zanzibar and the newly independent country of Tanganyika combined to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

 

Sunday was Election Day so we were advised to stay around the lodge. The poster above is the opposition party's presidential candidate, and as we have traveled across Tanzania the past two weeks we have heard various political viewpoints - some advocating for change, others supportive of the ruling party, and some who thought it really wouldn't change much for people's day to day lives. There is concern that there will be some unrest so we are following the cautious advice of the lodge's manager and sticking close by.

Several of us went on a snorkeling tour, going out on a small boat in the bay to see beautiful coral and other sea life. It has been really fun to watch the activity at low tide as villagers forage for shellfish, octopus, and other sea creatures that are an important part of the diet here.

 

 

 

The lodge is next to the village of Kizimkazi and we went on a three hour walking tour in the afternoon. It was led by Rashid who works at the lodge, and was a unique opportunity to learn about life in a small village on Zanzibar.

A beautiful waterfront in the village - beautiful white sand beaches, boats in the water and nets getting readied for fishing.

 

Rashid standing in front of a coral wall as he explained building techniques used in Kizimkazi.

Rashid asked that we only take pictures of adults with their permission, but let us know that the village kids loved to have their pictures taken.

Several women sitting outside on a concrete bench (typically part of houses here) asked us to take the little boy's picture above.

We then engaged with the women who graciously allowed us to photograph them.

Colorful clothing is the norm here. The woman below came out of the house as she heard our exchange, took several minutes to arrange her scarf as she posed for us.

 

The kids really did love to be photographed and then crowded around to see the result, usually resulting in much laugh.

 

 

 

Rashid has fathered children with 3 wives (we didn't ask to determine whether concurrently or consecutively), ranging in age from his youngest above to his eldest in his late 40's. Rashid's family compound included his house and at least eight others for his siblings and other family members.

We visited with his family in his house. Above, on the left is a nephew who asked us many questions with Rashid's encouragement (an opportunity to practice his English, we presumed) posing with one of his sons.

We went through a neighborhood where there was a large play area with many kids playing, under the watchful eyes of women lounging on the concrete benches, getting some relief from the heat.

Our last stop was a demonstration of how rope is made from coconut shells - first put in the ocean for a long time, with the thin strands then taken from the shells and twisted into rope.

The walk through the village with Rashid was very informative and we all felt privileged to have had the opportunity to spend three hours with him learning about the life of the villagers. It was also sobering to realize that this is a relatively prosperous village on Zanzibar with its access to the ocean.

 

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