They sound like wildly exotic places, don't they?
You probably know that Timbuktu is in the middle of the Sahara Desert, Casablanca is in NW Africa, but do you know the location of Zanzibar?
Zanzibar (Unguja in Swahili) is a small island lying 35 Kms off the North coast of Tanzania, Kenya's southern neighbour. It is six degrees south of the equator. This is the wet season, although we have been here 4 days and it hasn't rained seriously since the day we arrived. It is constantly around 30 degrees and doesn't seem to cool down much at night. The humidity is very high, so walking around saps a lot of energy. For us, a 3pm coldie refers to our second shower of the day!
Zanzibar is about 90 Kms long and 40 Kms wide. It is a sand island, surrounded by azure water and coral reefs. We drove to its highest point today - 103 metres above sea level. The colour of the Indian Ocean around the island is simply stunning. Combine this with tall coconut palms and lush, green undergrowth and it is truly a tropical paradise.
The people are a mixture of Persians, Arabs, Indians and mainland Africans. 90% of the population is Muslim. In 1840, the Sultan of Oman moved his capital to Zanzibar. Really, the Arab influence is the dominant one. Architecture is quite Middle Eastern, as is the dress code.
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| Commerce stops for the midday prayers. |
The Arab slave and ivory trade made Zanzibar famous (and wealthy). Slaves bound for the Middle East and Asia often departed from the island. The slaves were captured in Central Africa, walked to the coast, put on a boat and re-sold upon arrival in Zanzibar. There is a slave market in the centre of town that is reputedly the last place in the world where slaves (on a large scale) were bought and sold. It is now within the grounds of an Anglican Church, and there is a memorial to the many poor souls who became human cattle.
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| Holding cell at the 'slave market' |
England also staked a claim in Zanzibar. On a brighter note for British Imperialism, the Royal Navy was influential in outlawing the slave trade, but only after the sultan's palace was bombarded by English gun ships.
When Britain had control in the late 1800's, the famous explorers Burton &Speke, Livingston and Stanley all started their trips to darkest Africa from Zanzibar. After his death, Livingston's body was brought back to Zanzibar for sea transport to England. Most of these explorers were interested in the centre of the African continent, and more particularly, the source of the Nile.
Slave owners made a fortune and built large mansions. The quality of the carved door was a symbol of their success. Over 200 of these doors still remain around the city.
When slavery ended (officially anyway), the sultan promoted the growing of spices, particularly cloves. There was a growing demand in Europe of this and other spices. Indian and Dutch traders brought other exotic spices; including turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and cardamom. These are still grown and are of very high quality. A "must-do" on Zanzibar is to visit a spice farm.
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| Open air seafood BBQ - watch out for flies and salmonella! |
The economy still depends on spices, however tourism is increasing in importance. Large scale tourism will probably eventually destroy the culture. Fortunately, at the moment, there are no fast food chains, no supermarkets, no shopping malls. Darajani Markets (along a major road) has thousands of stalls along the road and also down narrow alleyways. This seems to be where the locals shop and the tourists come to observe.
In general, there are many souvenir shops and shopkeepers who don't mind following you down the street to try and impress you with their wares. As part of Tanzania there are African carvings, soapstone curios, clothing, linen and cotton cloth, hand-bags, Maasai beaded jewellery, as well as indian-style beachwear. Prices are cheap, but not as cheap as mainland Africa.
Ironically, the early explorers obtained food by providing Africans with beads and cloth. These days the trade has reversed. We buy the beads and cloth which allows the locals to buy their food!/
We are staying in Stone Town. This is a section of Zanzibar City that is very old. The buildings are rendered stone and usually 3-4 storeys high. The lanes between most of the buildings are too narrow for cars. Motor bikes toot up and down, but mostly pedestrian traffic dominates. The buildings are Middle Eastern in design and most first floor space is used for small shops (many tourist shops), cafes and hotels. Stone Town's buildings are over 300 years old. The whole area is listed as a World Heritage Site. It's a guess, but it probably covers 2-3 square kilometres.
Zanzibar seems cleaner than Kenya - there isn't rubbish scattered all over the place. This does deteriorate slightly as you venture into the rural villages. Sellers are more aggressive in Zanzibar, with the tourist price starting at about 300% of the local price. You need to bargain and be prepared to walk away. Also, many more people smoke in Zanzibar and it seems acceptable for them to do so in cafes. Very few people smoke in Kenya, which we greatly enjoy.
However, there is also a lot of poverty. Immigrants from mainland Tanzania complain about the high price of living compared to back home. This is due to the tourist industry and the cost of obtaining goods by boat. Also, many roads and buildings are in serious need of repair / sprucing up. The outside of cafes, shops and buildings look quite shabby but inside they are lovely, designed and decorated with a strong Arab flavour.
So, is Zanzibar worth a visit? Yes, especially if you are already in East Africa. The beaches, coral and spices are world class. The history is fascinating although the historical sites are run-down and not well-managed. The people are friendly and most speak English. We were told that the Muslims are very tolerant and there is no conflict between them and the Christians.
Accommodation is plentiful and quite affordable. We stayed at the Stone Town Cafe B&B which is fantastic. The part-owner is an expat Australian. Lovely room with en-suite and A/C, wonderful breakfast, close to shops, even a Barclays ATM 50 metres away (most places do not accept credit card). The staff will organise day tours for you and all the commission they receive goes to charity. The cafe downstairs is open from 8am to 10pm and the prices are very reasonable.
Look forward to more details on Zanzibar as our explorations unfold.
P.S. Freddie Mercury (Queen) grew up on Zanzibar.
Greg & Des.
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