Will there be lego in Africa?: On Stone Town, Antiquity, Bondage, Charity & Decline

We said that Stone Town deserved its own entry into the blog, in part because of its amazing history, but also because it somehow challenges you to think about what you have experienced in a way other places we have visited don’t.

In effect Stone Town is like marmite, you either love it or hate it!

It has such a rich history, exemplified by its architecture, visitors and politics. We can’t hope to do it justice on our blog but if you have time I would like to share with you some of its jewels...both shining and tarnished.

Post its separation from the mainland a few million years ago, the racial makeup of Zanzibari’s has been blurred by the inter-racial mixing of Arab and mainland African immigrants. The Portuguese became the dominant power across East Africa c16 usurping the Arabs who controlled much of the slave trade during this time. Two centuries later the Arabs returned and it was not long before the Busaidi dynasty transferred its capital from Muscat to Zanzibar. By 1832 Zanzibar had become one of the most important trading centres of the Western Indian Ocean, again chief amongst its commodities were slaves. The trade was controlled on the island by the enigmatic Tippu Tip, a king-maker and in essence the chief of slave trade across Africa. It was not unheard of for some of his slave caravans to number over 4,000!

You see what you can see from the sea?

The large Omani coralline fortress and palaces dominated the shoreline of Stone Town by the time many of the western explorers started to adopt Zanzibar as their starting point for exploration in Africa. For example seeking to identify geographic entities such as the source of the Nile. Sir Richard Burton (not the Welsh actor bloke) upon seeing Stone Town from the sea described it thus...‘Earth, sea and sky, all seemed wrapped in a soft repose...under a blaze of sunshine which touched every object with a dull burnish of gold’. Eloquent and poetic, ironically he later wrote how much he detested the placed! (Ah marmite)

David Livingstone, who was in Zanzibar in 1866 preparing for his final exploration was somewhat more honest in a way Scots and Yorkshire men are when he stated...‘The stench arising from a mile and a half...of two square miles of exposed sea beach, which is a general depository of the filth of the town is quite horrible...[I]t might be called Stinkabar rather than Zanzibar’. In fairness to the Livingstone, little has changed along the sea front and although some will describe the smell of Stone Town in terms of the aromatic spices they do little to mask the stench of the fish or meat in the market.

At the time of the great explorers visits Britain had started to carry out anti slavery patrols and by 1873 the exports emanating from Zanzibar ceased. This effectively led to a large reduction of squalor as the slaves, who could be found in many cases roaming the myriad of side streets in search of food, slowly dispersed to find work out on the land.

Around this time Zanzibar became a British Protectorate and, what can only be described as a puppet regime led by the Sultans, maintained power. Britain effectively swapped Helgoland for Zanzibar in a deal conjured up by PM Lord Salisbury and the German Kiaser, as Britain also took control of Kenya and Uganda, Germany maintained dominance over Tanganyika (now mainland Tanzania). The British imported their colonial architecture but, under the influence of the architect John Sinclair, introduced a number of features derived from the Islamic architecture of Istanbul and Morocco.

The House of Wonders...wonder whats in it?

It was during this period of British ‘rule’ that Zanzibar found itself in bother with their ‘protectors’ following a change of Sultan who was not the flavour of the month back in the UK. Hence, August 27^th 1896 saw the shortest recorded war in history. Lasting a mere 38mins (approx) the British Navy bombarded Stone Town almost totally destroying Sultan Braghash’s recently built architectural masterpiece, Beit al-Ajaib (House of Wonders) 1883. It’s colonnaded façade, fretwork and imposing clock tower stood four floors high, and was the first to have running water, electric lights and a lift. Suffice to say the dispute was short lived and England soon had ‘its man’ in place to continue an orderly rule over the locals and maintain Britain’s strategic position. Some 500 men died and the whole of the Omani Navy was sunk during this not so epic battle. This navy domination would have been Trafalgar like had the Omani had more than the one ship!

Puppet rule continued until WW II, following which it was clear Britain had to reduce the commonwealth (no money in the bank...Coalition followed by Labour mmmm!). Although the Arab Omanis maintained power the majority of Zanzibari’s were Shirazi’s, decedents of freed slaves and mainlanders. They despised the rule of the Omanis and the Indian traders who become prominent landowners. By the 1960’s there was a farcical handover of power by the British via a contrived election leading to the majority of the voters not been heard as the constituencies were carved up to suit the Omanis (Zanzibar, England...we know how to do elections!).


Forodhani Gardens...Eden with overtures of Stinkabar!

Revolt was quick to come; January 11^th 1964 heralded the beginning of a bloody and murderous revolution. Led by the self proclaimed Field Marshal Okello, a Ugandan (think precursor to Ide Amin) there was a genocidel stench to how the revolution was handled. For those of you who have come this far I can highly recommend Don Petterson’s book Revolution in Zanzibar, an Americans cold war tale, West View Press (2002). It is believed many thousands perished at the hands of Okello’s henchmen, I was only too happy to read that the incoming Zanzibari government got rid of him and he eventually found his way to Uganda. It was here, it is said, that he came to a sticky end at the hands of Amin!

Revolution led to independence of an African kind and there was a huge strategic battle fought over little Zanzibar by East and West. Eventually Tanganyika took the view that there should be a merger. A Union was formed and following a ‘competition’ the new country was named Tanzania.

Today Stone Town still exhibits many of the buildings created by the rich Omani Sultans and Sinclair, but they are in decay. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has invested millions into the restoration of buildings such as the Old Dispensary and had plans for much more. However, I fear corruption and the clear mismanagement of such charity will mean little money will actually flow into real development.

The Old Customs House...just needs a wash gov!

The buildings described in the ‘guide books’ are little more than ill kept relics of a recent past. Although these texts lavish adjectival embellishment there is a lot to be said for simply being honest about the state of Stone Town. The labyrinth of back streets plays host to the real sights and sounds of Stone Town and is reminiscent of the bazaar towns of North Africa. It's here you will see the real Zanzibari’s simply going about their business rather than the Rastas' who pedal ethnic tat along the main thoroughfare Kenyatta Road.

Wanna buy a door?

Many of the buildings that were the hub of administration, the Old Customs building, Sultans Fortress, Tippo Tip’s house are pretty run down affairs. Although you can peak inside Tippo Tip’s house it is simply a squat for numerous families and bares no resemblance to the structure it once was. However, the door is a typically ornate Zanzibari door. These beautifully put together structures are a mix of many cultures with each element having relevance to spirits and gods. In the 1990’s a survey was carried out by UNESCO, during which they found of the 1500 Stone Town doors in existence from previous records there were now only 300 left; many being dismantled and sold or stolen.

So in essence, it’s a wonderful place to explore, there is much to see for those willing to dig around, but as I said its marmite. Love it or hate it, it will leave you sticky and smelly but if you like that kind of thing you will want to go again I know I do; (Although I hate Marmite!)