December 2011
Charter & Travel
  • Zanzibar
  • 1 December 2011

  • By Charmaine de Villiers

  • When landing at the small Abeid Karume Airport in Zanzibar Town do not straight away head for your hotel or resort - take time to explore - on foot -, the winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and markets of Stone Town. With its less than romantic sounding name it is the cultural heart of Zanzibar, a town that has seen little change over the past 200 years where many of the buildings are former grand Arab houses whose original owners vied with each other over the extravagance of their dwellings.

    Our early morning arrival deposited us straight into a sweltering, humid heat that had us diving into the air-conditioned bus which was to take our group to the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ built on the site of the old Slave Market following its closure by Sultan Barghash in 1873. Missionaries bought the site and built the church with freed slaves helping in its construction. Near the building is St. Monica's Hostel which was built in 1890 above the slave chambers. Only two are still accessible. Before venturing into cave-like chambers take a few minutes to imagine the terror and helplessness of the men, women and children who were forced through a hole in the roof into the small rooms below. Seventy- five women and children in an area perhaps 7sqm with a roof so low that it barely skimmed their heads. Bodies piled on top of each other - minimal food and water - the only air entering through a single tiny window 2 feet high and 4 inches wide - suffocating, starving and chained together as if they were the dregs of humanity. The men's 'accommodation' was even smaller with 50 bodies crammed in. All slaves would have to spend 3 days in those cramped and horrible conditions to separate the weak from the strong. Many weak died in those chambers as the slaves were given barely enough food and water to survive. Without hope for the future, those who survived would be subjected to further pain and degradation before going on auction to the highest bidder. The channels in the middle were used as bathrooms and the chambers were connected to the ocean by a small tunnel.

    Standing on the steep steps leading below ground my breathing became shallow and I could feel the horror emanating from below, cries of desperation seemed to float in the almost stagnant air. This was to be the most heartbreaking and saddest part of our short stay on this island also commonly known as Spice Island for cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper that are produced here.

    In 1822, the Omani Arabs signed the Moresby treaty which amongst other things, made it illegal for them to sell slaves to Christian powers. So that this agreement could be monitored, the United States and Great Britain established diplomatic relations with Zanzibar, and sent Consuls to the islands. However, the slaving restrictions were largely ignored, and the trade continued to kill and imprison countless Africans. Caravans started out from Bagamoyo (the name means 'lay down your heart' because it was here that slaves would abandon hope of freedom) on the mainland coast, travelling as much as 1,000 miles on foot as far as Lake Tanganyika, buying slaves from local rulers on the way, or, more cheaply, simply capturing them. The slaves were chained together and used to carried ivory back to Bagamoyo. Those who survived the long trek from the interior were crammed into dhows bound for Zanzibar, and paraded for sale like cattle in the Slave Market.

    All of the main racial groups were involved in the slave trade in some way or other. Europeans used slaves in their plantations in the Indian Ocean islands, Arabs were the main traders, and African rulers sold prisoners taken in battle. Being sold into slavery was not a prisoner's worst fate - if a prolonged conflict led to a glut, the Doe tribe north of Bagamoyo had the rather gruesome habit of eating 'excess supplies'.

    Although legally abolished in 1873 the trade continued, particularly on the mainland, existing openly until Britain took over the mainland following their defeat of the Germans in the First World War. Many former slaves found that their conditions had hardly changed - they were now simply employed as labourers at very low wage rates in the spice plantations. A stone sculpture of five slaves in a pit, tied with original iron shackles and chains, is a testament to the terrible practise of slavery.

    A walking - and walking- and walking tour!

    From here we began a walking tour that was to take several hours, starting with the fish and meat markets where the cloying, overpowering smell of thousands of dead fish and meat sent several of us scurrying for fresh air. Once I got used to the fishiness it was fascinting to see the many types of fish from small Romans to moray eel and even shark. What was a true eye opener was the fruit and vegetable market where produce seemed to have been grown with the help of steroids - rugby ball sized egg plants, huge baby marrow and potatoes to name but a few examples were a dime a dozen. Used to the rather prim and proper sized vegetables back home I would have loved to fill a shopping basket with the market wares. This is a great place to visit even if you don't want to buy anything. It is a vibrant place where everything under the sun is bought and sold. Produce is brought here from all over the island, and other people come to buy things they can't get in their own villages.

    Leaving the market behind we made our way through narrow, winding streets where the only traffic is motorcycles - used as taxi's - and the occasional bicycle. In these crowded streets people walk but there is no pushing or shoving. The people of Zanzibar are extremely polite and gentle. An occasional toot from a bike wanting to pass was bliss to ears that had been severely assaulted by the constant hooting and screaming of loud radios coming out of taxi's roaring around the roads of Johannesburg or any other city down south. Many of the building are in bad condition and paint is not considered essential on this impovished island but many of the houses were built in the 19th century when Zanzibar was one of the most important trading centres in the Indian Ocean region. The coraline rock of Zanzibar was a good building material, but it is also easily eroded, as is evident by the large number of houses that are in a bad state of repair. Many have huge beautifully carved wooden doors embedded with brass studs and Arabic script carved into the surrounded door posts.

    Wandering through old Stone Town there's a junction of narrow streets they call Joe's Corner. There's a bit of an open space there often used for meetings - political or otherwise - or you can just park on one of the stone steps and relax with a cup of coffee or simply watch people go by - which is what I did. There is even communication - a telephone stuck up on a pole with what seemed to be the appropriate wires but whether or not you could phone home is debatable. Amazingly, even in this community meeting place, the streets are clean and this is something that strikes me in east African countries. A complete contrast to South Africa where litter is meant to be thrown in the streets and pavements. This same phenomena was evident in Dar Es Salaam as very little litter or rubbish can be seen lying around. Not squeaky, eat off the floor clean, but oh, not to see papers, tins and bottles just thrown around!

    Small shops abound and in general the prices are very good but bargaining with the shop owners will nearly always result in lower prices. As in most small towns there were a number of hawkers, some extremely persistent but always with a smile. Zanzibar is a poor area, poverty is evident everywhere but its people are almost without exception polite, friendly and helpful. Swahili is their natural language but most speak a certain amount of English. Tourists to Stone Town must remember that although it seems almost surreal in places, this is very much a real community where people live and work and as some 90% of the community is Muslim, sensitivity in dress and language is important.

    We had an extremely good lunch at a small restaurant near the harbour before going off to the House of Wonders. a very large square-shaped building, with several stories, surrounded by tiers of pillars and balconies, and topped by a large clock tower. It was built in 1883 as a ceremonial palace for Sultan Barghash and was the first in Zanzibar to have electric light and an electric lift. Not surprisingly, when it was built, the local people called it Beit el Ajaib, meaning the House of Wonders. Today, it is still one of the largest buildings in Zanzibar. The Arab Fort is situated next to the House of Wonders and was built between 1698 and 1701 by the Busaidi group of Omani Arabs. It is a large building with high, dark brown walls. topped by castellated battlements. The fort is open to visitors and now contains various shops and an open air theatre.

    By now it was mid afternoon and we were drained between the long hours at OR Tambo, the flight and then the wonderful walk through Stone Town. We were more than ready to board the air-conditioned bus that would take us out of town and down the coast to our home-from-home for the next two days - The Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa located on the east coast of the Zanzibar Island, in an area known as Kiwengwa.

    Bluebay Beach Resort and Spa

    Situated 45 minutes away from Stone Town, Bluebay Resort is a beautiful 30-acre site with its bedroom cottages located on rising ground overlooking verdant gardens, the public areas, the pool, the more than 1,000 beautiful palm trees, the sparkling white beach and the azure seas of the Indian Ocean beyond with only a low wall separating the lush gardens from the beach. A Masai 'guard of honour' greeted us on our late afternoon arrival and after a welcome cocktail drink and quick check-in we were shown to our rooms with just enough time for a short rest and freshen up before dinner - a superb affair with tables arranged around the pool. Lamps provided subdued lighting and with the coconut trees keeping a lofty watch over everyone it was a perfect evening.

    We had nominal duties to perform the next morning but mostly we had time to explore, rest if we wanted, take advantage of the large pool or while away the hours on the beach. A dhow (a traditional boat made from wood shaped similar to a catamaran) race was to take place in the afternoon and I was keeping a watchful eye on the clouds which were appearing. With humidity levels to rival that of Durban in mid-December rain would be a welcome relief but I was not sure about being out on the ocean during a storm in what to me seemed to be a boat not much bigger than a canoe with sails. The rain when it came, was without the flash and drama of a Highveld storm - someone upstairs had just tilted a giant watering can and when it was empty the rain stopped. It was decided to go ahead with the race and we divided up into teams of four with two local oarsmen providing the sailing expertise. Yells of encouragement, and more yells as waves splashed over us - then the rain came back with a vengeance. In minutes we were soaked through to the skin but it was a welcome relief and did not deter our team from putting in loads of effort to stay as close behind the leading dhow as possible. It was a tremendous experience to be out on the open seas in a small boat, definitely the highlight of the trip with only one small regret in that cameras had to be left on the shore unless they were waterproof.

    That evening we had another excellent dinner at the Sultan Sands Resorts, sister hotel to Bluebay and situated right next door. Starting off with cocktails on the beach before indulging in a seafood buffet all the while being serenading by a local band that produced some excellent music that was ideal for the setting.

    Accommodation at Bluebay

    All rooms have truly enormous beds, air-conditioners, bar-fridge, TV, telephones, hair dryers, coffee and tea facilities, wall safe, verandahs and smoke detectors.

    The hotel also provides a business centre with internet and fax facilities.

    Dar Es Salaam

    Saturday morning was an early one as we were leaving this historic island, back to Dar Es Salaam where a city tour had been arranged before our late afternoon flight back to Johannesburg. The largest and richest city in Tanzania, Dar as it is known to residents and visitors alike, is a bustling place with large industries, traffic jams, overloaded taxi's, and the small daladala taxi's which are the most popular form of transport as they are cheap and zippy.

    We were hosted for lunch by the Dar Es Salaam Southern Sun Hotel before leaving for the Julius Nyerere International Airport and the flight back to Johannesburg. It had been a short, busy and tiring trip but what a truly great experience. Stone Town must rate as one of the most historic, interesting and tragic towns in Africa, although its history of slavery, its Arabian heritage and Muslim culture combine to make it a very romantic town, The sights we had seen are just a few on offer in this unique setting. A few more that are well worth a visit are:

    • Livingstone's House - built around 1860 for Sultan Majid. It was used by many of the missionaries and explorers as a starting point. Most notably, Dr David Livingstone lived here before commencing his last journey to the mainland interior.
    • The Peace Memorial Museum is an interesting look at Zanzibar's history. It has sections on archaeology, early trade, slavery, palaces, mosques, sultans, explorers (includes Dr Livingstone's medical chest), missionaries, colonial administrators, traditional crafts and household items, stamps, coins, fishing, and clove cultivation.
    • The Palace Museum is a large white building with castellated battlements, and was built in the late 1890's for members of the Sultan's family. Originally called the Sultan's Palace, in 1911 it became the official residence of the Sultan of Zanzibar, but following the revolution in 1964, it was renamed the Peoples' Palace. In 1994, the palace was turned into a museum dedicated to the history of Zanzibar's Sultans which necessitated a third change of name to the Palace Museum. For the first time, visitors can see much of the Sultans' furniture and other possessions that survived the revolution.