"Meet Cathy who's lived most everywhere, from Zanzibar to Berkeley Square”
-from the theme from the Patty Duke Show, an American television program from the 1960s
“Bismillah, will you let him go.”- from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It is used as a rebel chant for Zanzibar’s movement for independence from Tanzania.
To me, the name Zanzibar has always evoked the exotic and mysterious. The reality is perhaps a little less of both, but nonetheless intriguing. Part of Tanzania, it is separated from the mainland by a channel only 22 miles wide. It is only six degrees south of the equator, and you know it walking around—it is hot and humid.
Zanzibar’s claims to Western fame are diverse. Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke used it as their base in searching for the source of the Nile. It’s where Stanley began his search for Livingstone, and where Livingstone set out on his final journey. It was home to a markedly ugly history in the slave trade and is the place where Freddie Mercury of Queen was born. It is one of the places on earth laying claim to the name “the Spice Islands” (Zanzibar is the name of the entire archipelago, though the main island is what is usually referred to by the name.)
Over the years, spices became important to the island’s economy, but changed its ecology. Its forests were all cut down to make way for spice plantations. It was a loss not just of the protective forests, but to one of the mainstays of the island: carving. There are a number of skilled Swahili artisans on Zanzibar, best known for their intricately carved doors. There’s more than 500 such doors in Stone Town (Zanzibar’s capital), many older than the houses they are on. But today they must bring the wood over from the mainland.
An effort to revive forestation came in the form of Jozani Forest, which consists primarily of red mahogany trees brought in from elsewhere, as well as a large swamp of mangroves. We spent a morning walking through this lovely forest, and visiting the mangrove area. The Jozani Forest is home to the rare red colobus monkeys, who managed to put on quite a little show for us. Several had babies in arms, which were darling to watch. I was a bit startled when one brushed past me on his way to meet some friends.
The enthusiasm we saw in Kenya for America’s President-Elect was equaled if not exceeded in Zanzibar. “Yes, we can” is a popular phrase, and we saw a number of Obama posters and bumper stickers around the island, including on what has become known as the “Obama Tree” in downtown Stone Town.
Heat, humidity and a bit of travel fatigue limited my ambition in Zanzibar, but I’d have liked to spend more time there. It seemed an intriguing place, with more to see than I got to see. One thing I loved about it is its lack of slickness. Like a number of the ports this ship has visited, Zanzibar has not quite developed its tourist trade, so you feel more that you are in a place than that you are part of an industry. That genuineness is part of the charm. I only wish I’d had more energy to experience more of it.
It will be a while before my next entry. We have three days at sea, followed by three days of safari and two days in Cape Town after that.
-from the theme from the Patty Duke Show, an American television program from the 1960s
“Bismillah, will you let him go.”- from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It is used as a rebel chant for Zanzibar’s movement for independence from Tanzania.
To me, the name Zanzibar has always evoked the exotic and mysterious. The reality is perhaps a little less of both, but nonetheless intriguing. Part of Tanzania, it is separated from the mainland by a channel only 22 miles wide. It is only six degrees south of the equator, and you know it walking around—it is hot and humid.
Zanzibar’s claims to Western fame are diverse. Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke used it as their base in searching for the source of the Nile. It’s where Stanley began his search for Livingstone, and where Livingstone set out on his final journey. It was home to a markedly ugly history in the slave trade and is the place where Freddie Mercury of Queen was born. It is one of the places on earth laying claim to the name “the Spice Islands” (Zanzibar is the name of the entire archipelago, though the main island is what is usually referred to by the name.)
Over the years, spices became important to the island’s economy, but changed its ecology. Its forests were all cut down to make way for spice plantations. It was a loss not just of the protective forests, but to one of the mainstays of the island: carving. There are a number of skilled Swahili artisans on Zanzibar, best known for their intricately carved doors. There’s more than 500 such doors in Stone Town (Zanzibar’s capital), many older than the houses they are on. But today they must bring the wood over from the mainland.
An effort to revive forestation came in the form of Jozani Forest, which consists primarily of red mahogany trees brought in from elsewhere, as well as a large swamp of mangroves. We spent a morning walking through this lovely forest, and visiting the mangrove area. The Jozani Forest is home to the rare red colobus monkeys, who managed to put on quite a little show for us. Several had babies in arms, which were darling to watch. I was a bit startled when one brushed past me on his way to meet some friends.
The enthusiasm we saw in Kenya for America’s President-Elect was equaled if not exceeded in Zanzibar. “Yes, we can” is a popular phrase, and we saw a number of Obama posters and bumper stickers around the island, including on what has become known as the “Obama Tree” in downtown Stone Town.
Heat, humidity and a bit of travel fatigue limited my ambition in Zanzibar, but I’d have liked to spend more time there. It seemed an intriguing place, with more to see than I got to see. One thing I loved about it is its lack of slickness. Like a number of the ports this ship has visited, Zanzibar has not quite developed its tourist trade, so you feel more that you are in a place than that you are part of an industry. That genuineness is part of the charm. I only wish I’d had more energy to experience more of it.
It will be a while before my next entry. We have three days at sea, followed by three days of safari and two days in Cape Town after that.
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