Stone Town, Zanzibar

Well, I have many things to blog and have had a heck of a time even finding a computer, much less, one that works...

I will have to post pictures later, this computer doesn't detect the camera hard drive....so just put your reading glasses on and have a drink....

Stone Town is named bc of just that, the buildings are all made of white stone.
Zanzibar is actually two islands, Pemba and Udgana? I think....can't remember the spelling, sorry, already had a Kilimanjaro beer and have alot of info stuffed in my head....

Zanzibar is known for spices and also was the portal to the rest of the world for slave trade. Africans were captured all over Africa and brought to Zanzibar to be shipped overseas to where they were put to work....

There is a long history of Indian and Arab influence here. Africans were the native people who now are the largest population...1 million total people in Zanzibar, (both islands). The land was ruled by Sultans and the word Zanzibar came from a combination of two Arabic words, "Zinj" meaning black and "barr" meaning land, Land of the Blacks..Zanzibar is in the Indian Ocean fyi....

The sultans ruled during the 1800's, Sultans were Arab. The most infamous and influencal Sultan was the third sultan, Said the Great or Seyyid Said bin Sultan. Most of these sultans are from the Busaidi family. This one in particular was the one who introduced cloves to the island as well as the slave trade. My tourist book says that he was the "kindest", but that must be a misprint, profiting from slavery and having 99 concubines is not the definition of "kindest" in my book.

By mid 1800's Zanzibar was the world's leading clove exporter as well as the largest export for slaves. It was reported that 25,000 slaves passed through Zanzibar every year. The most well known slave trader was Tippu Tip who became so rich from slave trading that he was able to afford over thirty concubines and their children in addition to his official wife and her two children.

The strong slaves were chained up by their necks and placed underground in small crawl space type of places. There would be 70 slaves in a room about as big as a VW bus. These people had no food, no water and barely any oxygen, they couldn't go to the bathroom. Many died of suffocation, plus they were chained to each other by their necks. All in a row. It was very eary to tour these spaces, concrete, dirty, dark and quiet.....

One of Said the Great's daughters, Bikhole, she never married. But she did take after her father, she would go to town, buy a slave and use him for about two weeks as her personal sex slave. Pretend she loved him, had her way with him, then ordered the guards to kill him by breaking his neck. Atop every grave a mango tree was placed. I have a fabulous picture of the rows of mango trees. It is said she had more than 200 lovers. Classy lady....She also never gave birth...

The other daughter, Princess Salme is also very interesting. She grew up in the life of luxury as her father being the Sultan. She loved her father dearly and after he died there was alot of claims for the thrown but no sons to claim it. Lots of jealousy, bickering and tension for who was to be named the next Sultan, women of course could not rule. During this time Princess Salme found solace with a German trader, Rudolph Heinrich Ruete. They owned houses across from one another and their eyes fell in love from gazing at each other from their windows. She found she was pregnant and they had not wed yet. She had to flee back to Germany with him in order not to be killed for not laying w/ another Arab. She also changed her religion from Islamic to Christian, also a big no-no. Her husband was killed in a tram accident and she was left w/ 3 children in a foreign country. She pleaded w/ Barghash the sucessor of her father's throne to return home to Zanzibar. Her close brother also died during this period, one family member she remained close to. When she did return to Zanzibar she was ostrisized and reconciliation was unsuccessful. She was broken hearted and drifted from place to place, staying in Syria for a time, then returning to Germany. At 80 yrs of age, she died of pneumonia and was the last survivor of Seyidd Said's children. A bag of sand from the beach at Zanzibar and her wedding dress were found among her possessions. Her gravestone reads "Faithful is his innermost heart is he, who loves his homeland like you."

Tippu Tip--Slave trader. He was actually the grandson of an African slave and the son of a Swahili Arab trader. His facial twitch, causing him to blink, gave him the nickname Tippu Tip "the blinker" after a local bird w/ blinking eyes. He shamelessly exploited the natives, he persuaded them to part w/ precious tusks and pillaged many villages of men, women and children. They were chained together and led in caravans to the coast to be sold. Tippu Tip also acted as an escort for European explorers such as Livingston and Stanley. Ironically, it was Livingston who became an advocate to abolish slave trade. His accounts of the brutality he witnessed against slaves, helped outside forces close the slave market in Zanzibar. He also built a Christian Church in Stone Town. Tippu Tip retired in 1890 and died of Malaria 15 yrs later. Dr. Livinston also died of Malaria, fell in love w/ Africa, had his heart buried in Africa and his body sent back to Holland.

The revolution in Zanzibar from the Sultans ended in mid 1900's. The last Sultan fled to England in 1960 and is still alive today.

The door frames of the homes in the alleys are carved of teak wood. The pictures will really demonstrate this, the doors and door frames acted as business cards. What was carved into the wood was what the family did for a living....a chain or braided looking carving around the door signified slave trade, pineapple showed spice trading etc. The Indian doors had brass pointed door knobs placed in rows on the doors. This was actually to protect the family back in India from attacking elephants. Pointed brass doorknobs sticking out in vertical rows along the door.. Very beautiful.

Khonga or Kanga--this is colorful clothing the women wear, one piece is wrapped around the waist like a skirt, the other piece is draped over the shoulders and head. The colorful patterns are origianlly from Portugues hankerchiefs. But the coolest thing about the Konga is the verbage. Each one has a different message written at the bottom. When shopping for one, the words have more importance than the colors or the patterns. This is a sophisticated form of personal expression and communication. When I was on my tour, a vendor wanted to demonstrate on me how they are worn and explained the meanings. I also have a picture of this, I also bought this Kanga $12 or 12,000 shillings. Since he took time to demonstrate his culture, I was appreciative, my Konga (written in Swahili) says "let them say what they want, I will never leave him"....Muslims of the Islamic religion do not wear wedding rings or symbols of marriage, but they do wear the konga that can make this known and fight off unwanted advances..
Other examples of Konga phrases:
--Don't set sail under someone else's star----meaning everybody has their own destiny.
--A sugarcane is sweetest at it's joint---meaning the hardest things in life are often the best.
--Don't abandon your old rug for a passing mat--meaning to warn a husband that his wandering eye has been noted.
--You will exhaust butcheries, while all meat tastes the same...(same as above)
--The bee fiercly guards it's honey --to warn off rivals of love
--Don't compete, you can never beat me--- "" ""
--You can say what you like, but I have him in my bed---to remind an outspoken mother-in-law of her position in the household
Kangas also used during political times and slogans to support Churchill and also printed slogans to spread the awareness and dangers of Malaria.

Cow heads--at the market, the butcher section, the heads of the cows are displayed. Yes, the actual cut off head from today's kill is on the table. GROSS! But the reason is if a farmer thinks a cow has been stolen, they can come to town and examine the head to see if it's his cow. Then he will have a legal course of action. I also have a picture of this, I smiled and went on my way, but seriously one of the grossest things I have ever seen.

The House of Wonder--is like a museum now, but was the first to have electricity, a lift, running water etc. Also saw the Palace Museum and the Africa House ( a place to have a drink and look at the ocean view)

Today's view on slavery---I had a very candid conversation w/ the italian woman who owns the hotel I stayed in and her fiance, who is African. (this love story at a later entry). We talked about the blacks in the US and the blacks here. In Zanzibar, there seems to be no hard feelings, no chip on their shoulder and acceptance to everyone, even the Arabs, who ran the slave trade. They all say hello and welcome you to Zanzibar. They don't see color. Sadiki, the fiance, said, "when you dwell on the past, you can't develop the future." I explained how some the black attitudes in the states are very different and play the "race card" anytime they can. After living in South Carolina, there is a HUGE HUGE difference between the southern blacks and the western blacks in the states. If I offend you by saying, blacks, suck it up. That is what they are here, black, we are white and that is how they talk here and also what I have heard about South Africa. "PC" isn't a term. No need, they are not offended. Black, white, whatever. We are just people.

I like the deeper meanings this culture has, they have creative ways to express a deeper meaning of life, values and beliefs. My tour guide, Kassim, kept telling me, people are "good from near, but far from good when they are far from you." Finally, I was like Kassim, what in world do you mean?? He coined this phrase and it is his advice for a tourist....some of the locals may seem good and trustworthy when they approach you with their goods or services, but when they leave you, they can charge you twice as much, or exploit you. Ex: I told him I was solicited by a "beach boy" (vendors on the beach) for Ganja. Pot. Of course I said no, actually HELL NO! And told him to get lost. But anyway, Kassim said some of these beach boys will sell it to you, smoke it w/ you, tell the cops, take you to the cops, deny they did it, make you pay, then the beach boy and the cops split the pot.--no punn intended. Therefore, good when near, then far from good when far from you....Or when people are near their homeland, they are better people, then when they leave, they have bad behavior. Like Vegas maybe? Vegas promotes having no conscience, so maybe they are good at home, then away from home they are not good.

Good lessons.....