This is the
quiet season. The long monsoon rains pour down. It does not
rain the whole day every day, but you will have to remain
indoors for some time when they come down. If you are on a
budget trip, then this is the best time in terms of price
unfortunately. Many resorts are closed though during this
period, so you will have a smaller selection of places to
stay.
ZANZIBAR ENCHANTING CULTURAL HERITAGE.
As with
the history of the people, so comes their culture. From
origins dating back to the first century AD, the people are
diverse and interesting. One of the most remarkable features
is the friendliness and hospitality shown by many of the
locals.
The majority of the people are of Bantu origin with many Arab
strains found throughout the island. They are not as tribal as
may be found in Kenya or South Africa. This is due to a policy
introduced by the Tanzanian Government in the late 1960's of
relocating and breaking up tribes. The intention of the
government was to prevent tribal warfare, as was seen in
Kenya. Whilst this policy is today the main contributor of the
prevailing peace within the country, it did lead to a
disruption and lack of skills on Zanzibar, causing the current
poverty.
The island
of origin of the locals pretty much determines what tribe they
belong to. The Waunguja would emanate from Unguja Island, with
Wapemba tribe from Pemba Island and Watumbatu from Tumbato
Island. There is a tribal rivalry between the Waunguja and
Wapemba, but this is more political. The majority of citizens
on Pemba Island support the majority opposition party, whilst
the citizens on Unguja support the ruling CCM Party. All the
political hype surrounding Zanzibar is as a result of this.
Religion
forms a major part of the Zanzibar culture. If you are staying
in Stone Town you will hear the calls for prayer from the
local mosque.
The most common religion
followed is Muslim. 95% of the population follow the laws of
Islam, this dating back to the original Arab settlers. The
remaining mix is a combination of Hindu and Christian. A large
Hindu population existed on the island, but many of them fled
the country, or were killed during the revolution in 1963. The
Christians came later during the period of Portuguese rule and
British Colonialism. Swahili is the most spoken language on
the island and is the official language of Tanzania. It is
derived from Kiswahili, which was a language formed by the
intermarriages between Arabs, Omanis, Persians and the
Zanzibar Bantu's.
The Zanzibaris speak the
most pure form of Swahili. Kenyans and mainland Tanzanians
will always remark on your Swahili if you learned it from a
Zanzibarian. English is spoken by most of the islanders, and
many have a working knowledge of Italian and Arabic.
