Space Station Zanzibar
- About 15km east of Stone Town, near the village of Tunguu, lie the rusting remains of an American Satellite Tracking Station. This Station was built in 1960 to track and communicate with the first American manned Space Missions. It functioned first during the early 'Project Mercury' launches when Astronauts were just shot into space in a parabolic arc from Florida to the other side of Africa. - It also lay along the "Earth track" of most of the later Orbital missions and thus was a vital part of the tracking and telemetry net that helped communicate with these space craft.
- The station was forced to close just after the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution.
There is an excellent read: "Rebellion in Zanzibar" by Don Petterson (a US Consulate) very complete}
The new revolutionary government started claiming that the Satellite Telemetry towers would be used to direct missiles towards Zanzibar. {Which was a lie fabricated to place fear in the people}The Station personnel were hurriedly evacuated by a US Navy Destroyer (USS Manley DD940 on which I was part of the crew) stood off Stone Town (Zanzibar City) ensuring that all the American NASA Technicians and their families were allowed to leave unmolested. After sending a Armed party ashore, we were able to evacuate almost a hundred people - NASA Workers and families, plus a few British citizens off the island!
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- Today the site is hard to find but if one turns South, off the road from Stone Town to the East Coast, just before it reaches Tunguu, you will suddenly come upon an unusually straight road that leads to what older locals still call "the American Buildings".
Best preserved of these is the Butler-Aluminum "Maintenance Building", still containing the large diesel generator used to power the Station.
Also nearby is the "Dormitory Building". It was used by the technicians only when an actual mission was in progress. The rest of the time the Americans lived in or near Stone Town with their families and blended in as just one more minority in cosmopolitan Zanzibar.
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- The Zanzibar Revolution
On the night of January 12, 1964 a band of some 300 people violently seized the Island of (Zanzibar)Unguja. They were led by a little known man named John Okello, who had lived on (sister island)Pemba, having come to the Islands some years earlier from Uganda.
In Zanzibar he developed a popular following among a core of young, tough men, many of whom were the Stevedores and Porters who worked the ships coming in and out of Zanzibar Harbor. His group met in secret. He promised changes to these men, fellows long used to working together, in sometimes dangerous settings, and ready to follow orders of any "captain" who could pay their fee. Theirs became a rebellion looking for a home. {Like many places where poor displaced people live and seek more or better living conditions}
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Political unrest had been increasing on Zanzibar and Pemba since the death of Sultan Khalifa in 1960. He had reigned in Zanzibar for almost 50 years, since 1911. After much jockeying for constituencies and coalitions the main political parties had narrowly split the two general elections of 1961 to the satisfaction of none. The British were leaving, their troops, including the last contingent of Irish Guards, stationed near the golf course at the edge of Stone Town, pulled out in early 1963.
When the new Sultan, Jamshid, hoisted the flag of the independent nation of Zanzibar, on December 12, 1963, he marked the departure of the last British Resident, (Governor) of Zanzibar and the end of the Colonial period.
Another election in late 1963 had given a slim majority to a coalition of two political parties, the ZNP (the Zanzibar Nationalist Party) and the ZPPP ( the Zanzibar and Pemba Peoples Party). The ASP (the Afro-Shirazi Party) was to be in the minority in a British style parliamentary system with the Sultan serving as the reigning but not ruling "monarch".
This Island Nation, a full member of the British Commonwealth and a newly enrolled sovereign member of the United Nations was destined to last only 33 days.
Political debates raged and street demonstrations were not uncommon in those days.
* {A personal view from a British citizen on Zanzibar}
I remember bicycling to school through crowds chanting the names of political leaders and traveling in the country past road-blocks manned by British soldiers. The various factions debated everything; rights versus privileges, new-comers versus old established families, Capitalism vs Socialism, merchants vs landowners, Zanzibari's vs Pemban's, Asians vs Arabs, Swahili's vs Mainlanders, and all this against the backdrop of the Cold War and the other nationalistic and de-colonial movements abounding in Africa at that time.
John Okello didn't have answers to these thorny issues, but he did have the insight to realize that all of these competing interests presented an opportunity for a man of action like himself. After all, a few hundred determined men might be able to seize the few local centers of communication and the three police barracks.
Once he had those under his control and possessed the weapons stored there, who on the islands could throw him out?
Would the politicians join together to denounce and oppose his illegal actions?
Or as he hoped, would they continue to distrust each other, to suspect that one or another of themselves must have put him up to it?
Would not they want to make a deal with him, quick, before someone else did? On that January night he rolled the dice.
The ASP Party leaders, though surprised by Okellos' actions, (many were not even on the Island at the time) moved quickly to embrace the rebels. Hundreds of party followers were wiped into a frenzy by those eager to seize this opportunity to cut the Gordian knot of democratic debate and go straight to the prize of Ruling. They sought to gain the chance to remake society in accordance with their own ideals. Ideals were a dime a dozen in those days. Humanity was to become a much more costly item.
Having seen just how vulnerable a government could be, and not trusting their own mixed record in open elections, it was clear to some ASP leaders that drastic measures were warranted to secure the survival of what was now being called "The Revolution".
The mobs were unleashed. Law and order disappeared from the streets of Zanzibar. Landowners and merchants were dragged from their houses and shops, looting and killing spread throughout Stone Town. The City literally Sacked itself.
Arabs and Asians, who had supported the other Parties in large numbers, were killed indiscriminately. In a single night uncounted lives were lost and over the next few days thousands more fled the Islands with only what they could carry.
The populations of Zanzibar & Pemba;was 250,000 Africans; 50,000 Arabs; 20,000 Asians & 500 Europeans (mainly British)
John Okello established for himself the rank of "Field Marshall" and, with his mob-battalions, established a reign of terror on the Islands. He broadcast bizarre threats and promises of death to all who might oppose him.
He believed he was touched by God and demonstrated an eccentric attachment to symbolic numbers. For example on January 13, 1964, he broadcast the following messages: "The government is now run by us....should you be stubborn and disobey orders I will take measures 88 times stronger than at present." and, "If anyone fails to comply... and locks himself in a house, as others have done...I have no alternative but to use heavy weapons. We, the army have the strength of 99,000."
His threats and his ability to act on them, panicked citizens, especially minority groups of all types. On January 14, 1964 he broadcast these chilling words. "Here is the Field Marshall of Zanzibar and Pemba....I am thinking of going to Mtendeni (village) to destroy it if the people there do not obey orders. After 40 minutes I am coming to finish you off, especially the Comorians". And "To all Arab youths living in Malindi; I will pass through Malindi armed with weapons of which I alone know. I want to see everyone stripped to his underpants and laying down. I want to hear them singing...father of Africans. God bless him in his task and that of the Field Marshall."
*** The Mass Graves of Zanzibar
- The number of Zanzibari killed outright in the revolution has never been clear. Estimates range upward to 20,000.
What is clear however is that the casualties among the Para-military police and the Revolutionary militia were in the minority. The Field Marshal himself reports that he received a casualty report at 3:30 PM, on the 13th, after the Sultan had fled and all organized government forces had been defeated. He writes that in his victories at Ziwani, his total casualties for both the storming of the armory and the beating off of the government counterattack were 2 killed and 18 wounded. The losses among the Sultans' soldiers in these 2 battles, which were about two hours apart, were 49 killed and 81 wounded.
- In the seizing all other government strong-points that morning, additional casualties occurred. However, the total of these losses “in the field”, including Ziwani, were only 9 Killed and 173 wounded among the militia, and 70 killed, and 401 wounded among the government troops. Another 818 police and Para-military soldiers surrendered during or after these battles. This grand total 653 killed and wounded among all combatants, on both sides, pales in relation to the thousands more that perished in the aftermath of these struggles.
- There was no apparent advance planning on what to do with the losers if the rebellion actually succeeded. The leaders had no plan and the undisciplined elements in the revolutionary “ranks” seemed driven only by exuberance, greed and fear. Looting started immediately. but fear of counterattacks and reprisals seems to have been the most dominate emotion in the next two days. These fears lead some individuals to engage in acts of great barbarity.
- Unfortunately, the Field Marshall seems to have been one of the barbarians. He not only took part personally in some of the more extreme atrocities he also continued to use the radio broadcasting facilities to encourage bloodthirsty acts by his followers.
- Most of the larger Households in Zanzibar at the time would include a display of weapons, including old rifles with hand carved and inlaid elements which were handed down from one generation to another. The country estates of the leading citizens would also usually include retainers who occasionally could be armed to serve as guards or escorts. These traditional practices, and the fact that many city dwellers fled to their cousins in the country when the fighting began near Stone Town, became a catalyst for slaughter. Humanity on the Island was shaken by a microcosm of ethnic cleansing unlike anything seen on the Coast before.
- Here is an extract from the Field Marshall’s writings describing one typical incident.
- “War is a horrible undertaking and the result is always heavy destruction. Nothing showed this more than the surprising battle on the 12th at Bumbwini in the North, an area where many rich Arabs lived. This was a center for making and storing arms, which the Arabs planned to use in their slaughter of Africans; indeed, they had planned to launch this attack on January 13th. I had learned of this through a young boy who was about to be executed by soldiers; the men had already killed more than 40 people in the area and I was fortunate to arrive there just as they were about to shoot the boy.
- When I interrogated him he admitted that fire-arms and ammunition were stored within the area and the Arabs had planned soon to use them; he also told me that many of the people killed by my soldiers had not been residents in the houses where they were found. This news of conspiracy confirmed other information I had received earlier and I became enraged. I ordered my soldiers to fire in all directions and kill whatever came before them - men, women, children, disabled persons even chickens and goats.”
- The death toll from the systematic reduction of the large plantation houses and the other attacks on any gathering of perceived 'enemies' was horrendous. The pattern repeated over and over again was one of loyalists barricading themselves inside large houses with a few weapons while being surrounded by unruly mobs. The revolutionary militiamen would race from one such site to another in commandeered vehicles and upon arrival use their hundreds of newly acquired automatic rifles to blast the houses into submission.
- The Field Marshall said of these ‘battles’, “Only god can know how terrible the fighting was at that time; guns roared like heavy rain, and the battle raged throughout the Island.”
- After awhile the ‘enemies’ abandoned their fortified houses and just fled into bush and eventually into the sea. Only a few escaped by piling into small boats. The others perished or were taken prisoner. The prompt killings of prisoners was not uncommon and many others died later due to harsh conditions in jail or in the in the new detention camps which were established after the blood lust had been spent.
- A few days after the revolution, an Italian cameraman took the pictures on this page. They show the long lines of prisoners, the flight into the sea, the dead on the shore, the killing of prisoners, the transporting of bodies and the mass graves for the dead.
** Futher info & pictures @ Webmaster: Barghash@msn.com
This page serves as a small memoral commorial to all those who lost their lives during the revolution.
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General Zanzibar History and Information Sites:
Sauti za Busara "Sounds of Wisdom" music festival = The best music festival in Africa. Wonderful musicians, friendly well organized promoters; every February at the old Fort in Zanzibar City.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018111" title="http://www.busaramusic.com">http://www.busaramusic.com
Tanzania tourism online = This great website is a collaborative product between the Tanzania Tourist Board and the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania and its member organisations.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018112" title="http://www.tanzaniatourismonline.com">http://www.tanzaniatourismonline.com
Go2zanzibar.net = Browse through these pages to learn about Zanzibar's past, culture and people. Enjoy the opportunity to plan and book your best holiday yet, by viewing the extensive list of superb hotels, beach resorts and itineraries.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018114" title="http://www.go2zanzibar.net">http://www.go2zanzibar.net
Gallery Tours = Adding a personal touch to Zanzibar. This website, in 6 languages and the company behind it is owned by the best photographer in East Africa.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018115" title="http://www.gallerytours.net">http://www.gallerytours.net
All About Zanzibar = Excellent professional website. A great resource for visitors.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018116" title="http://www.allaboutzanzibar.com/">http://www.allaboutzanzibar.com/
Zanzibar Travel Network = Extensive online guide to all things Zanzibari:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018117" title="http://www.zanzibar.net/index.html">http://www.zanzibar.net/index.html
ARAI'S ZANZIBAR PAGE = Old now, but was one of the first Zanzibar related websites:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018118" title="http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ee1s-ari/">http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ee1s-ari/
Zanzinet = a forum that brings together Zanzibaris of all backgrounds
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018119" title="http://www.zanzinet.org/">http://www.zanzinet.org/
Zanzibar Web = Comprehensive Information about the Islands:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018120" title="http://www.zanzibar-web.com/">http://www.zanzibar-web.com/
Zanzibar Online = New Travel resources and Business Directory
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018121" title="http://www.zanzibar-online.com">http://www.zanzibar-online.com
The Stone Town of Zanzibar = History and photos by
Andy@zanzibar-web:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018122" title="http://www.zanzibar-web.com/stown.html">http://www.zanzibar-web.com/stown.html
Flags of the Zanzibar = Nice display of historic Zanzibar Flags:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018123" title="http://flagspot.net/flags/tz-zan.html">http://flagspot.net/flags/tz-zan.html
OMANI ARAB RULE IN ZANZIBAR = Brief history of the
12 Sultans of Zanzibar:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018124" title="http://www.angelfire.com/ak/tanzania/">http://www.angelfire.com/ak/tanzania/
The Last Voyage of the Königsberg = History of the ship responsible for so many of the markers on Grave Island (in Zanzibar Harbor):
http://www.richthofen.com/konigsberg/
Recollections = comprehensive story of the lifestyle of the Asians in the pre
revolution days of Zanzibar and their cricketing tradition.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018126" title="http://www.go.to/recoll">http://www.go.to/recoll
University of Texas Map = Basic map of the Islands:
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018127" title="http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/zanzibar_77.jpg">
Dhow Countries Music Academy = Home page of the Dhow Countries Music Academy. Also has good information on current music and cultural events.
rel="nofollow" href="/aa/?1018128" title="http://www.zanzibarmusic.org/">http://www.zanzibarmusic.org/
Investigate Zanzibar for yourself!