You think the Expulsion of Asians from Uganda was a first ? Well, let me tell you about the Zanzibar Revolution. Riveting.
For hundreds of years, the Arab and Swahili elite and their offspring had instituted one of the most cruel slave markets ever known to humanity.
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Before the British Came, The Entire Swahili coast including Zanzibar had been part of Oman. When Oman started finding difficulty in managing an overseas territory, it let the Zanzibar Sultanate go. So The Sultanate had its own Royalty, who were mostly related to those in Oman.
The Ruling elite were the Arabs and South Asians. Africans were the majority, but shit and slaves designates in the eyes of the racist ruling elite, to say the least. And this is an attitude that had been around for hundreds of years.
By 1964, the country was a constitutional monarchy ruled by Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. Zanzibar had a population of around 230,000 Africans—some of whom claimed Persian ancestry and were known locally as Shirazis —and also contained significant minorities in the 50,000 Arabs and 20,000 South Asians who were prominent in business and trade. The various ethnic groups were becoming mixed and the distinctions between them had blurred;
The island’s Arab inhabitants, as the major landowners, were generally wealthier than the Africans;
the major political parties were organised largely along ethnic lines, with Arabs dominating the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP) and Africans the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP).
After Zanzibar had been conquered by the Sultanate of Oman in 1698, all of the land in the countryside had been given to Omani aristocratic families, whose descendants still owned the land in 1964. Though not all of the Arabs were as wealthy as the families who owned the clove and coconut plantations, the resentment felt by the poor African farmers who worked the plantations acquired a radicalized tinge, especially as in a small island like Zanzibar, it was easy to see the contrast in wealth between the land-owning Arab families and their poor African tenants.
THE REVOLUTION
Despite the Majority African Party ASP having won with a 54 % in the elections after independence from the Brits, their representation in parliament was still low and did not add up. Emotions were high, majority Africans were angry at the Ruling Arab Elite and the Asian Business Elite who worked to ensure Africans did not ascend to Authority. The Impetus for a Massacre was neigh, all that was needed was a spark.
The Spark came in the form of one John Okello
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.
[RIGHT]https://www.zanzibarhistory.org/assets/images/Okello_Guns.JPG[/RIGHT]
![https://www.zanzibarhistory.org/assets/images/Okello_Guns.JPG[/RIGHT]](https://www.zanzibarhistory.org/assets/images/Okello_Guns.JPG%5B/RIGHT%5D){kind=link}
Okello claimed that he had been a field marshal for the Mau mau freedom fighters and that he had the experience and ability to help Zanzibaris free themselves from the Arabs. Okello himself was a Ugandan (I don’t know why I have a feeling that this Okello was on the same platoon as Iddi Amin during Iddi Amin’s time in Kenya as a KAR soldier fighting against the Mau Mau for the 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
When the dust settled the multi-cultural diversity of the Islands was radically altered. A One Party State was decreed. Still nervous regarding the possibility of resurgent opposition from their now exiled opponents, the “revolutionaries” further secured their positions by signing an agreement of confederation with mainland Tanganyika. This would allow thousands of mainland political allies to intervene in any future struggle. The police forces on the Isles were virtually replaced by mainland police loyal to the Party and an isolationist curtain fell over the Isles which was destined to persist for more than 20 years.
The Massacre that succeeded the Overthrow of the Sultan and the Take over by Africans is documented in an Italian Film, African Addio. Be warned that it’s a depressing watch and its a true account of what transpired during the Massacre. Its not a movie. And its Gory. Here it is
:
An estimate of upto 20,000 Arabs were killed in the revolution.
This film explores pretty much most of Post Independence East Africa, so, chunga unaeza ona grand-father yako hapo ndani akiwa anapractice u-ngati na usaliti hapo. The Part about Zanzibar begins at 1:00:15 after the part about Kenya (which is equally interesting)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K5qVWG5CXU
Okello Here After the Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dogljtFe89I
Che Guevara and Fidel Admitted to having indirectly supported the Revolution
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More Reading Material can be read here
: https://www.zanzibarhistory.org/zanzibar_revolution.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar_Revolution