Today was a day of transit and rest! Leaving the beautiful and breathtaking Serengeti! As mentioned in previous posts the past few days have been unforgettable and will be embedded in my memory.
Now as we made our way to Zanzibar (also known as Unguja) we would board a plane that I kid you not could only hold 12 passengers and the two pilots. Another unforgettable experience…I literally was a seat away from the pilots. Talk about flying on a small plane (see below)…
Once we landed in Zanzibar I would have somewhat of an awakening. First off Zanzibar is actually an island province that is still part of Tanzania. So we were literally leaving grasslands and plains entering an urban city landscape. As we were flying over the city, the aerial views showed just how jammed packed the city is. Now while their is a similar landscape to the mainland, you can see a distinct change in Zanzibar. It is also very clear there is definitely a heavy middle eastern influence, as the majority (99%) of the island practices Islam, with a very small percentage that practices Christianity.
This would put things into perspective…when talking with people from the Tanzanian mainland many have expressed how the President is preferred to come from the mainland and have the vice president from Zanzibar. There tends to be different leadership styles from both roles. Currently the President of Tanzania is from Zanzibar (and is the first woman president) due to the President passing away from COVID-19. A example of the VP stepping in.
Another awakening moment was how perceived what Zanzibar would look like upon my arrival. I will admit when I thought of Zanzibar I pictured primarily beaches and five-star resorts or something from a spy action movie…think Queen Sono (Netflix), but there is definitely a deep history here as well considering during the mid-19th century as many as 50,000 enslaved people came through through the Zanzibar City port.
More to come on that in the coming days.
As stated earlier today was more of a day of transit and rest, not too much to report. However, I’m looking forward to a little R&R as well as making some more memories!!
Till Tomorrow!! See you then!
~Dr. G
Black Future Feminist 