Chapter One Review: Pan-Africanism or Pragmatism
While reviewing books my approach is usually to read the book in it’s entirety then choose two or three subjects from the book to dwelve into. This time I have decided to take a different approach and review each chapter on its on so as to document the development of my thinking as I go through the pages and chapters.
Since this is the first review, let me give a quick overview of the book. The book is titled Pan-Africanism or Pragmatism: Lessons of Tanganyika-Zanzibar Union. It was authored by renowned Tanzanian scholar Professor Issa Shivji and was published by Mkuki na Nyota in 2008. The book looks into the Tanganyika-Zanzibar Union, the events that led to its formation and historical lesson we can derive from the Union and its key personalities.
Chapter One deals with Zanzibar society pre 1964 Revolution, the history of the islands, the social makeup and the movements that lead to the struggle for independence from British rule and Zanzibar politics in relation to Tanganyika.
Zanzibar was ruled differently from other colonies in mainland Africa. As opposed to direct European rule, the British ruled the isles while maintaining already existing political structures. Also unlike mainland African countries, the social hierarchy did not consist of a pyramid with Europeans on top, Arabs/Asians in the middle and blacks at the bottom.
Three classes existed, the landlord class which consisted of predominantly Arabs, the merchant class which consisted of predominantly Asians and the working class which consisted predominantly of blacks who were usually first or second generation Zanzibaris originating from Tanganyika.
Zanzibar’s struggle for independence was a unique case in that it consisted of two nationalist movements simultaneously. On one had you had Zanzibari nationalism which was based on culture and African nationalism which was based on race. Based on this alone, Chapter One could have made an entire book all on its own. It takes a couple of reads to even grasp the different movements and parties which sometimes worked hand in hand and at another times worked to undermine each other.
Even before TANU and ASP you see Tanganyika’s hand in Zanzibari politics. It was Nyerere’s Tanganyika African Association (TAA, predecessor to TANU) which mediated the union between the African Association and the Shiraz Association to unite and form the Afro Shirazi Union (ASU) which would later become the Afro Shirazi Party (ASP) after the Unguja Shirazi Party merged with the other two parties.
One interesting fact that I have learned is that the desire of a union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar did not begin after the 1964 Revolution rather it had begun as early as the late 1950s when TANU had agreed to unite the two countries with ASP as soon as both countries gained indepedence. You have key Tanganyikam figures such as Julius Nyerere and Rashid Kawawa involved in Zanzibar politics before and immediately after Zanzibar gained independence.
Mwalimu Nyerere and TANU as mediaters in Zanzibar never shied away from their support of the ASP over other parties even lending resources and even notable TANU members such as Bibi Titi Mohamed at ASP’s disposal. Based on this information and the above information it seems quite clear that Nyerere engineered the Union from very early on and saw Karume and ASP as the most viable partners to achieve this goal.
Lastly the chapter introduces as to notable Zanzibari personalities and their initial role in Zanzibar’s struggle for independence and Zanzibar’s early days of self rule. In the chapter we are introduced to names such as Aboud Jumbe, Thabit Kombo, Mohammed Babu and Mohammed Shamte. All these names play a key role in Zanzibar and Union and politics for decades.
For anyone interested in learning about Zanzibar politics and the intricacies of the Tangayika-Zanzibar Union, this is a great book to start with. Issa Shivji’s unbiased approach to a rather sensitive area of our political structure gives the reader a great starting point in discovering why we are where we are today. The book also offers a glipse into Zanzibar society and illustrates its multifacetedness. It is my belief that after reading this book, the reader will gain a greater understanding of the nature of our Union politics and why I believe the relationship between Tanzania mainlanders and Zanzibaris is still an evolving one.
Thomas Joel Kibwana.
Photo taken from Uongozi Institue Twitter account from 26 April, 2018
