Zanzibar: In Contemporary Times

A Short History of the Southern East in the Nineteenth Century First published in 1905, a well-written, readable account by R.N. Lyne who had lived in Dunga, in the interior of Zanzibar, for five years before writing this book. In the final chapters, the author reveals prevailing attitudes and values of the ruling British but this only adds to the authenticity as one reads of the daily routines and leisure activities of Zanzibar residents. The main focus is on the history of the nineteenth century and how the Omani Arab rulers consolidated their power and moved their power base from the Gulf to Zanzibar. We read of the first arrival of the British, their growing interests and influence. Intrigues over the succession in the ruling house are also analysed. Perhaps the most fascinating theme is the long drawn out struggle against the slave trade. There is a poignant description of a slave auction in Stone Town about a year before the final closure of the market in 1873. In 1875 Seyyid Barghash was rewarded with a state visit to England. The struggle to suppress the pernicious traffic in human beings continued with further milestones in 1890 (prohibition of buying and selling of slaves) and 1897 (abolition of the legal status of slavery). Apart from the colouration of European racial attitudes towards Arabs, Indians and "natives" of a century ago, much of the writing is sensitive and acutely observant of the lifestyles, habits and attitudes of Zanzibaris and foreign residents in the early twentieth century. Hbk, 268 pages Format: 210 x148 mm 15 illustrations.