Should Zanzibaris Celebrate Independence Day?

By Issa Yussuf, 12 January 2012
analysis

AS Zanzibar gets closer to marking half a century since the January 12, 1964 revolution, there is an emerging thought that the Zanzibaris should start celebrating Independence Day which was attained on December 10, 1963.

Those pushing for the recognition of the Independence Day are youths, but most of the elderly people particularly those who took part in the revolution are opposing the idea of celebrating and promoting the Independence Day.

It is unacceptable to celebrate the December 10, 1963 Independence Day for Zanzibar, and those doing so should know that they are doing wrong and misleading Zanzibaris.

The only day that Zanzibaris are supposed to celebrate is the January 12, 1964 Revolution, simply because Zanzibar gained its complete freedom on that particular day, says Mr Hassan Nassor Moyo. Mr Moyo, one of the few remaining elderly men who fought to overthrow the after independence government under the Prime Minister Mohamed Shamte, argues that “although it is undeniable and a fact that the British granted independence to Zanzibar on December 10, 1963, we cannot celebrate it because that was a phony independence”, he argues.

He says that youths should be informed that January 12, was a Liberation Day, when Zanzibaris stood up to overthrow the Sultan government. For three years now, some youths including a section of Zanzibaris in Diaspora have attempted to promote the December 10, 1963, urging people to celebrate on ground that Zanzibar independence should be recognized by the government and the Zanzibaris at large. But Mr Rashid Adiy, one of the anti-union activists in the Isles, says that celebrating December 10 was important because it shows when Zanzibar was recognized internationally including getting a seat at the United Nations (UN).

“The Republic of Zanzibar was independent on December 10, 1963 but Zanzibaris were not free until January 12, 1964. Therefore both December 10 and January 12 are important to Zanzibaris and the government should put both days in its public holidays calendar,” Rashid says. Omar Kombo, a man who considers himself as neutral man in politics says, “I think we should combine the two big days and celebrate on December 10 to minimize celebration costs and also to value the Independence Day, because Revolution Day celebrations remind Zanzibaris of their beloved ones lost during the Revolution”, he says.