Social memory, silenced voices, and political struggle : remembering the revolution in Zanzibar

"This volume focuses on the cultural memory and mediation of the 1964 Zanzibar revolution, analyzing its continuing reverberations in everyday life. The revolution constructed new conceptions of community and identity, race and cultural belonging, as well as instituting different ideals of nationhood, citizenship, sovereignty. As the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the revolution revealed, the official versions of events have shifted significantly over time and the legacy of the uprising is still deeply contested. In these debates, the question of Zanzibari identity remains very much at stake: Who exactly belongs in the islands and what historical processes brought them there? What are the boundaries of the nation, and who can claim to be an essential part of this imagined and embodied community? Political belonging and power are closely intertwined with these issues of identity and history--raising intense debates and divisions over precisely where Zanzibar should be situated within the national order of things in a postcolonial and interconnected world. Attending to narratives that have been overlooked, ignored, or relegated to the margins, the authors of these essays do not seek to simply define the revolution or to establish its ultimate meaning. Instead, they seek to explore the continuing echoes and traces of the revolution fifty years on, reflected in diverse memories, media, and monuments. Inspired by interdisciplinary perspectives from anthropology, history, cultural studies, and geography, these essays foreground critical debates about the revolution, often conducted sotto voce and located well off the official stage--attending to long silenced questions, submerged doubts, rumors and secrets, or things that cannot be said."-- Back cover Cover Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Figures and Illustrations Acronyms Acknowledgments Authors Chapter One - Memory, Media, and Mapinduzi: Alternative Voices and Visions of Revolution, Fifty Years Later Opening Ceremonies: Official Events and Popular (Dis)Engagement Reverberations of Revolution: Things That Go without Saying, Things That Cannot Be Said Engaging the Past: Remembrance and Representation Official Stories: Constructing the Public Face of the Revolution Controlling Affects, Disciplining Bodies, and Reordering Space Dissonant and Alternative Voices Searching for the “Truth”: Epistemic Murk and Historical Quest Adjudicating the Dead of the Revolution Interwoven Temporalities: The Revolution and the Legacy of Slavery Coda: “Revolution Forever!” (Mapinduzi Daima!) or a Revolution Not Even Past? References Chapter Two - Memories of Revolution: Patterns of Interpretation of the 1964 Revolution in Zanzibar The Revolution: Establishing a Framework of Events and Processes The Intricacies of Interpretation Patterns of Interpretation The Civil War Argument By Way of Conclusion: Memories of Revolution References Chapter Three - The Voice of the Revolution: Remembering and Re-Envisioning Field Marshal John Okello The Voice Confusion about Okello’s Identity Biography, Take One: Sources Close to Okello Biography, Take Two: Archival Sources Biography, Take Three: East African Newspapers in the Aftermath of the Revolution Biography, Take Four: Views from Back Home in Uganda Okello in the Media, Then and Now Okello in Academic Accounts and Party Histories Conclusion References Chapter Four - Memory, Liberalism, and the Reconstructed Self: Wolfango Dourado and the Revolution in Zanzibar Background Memory, Liberalism, and the Reconstructed Self Colonialism Nationalism Revolution Karume the Terrible Jumbe the Disagreeable Conclusion References Chapter Five - “For Us It’s What Came After”: Locating Pemba in Revolutionary Zanzibar Pemba in “Zanzibar”—Named/Not Named,T here/Not There When Pemba’s There: Geographic Terms Pemban Social Organization The Time of Satiety “Before”: Pemba in the 1950s It Didn’t Happen Here: 1961, 1964 Latecomers to Revolution: “You Didn’t Wield the Panga” Stories from Clove Lands The Entire Place a Prison: “Days of Caning” Revolution as Theater The Curtailing of Intellectual Life: “Foreign” and “Traditional” Knowledge The Pemba Famine: Njaa Established in the Land On Elections: Where Do Pembans Belong? Revolution for All? References Chapter Six - Uncommon Misery, Relegated to the Margins: Tumbatu and Fifty Years of the Zanzibar Revolution Situating Tumbatu and Jongowe Historical Memories and Colonial Misrepresentation Zanzibar’s Revolutionary Era Outcomes of the Revolutionary Era in Jongowe Conclusion References Chapter Seven - “Glittering Skin”: Race, Rectitude, and Wrongdoing in Zanzibar The Revolution: Righting Wrongs and Punishing Wrongdoers Racial Thought and Being in the Wrong in Zanzibar Imagining Life-Worlds, Performing Racial Thought Skin that Glitters: Racial Thought in the Aftermath of the Zanzibar Revolution Zanzibari Purity, Worldly Pollution Conclusion: Power, Racial Thought, and Performance References Chapter Eight - Silenced Voices, Recaptured Memories: Historical Imprints within a Zanzibari Life-World Spoken Imprints of the Revolution Social Reorganization: Revolutionary Policy and the Suppression of Difference Reconstructing Notions of Indian-ness under New Conditions Indian Films, Fiction, and Re-membering Exposing Difference—Presuming Belonging Identity, Distinction, and Incorporation Conclusion References Chapter Nine - Memory, History, and the Nation among the Grieving Cosmopolitans: Omani-Zanzibaris Remember the Zanzibar Revolution, 1964–Present Memory and the Zanzibar Revolution Nasser al-Riyami’s Zinjibār: Shaksiyāt wa Ahdāth Identity, Language, and Nationalism among the Zanzibaris The Omani Empire in Zanzibar Memory, Nostalgia, and Reconciliation in Oman and Zanzibar References Chapter Ten - Africa Addio, the Revolution, and the Ambiguities of Remembrance in Contemporary Zanzibar Making Africa Addio a Postcolonial Archive Mondo Shockumentaries The Revolution of 1964 Africa Addio in Contemporary Zanzibar Salim and Africa Addio Investigating the Past? Utopian Zanzibar References Chapter Eleven - Healing the Past, Reinventing the Present: From the Revolution to Maridhiano Deconstructing Memories Reinventing the Present Stone Town Memories and National Identity Toward Maridhiano Whither Zanzibar? By Way of Conclusion References Chapter Twelve - Capturing the Commemoration: A Documentary Photo Essay on the 50th Anniversary of the Revolution Glossary Index Back cover Cover; Title page; Copyright page; Dedication; Contents; Figures and Illustrations; Acronyms; Acknowledgments; Authors; Chapter One -- Memory, Media, and Mapinduzi: Alternative Voices and Visions of Revolution, Fifty Years Later; Opening Ceremonies: Official Events and Popular (Dis)Engagement; Reverberations of Revolution: Things That Go without Saying, Things That Cannot Be Said; Engaging the Past: Remembrance and Representation; Official Stories: Constructing the Public Face of the Revolution; Controlling Affects, Disciplining Bodies, and Reordering Space; Dissonant and Alternative Voices. Searching for the "Truth": Epistemic Murk and Historical QuestAdjudicating the Dead of the Revolution; Interwoven Temporalities: The Revolution and the Legacy of Slavery; Coda: "Revolution Forever!" (Mapinduzi Daima!) or a Revolution Not Even Past?; References; Chapter Two -- Memories of Revolution: Patterns of Interpretation of the 1964 Revolution in Zanzibar; The Revolution: Establishing a Framework of Events and Processes; The Intricacies of Interpretation; Patterns of Interpretation; The Civil War Argument; By Way of Conclusion: Memories of Revolution; References. Chapter Three -- The Voice of the Revolution: Remembering and Re-Envisioning Field Marshal John OkelloThe Voice; Confusion about Okello's Identity; Biography, Take One: Sources Close to Okello; Biography, Take Two: Archival Sources; Biography, Take Three: East African Newspapers in the Aftermath of the Revolution; Biography, Take Four: Views from Back Home in Uganda; Okello in the Media, Then and Now; Okello in Academic Accounts and Party Histories; Conclusion; References; Chapter Four -- Memory, Liberalism, and the Reconstructed Self: Wolfango Dourado and the Revolution in Zanzibar; Background. Memory, Liberalism, and the Reconstructed SelfColonialism; Nationalism; Revolution; Karume the Terrible; Jumbe the Disagreeable; Conclusion; References; Chapter Five -- "For Us It's What Came After": Locating Pemba in Revolutionary Zanzibar; Pemba in "Zanzibar"-Named/Not Named, T here/Not There; When Pemba's There: Geographic Terms; Pemban Social Organization; The Time of Satiety "Before": Pemba in the 1950s; It Didn't Happen Here: 1961, 1964; Latecomers to Revolution: "You Didn't Wield the Panga"; Stories from Clove Lands; The Entire Place a Prison: "Days of Caning"; Revolution as Theater. The Curtailing of Intellectual Life: "Foreign" and "Traditional" KnowledgeThe Pemba Famine: Njaa Established in the Land; On Elections: Where Do Pembans Belong?; Revolution for All?; References; Chapter Six -- Uncommon Misery, Relegated to the Margins: Tumbatu and Fifty Years of the Zanzibar Revolution; Situating Tumbatu and Jongowe; Historical Memories and Colonial Misrepresentation; Zanzibar's Revolutionary Era; Outcomes of the Revolutionary Era in Jongowe; Conclusion; References; Chapter Seven -- "Glittering Skin": Race, Rectitude, and Wrongdoing in Zanzibar. Memory, media, and mapinduzi : alternative voices and visions of revolution, fifty years later / William Cunningham Bissell and Marie-Aude Fouéré -- Memories of revolution : patterns of interpretation of the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar / Roman Loimeier -- The voice of the revolution : remembering and re-envisioning Field Marshal John Okello / Ann Lee Grimstad -- Memory, liberalism, and the reconstructed self : Wolfango Dourado and the revolution in Zanzibar / G. Thomas Burgess -- "For us it's what came after" : locating Pemba in revolutionary Zanzibar / Nathalie Arnold Koenings -- Uncommon misery, relegated to the margins : Tumbatu and fifty years of the Zanzibar revolution / Makame Ali Muhajir and Garth Andrew Myers -- "Glittering skin" : race, rectitude, and wrongdoing in Zanzibar / Gavin Macarthur -- Silenced voices, recaptured memories : historical imprints within a Zanzibari life-world / Kjersti Larsen -- Memory, history, and the nation among the grieving cosmopolitans : Omani-Zanzibaris remember the Zanzibar revolution, 1964-present / Nathaniel Mathews -- Africa Addio, the revolution, and the ambiguities of remembrance in contemporary Zanzibar / Marie-Aude Fouéré -- Healing the past, reinventing the present : from the revolution to maridhiano / Ahmed Rajab -- Capturing the commemoration : a documentary photo essay on the 50th anniversary of the revolution / Ania Gruca