Massacre of Arabs during the Zanzibar Revolution

Massacre of Arabs during the Zanzibar Revolution
Part of the Zanzibar Revolution
Scene of Africa Addio allegedly showing bodies of Arabs killed in the post-revolution violence
LocationSultanate of Zanzibar
DateJanuary 1964
TargetArab population of Zanzibar
Attack type
Genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass murder, genocidal rape, hate crime
Deaths13,000 to 20,000+
Victims100,000 deported
PerpetratorsBlack African rebel militiamen
MotiveAnti-Arab racism, Islamophobia and African nationalism

In January 1964 during and following the Zanzibar Revolution, Arab residents of Zanzibar were targeted for violence by the island’s majority Black African population.[1] Arabs were mass murdered, raped, tortured and deported from the island by Black African militiamen under the Afro-Shirazi Party and Umma Party. The exact death toll is unknown, although scholarly sources estimate the number of Arabs killed to be between 13,000 and more than 20,000.[2][3] It has been described by some as an act of genocide.[4][2]

Arabs had dominated the society of the island for more than two hundred years, both politically and economically. The uprising against the ethnic Arabs (and Indians) has been overlooked by the majority [3] and the massacres remain largely undiscussed and outside the public eye in terms of official histories. The Zanzibar Revolution is publicly celebrated on its anniversary as an uprising against slavery and oppression, although slavery in Zanzibar had already been abolished decades before. But, the massacres are either downplayed or not discussed at all.[4]

  1. ^ Kuper, Leo (2017-07-05). Race, Class, and Power: Ideology and Revolutionary Change in Plural Societies. Routledge. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-351-49504-2.
  2. ^ a b Ibrahim, Abdullah Ali (June 2015). "The 1964 Zanzibar Genocide: The Politics of Denial". In Dale F. Eickelman; Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf (eds.). Africa and the Gulf Region: Blurred Boundaries and Shifting Ties. Gerlach Press. ISBN 978-3-940924-70-4. JSTOR j.ctt1df4hs4.
  3. ^ a b "What We Forgot To Remember, Part 1: Genocide in Zanzibar". Areo. 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  4. ^ a b Salahi, Amr (2020-07-03). "Zanzibar's forgotten legacy of slavery and ethnic cleansing". The New Arab. Retrieved 2023-12-09.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search