Yr Ynys - Zanzibar Yr Ynys

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-Every island

-transports you to another world.

-Where natural life

-and the nature of life...

-..have evolved

-in their own unique way.

-But due to the pressures

-of the modern world...

-..the tide is turning.

-For better and for worse.

-In this series, we meet islanders

-all over the world.

-People who are proud

-of their history...

-..those who preserve

-their customs...

-..and those who are patriotic.

-But due to globalization...

-..it's impossible for islanders

-to stand alone.

-In many ways...

-..these shores are leading

-the battle to save the planet.

-The island's fate

-is critical to us all.

-Just below the equator,

-close to the East African coast...

-..lies an island

-with an enchanting name.

-Zanzibar.

-Made up of a cluster of islands

-and coral reefs...

-..it has two main islands,

-Unguja and Pemba.

-A million inhabitants...

-..are trying to escape

-some of the horrors of the past.

-The majority are Swahili

-who follow the Islamic faith.

-The island has been influenced

-by many cultures through the ages.

-For a journalist like myself...

-..the big story is the impact

-of those influences.

-Zanzibar became famous

-as a trading port for slaves....

-..and exotic spices.

-Cloves, turmeric...

-..cinnamon and black pepper.

-Zanzibar was formerly called

-the Spice Islands.

-The winds that help steer

-this ship to shore...

-..once turned this archipelago...

-..into East Africa's

-main trading centre.

-These same winds brought Arabs,

-the Portuguese and Britons here.

-All these influences

-are still evident today.

-CROWD CHEERS

-As they celebrate independence...

-..people are still mindful

-of the servitude of the past.

-As we've been told

-by those who remember...

-..a bloody interracial conflict

-erupted in 1964.

-After almost half a century

-of troubles...

-..poverty and sickness levels

-are worse than ever.

-New industries such as tourism

-may appear attractive...

-..but there is a risk

-of further exploitation.

-Ordinary people rarely reap

-the rewards gained from tourism.

-These exclusive resorts

-are islands of a different kind.

-But there are those

-who are instigating change.

-It's hard work for meagre wages...

-..but they are starting

-to lay new foundations.

-Zanzibar now has a chance

-to turn the tide once and for all.

-Zanzibar City on Unguja

-is the islands' capital city.

-A culturally diverse city

-has evolved from the old town.

-New skills have since surfaced,

-though the old crafts still remain.

-Stone Town is the old city.

-This was the Arab Empire's

-commercial centre.

-The Arabs' wealth was dependent

-on the slave and spice trades.

-Today, they are historic remains.

-You can tell a lot about a place's

-history from its architecture.

-But in order to get a feel

-for a country's character...

-..you have to meet its people.

-People like the songstress

-and dancer, Bi Kidude.

-She's preserving

-cultural traditions.

-But morally, in a Muslim country,

-she has blazed her own trail.

-She has also broken

-many of the rules.

-I smoke Embassy, she tells me.

-I used to drink a long time ago too.

-Some say she's over a hundred,

-but she claims to be in her 80s.

-She is well known in Zanzibar.

-She preserves a traditional form

-of singing called Tarab.

-SINGS IN SWAHILI

-Although she is from

-an ordinary neighbourhood...

-..she has sung all over the world.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-In the beginning, I went to Germany,

-Hamburg, Berlin, France...

-..Japan, Finland, Sweden.

-Wherever you can think of,

-I've been there.

-I've been to Italy, you know!

-Despite her age,

-Bi continues to perform.

-Tarab combines Arabic music

-with Swahili songs about life.

-It's yet another reflection

-of Zanzibar's colourful history.

-Nowadays,

-she's able to sing in public.

-But in the early days...

-..she sang and danced aboard

-the ships of the Arab masters.

-Back then,

-women had to adhere to the rules.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-Back in the old days,

-you had to do this.

-You had to cover your face.

-We don't have to do that any more.

-We want the audience to see us.

-But the songs were much more

-than mere entertainment.

-They were a way

-of fighting for one's rights.

-In a song called Kijiti,

-Bi sings about the injustice...

-..of a pregnant woman

-who was murdered.

-"Look at what Kijiti did"

-goes the song.

-She went with a visitor

-into the wilderness...

-..and she came back dead.

-A century after Kijiti was written,

-women are still suffering.

-They still don't have equal rights.

-They are expected to obey their

-fathers, to hide their bodies...

-..and to behave respectfully.

-It's their duty to do their best

-to please their husbands...

-..and to learn how to achieve this.

-Thanks to Bi Kidude, I'm able

-to watch a traditional ceremony.

-It's usually held in private.

-Aided by Bi Kidude

-and a stiff drink...

-..the girls prepare for

-an important initiation ceremony.

-As a rule, only women are allowed

-to witness the unyago ceremony.

-It prepares a young girl

-for marriage...

-..and the next chapter of her life.

-Bi tells me

-that first they cleanse her...

-..then she's taught how to behave

-and how to make her husband's bed.

-The role of the wife is to treat

-and care for her husband.

-To the enchanting beats

-of the drum...

-..they show her

-exactly how to behave in bed.

-Men aren't usually allowed

-anywhere near the unyago ceremony.

-A part of the ritual

-is performed in public...

-..but this part is held in private.

-I doubt they are carrying on

-the way they usually do...

-..but I'm privileged to be here.

-The ceremony also teaches

-another kind of wisdom.

-The girls learn how to handle

-a difficult or cruel husband...

-..and how to survive married life.

-There is a strong bond

-between these women.

-Bi Kidude is worried

-that the old ways are dying out.

-When I die...

-..if no-one's around to maintain it,

-the tradition will be lost.

-Since she has passed on

-the knowledge...

-..the unyago may still

-have a place in the modern world.

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-Like many other African countries,

-Zanzibar is again at a crossroads.

-This is one of the most

-important dates in the calendar.

-It's a reminder of the revolution

-that gave Zanzibar independence.

-But today is even more important.

-The two main parties

-have merged to form one government.

-People are hopeful

-of a new beginning.

-Since 1964, one party had formed

-the Revolutionary Government.

-This show of power has attracted

-thousands of supporters.

-But that power

-has since been divided.

-The pageant is an attempt

-to assert power and authority...

-..and to instil fear.

-The same uniforms were worn

-by the old British Army...

-..but there are no white faces

-among the dignitaries here.

-The focus is entirely on Africa.

-HE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-When election results

-can be fixed...

-..there's no need

-for rousing speeches.

-This is more of an annual report

-by the President.

-It sums up what has been done

-and sets out future promises.

-All the excitement

-proves too much for some.

-The speeches tend to drag on...

-..longer than the formalities

-in a Welsh chapel service.

-An Anglo-Welshman

-called Lloyd William Matthews...

-..trained Zanzibar's first army.

-Unfortunately,

-he didn't train the orators.

-They are devoid of humour.

-HE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-But there is a long history behind

-these revolution celebrations.

-A little over 300 years ago...

-..after years of trading

-in Zanzibar...

-..the Arab Omani Empire

-became its rulers.

-Their wealth was largely acquired

-by the slave trade.

-Many inhabitants today

-are the descendants of those slaves.

-Beauty hides many flaws.

-The ornate entrance

-is a sign of wealth.

-This is the house of Tippu Tip,

-who was a notorious slave trader.

-Less than 150 years ago...

-..he brought thousands of people

-from the Congo to be sold here.

-A part of the old slave market

-has been turned into a museum.

-Only by being here

-do you get a sense of the atrocity.

-In this small cell,

-75 women and children...

-..would have been confined

-for days at a time...

-..with no food or water...

-..and no channel for the sewage.

-The weak would die

-and the strong would be sold.

-They would have walked for thousands

-of miles across Africa...

-..with chains around their necks...

-..one human in each metal collar.

-More than 15,000 slaves a year

-would have passed through Zanzibar.

-Many would have stayed here...

-..to work on their Arab masters'

-clove plantations.

-This modern sculpture portrays

-the slave trade over a century ago.

-In 1964, some of the consequences

-of slavery and oppression...

-..surfaced once again

-with yet more bloodshed.

-12th January, 1964.

-The Africans turned on the Arabs

-and their government...

-..who had the support of Britain.

-It was a day of murder

-and destruction.

-Overnight, 17,000 Arabs and other

-ethnic minorities were murdered.

-The rest of the world

-paid little attention.

-This film is the only proof

-of what happened here.

-A bloody victory secured power

-for the African natives.

-The wealthy Arabs who managed

-to escape the massacre...

-..fled for their lives.

-Two months after the revolution...

-..Zanzibar's new African governors

-joined Tanganyika on the mainland...

-..to form the new republic

-of Tanzania.

-GUNFIRE

-But violence and politics

-have gone hand in hand since then.

-The Revolutionary Government

-has been accused of tyranny.

-But last year, the two main parties

-decided to work together.

-There was a referendum to form

-a government of national unity.

-They were the first-ever

-non-violent elections.

-Many believe that this

-is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

-It gives more of a voice

-to the people of Pemba...

-..where the effects

-of the revolution are still evident.

-This clove farmer, Abdallah Nassor

-Abdallah, was there that night.

-He lost his friends

-and his possessions.

-He has witnessed the decline

-of the spice trade.

-The Arabs had turned Pemba...

-..into the world's largest

-commercial clove-producing centre.

-The buds from the flowers

-of the clove tree are dried.

-They're used in cookery,

-medicine and perfume.

-They also boosted

-Zanzibar's economy.

-Following the revolution, the land

-was divided between the natives.

-But practical knowledge was lost...

-..and many clove trees have died

-as a consequence.

-MAN SPEAKS SWAHILI

-Abdallah tells me...

-..that clove trees flourished

-on this farm.

-But now, only a third

-of the plantation is left.

-This is how you harvest

-and separate the cloves.

-But difficulties arose...

-..when the government

-took control of the trade.

-We have to sell our cloves

-to the government.

-We don't have any choice

-in the matter.

-We can't sell them ourselves

-to people from outside.

-Though the harvest

-is much less than it once was...

-..many thousands of tons of cloves

-are processed in Pemba.

-Cloves make up almost half

-of Zanzibar's economic production.

-But the farmers

-are dismayed and disheartened.

-From our point of view,

-the price is too low.

-It doesn't meet our demands.

-The farmers are only getting

-half the market price.

-Though the situation has improved

-under the coalition government...

-..it is difficult

-to make ends meet.

-Due to the low prices, some farmers

-are turning to the black market.

-Abdallah has never smuggled,

-and as such is unsure of the price.

-But other farmers smuggle cloves

-overseas to Kenya.

-Sometimes, they are caught and

-their boats and cloves confiscated.

-They are then imprisoned.

-For 150 years, the Arabs' wealth

-was derived from cloves.

-But with the government

-now controlling the trade...

-..farmers are seriously concerned

-about the industry's future.

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-The sea facilitated trade links

-with Zanzibar...

-..but half the population

-now lives in abject poverty.

-These islanders hope that new wealth

-will come from overseas...

-..in the form of tourists.

-There's no need to ask what the

-fastest growing industry is here.

-Tourism offers new business

-and employment opportunities.

-But it needs to be regulated...

-..to ensure local people

-profit from it.

-At the Forodhani night market

-in Stone Town...

-..resident stallholders

-prepare food for the tourists.

-All these diverse cultures

-come together...

-..amid the smoke and the various

-sights and sounds of the capital.

-It's no longer a town for the rich.

-With a new tourist trade...

-..and a change in attitude...

-..the old and the new

-are coming together.

-But the real wealth

-isn't to be found in Forodhani.

-Most visitors stay

-at the purpose-built resorts.

-They fly in, stay there,

-and fly back out again.

-They see nothing of the island

-apart from the beaches...

-..and ordinary islanders

-rarely see their dollars.

-But far from the beaches

-and the airport...

-..some locals offer holidaymakers...

-..authentic Zanzibari experiences...

-..that respect the environment

-and way of life.

-In the village of Jendele...

-..in the centre

-of the main island...

-..Mustafa Makame

-organizes excursions...

-..to show the link between wildlife

-and his people's history.

-One of the attractions

-of the Ufufuma Forest...

-..are the red colobus monkeys,

-some of Africa's rarest animals.

-They are unique to Zanzibar.

-Tourists can learn about much more

-by coming to observe them.

-First, the forest must be cleared

-to give easy access.

-The billhook comes in handy.

-You can understand

-why every home has one of these.

-It's used to clear paths or to kill

-snakes and other creatures.

-I have some way to go before I win

-the briar-chopping championships!

-But perhaps I'll be aided

-by the witch doctor.

-Many local people

-still have faith in them.

-Perhaps the witch doctor

-can help make dreams come true.

-Through him, I can talk

-to the spirit world.

-I ask for something...

-..and the spirits

-will ask for something in return.

-I don't know

-exactly what's going on here...

-..but we've come into the forest,

-to a cave possessed by spirits.

-I'm about to ask the witch doctor...

-..whether the spirits

-can bring luck to Mustafa's project.

-Let's see what happens.

-HE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-They say the witch doctor's spells

-aren't effective for white people.

-In order for them to work, you have

-to believe in the man's power.

-But in the dark cave, surrounded

-by the aroma of incense...

-..it's easy to believe that

-the ritual would have an impact.

-THEY SPEAK SWAHILI

-The only word I understood

-was "pesa", which means money.

-That goes to show

-that the spirits are wise.

-We use the money

-generated by tourism...

-..to help the community

-as much as we can.

-It's helped us to get electricity

-in Jendele.

-The school

-has also had books and pencils.

-Families have been helped

-to send their children here.

-Tourism is still

-a fledgling industry in Ufufuma.

-Without funds,

-it's difficult to advertise.

-But they've already made a small

-contribution to people's lives.

-Tourism could be the way forward.

-Mustafa is keen to attract tourists.

-But on one of the smaller islands,

-people are wary of outsiders.

-The island of Tumbatu is only

-1 miles from the main island...

-..but, culturally,

-it's a world away.

-People here

-have kept their distance.

-There have been few tourists...

-..and no other camera crew

-has been allowed to film there.

-This was once Zanzibar's capital,

-but the people here are different.

-Tumbatu natives

-believe they are descendants...

-..of the first Persian kings

-who came in the 10th century.

-They are devout Muslims, afraid

-of the influences of tourism...

-..despite having little else

-to improve their standard of living.

-They aren't used to the camera...

-..but are pleased to be able

-to finally tell their story.

-The Tumbatu people are among

-the best seafarers in East Africa.

-They are descended from the Persians

-whose dhows landed centuries ago.

-For local men, the sea

-is about the only source of income.

-Despite his seamanship...

-..Suleiman Mohammed Haji

-lives from hand to mouth.

-His small canoe

-only allows him to fish...

-..in the sea surrounding Tumbatu,

-where fish are becoming scarce.

-Sometimes the cage is empty,

-so he goes without food.

-He tells me that the sea is his

-source of income and sustenance.

-If I don't catch any fish,

-I have no other means.

-No other means of earning a living.

-With three wives and a large family,

-I'm under pressure to catch fish.

-Suleiman's situation isn't unusual.

-Around 4,000 people

-live on the island...

-..where the poverty

-and limited resources are evident.

-But the islanders are very proud

-of their culture and religion.

-Religion is another element

-ruling their lives here.

-CALL TO PRAYER

-The Arabs brought Islam to Zanzibar.

-It's the islands' main religion...

-..especially in Tumbatu.

-Men pray five times a day...

-..and cleanse before each session.

-According to their leader,

-Mwadini Makame...

-..it is their faith

-that sets them apart.

-HE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-In today's Zanzibari society...

-..the people of Tumbatu

-are never guilty of misbehaving...

-..because we follow our faith

-and culture.

-Visitors swim in the sea and lie

-on beaches wearing only swimsuits.

-Local people have started copying

-the visitors' behaviour.

-That's why I fear tourism.

-But the people

-long for more resources...

-..and modern implements

-to make their lives easier.

-The big question in Tumbatu is...

-..can they have the kind

-of developments they need...

-..without resorting to tourism?

-There is strength

-in being an island.

-But there is also weakness.

-As the world gets smaller,

-decision time gets closer.

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-One of Zanzibar's biggest problems

-is the lack of medical facilities.

-Even in the capital's Stone Town,

-the lack of resources proves fatal.

-One in three Zanzibaris

-have no clean drinking water.

-Even where there are

-community water supplies...

-..the load is difficult

-and heavy to carry.

-Public hygiene is another problem.

-Only 20% of Zanzibaris live

-in a home with a sewerage system.

-In the poorer areas,

-the streets reflect that.

-Without basic hygiene...

-..and only three hospitals

-on the main island...

-..diseases like cholera

-can spread easily.

-Malnutrition

-causes long-term problems.

-The average life expectancy

-in Zanzibar is very low as a result.

-Fifty is considered old.

-It's the children who suffer most.

-Treatable diseases

-and malnutrition...

-..mean that one in six children

-die before they are seven years old.

-Without modern medical resources,

-many turn to traditional methods...

-..such as herbal remedies.

-They even turn to traditional

-religions and witch doctors.

-Some still believe in the spirits -

-the Shetani.

-Instead of struggling

-to find modern health-care...

-..they use ancient methods.

-This woman is suffering

-from a severe headache.

-She blames the spirits

-for possessing her.

-HE SINGS

-Using special rhythms,

-the witch doctor calls the Shetani.

-He must please the Shetani

-in order to get rid of them.

-Four sessions may be needed...

-..before the spirits tell him

-what they need.

-The witch doctor receives money,

-food and even animals...

-..as a sacrifice

-on behalf of the Shetani.

-The hospitals,

-with their limited resources...

-..have to compete

-against the spirits.

-There are many reasons

-why local people...

-..are turning their backs

-on the old remedies.

-It may be down to cost,

-but more than likely superstition.

-This hospital's obstetrics unit

-is incorporating old methods.

-Traditional midwives...

-..have been encouraged

-to promote hospital treatment.

-This hospital,

-in the small town of Makunduchi...

-..has a maternity unit and clinic...

-..that provides health-care

-for mother and child.

-BABY CRIES

-But reaching local people

-is a challenge...

-..for the hospital's manager,

-Zainab Othman.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-The Makanduchi Project

-is a UK charity...

-..that donates funds and resources

-and helps Zainab run the hospital.

-However, there are only 34 beds

-and two junior doctors...

-..to meet the health-care needs

-of 40,000 local residents.

-But by working wisely,

-Zainab's team helps to save lives.

-After giving birth...

-..this woman was losing blood

-and needed a transfusion.

-Without it, she would have died.

-But for most women,

-hospital births are a rarity.

-It's difficult

-to reach the hospital in time.

-Often, the only way

-to reach Makanduchi Hospital...

-..was on foot or by bicycle,

-even when the woman was in labour.

-Zainab decided to begin a new scheme

-to offer an alternative.

-Women can call a special number

-and a driver will collect them.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-The service also deals

-with antenatal problems.

-The service only started operating

-a few months ago.

-It's the first of its kind

-in the country.

-The other task is to persuade

-local women to use the new service.

-Most pregnant women

-rely on traditional midwives.

-They have a wealth

-of obstetric experience...

-..but no modern training.

-The service is helpful, as long

-as the mothers pick up the phone.

-The secret is getting

-traditional midwives...

-..to persuade the mothers

-to come to the hospital.

-But they have to work

-much further than that...

-..and convince the entire community.

-Zainab has regular meetings

-with village leaders.

-It's an advantage

-that she is a Zanzibari...

-..but it's hard for a female to lead

-in such a traditional culture.

-It's rare that women

-tell men what to do.

-Not all men will accept it.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-Zainab says

-it makes her job more difficult.

-Some people ask

-why a woman is in charge.

-This is another challenge for her.

-Because these people

-are village leaders...

-..they are in tune

-with their communities.

-The leaders are informed of the

-hospital's record, good and bad.

-They can then come to meetings

-to discuss matters and future plans.

-Trying to convince people to embrace

-new modes of living and working...

-..is Zanzibar's greatest challenge.

-There are small signs

-that things are starting to change.

-Until recently, a female football

-team would have been unheard of.

-But residents are now used to seeing

-the Women's Fighters team training.

-They also play

-against male opponents.

-Symbolically,

-this is more than just a game.

-Efforts by women

-to earn their place...

-..are also happening

-in more important fields than sport.

-Some women are earning

-their own living.

-As Stone Town's old buildings

-are turned into new hotels...

-..some women

-are doing the manual labour.

-As far as the women are concerned...

-..time will tell whether the change

-is merely superficial.

-In the seaside village of Kidoti

-in the north of Unguja...

-..is a group of females

-who have to work to survive.

-The old tradition of seaweed farming

-has now become an industry.

-This is a seaweed smallholding.

-The women farm three beaches.

-They have created a string grid

-to cultivate the seaweed.

-They take a small cutting,

-tie it to the string...

-..and let it grow for three months.

-They then collect it, tie another

-cutting and the process is repeated.

-The local name

-for this type of seaweed is mwani.

-It creates a gel which is used

-in perfume, medicine...

-..and even ice cream.

-But cultivating and collecting it

-is hard work for little reward.

-The seaweed is dried in fields

-of hot stones before it's sold.

-A lot becomes a little and it's hard

-on the back in the sweltering heat.

-Traditionally, seaweed collecting

-was women's work.

-In Kidoti, some females

-are trying to push the boundaries.

-We've been looking for clues...

-..to suggest

-there is a desire for change.

-That often requires determination.

-Sometimes, it also requires courage.

-Fatuma Meshenge is one

-of the leaders of a cooperative...

-..founded by some of the women.

-She tells me

-that she has eight children.

-Their father died

-and now they have no-one but me.

-As a widow, she has to support

-her family on her wages alone.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-I earn under half a dollar a day...

-..but if I don't work,

-I don't get anything.

-The money is a great help.

-It helps my children go to school

-and it pays for their books.

-For Fatuma,

-who is also in poor health...

-..education is the key

-to a better life for her family.

-She's glad that her daughters as

-well as her sons are being educated.

-SHE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-I never went to school,

-but I want my children to go.

-I send them

-and demand that they go...

-..so that they avoid the problems

-I encountered.

-Aided by the government...

-..Fatuma and others have created

-an industry out of seaweed farming.

-Together, they also produce

-things like soap...

-..to ensure they retain

-more of the profit.

-The seaweed industry accounts

-for one dollar in every five...

-..of Zanzibar's export revenue.

-The women are proving that it's

-possible to create new industries...

-..by being inventive.

-There are three things

-that stand out in the women's story.

-Their belief that education

-brings about hope...

-..the dangers of poor health...

-..and the fact that women

-are earning a living.

-These are small signs

-signifying change.

-A change for the better.

-After years of stagnation...

-..Zanzibar appears to have the wind

-back in its sails.

-As well as social changes,

-political changes...

-..are offering some kind of hope.

-HE SPEAKS SWAHILI

-There are those who are trying

-to bring about change.

-But the challenge is to change...

-..without losing

-what makes the island special.

-To preserve the old

-and embrace the new.

-Despite its contrasts,

-in a Muslim country such as this...

-..there is still a prominent place

-for women.

-If they're given the power

-and opportunity...

-..they can aspire

-to a better future...

-..for themselves and their families.

-The journey will be a long one,

-but it may already have begun.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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