50 years on, the nation remembers Karume

Unguja. The nation today commemorates the death of the founder of the Zanzibar Revolution, Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, as citizens are called to cherish the values of solidarity, love and unity that he stood for.

Speaking in a special interview with The Citizen recently, Zanzibar resident Mzee Juma Bakari said before the revolution, the people of Zanzibar segregated one another, lived in hatred, classified one another by tribe - and there were the haves and the have-nots, but Mzee Karume, he explained, came to stamp out all these issues.

Officially, from 1804 to 1964, Zanzibar was under foreign rule of the sultanate of Oman that was protected by the British.

Under that rule, Africans had no voice in decision-making and could not own key economic sectors including being denied of political and social opportunities.

Mzee Bakari, who participated in Zanzibar’s politics with Mzee Karume, says during the colonial era some nations embraced religious and racial segregation that still affect the people today.

“Mzee Karume abhorred oppression as he was a true nationalist who pioneered national unity and stood for his people’s justice. You may now find that we don’t get what Mzee Kurume stood for. So, as a nation it is time we rectified where we think there are some shortcomings,” said Mzee Bakari.

As a people, he says there is a need to get back to the philosophy of transparency, integrity and accountability which Mzee Karume stood for during the short period of his administration.

According to Mzee Bakari, there were many things that needed to be corrected after 50 years without Mzee Karume, who was a humble man.

“So, we have every reason to walk with pride due to the good foundations laid by Mzee Karume, which we have to cherish as one way of honouring him by actions.

We have a long way to go

For his part, activist and political analyst Ali Makame said although Karume Day is a public holiday, people have not reached the stage of feeling pride because their leaders fail to honour by actions what Sheikh Karume initiated.

“The meaning of honouring a founder is about doing by action what he initiated. After the Zanzibar Revolution, Mzee Karume said ‘within 50 years we would never get back to multiparty system until we have first strengthened the unity of Zanzibaris and improved their lives,’” said Mr Makame.

He says this includes improving the education system, health care, human settlements and ensuring basic services were accessible to all dwellers of Zanzibar Islands.

He said during the eight-year administration of Mzee Karume’s revolutionary government of Zanzibar, health care services were reliable and were provided for free unlike now where there are insufficient medicine in health facilities.

He said Mzee Karume wanted Zanzibaris to live in decent settlements, adding that houses were now constructed, but occupants were the leaders themselves or rented them out to their friends contrary to what the revolution really aimed at bringing about and this was not the way of honouring Mzee Karume, according to him.

Touching on education, the analyst said despite the increasing number of higher learning institutions, the education system remained poor and ineffective compared to the past.

He said following the population increase, the standard of education in Zanzibar had deteriorated because teachers were not paid good salaries and in a timely manner, unlike in the past when they were among public servants who received good salaries.

“The concept of the revolution was really implemented during the days of Sheikh Karume. This was demonstrated by how his government waged war against t the three arch-enemies, namely, poverty, ignorance and diseases as teachers, doctors and soldiers were paid handsomely, but today all these are not there,” claimed Mr Makame.