CULTURE

Unique, Diverse, & Cosmopolitan

As Zanzibar absorbed people from as far as The Orient and Iberia, Assyria and India, so the tap estry of Zanzibar cultures became more diverse in its range, more unique in its expression.

Zanzibar is the birthplace of Swahili, a lingua franca forged from global dialects, upon which legend were carried, trade routes opened and Sultan’s empire prospered. The strident laments and exultant overtures of Swahili taarab were born, their rhythms and melodies carried and honed between Zanzibar and the Arabian Gulf until they became the sounds of the islands’ own musical narrative.

The architectural styles of Stone Town were borne of the social convergence, while the tangled mass of stories, woven from centuries of lives lived, bestow a folklore and legacy that permeate life on the archipelago.