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Zanzibar

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Tanzania submits first Oscar entry in more than 20 years

The film, “Vuta n’Kuvute,” or “Tug of War” in English, revisits the colonial and revolutionary past of the island of Zanzibar.

Zanzibar-born, British-based novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah poses for a photo at his home in Canterbury, England, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021.

Nobel winner Abdulrazak Gurnah brings dignity to stories of colonial dispossession, colleague says

Books
Abdulrazak Gurnah during the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2017.

Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah: An introduction to the man and his writing

Books
Fourteen year-old Nuru Sheha studies at night in the light of solar-powered LED lights at home in the village of Matemwe, on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. He family's first electrical system was installed by one of Zanzibar's 13 "solar mamas," illiter

Zanzibar’s ‘Solar Mamas’ flip the switch on rural homes, gender roles

Environment
Chicago police move in to knock down a burning cross in front of a home, after an African-American family moved into a previously all white neighborhood, August 3, 1963. The civil rights movement in America was one of the historic trends transforming the

Here’s what else was going on in the world when Kennedy was assassinated

Global Politics

Yugoslavia, Zaire and other defunct geo names

From politics to revolutions and branding — the history behind geographic name changes around the world.

Islam for the environment

Development & Education

Islamic scholars in Africa and the Middle East are reaching into the religion’s tradition of conservation to encourage adherents to help the environment.

Remembering Bi Kidude, Zanzibar’s Queen of Music

Arts, Culture & Media

This month the ancient port city of Zanzibar in Tanzania, has been mourning the death of one of its great musical stars. No one knows exactly how old the singer and drummer Bi Kidude was when she died but she left a unique musical legacy.

Taarab Music from Zanzibar

Arts, Culture & Media

Taarab is a popular style of music in East Africa.

The World

On spice tour in East Africa

Arts, Culture & Media

For the Geo Quiz, we’re looking for an island off the coast of East Africa. 50 years ago, it joined up with the former African colony named Tanganyika and became part of Tanzania. The island’s exotic spices have for centuries attracted spice merchants.