A conservative Swahili society
On Zanzibar, 99% of the population is Muslim, compared with 35% on mainland Tanzania. The Zanzibarites practice a Sunni Islam close to that of the Arabian Peninsula, where the Sultanate of Oman is located, which dominated the island during two centuries of colonization. All the more so as this occupation was intense and recent, until the revolution of 1964. The island of Pemba is the most conservative by far, living mainly from the cultivation of cloves and adopting a very rural and traditional way of life. The inhabitants don't seem to be interested in developing tourism on their island, and pay little attention to the few visitors who do come. The island of Unguja is currently in a state of duality, between the opening up of mores to the many tourists who visit their island, and the preservation of the traditions of a deeply conservative society, mainly in terms of education and women's work. These two worlds are less hermetically sealed today than they were ten years ago, but they must coexist against a backdrop of tensions. In 2004, fundamentalists tried to impose Sharia law in Zanzibar, carrying out a number of attacks and ransacking the house of the mufti, Zanzibar's highest Muslim religious authority. But since their imprisonment, no fundamentalist threat has tarnished Zanzibar's image. The island of Mafia is far from Unguja and Pemba, and close to the mainland. The Swahili people there are more festive and open-minded, similar to the Muslims of mainland Tanzania. Not because of the presence of tourists (limited to scuba-diving hotels) but because of the presence of many mainland Tanzanians.
Education, the weakest link in Zanzibarite society
Education in Tanzania is officially compulsory and free for the seven years of elementary school and the four years of secondary school, i.e. between the ages of 6 and 18. There are more than 200 public schools and around a hundred private schools on the archipelago, as well as a high school and two universities. Uniforms are compulsory. The official primary school enrolment rate is 98% per generation, compared with 25% in 1961, before independence. In reality, far fewer children attend elementary school. There are many reasons for this: distance from school (children are often found walking for miles along the road), overcrowded classrooms and a lack of interest in education on the part of parents themselves. Against all odds, however, the Tanzanian education system is half-successful overall, with a literacy rate of 69%, leaving Tanzania behind some sixty underdeveloped countries. In Zanzibar, the level of education is lower than the national average, and pupils perform less well in reading and maths. Most come from very modest families of fishermen or peasants working on plantations. Many work on the clove plantations in Pemba, according to the NGO Irin. Gender inequality in a still traditional society is strong, and many girls suffer from the fact that the legal age for marriage is 15 (compared to 18 for boys) when it comes to whether or not to continue their studies in secondary school, all the more so in a society as traditional as Zanzibar.
Low salaries despite the tourism bonanza
Expatriates working for foreign companies based in the country are privileged because of their higher-than-average salaries, justified by their skills, levels of responsibility and sales generated. Civil servants, especially those in government ministries, enjoy fairly advantageous working conditions in terms of working hours, and are guaranteed a fixed salary. Employees are covered by social security and contribute to their pensions. Employees of lodges and resorts earn decent wages when they work at reception or in the service department, and relatively low wages when they do housework or DIY. Those in the informal sector, on the other hand, have no guarantees whatsoever. The median wage for registered employees is US$22 per month. For driver-guides, it's US$120, but can vary from US$50 to US$200. When it comes to unemployment, there are no reliable figures, although the World Bank estimates it at around 7.4% of the working population in Zanzibar.
Poverty in the villages contrasts with the hotels
Daily life in the villages close to the plantations is harsh, due to their poor equipment, archaic cultivation techniques and lack of resources to finance investment. In the coastal villages close to the luxury hotels, we see rudimentary breeze-block or banco huts, with women cooking on wood fires and fetching water from wells. Children often have no shoes and there is little or no electricity. In town, as soon as you move away from the tourist areas, you can see the poverty of the inhabitants, who buy everything on the informal market. A private hospital was recently built, but the public hospital leaves much to be desired and the island lacks dispensaries and pharmacies. Life expectancy is 61 for men and 64 for women (2020 average).
Prostitution and AIDS very marginal
Prostitutes are rare and discreet on the island, invisible on the street, unlike in many African countries or mainland Tanzania, notably Dar es Saalam. Prostitution nevertheless exists in Stone Town and in the tourist bars along the coast, but is not ostentatious. A few women, often from mainland Tanzania, post up in the clubs, but there's nothing to indicate that they are specifically prostitutes. The AIDS rate is fairly low (0.6% of the population) due to the island's strict Muslim traditions. It nevertheless affects 10% of the island's prostitutes, and is tending to spread with the explosion in injected heroin use.
