University of Cape Town 2001

The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgementTown of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Cape Published by the University ofof Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University Tribesmen or Hustlers? Tourism, Cultural Imperialism and the Creation of a New Social Class in Zanzibar By Jason Sumich, SMCJASOOI A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology. Town Cape of UniversityDepartment of Social Anthropology Faculty of the Humanities University of Cape Town 2001 This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. Jason Sumich . ~/ )' ---- ~- / ' ----- - 30 March 2001 ABSTRACT This paper explores the interconnected processes of tourism, neo-colonialism, and cultural imperialism in Zanzibar. The research concentrated on the political economy of tourism in Zanzibar and its effects on the tourist industry underclass, locally known as 'beach boys'. I argue that tourism is characterized not only by neo-colonialism, but that these exploitative relationships are accompanied and justified by cultural imperialism. In addition to the political economy of tourism, the paper examines the social taxonomies used by both tourists and beach boys to define and distance the 'Other'. While beach boys classify tourists by gender and social class, the Zanzibari hosts are in turn classified by tourists in terms of how well they fit the colonial ideal of a rural 'tribesman'. Contrary to the belief that tourism creates cross-cultural understanding, a far more common occurrence is that tourism reinforces and solidifies stereotypes, which are used to justify the dramatic imbalances in wealth between the hosts and the guests. As well as being a tool of oppression, beach boys reformulate the language of cultural imperialism creating a vocabulary of resistance. Instead ofTown a helpless lumpenproletariat, they have internalized the dominant capitalist ethos, creating a class of disenfranchised entrepreneurs, striving not for the group emancipation that characterized the discourse of Zanzibar's former socialist regime, but to the individualCape success stressed by capitalism. This success is difficult to achieve in a stagnant economicof climate where Zanzibar's chief industry, tourism, is dominated by foreigners and local elites. This leaves Zanzibar in a precarious situation as local expectations are raised with the promises of the new economy, but these expectations are rarely met Keywords: Tourism, Zanzibar,University Cultural Imperialism, and Neo-Colonialism. Table of Contents Abstract i Acknowledgements ii Location Maps iii Chapter One: Introduction Town 1 Chapter Two: History 12 Chapter Three: Political Economy Cape 20 of Chapter Four: Social Taxonomies 47 Chapter Five: Conclusion 66 Bibliography University 70 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisors, Dr. Owen Sichone and Dr. Susan Levine and although he is not an official supervisor, Professor David Brokensha for all of the work, help and long hours that they have given me through the research and writing process. I would also like to thank the faculty of Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town for their help and encouragement. lowe my parents a great debt, financial, emotional and academic for all the support they have shown me. lowe a special debt to Sarah Bologna and Nasolo Jacobs for their editing and last minute counselling. Finally I would like to thank all of my informants; without their willingness to talk and let me hang around, none of this would have been possible. Town Cape of University Town .t::. ' " Cape of University ' " . :~ t, ' . ZANZIBAR STONE TOWN MAP: KEY I Clove Dislillery 55a People's Bank of Zanzihar (main 2 Pagoda Chinese Restauranl building) 3 Malindi Guesthouse 55b Pcople's Bank of Zanzibar (fo reign 4 Warere Guesthouse exchange) .5 Fish Markct 56 Coco de Mer HOlel 6 Shipping company offices (most in 57 Karibu Inn this area) 58 Orphanage 7 Cine Afrique 59 Le Bistrot 8 Malindi Restaurant 60 National Bank ofCommercc 9 DHL office 61 Old British Consulate 10 Malindi Guesthouse Anne)\. 62 Tembo Hotel M<Jin fDIfd- II Malindi Sports Club (dhow tickets) 63 Starehe Club norrtIwan1s ouI of foIon 12 Passing Sho w Restaurant 64 Fisherman Restaurant /(1 LMrogstone 65 Le Pecheur Bar Hoose, ""onl 13 ZanAir Palace, 66 Air Za07.ihar MIUUhubI 14 Petrol station Palace 15 Malindi Police Station 67 Blue Occ3nllolel & Burobu 16 AI Jabry Restaurant 68 Post office 17 People's Bank of Zanzibar 69 Luna Mare Restaurant 18 Zanzibar Tourist Corporation 70 Luis Yoghurt Shop 19 Petrol stalion 71 Fahaud Medical Centre 20 Taxi rank 71 a St Joseph's Catholic Cathedral 21 Karwan Serai Hotel 72 Chit Chit Restaurant 22 NarrowTown Street Hotel 73 Equator Tours 23 Pyramid Guest House 74 Green Garden Restaurant 24 Old Di spemary 75 Zanzibar Roots Gallery 25 Pychi's 76 larnho Gucslhouse 26 Gulf Air 77 Flamingo HOlel 27 Ijumaa r-"losqlJc 78 Haile Selassie School 28 Kenya Airways, Oman Air. Mega 79 Kiswahili In stitule ra tl6~ Cape 80 Air Tanzani a pos/o/lloo, Speed Liners Mk:/Jenzsni Il I Fishcrmanlillirs. Maha Tours nslS & 29 Big Tree, The Amani 30 Sea View Indian Restaurant 112 Florida Guesthousc Stadium of <:: 31 Old Custom f louse 83 Culture Music Club 32 Kiponda Hotel 84 Haven Hotel 33 Palace Museum 85 Manch Lodge }3.Ulhurl 34 Ni ghlS 86 Chavda Hotel GaroC'n5 I (JO I 15 Aga Khan Mosque 87 Sunrise Restaurant and Puh 36 Spice Inn 88 Mazson's Hotel 37 Ithnasheri Mosque 89 lippu Tip's House 3H Narro w Slrcet Holel Annex II 90 Jasfa TOllrs .N HOll se pf Spice 91 Afril'a lIou.sc IIold 4() HOlcllnlCl'nali()nal Y2 Dhow Paial e Ilnll' l 41 Emerson's HOllse 93 Baghani House IInlel 42 Markel 94 Zanzibar HUlel University 13 Masul110 Boo bhop 95 Afya Medical Cenlre ·14 Anglican CathedrallUMCA 96 Camlur's Restauranl 45 SI Monica's Hoslel 97 Maharaja Restaurant 46 Ihmamni Baths 98 Chernah Brothers Tours 47 Emerson's anJ Green Hotel 99 Two Tahles Restauranl 41l Bolloms Up Bar I DO B ~ r ~arJza .jl) Clove Hotel 101 Victoria Gucsthousc 50 Zan7.ibar Curio Shop 102 Majestic Cinema 51 Sama Tours 103 Ben Bella School 52 House of Wonders 104 Peace Memorial Museum Annex 53 Arab Fort 105 p'\:acc Memurial Museum 54 Gallery, The 106 Zanzihar Milestone .. ; .... ~, .I 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION "When you hear the word Zanzibar, it seems so exotic, you think it will be an amazing place. But its really just a beach resort isn't it? A good one, but a beach resort" (Chris, Backpacker visiting Zanzibar). The tourist 'consumes' countries and attempts to identify not with fellow tourists but sedentary peoples encountered along the way (MacCannell, 1992:4). In 1985, tourist arrivals in Zanzibar numbered 19,368; in 199986,918 tourists visited Zanzibar (Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, 2000), more than a four-fold increase in 14 years. These figures underscore the importance of tourism to Zanzibar. The 86,918 tourists in Zanzibar in 1999, numbered more than 10% of Zanzibar's total population, although tourist visits are concentrated in the peakTown seasons around December and July. Not only has tourism become the largest industry in Zanzibar (lssa Mlingoti, Commissioner for Tourism), but all of this has happened in a comparatively short period of 15 to 20 years, as the government abandoned its socialist, isolationist tendencies and became enthusiastically neo-liberalCape in its economic outlook. Tourism has been a central component of this change;of its promoters argue that tourism brings revenue in the form of badly needed foreign exchange, creates economic opportunities for the general populace and has more 'human' qualities, such as creating 'cross cultural' understanding and friendships between diverse peoples. Issa Mlingoti asserts that not only is tourism vital to Zanzibar's economy, it is a positive force that integrates the Island into the world economy on competitive terms and socially as part of the wider 'global village'. University The problems with tourism that held the most concern for many Zanzibaris that I interviewed are the problems of 'cultural pollution', such as the youth abandoning Islamic traditions and imitating tourists in "immodest" dress and drinking alcohol. The blame for 'cultural pollution' is assigned to tourists on a class basis. The younger poorer backpacker tourists are held to be responsible for influencing immorality among the youth. Immorality aside, (and to be fair, worries about immoral behavior are usually confined to older more prosperous Zanzibaris) tourism is held to be the economic salvation of the island and the greatest worry is not that tourism should grow, but that the tourists will go somewhere else. During my fieldwork in Zanzibar, I found the situation to be far more complicated 2 than the one described above. The benefits of tourism, both in the social and economic realm, are problematic. I was repeatedly confronted by the question of how much benefit was actually gained from tourism and how benefit could be defined in a manner that would apply to the entire population. Frantz Fanon (1967) described tourism in the Third World as the continuation of labor relationships that are built on slavery and colonialism. For Zanzibar, at least, this is an apt description. Tourism in many parts of the world, Zanzibar included, is not created or defined by the hosts, but by the metropole countries where most of the tourists originate; it is they who have the hosts at a considerable disadvantage (Nash, 1976, Jafari, quoted in Burns, 1996).

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