John Okello (1937–c. 1971) and the Zanzibar revolution of 1964
John Okello was a Ugandan immigrant and self-styled revolutionary, left an indelible mark on Zanzibar’s history as the leader of the 1964 Afro-Shirazi Revolution. Born in Uganda, Okello fled his homeland at age 15, working briefly in Kenya before settling in Pemba, Zanzibar, in 1959. There, he labored as a bricklayer and union organizer, secretly […]
The Afro-Shirazi Revolution and the Emergence of a New Zanzibar
The Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, a watershed event in postcolonial African history, marked the subsequent overthrow of the Arab Omani-dominated Sultanate and the integration of Zanzibar and Pemba (called the spice islands) into the newly formed nation of Tanzania. The revolution happened barely a month after Zanzibar had gained its independence from British rule on […]