“The paper has investigated the association
between Zanzibar’s political conflicts and
decisive elements such as the colonially
framed political identities; the adversarial
party relations and politically incompatible
views/policies of parties; and lastly but not
least, elections themselves. Arguably there
are other additionally prominent factors,
both proximate and long-term that can explain the current political stand off in
Zanzibar. This author however, chose to
focus on the above arguments as each
element has uniquely helped to resurrect and
accentuate age old political conflicts in their own way. At the centre of the paper lies the supposition that the open conflicts in Zanzibar revolve around ethnic and political identities framed by colonial establishments. The paper serves as a strong reminder that these identities are indisputably not a residue of the past but a live force in today’s politics of the isles.”
