Abstract
Particularly since the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964, relations between Oman and Zanzibar have been marked by contested political views and conflicting versions. While from the perspective of Oman the relation to Zanzibar meanwhile often seems to be of only minor significance, in Zanzibar it has been of high ideological and imaginative value and is a dominant argument in political controversies until today. However, instead of engaging in the wider and more macro-level political and economic debates about the relationship between Oman and Zanzibar, the aim of this paper is to ground these in the everyday practices and imaginative geographies of those actually constituting the translocal connections. Focusing on emotional, material and individual business ties between the two places, we illustrate how contemporary connections are lived and experienced by Zanzibari Omani. Only this, we argue, can provide a deeper understanding of the ambiguity and complexity of these personal relations, thus adding an important but often ignored dimension to the current discussions of Oman’s translocal relations.
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Notes
- 1.
The most recent elections in October 2010 resulted in a considerable change in government personnel and the inclusion of the opposition party (Civic United Front [CUF]) in the government (22 out of 50 seats in the House of Representatives are now held by members of the CUF). The effects this political change – considered a major step towards real democracy – may have on the economic situation of the islands cannot be assessed yet, however.
- 2.
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for funding this project.
- 3.
A translation into English is in progress.
- 4.
In Oman, our research was mainly conducted in Muscat. In addition, several trips were undertaken to Ibra – a place in the interior from which many families migrated to East Africa – accompanying Zanzibari Omani on their weekend trips to visit their remaining relatives.
- 5.
While some exchange messages with friends and relatives in Zanzibar almost daily, calls are generally made to notify each other of important happenings such as weddings, hospitalisation or death, often combined with the exchange of the latest gossip. Because of its own instant messaging system that involves no additional costs, the Blackberry phone has achieved great popularity in recent years, making this kind of exchange even more casual and turning communication with friends and relatives abroad into an everyday activity.
- 6.
Sums may vary from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the personal situation of the sender.
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Verne, J., Müller-Mahn, D. (2013). “We Are Part of Zanzibar” – Translocal Practices and Imaginative Geographies in Contemporary Oman-Zanzibar Relations. In: Wippel, S. (eds) Regionalizing Oman. United Nations University Series on Regionalism, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6821-5_5
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