Photo gallery: colours and culture in Stone Town, Zanzibar
Ruled for centuries by the Sultanate of Oman, Tanzania’s laid-back archipelago is home to a vibrant blend of African, Islamic and Portuguese architectural and artistic styles.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019,
Photographs By Christopher Wilton-Steer
Taraab music, from Arabic tariba (‘to be moved’), fuses African, Arabic and Indian influences. Typically, a Taraab orchestra fuses Western and traditional local instruments, including a violin, a kanun, an accordion, a nay and drums, plus a singer. These group can be found playing at the Serena hotel.
Along the harbour front, Stone Town.
One of the many vintage bicycles used to get around Zanzibar. No need for locks.
One of the ladies working on the spice farm not far from Stone Town.
Children, some in their uniforms, mucking about after school, Pemba.
Looking over the tin roofs of Stone Town.
Men relaxing outside Stone Town’s Old Dispensary building.
Stone Town is arguably most famous for its iconic doors.
The doorways mix African styles with Indian and Arabic designs brought by traders and migrants.
A typical door.
A semi-open door in Stone Town.
The brass knobs that protrude from many of them hark back to those found on doorways ten times the size in India.
The knobs were intended to deter elephants from ramming the doors of great forts.
A local stands outside a house in Stone Town.
One of the typical doors in Stone Town.
A blue door.
Some neighbours catching up on the streets of Stone Town.
Morning light near Maruhubi fishing village near Stone Town.
Many of the men wear traditional hand-embroidered ‘Bargashia’ hats, which come in a variety of colours.
A father and his three boys saddle up before heading out for a ride, Pemba.
An off duty nurse stands for a portrait before heading home, Pemba.
Fruit sellers - with guava, bananas and oranges - add a burst of green, yellow and orange to Stone Town’s diverse colour palette.
Young boys showing off their wheelie skills along the harbour front of Stone Town.
School’s out and the girls are heading home, Pemba.
Women queue to purchase cosmetics, Stone Town.
In Stone Town’s narrow streets, there’s only enough space for pedestrians and cyclists.
In one of Stone Town’s small squares, men gather to play dominoes.
A late afternoon stroll along Stone Town’s harbour front.
A fishing dhow returns to harbour after 12 hours out at sea.
Sunset in Stone Town.