New Chance For Stone Town                    

EXCLUSIVE  – Two men on a joint mission to beautify Zanzibar’s historic heart

By Andrea Tapper

Never before has there been a concerted action like this: The whole of Stone Town and several of its historical icons are being dusted-off, renovated, modernised, repaired and repainted. Two men have vowed to tackle the mammoth task.

From repaving historical alleyways to moving electric cables underground, from whitewashing the ancient mouldy walls of the Old Fort to turning the Saracenic High Court into a judicial museum – the UNESCO-protected old town of Zanzibar is set to shine in new splendour. Current renovations are  being carried out with a sense of urgency rarely exuded before. With it comes a shift in policy – and certainly in drive and motivation. Major results of the overhaul are expected to be seen during 2025. Some improvements are already visible.

“We are starting from the seaside, swiftly making our way inward”, explained Ali Said Bakar, Director-General of the Stone Town Conservation & Development Authority (STCDA), the conservation body responsible for the iconic old town.

Stone Town is an ancient Swahili settlement unique to Zanzibar with a fascinating mix of Arab palaces, Indian merchant houses, narrow streets, mosques and churches. Since Zanzibar became a part of Tanzania in 1964, the historic quarter has suffered from decay. “Stone Town was dying, our mission is to bring it back to life”, said Ali S. Bakar, explaining major new regulations and developments to reverse the creeping demise:

Private sales of houses – for the last decade or so seen as a remedy to save the crumbling historical quarter – have been stopped.

The government of Zanzibar has released $5.5 million to finance part of the unprecedented – and long overdue – conservation move, Bakar said.

The entire make-over is taking place under the control and auspices of the Stone Town conservation authority who has been given a new and wider mandate, de facto replacing the municipality.

The STCDA office now issues business licenses, building permits, manages sewage and waste, and regulates traffic as well as parking in Stone Town. Every three months, control inspections of the world heritage site by UNESCO are carried out: “We do nothing without their approval”, Bakar assured. The 47-year-old engineer with a diploma in law has overseen the building of ten new hospitals in Zanzibar. Moving from health to heritage, he was placed at the helm of the Stone Town conservation authority two and a half years ago.

Working in tandem

Equally important as the government action seems the newly-won support of a private sponsor from Dubai who has entered the transformative initiative. In regards to his motives, Samuel Saba, 29, a real estate developer from Dubai and chairman of the family business Infinity Developments, simply said: “We like Zanzibar and we said, let’s have some impact.” Infinity has been licensed to build a 255-villa-and-apartment Anantara resort on the north-east coast. “The hotel project is our money-making enterprise”, said the heir of a Dubai billionaire family and aviation company: “The Stone Town overhaul is our voluntary effort to make Zanzibar’s unique heritage more accessible and enjoyable for tourists.”

THE FUMBA TIMES was granted  an exclusive interview with director Bakari and investor Saba. Infinity projects include the restoration and modernisation of the Old Fort, the transformation of the High Court into a museum, restoration of a hamam, the already finalised new Mnazi Moja hospital garden and the repainting of entire Stone Town, for which 120 people have been hired. Since most houses require repairs before repainting, this facelift, however, is expected to take at least 36 months.

Pic:
Suddenly more beautiful: chief conservator Ali Said Bakar (left) and Dubai businessmen Samuel Saba in front of cleaned walls of the historic Old Fort. The face-lift began externally. Inside, major repairs are still ongoing.