The island of Zanzibar in Tanzania yesterday celebrated the 6th June 1873 abolition of slavery. The abolition which eventually took effect in 1909 sparked celebrations in the semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, TheMediaGood Newspaper can report.
Slavery flourished greatly on the island in the Indian Ocean. In fact, slavery and slave trade was said to have existed on the archipelago for about 1000 years. A paper titled Zanzibar’s Story: Remembering the Past, Securing the Future noted that ‘the last permanent market in East Africa was in Zanzibar, Tanzania and was closed in 1873. British missionaries built Christ Church Cathedral at the site.’