Zanzibar – “We are brave”

Zanzibar, the beautiful and exotic island archipelago lying 35 kilometres off the coast of Tanzania, has a UNESCO registered Stone Town with its tiny alleyways, which together with the island’s sandy beaches, attract thousands of tourists every year. The islands are home to about 1.4 million people of which 97 percent are Muslim. The small Christian minority on the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar has been present for over 150 years living in peace with the Muslim neighbours. In recent years, however, Islamic extremism spreading down the east coast of Africa, from Somalia through Kenya to Tanzania, taking advantage of political divisions and economic hardship has infiltrated this otherwise peaceful tourist destination threatening the Christian minority. These Christian communities are facing violence and an uncertain future.