TANZANIANS today celebrate the 56th anniversary of Zanzibar Revolution.President of the United Republic of Tanzania John Magufuli arrived in Zanzibar on Friday for this historic event which occurred on January 12, 1964.
Zanzibar Revolution occurred after the overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar and his Arab government by local African revolutionaries.
At Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, Revolutionary Government Second Vice-President Seif Ali Iddi, led an entourage of government officials, including ministers, heads of defence and security agencies, to receive President Magufuli.
Zanzibar Revolution remains a special event of interest for Tanzanians, in particular Zanzibaris.
It is a special event in the sense that it reminds us all what it means to be free from foreign domination and be able to do things on our own and in the interests of the people.
As we mark the 56th anniversary of Revolution we are also mindful of Zanzibar’s great strides in various sectors of the economy – education, tourism, farming, fishing, just to name a few, thanks to the leadership of President Ali Mohamed Shein and his predecessors.
There are many development projects that have been implemented in Zanzibar since 1964 to date that have improved people’s living standards.
We are sure that we will not turn back and we will keep this fire burning for present and future generations and for the very reason of keeping the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar alive for it has proved to unite the people of Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
People from both parts of the Union benefit from it in many ways, including intermarriage, residing or working in either Mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar and so on.
Indeed we have many stories to tell about this Revolution which still means a lot to Zanzibaris today as Zanzibaris and various dignitaries at Amani Stadium, with the capacity to accommodate 17,000 people, to hear President Shein address the nation.
This follows after at least two weeks of preparations during which defence and security forces and other organs and people have been preparing to make the historic even a success.
We thank both the Union President Magufuli and Dr Shein for their people-centred leadership which has made Tanzanians remain united and the two countries remain peaceful and an example to be emulated by many countries across the world.
We assure them our support to keep the United Republic of Tanzania peaceful, united and a better place to invest and live in.
