THE OPPRESSED DETAINEES OF MWALIMU NYERERE

The following is the list of those who were arrested at Dar-es-salaam and sent to Zanzibar to be detained:
 Maalim Harun Ustadh
 Maalim Muhammad Mattar
 Sayyid Hassan Sheikh
 Sayyid Muhammad Adnan
 Mzee Muhammad Mbaba
 Ahmed Rashad Ali
 Hashim Haji Abdulla
 Sayyid Hashim Abdulla Baharun
 Abul Latif Binbrek
 Muhammad Shioni
 Sayyid Muhammad Mattar
 Muhammad Ali Abbas
 Ali Abdulla (Admeri)
 Ali Jaffer
 Ali Khalifa Miskiry
 Ali Manara (a Tanganyikan)
 Aman Thani Fairooz
After his speech the Prison Commissioner left us and every one of us was given his coir mat, two sheets and a mug both for drinking and ablution. After being given those items we were escorted to our cells.
 The next day two more fellow detainees were brought in, one of them a woman, Bibi Mbarawa Bakari. She was sent to the women section. Another was Sayyid Harun Abdulla Baharun. He was brought to our section. All of us together were 19, one woman and 18 men. Our two mates, Bibi Mbarawa and Sayyid Harun were arrested in Zanzibar. We still could not yet understand the reason for our arrest.
 About a month after our arrest and imprisonment Karume and his gang of thugs paid us a visit. Karume spoke to us in these terms: "You have been brought to us because of the discord you have been fomenting in Dar-es-Salaam. Mwalimu Nyerere has ordered that you be removed there and brought to your country. Until now we have not yet received the complete report. After receiving it and making the necessary investigation we shall make our own decision whether to let you free or to send you to court. But this you must know, the court is a military one, your punishment will be DEATH." After saying so, he began abusing us and to use every threatening language he could devise. He leveled his accusations particularly against those of our brethren of Comorian descent, for it appeared that in our group there were several Comorians. As a result of such threats one of us involuntarily wetted his trousers  Karume and his gang instead of getting him removed for decency's sake, they burst out laughing at him! We lowered our gaze, like shy maidens,  unable to look at him. It was at that place, at that time, and in such circumstances that Karume announced, and his announcement became law, that those of Comorian descent were not nationals of Zanzibar. Every Comorian who wanted Zanzibari nationality had to apply for naturalization. There and then he told Aboud Jumbe to call a press conference the next day and announce that decision. The absurdity of it all: impinged on our minds with force A native of Congo was commanding a native of Tanganyika to announce that natives of Zanzibar were no longer Zanzibaris,  not because of any alien birth but because of their ancestry which he did not like. It was amazing and sad that when Karume was enacting his fascist law off the cuff and on the spur of the moment, our brethren, the self-styled "progressives" were there and  not merely raised no objection, but  hailed Karume saying: "Sawa Mzee! Sawa Mzee! That is correct, Mzee!" If those who were "Progressive" were like that, what would the "reactionary" be like? The Dictator issues his order, it becomes the law of the land, without even  consulting his own gang of murderers, and the "progressive" lackeys hail such dictatorial decrees! What a farce! What a tragedy!
 After this Karume and his gang left us in a state of fear and doubt, for we knew not what would befall us. He had already indicated that he allowed his underlings to deal with us in any way they wished. The usurper government followed no path of justice. It was a government of oppression, persecution and violence. It was a government of thuggery, of arbitrary arrest, imprisonment without trial, confiscation, looting and mass killings. Those are their laws. We were from that day in a most unenviable state.
 About two months since the visit of Karume, I think it was 14th of Ramadhan, December 1968, at 6 in the evening shortly before the siren which announced sun-set before we had partaken of our breakfast of pieces of cassava boiled with its leaves, a sergeant came to us and ordered us to take our meal with us. We followed him to the courtyard of the quarter-guard. We were ordered to squat down. Shortly the siren sounded, and we went to perform ablution, said our prayers and broke our fast. Then immediately the lights of the quarter-guard went out and we were in total dankness. The prison gate was opened and a prison vehicle entered by reverse  Our hearts sank, everyone of us knew not what to expect. Shortly we were ordered inside the car. Our journey was short for we were taken to the prison of "Ba Mkwe" (Father-in-law) or in other words "Mlango wa Nyuma" (The Backdoor) By that time two of our companions had already been released. They were Ahmed Rashad Ali and Ali Manara.
 The "Father-in-law's prison" was established  shortly after the usurping government came to power. (The head of this section, Mandera, wa nicknamed "Ba-Mkwe" because one stood in awe of his father-in-law.) The reason for its establishment was to have an instrument for torturing and terrorizing the whole population into total and abject submission. A great many people have lost their lives under torture within the walls of that prison which was under the Security Department. The head of the department was Ibrahim Makungu, and the head of this prison was Hassan Rehani (Hassan Mandera), also known as "Ba Mkwe" (Father-in-law). .He was also  nicknamed ZIRAILI, the Angel of Death, as indeed he was. It was a miracle for anyone who got into his clutches to come out alive. If by luck one escaped his torture he would at least get a ten year sentence.
 We arrived at "Ba Mkwe" at about seven thirty in the evening, and found Mandera himself and his gang waiting for us. They registered our names individually, and  as each got registered he was sent to the cells. They distributed us in various cells. We did not know at that time who was with whom and in what cell. I had the fortune of being put together with Sharif Muhammad Mattar. In that cell there were already as old occupants four inmates. Those companions of ours welcomed us and one of them called us by our names. He recognized us, but I failed to recognize him until he identified himself. Their condition was frightening, for they were all in rags and wearing sacks as loin cloths, with half their bodies naked. Their hair was in tangled masses, their faces were covered with overgrown beard and moustaches. They looked pitiable, terrible. The room, 10ft x 10ft was steaming hot, with one high ventilator, too high even if you could jump to get to it. The old man who called us by our names asked us: "Can you recognize me?"  We replied in the negative. He then said: "I know that you can't. My name is Abbas Othman, but more popularly I am known as Mzee Kenyatta."  When he mentioned Kenyatta we immediately remembered him. He had been a trade union leader who led a successful dock-workers' strike in the forties. He had changed so much! "Mzee Kenyatta" then told us:
 "Brothers, I must tell you something about this prison. In this prison we are not given the coir mats to sleep on. As you see we sleep and sit on the hard floor . The clothes that you come in with are the only clothes that you will ever have however long you stay in. If you fall ill you are not sent to see a doctor. If you are lucky you may be given a couple of aspirin tablets. But that is unusual. The doors of these cells are kept closed for twenty-four hours a day. Only on occasions are they opened, and then not all together. When one cell is opened the others are kept closed. This is so lest the occupants of one cell should ever come into contact with those of another. The cells are usually opened in the early morning at about five. That is the time when the buckets are taken out, and we use that time hurriedly to get some water to rinse our bodies without soap, and to clean our teeth with a finger and some earth. In this prison we are not allowed even to have a tooth-stick. The doors are again opened at about seven in the morning for us to go and get breakfast. The doors are also opened at about two in the afternoon for procuring the midday meal. Then for the last time the doors are opened at about five in the afternoon to bring out the plates used for lunch, and to get some water for the night. The time used for opening and shutting the doors does not exceed ten minutes. It would be no surprise if  at any time now the door was opened and one of us would be taken out. We may never see him again, or after a time, if they so desire, they may return him. When someone is taken out of the cell it is for four particular reasons. It may be to put him in another cell, or to subject him to torture, or to be killed, or to be sent to the main prison to serve a sentence. The possibility of being let out to be released, that is indeed a very remote possibility."
 Mzee Kenyatta concluded by saying: "What I have described to you are of daily occurrence in this prison. But there are other events which often take place in this prison, and they may take place at any time, day or night. So long as you are here you will yourselves see them."
 The time was about ten o'clock. We munched our pieces of cassava which had remained as our late supper (daku or suhuur), drank our mug of water, dusted ourselves and threw ourselves on the floor in search of sleep. Never, sleep refused to come our way. The whole night we turned on the TV of our hearts, from channel to channel. Until dawn prayers  the eye totally refused to close.
 As soon as the morning siren sounded, the one to send people hurrying to their jobs, the cell door opened and a young man stood there looking at us with a look of utter disdain and stupidity. That young man asked in an extremely haughty voice:
 "Which is Aman Thani, here?"
 I answered him: "Here I am."
 He then asked: "Are you the one who was the General Secretary of the ZNP?"
 I answered: "Yes I am the one."
 He then asked: "And you are now the General Secretary of the secret Islamic society in Dar-es-Salaam?"
 "I do not know that secret  society, and I have never heard of it, and I am not the General Secretary of that society if it ever exists."
 He told me: "You will shortly know it. Many like you when they are brought  here said 'we do not know' in answer to all questions. But after coming into contact with our tough youths  they conceded that they knew all that they had been denying before. And you too after a short time you will know everything. Be patient."
 Having said that he turned round and banged the door behind him with haughtiness.  After he had gone I asked my mates: "Who is this?"
 Mzee Abbas Kenyatta told me: "He is called Musa Makwega. It is said that he is a nephew of Simba Makwega."  (Simba Makwega had been probably the greatest footballer who ever lived in Zanzibar. He played first in the New Kings team and then in the Arab Sports Club That was in the thirties)
 Yes, a short time later the door of the cell was opened again and another young man came in. This one was in his underpants only. He had no other clothing on.  As he arrived he said: "Aman Thani! Come out!" I came out and I was led to a big room, where I saw Mandera and Juma Musa. I had always known these two. There were others whom I later came to know by their names. One was Ame Fidia, another Haji, popularly known as Haji Kifupi (Shorty). The one who had escorted me to this place was called Mzee. Both Haji and Mzee were from Bumbwini, Unguja, and Ame Fidia was a Tumbatu youth, and Juma Musa was a young man from rural Zanzibar. I do not know which part of the countryside he came from.
 In that room there was one big table and two chairs. On the table there was laid a pistol Next to the wall there were bundles of guava sticks. Under the table there was a fairly thick sisal rope made into a noose at the end. The walls and floor of the room were covered with congealed blood.
 Mandera told me: "Aman! You and I have known each other for a very long time. We have never been at cross purposes with each other, not even once. However, I must tell you that in this prison there is no brotherly, fatherly or friendly relationship. There is no acquaintanceship either.  In this prison there are all sorts of torture, and we have the right to torture and torment any person, so long as he pretends to be obstinate and will not tell us the truth regarding matters that we want information about. If he tells the truth he will not be tortured, and will not stay in here for long. He will be let out, and he will go out to continue to live his life. Therefore I am telling you if you want to be tortured you will be tortured; if you try to hide the truth, we know everything, but we want to get confirmation from your own mouths."
 He went on saying: "We want you to tell us, what is the aim of founding that society of yours, the secret Islamic society, and who are your leaders who run the society in secrecy? We know that you are only being used to carry out the orders of those leaders of yours. I promise you, if you tell us the truth, you will not stay here for even a week, and you will be returned to Dar-es-Salaam to continue with your life."
 Honestly, that statement amazed me. Apart from being a member or not of that society he was talking about, I had never in my life even heard of it. I told him: "I know nothing of that society, nor do I know its leaders if the society does at all exist."
 As soon as I told him that I saw Mandera's face completely changed, and he began using threatening language and insults. In the end he told me:
 "If you want to show us how clever you are by refusing to speak the truth, then we also will show you what we will do to you here and now. Will you tell us the truth, or will you not?"
 I told him: "If you want the truth, that is the truth, and I have no further truth than this. I know nothing of what you are talking about."
 God Almighty! He gave me a slap that sent me to the ground. He then ordered that I be stretched on the table, and in a twinkle I found myself lifted bodily and deposited face down on the table like a sack of salt.   Yes, indeed! Mandera wasted no time. He began thrashing me with the guava sticks while continuously hurling all conceivable insults at me. I could hardly wriggle, for his assistants were tightly gripping my arms and legs  I felt excruciating pain, until in the end I was numb and could feel no more. At first I involuntarily yelled with pain, ultimately in the end I could not even groan. My relief came when he himself got tired. But by that time I was half dead myself. I saw the room going round and round, and so were the people. I was left in that state for a time, and then Mandera ordered me  to get off the table and sit on a chair. When I tried to collect myself and stand up I failed to put my feet down, for I had been lashed even on the soles of my feet My legs were trembling. I was helped to the chair; I could not have moved by myself. Mandera asked me:
 "Are you fasting today?" (It was 15th of Ramadhan).
 "Yes, I am fasting" I said.
 He told me: "Then today you will break your fast on lashes of sticks".
 At that time my throat was completely dry, there was not the slightest moisture  in my mouth, every part of my body was oozing sweat. My buttocks were swollen and lacerated. I could not sit on the chair; sitting intensified pain.  I was devastated. After resting a while Mandera asked me again the same questions he had asked me before. And I gave him the same answers. Then Mandera ordered that I be  put in the noose of that hanging rope. They put it round my neck. They put one end of the rope round a bar of the ventilator which was so high that the person who manipulated the rope had to climb on the table to reach it. I was sitting on the chair with the noose round my neck. Then all went out except Mandera and me with the noose round my neck. I looked very much like a fierce bull before a bull fight. Those who went out were expected to pull the rope from outside, like one who draws water from a well. by means of a pulley. I began rising up, not on my own volition, but because I was being lifted up by the pull of the rope. Mandera's was to command: "Pull! Let go!" When he said: Pull, I was pulled., and when he said: "Let go!" I was let off. When they let go, I could not control myself. I plumped down  like an anchor being dropped into the sea. Mandera lashed at me with the guava sticks while he shouted; "Stand up!"  They went on like that until they felt satisfied when  they removed the noose from my neck. Mandera then got out of the room leaving his assistants with me. Juma Musa told me:
 "Listen Aman! Stop this obstinacy of yours. You are only doing harm to yourself. This is an extremely evil place. You will not bear the torture of this prison,  they are extremely dangerous, and at the end of it all is death. I beg you, therefore, to say the truth regarding that society so that you may terminate the tortures."
 I remained silent, I did not answer him anything. I was well aware that he was using the tactics of his trade.. When Juma Musa felt that he could get nothing out of me, he went out leaving me with the other assistants. After a time Mandera and Juma Musa returned to the room. Mandera asked his men:
 "Has he said anything?"
 Juma Musa told Mandera: "He pretends to be clever, he does not want to tell us the truth. I tried to advise him, but he did not even indicate that he cared anything about me."  Mandera said: "Why don't we kill him?  What will happen if we kill him? Bring the pistol!"
 One of the youthful assistants, called Mzee,  brought the pistol  Mandera then told me:  "You see this pistol,! Say your last prayer of Shahada. Today you will break your fast in the grave."
 He ordered that I be blindfolded. Makame Fidia was the one who blindfolded me. I recited my Shahada. I do not know what happened, but I heard a loud explosion. Nothing touched me and nothing killed me, but because of the fear that I had I fell to the ground. As I fell I heard them burst into laughter out of pleasure and derision. Mandera: said:
 "Stupid! You pretend to be clever! Why are you afraid to die? This today is only a rehearsal, the real show is still to come."
 Mandera then ordered the blindfold to be removed, and he told me:
 "Today we leave you to go and rest and think over until tomorrow When you are brought here again you must have made up your mind, to tell the truth or to continue to hide the truth. But I am telling you that if you try to play us the sort of game you have been playing today, we shall begin with pulling out the nails of your hands, and then the nails of your feet, and we shall apply henna made of hot chilies on them. Send him back to his mates!"
 At that time the 2.30 siren for knock-off was being sounded. The game had started at eight in the morning. At two thirty it came to an end. I was in an appalling condition. I could not walk without assistance. I looked more like a tiny toddler being taught how to walk.
 When I arrived at the cell and my mates saw the condition I was in, the first thing they did was to tell me not to continue with my fast. And indeed that was my own feeling too. My throat was dry; there was not the slightest saliva in my mouth. There was nothing to eat at that time, except water. Even if there was food I was not able to eat anything. Even  water passed through my throat with difficulty. My whole body was full of swellings and lacerations from the whippings of Mandera. For days I could neither lie or sit down without pain. In the afternoon of that day I had a high fever. My companions banged the door to call the guards in order to get me some medicine. Nobody came. Fortunately Mzee Kenyatta had a reserve of some aspirin tablets. He gave me two which helped me somewhat. I spent the whole night awake because of the pain I was suffering and the fear of what awaited me the next day. All the time I saw Mandera standing in front of me. When it dawned the next day the fever became worse, for with every minute that passed I saw that sooner or later they would be coming to fetch me. Thank God, I passed the day and the next night without anybody asking about me. That  became the end of it. After that day they never came to fetch me for torture.
 We stayed in that prison of "Ba Mkwe" from December 1968 to 3rd May 1969, when we were shifted to the central prison. We arrived at the quarter-guard at five in the afternoon. Each one of us was given prison uniform, a coir mat to sleep on, and a mug for drinking. We put off our clothes and put on the prison uniform ( The uniform was composed of a collar-less shirt, and a pair of shorts.) When we were given prison uniforms each one of us was shocked and tears filled our eyes. We tried to put up a manly appearance and pretended to be unconcerned trying to inspire courage in each other. Those who were most pitiable however were the more elderly among us, like Sayyid Hassan Sheikh, Maalim Harun Ustaadh and the late Maalim Muhammad Mattar. All of these were about sixty to seventy years old. They were not in good health. They had high blood pressure and diabetes. We knew that we had become prisoners, but we had no idea how long we were going to remain prisoners. In spite of all that we were thankful that we had come out of the "Ba Mkwe" prison alive and physically unscathed, although some of us had undergone inhuman torture. At least here we would be able to walk about and would not be forced to sit in one place day and night without any movement at all. In comparison with the condition we had been in we felt as if we had been released.
 Before leaving the quarter-guard we saw our fellow-inmates being brought in and being handed their prison uniforms. Among them was Mr. Abdul-Aziz Twala who had been a minister in the usurper government, Mr. Jaha Ubwa who had been Area Commissioner, Mr. Mdungi Usi who had been Town Clerk, Mr. Aboud Nadhif, who had been Cooperative Registrar, Juma Maulid (Jimmy Ringo) who had been a Commissar. Also among them were Mzee Abbas (Kenyatta) and Ali Ngwengwe, both of whom had been staunch supporters of the Afro-Shirazi Party. Also brought on that same day from the ":Ba Mkwe" prison, was our brother Saleh Ali Nasser (Saleh Master). This brother of ours was among those who were most severely tortured in the "Ba Mkwe" prison. On the day we were brought to the central prison Saleh Master could hardly walk on his feet.
 When we had all been provided with our prison equipment we were escorted to our cells. At sunset we were given our pieces of bitter boiled cassava and maize porridge. We then had our heads shaved with blunt razor blades. The result was that our heads were covered with blood. After that we were sent to the Prison Commissioner to have our thumb marks put in the prison register. As before we found the same statement repeated alleging that we had instigated discord, that we had been tried  and sentenced by the military court. In short it was utter lies and hypocrisy. It was when we met the Prison Commissioner that we were told that each one of us  had been sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.  After leaving the Prison Commissioner I told Jaha Ubwa in bitterness (for when you are a prisoner there is nothing else to fear:) "Jaha, do you see what lies your government utters? Which judge tried us? In what court have we been tried?  Or were you, our brothers,  sent to that court?" Poor  Jaha had nothing to answer. He just fumed and stared at me. The only thing he said: "God will repay us."  Yes, he and his colleagues were there being repaid by God, for what they had done in  overthrowing the country and supporting the massacres of the ASP. After lunch time we were moved to the rural  prison camp of Langoni.
 

THE TORTURES OF  "BA MKWE"

Many people of Unguja and Pemba were tortured in the prison of "Ba Mkwe". Many have died as a result of the tortures, and many others have come out maimed. Apart from being flogged some had their private parts burnt with cigarettes and left to rot with untended wounds. There were others who were fumigated with hot chilies while completely covered with a heavy cloth and in particular directing the burning fumes to their private parts. There were some who had petrol poured on them and then burnt alive. Still some had nails of their hands and feet pulled out and then had chilies applied to their wounds. Another form of torture practiced in that prison was to put a rubber tube through the anus and then water was forced into the body until it ejected out of the mouth! There were many men who were sexually assaulted.
 I dare say that tortures like those practiced in Zanzibar inflicted on the people of Unguja and Pemba during the reigns of Karume and Aboud Jumbe were not practiced in South Africa under Botha or in Haiti under Papadoc. But the world community for reasons of its own kept  quiet as if nothing had taken place. But this is not the only world, there is another world to come, and there we shall meet with the Supreme Judge who knows the seen and the unseen, everything that has been done. That Judge knows very well how to inflict  befitting punishment, not the punishment of puny men like Mandera, whose tortures are like a bit of sand compared with what awaits them in the hereafter. Let us get prepared. Those tortures are not far off. They are very near. It is only a matter of stopping to breathe!
 

LIFE AT LANGONI PRISON

Prison life in 1968 was worse than what it had been when I was first imprisoned  in 1964 - 1967. Difficulties had increased in every way now. Prison ration was not adequate considering the amount of work the inmates were expected to perform. Because of the increased number of inmates prison had shortage of uniforms, shortage of coir mates, let alone food. The situation was so desperate that it came to the point when new inmates were given pieces of gunny bags to tie round their loins, and to sleep on  strips of gunny bag. When old prisoners were discharged their uniforms were given to others without even being washed.
 In the years 1970 and 1971 the prisons were stinking with dirt and hunger.   There was no food except bitter cassava and old tough cassava leaves (as a vegetable) morning and midday. We, prisoners, called this food "Full suit", because the meal was cassava root and the vegetable cassava leaves. The cassava itself happened to be bitter, and to top it all, salt became scarce. Bitter cassava is not really fit for human consumption. It is for cattle feeding. Life was hard. Prisoners who were out working in the fields had the good luck of helping themselves with the kernel of unripe coconuts.
 The sun was intensely hot, so much so that many streams and wells dried up. There was not a drop of water. By divine providence the well near the Langoni prison continued to provide water. People came from Kizimbani Sakafuni, some distance away, to fetch water from this well. They carried the water in drums which they loaded on ox carts to transport to Sakafuni. The number of prisoners was so large that in one shed there had to sleep 70 to 80 inmates, whereas the shed had been built to accommodate only 30 to 40 inmates at most.
 People used to be arrested and imprisoned arbitrarily for anything or for nothing. If a leader fancied the wife of anyone, and the husband  was too protective, that husband would be swooped by Mandera without his knowing what offense he had committed. One would first be kept in the "Ba Mkwe" prison and ultimately be sent to the central prison with an automatic sentence of anything from four to ten years. All this happened without any trial and without being told of any charge.
 

WORK PERIODS FOR "POLITICAL PRISONERS"

The bell to arouse prisoners from their sleep was rung at five in the morning. As soon as the shed was opened, some ran to the toilet and others to get breakfast. At exactly six we were sent out of the camp to work. By seven we would be working, cultivating or uprooting coconut palms, or any other job until three in the afternoon. Work stopped at that time, and prisoners were sent to the camp, that is those who had completed their tasks. As for those who did not complete their tasks in time, they were kept there until they did. Having returned to the camp those prisoners who had completed their tasks  had their meal, and after a little rest, they were sent to do odd jobs, such as cutting grass, collecting firewood,  weeding ridges and rice plots, or cultivating other fields. This type of work at that time was called "fatigue". It was after this that we were allowed to have a wash for half an hour, if water was available.
 During colonial days prisoners were made to work from seven in the morning to one in the afternoon. No one was made to work on Sunday, or on any public holiday. And there was no such a thing as "fatigue". But during the time of the bosses who brag themselves as the ones "who brought equality and removed the persecution of humble citizens", - it was at that time when the most cruel injustices were done to the humble citizens. When once the students of  the Dar-es-Salaam University marched in the city with placards saying "It was better in the colonial days", Mwalimu in anger closed down the university for some time! Truth is bitter.

KARUME'S PRISON WORSE THAN SLAVERY

 Often Mwalimu Nyerere and the leaders of the usurping regime of Zanzibar like to harp on the evils of the slavery that once upon a time existed in Zanzibar. We do not say that slavery was good, never! It is extremely evil to purchase your fellow man and to own him, and no human being will today exonerate such a deed. In appreciation of the evil of the denial of one's freedom Zanzibar became the first country in East Africa to abolish slavery. This was done in 1897 by the decree of the Sultan Sayyid Hamoud. From that time no one in Zanzibar was a slave. In neighbouring Tanganyika, however, slavery continued under the Germans and the British until 1920 when it was finally terminated. From the time of the abolition of slavery in Zanzibar, i.e. 1897 to the year when Zanzibar was invaded in 1964, a period of no less than 67 years had elapsed. By that token most of the people of Unguja and Pemba knew nothing at all about the slavery that had once been in Zanzibar. Even so, if we are to be fair in using our intelligence and look into the matter without prejudice or ulterior motives, we will see that the slavery that existed in Zanzibar was much more humane than that which, for example, existed in America and many other countries. If slaves in Zanzibar were being ill-treated as Nyerere and his stooges would like us to believe, then after the official abolition of slavery there would not have been a single ex-slave who would have remained in the household of his former master, Dr. L.W. Hollingsworth writes in his Short History of East Africa, that three months after the abolition of slavery only 120 people went to register themselves for freedom. Hollingsworth adds: that it is true that slaves were well looked after by their masters. Until today the descendants of former slaves and the descendants of former masters are living together in perfect harmony. It is not only that they live together, they are living in the same houses, as brothers and sisters, uncles and nephews. They live as and are relatives, by marriage and descent. Masters and slaves were  closely intermarried and interbred.
 During the times of slavery according to what we are told by our elders, slaves were given proper accommodation, proper and adequate food,  they married with each other and even with their masters, and their numerous descendants are many of the Zanzibaris living today. Slaves were never made to work on Friday, and were never beaten unless they were guilty of an unpardonable offense. Slaves owned properties, plantations and houses bequeathed to them by their masters.
 Now let us look at the slaves of Karume, the so-called "political prisoners."  Before taking them to work, they were first sent to Mandera to be subjected to the most inhuman torture imaginable. Those who had the good luck to survive the tortures were then taken to the prisons for work, which was itself another form of torture. The slaves of Karume worked from seven in the morning upto six in the evening. They were given no food except pieces of cassava and old cassava leaves. They were given no rest, not Friday nor Sunday, neither on holidays. When they fell ill they were just left like that until God in His mercy relieved them from servile toil one way or another. Many passed away like that untended and untreated. The slaves of Karume, particularly us who were called "political prisoners",  were allowed no visitors from their families, nor were they allowed to correspond with them. As a result of the hard conditions and the tortures two of the sixteen of us, who were brought by Nyerere from Dar-as-Salaam, died in prison. They were Mzee Muhammad Mbaba and Maalim Harun Ustadh. Both of them fell ill and were left without proper treatment although the Langoni prison paramedic (who was a staff nurse)  recommended they be sent to the central hospital to be seen by a qualified doctor. The officer in charge of Langoni and Kinu Moshi prison camps, Muhydin Khamis Kwangwati refused to move them to the main hospital, until when they were about to die he took them to the medical ward of the central prison Kiinua Miguu. They shortly passed away. We lived in that state of torment and torture for 1110 days, that is three years and a few days.

FREEDOM REGAINED

On 9th January, 1972 during morning hours Karume, together with his gang, the Usurper Council, visited first the central prison at Kiinua Miguu. After delivering a speech there they came to the rural prison  of  Langoni. When they arrived Karume spoke to us saying: "Today we have come to free all of you, prisoners. We have decided to close down all prisons. Instead  we shall open Training Colleges, in these same prison areas. Although you are free as from today you will remain here in prison until 12th January the day of the celebration of the revolution. On that day you will be permitted to go to your homes." After making that statement, Karume, as his practice, launched into his usual nonsense. One could make neither head nor tail of it. When he got tired, he stopped and went out with his gang of thugs, leaving us happy and grateful to the Most Merciful God.
 In fact those who were set free that day were all the prisoners, not only the political prisoners. Convicted criminals were also released. That day prisons looked like picnic camps, for after Karume and his gang had left, we were given back our clothes and were free to move about inside without guards. At night we slept without being locked in. Instead of having to relieve ourselves in buckets within the sight and hearing of one's fellow inmates inside the cells, now we had the freedom to go to the proper toilets away from the sleeping sheds.  The guards even called us by our names, instead of using the word; "Prisoner!" We deluded ourselves as if  all that which had happened to us was nothing to bother about. It had just been a bad dream. We saw the hours were not ticking, we were so anxious for 12th January,  that we might regain our freedom..
 At ten in the morning of 12th January, 1972 we were moved from the prisons of Langoni and Kinu Moshi and sent to the Amani Stadium at Chumbuni. When we arrived there we found our fellow prisoners from the central prison of Kiinua Miguu had  arrived before us. By three in the afternoon the stadium was full to capacity with people. When the time arrived men and women, old and young - the army, police and prison guards, volunteers male and female - paraded in all sorts of ways with guns on their shoulders  All the top-ranking leaders of the usurper government, except Karume, wore military uniforms. Even old-fashioned men like Sheikh Thabit Kombo and Sheikh Daud Mahmoud were in army uniforms! They looked so funny! After the conclusion of the parade, President Karume addressed the gathering, enumerating the achievements of the so-called revolution. He then said:
  "Today we are releasing all prisoners. As from today we are shutting down all prisons, and in their place we are opening Training Colleges."
 As soon as he said these words the gathering came to an abrupt end without being formally closed.
 The whole crowd descended  to the ground to where we were. As soon as they reached us they embraced us with great jubilation, and showered us with congratulations for our release. In a twinkle we found ourselves outside the stadium and everyone of us had been taken by his family, friends and fellow countrymen, who took us in their cars to our homes. As I reached home before crossing the threshold a coconut was broken as a traditional thanksgiving before entering the house.
 Before continuing with my story about my life after the release from the slavery of Karume and his Council of Usurpers and how I lived in freedom with my family, I would first like to relate what happened to some of my fellow-countrymen, according to what I saw with my own eyes, and according to what they  related to me regarding the deeds done to them by the so-called "Revolution".