Mahonda, Zanzibar — Sixty years after the historic merger that created the United Republic of Tanzania, young people in Zanzibar are openly questioning the benefits of the Union, citing fierce job competition from mainland workers and a deep-seated sense of separate national identity.
During a recent youth dialogue in Mahonda, North Unguja, participants engaged in a heated debate about whether Zanzibar is truly part of Tanzania or a distinct nation that has allegedly been “swallowed” by its larger neighbour.
The session, recorded on April 12, 2026, and published on May 7, was part of the “Dira Mtaani: Vijana Wanasemaje” programme, organised by The Chanzo and Twaweza East Africa.
The catalyst for the debate was the issue of employment, particularly in the local sugar factory and the broader private sector. Zanzibari youth alleged that investors and employers consistently bypass locals in favour of workers from mainland Tanzania—historically known as Tanganyika—because the mainlanders are willing to accept significantly lower wages.
“When a Zanzibari goes to get hired, they negotiate based on the high cost of living here,” explained Muhsin, a local youth. “But a youth from mainland Tanzania comes and lowers the price. So the employer will take the person from the mainland who has lowered the price.”
Wage undercutting
Participants detailed the stark economic realities driving this resentment. They noted that a Zanzibari worker might demand Sh30,000 per day to survive the archipelago’s high cost of living, where a kilogramme of rice can cost up to Sh3,400.
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In contrast, they claimed mainland workers are willing to do the same job for Sh10,000 to Sh12,000 a day.
“The life of a mainlander and a Zanzibari when they are here is different,” one participant observed. “Some migrate and come with sacks of rice to start life… For them, Sh10,000 a day is enough because they save the money and send it back home.”
This wage undercutting has led to widespread frustration among local youth, who feel marginalised in their own economy. While government contracts with investors theoretically require prioritising Zanzibari employment, the youth argued that these stipulations are rarely enforced.
National identity
The tension over jobs quickly escalated into a broader discussion about national identity. When the moderator referred to all Tanzanians as Wabongo (a colloquial term for Tanzanians), the youth vehemently objected.
“Zanzibaris are not Wabongo,” one participant declared. “We are two different countries.”
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The Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, formed on April 26, 1964, has long been celebrated as a pan-African success story. However, it has also been a source of persistent political friction.
Zanzibar maintains a semi-autonomous government, its own president, legislature, and distinct national symbols, fostering a strong sense of Zanzibari nationalism.
During the dialogue, youth pointed to their separate identity cards—the Kitambulisho cha Mzanzibari Mkazi—as proof of their distinct status. “I have a Zanzibari ID, you only have a Tanzanian ID,” one youth told the mainland-born moderator.
“A person from the Kigoma region doesn’t have a Kigoma ID. Why does a Zanzibari have a Zanzibari ID if we are just one nation?”
Some participants expressed a deep sense of historical grievance, arguing that the mainland has systematically tried to erase Zanzibar’s autonomy.
“Tanganyika has deliberately tried to diminish our island,” one young man asserted, reflecting sentiments that have periodically fuelled separatist movements in the archipelago.
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The moderator reminded the youth of founding President Julius Nyerere’s warnings against the “sin of discrimination,” that once they’re done discriminating against mainlanders, they will turn against one another based on Wapemba and Waunguja, the people of the two major islands forming the Zanzibar archipelago.
He also pushed back on some claims, presenting the youth with the grievances of their mainland counterpart against opportunities Zanzibaris enjoy in the mainland, like owning land, which they cannot get in Zanzibar.
Still, the youth of Zanzibar were unabated, and the conversation highlighted the fragile nature of the Union at the grassroots level. As Tanzania looks toward its Development Vision 2050, it’ll be interesting to see how its implementation will address some of these grievances to ensure the 60-year-old Union remains cohesive.
