A View From the Edge. Zanzibar, seen differently.

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There’s a Zanzibar most people recognize: turquoise water, dhows at sunset, palm trees

leaning just right.

This journal starts from a different point of view. One that’s closer to the ground. One that

doesn’t separate art from agriculture, tourism from politics, or design from everyday life. We

believe that to understand a place—truly—you need to look at how things move. Who’s

building. Who’s leaving. Who’s experimenting.

Zanzibar is changing fast. Economically, culturally, socially.

But the narratives haven’t caught up. Most content you find is filtered through the lens of travel

or aid. Very little reflects what’s actually happening on the island, day by day.

That’s what The Journal is for.

A space to explore what’s shifting.

To highlight artists, thinkers, and builders shaping the present (not just preserving the past).

To talk about the tensions, the gaps, the energy.

To ask better questions—about development, identity, visibility, power.

We’re starting this as outsiders who live and work here. But also as collaborators, listeners, and

long-term learners. This isn’t a stage. It’s a conversation.

If you’re curious, skeptical, passionate, or just paying attention—you’re in the right place.

See you in the next post.

ZEDLAB