Zanzibar: Its History and Its People

W. H. Ingrams

Stacey International, 2007 - History - 526 pages

This reprint of this celebrated classic text on Zanzibar makes available again the remarkably comprehensive account of the Island of Cloves, written by W. H. Ingrams and first published in 1931. Zanzibar, Its History and Its People is essentially an historical ethnography of Zanzibar. The author describes local legends, and their important social function in recording and constituting the oral history of the island. Ingrams' extensive observations and personal experiences - both on the main island of Unguja and Pemba and the smaller islands which make up Zanzibar - provide a detailed and lively account of society at the time and make engaging reading.

About the author

W.H. Ingrams was not a typical anthropologist or historian with a dry academic approach. He went out to Zanzibar in 1919 as Assistant District Commissioner and went on to serve as Private Secretary both for the British Resident, and for the Sultan of Zanzibar. His various professional hats or turbans, and his fluent Kiswahili, facilitated entry into the island's cultural life and gave him additional insights.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Zanzibar: Its History and Its People
• Author: W. H. Ingrams
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Stacey International, 2007
• ISBN: 1905299443, 9781905299447
• Length: 526 pages
• Subjects: History / Africa / East; History / Africa / General; History / General; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social