Revolutionary

I don't know why I'm posting this picture, beyond the fact that I find it interesting/funny, although if you lived in Zanzibar you probably wouldn't find it much of either.  As we've discussed, Zanzibar has a tortured relationship with the rest of Tanzania, and there are certainly many folks in Zanzibar who, if they had their druthers, would be independent once again.  You can sometimes feel the tension, although it's never particularly tangible.  Sometimes when you turn a corner in Stone Town you'll see graffiti which speaks to frustration with Tanzania and includes calls for freedom.  Maybe the most tangible example of the delicate relationship is the domestic arrival card that you have to fill out when you cross from Dar es Salaam to the islands themselves.  And don't let the title Revolutionary
Government of Zanzibar fool you; it's a historical title, and not one that reflects any true violence (although foreigners are always warned to be careful during elections - but, again, we were there last time during an election and, despite bizarre US State Department warnings of unrest in Stone Town, we were sitting in the middle of Stone Town and things were as peaceful as ever).

Oh, and we'll be back in Zanzibar in less than three months.  It's hard to believe.