Ndugu Msomaji,
Fuatilia ukurasa huu ambao unaanza kufuatilia historia ya Zanzibar ili tupate kuelewa kwa nini leo mambo yapo hivi yalivyo...
Hii ni taazia iliyotoka katika gazeti la Coastweek, Mombasa kufuatia kifo chake Oman.
…one of Ali's ambitions
**was to transform Zanzibar** into a non-racial
society but those with ulterior motives managed to steer Zanzibar away
from this goal…
SHEIKH ALI MUHSIN
AL-BARWANI POET, SCHOLAR AND POLITICIAN SHEIKH ALI MUHSIN AL-BARWANI'S KIUNGUJA
QUR'AN WAS A TRUE LABOUR OF LOVE
ALI MUHSIN al-BARWANI (1919-2006), poet, scholar and politician, was born in Baghani, Zanzibar Stone Town, on 13 January 1919, the son of Sheikh Muhsin Ali Isa al-Barwani (1878-1953) and Bi. Zayana binti Salim. The Barwani clan have their origins in Oman, but by the close of the 19th century they had assimilated to the Swahili way of life, several members emerging as prominent Sunni scholars, of whom Sheikh Ali's father was one. During the years of the Busa'idi Sultanate based in Zanzibar the Barwani were nvolved in the development of the east African coast from Barawa (in the north, in what was to become Italian Somaliland) to Lindi, in the south, a town founded by Sheikh Ali's maternal grandfather (in what was to become German East Africa). His maternal grandmother was related to the wa Mtwapa, one of the twelve miji (or taifa 'groups') comprising Swahili Mombasa. Ali was an outstanding student and in 1937, aged eighteen, he passed effortlessly from government secondary school in Zanzibar to university at Makerere in Kampala. His admission was unusual in that he gained university entrance on the strength of a phone-call from his headmaster (L.W. Hollingsworth) to the Director of Education, Zanzibar - no examination required ! At Makerere, then the only institution for higher learning in East Africa, Ali read agriculture. A fellow student at that time was Julius Nyerere who, as President of Tanganyika, was to play a significant role in Sheikh Ali's life some 20 years later. In 1942, on his return to Zanzibar, he was employed by the Protectorate government as an assistant agricultural officer at Mangapwani. Two years later he married Bi. Azza binti Muhammad Seif Al-Busa'idi – a marriage made in heaven it would seem. After the second World War (1939-1945) Ali developed a taste for politics which manifested itself in two ways. First, for some fifteen years, he edited the newspaper Mwongozi and, secondly, he joined the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP).
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| Ali Muhsin During the Struggle for Zanzibar's Independence |
ALI MUHSIN al-BARWANI (1919-2006), poet, scholar and politician, was born in Baghani, Zanzibar Stone Town, on 13 January 1919, the son of Sheikh Muhsin Ali Isa al-Barwani (1878-1953) and Bi. Zayana binti Salim. The Barwani clan have their origins in Oman, but by the close of the 19th century they had assimilated to the Swahili way of life, several members emerging as prominent Sunni scholars, of whom Sheikh Ali's father was one. During the years of the Busa'idi Sultanate based in Zanzibar the Barwani were nvolved in the development of the east African coast from Barawa (in the north, in what was to become Italian Somaliland) to Lindi, in the south, a town founded by Sheikh Ali's maternal grandfather (in what was to become German East Africa). His maternal grandmother was related to the wa Mtwapa, one of the twelve miji (or taifa 'groups') comprising Swahili Mombasa. Ali was an outstanding student and in 1937, aged eighteen, he passed effortlessly from government secondary school in Zanzibar to university at Makerere in Kampala. His admission was unusual in that he gained university entrance on the strength of a phone-call from his headmaster (L.W. Hollingsworth) to the Director of Education, Zanzibar - no examination required ! At Makerere, then the only institution for higher learning in East Africa, Ali read agriculture. A fellow student at that time was Julius Nyerere who, as President of Tanganyika, was to play a significant role in Sheikh Ali's life some 20 years later. In 1942, on his return to Zanzibar, he was employed by the Protectorate government as an assistant agricultural officer at Mangapwani. Two years later he married Bi. Azza binti Muhammad Seif Al-Busa'idi – a marriage made in heaven it would seem. After the second World War (1939-1945) Ali developed a taste for politics which manifested itself in two ways. First, for some fifteen years, he edited the newspaper Mwongozi and, secondly, he joined the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP).
Itaendelea...In Sha Allah...
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| Kushoto Kwenda Kulia: Ibun Saleh, Juma Alley, Mohamed Shamte, Dk. Baalway na Ali Muhsin |
One of Ali's ambitions
was to transform Zanzibar into a non-racial society and, to this end, he promoted the implementation of a common electoral roll. After the Zanzibar Sultanate attained internal self-government in 1961 Sheikh Ali was
appointed Minister of Education. In this post he ensured that married female teachers were eligible for maternity leave and maternity pay - his
innovation being soon adopted by other ministries. Subsequent cabinet posts were Minister of the Interior and
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Commerce. In March and April 1962 Sheikh Ali
visited London for the Kenya Coastal Strip (the Kenya Protectorate) conference at
Lancaster House, which closed without
any firm decision being taken on the integration of the coastal strip (mwambao) with the rest of Kenya. Sheikh Ali attended as one of eight elected members from Zanzibar. On 12
January 1964 a revolution brought the Busa'idi Sultanate in Zanzibar
(established in the 1830s) to a bloody and sudden end Sheikh Ali (with others)
was detained for six months at Kilimani, Zanzibar Stone Town, before being
flown to the mainland. Here his detention continued at Keko, Ukonga (Dar-es-Salaam), Dodoma, >
Mwanza and Bukoba for a period of ten years and four months, but he was never charged with any offence.
In May 1974 he was released, but his application for a Tanzanian passport was refused. Sheikh Ali then determined to enter neighbouring Kenya illicitly. His point of entry was Vanga, and thence he travelled to Nairobi (via Mombasa) where he applied for and obtained refugee status. He was fated never to see Zanzibar again. Perhaps the authorities in both revolutionary Zanzibar and in Tanganyika (subsequently the United Republic of Tanzania) saw in Sheikh Ali's intellect and ability a potential threat to their leadership. Whether this was so or not it is now idle to speculate. Once his papers were in order Sheikh Ali traveled to Cairo. After a stay of several years he returned to Kenya, this time lawfully. For a while he lived in Ganjoni, Mombasa, and then at Mtongwe. From there Sheikh Ali and his family moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Here, in 1989 his beloved companion for life died, after almost half a century of marriage.
Itaendelea In Sha Allah...
In May 1974 he was released, but his application for a Tanzanian passport was refused. Sheikh Ali then determined to enter neighbouring Kenya illicitly. His point of entry was Vanga, and thence he travelled to Nairobi (via Mombasa) where he applied for and obtained refugee status. He was fated never to see Zanzibar again. Perhaps the authorities in both revolutionary Zanzibar and in Tanganyika (subsequently the United Republic of Tanzania) saw in Sheikh Ali's intellect and ability a potential threat to their leadership. Whether this was so or not it is now idle to speculate. Once his papers were in order Sheikh Ali traveled to Cairo. After a stay of several years he returned to Kenya, this time lawfully. For a while he lived in Ganjoni, Mombasa, and then at Mtongwe. From there Sheikh Ali and his family moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Here, in 1989 his beloved companion for life died, after almost half a century of marriage.
Itaendelea In Sha Allah...
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Ali Muhsin |
It was the cruelest of
blows. At about this time began the affliction of failing eyesight. Notwithstanding, Sheikh Ali was able to complete and publish his magnum opus,
his interpretation of the Qur'an into the Swahili of Zanzibar (kiUnguja). This
monumental work (the first impression appeared in two volumes, > 1995; the
second in one volume, 2000) owes everything to the Swahili of Sheikh Ali's
parents and nothing to the standardized language of Europeans and others. This
was truly a labour of love, with beauty and elegance evident in virtually every
verse. In 1997 came Ruwaza Njema ('The Perfect Pattern'), a long poem in praise
of the Prophet Muhammad, with exemplary annotations at the end of each
chapter. The years which remained to him
were spent in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, the birthplace of his wife's parents. Had
there been no revolution in Zanzibar and had the BuSa'idi Sultanate not been
terminated it is conceivable that Sheikh Ali might have attained the highest
office in the land, but it was not to be. Sheikh Ali's claim to fame lies
rather less in the domain of politics, and rather more in the pages of his Swahili Qur'an. He was not the first to attempt
such a task (notable predecessors were Sheikh al-Amin bin Ali al-Mazru'i
and Sheikh Abdullah Saleh al-Farsy) but it is Sheikh Ali's text which best
displays the Swahili language in all its glory. Moreover, it was a task undertaken not lightly, and carried to its conclusion
at a time of great personal distress. This, his memorial, will surely endure
for as long as the language and the literature of the Swahili-speaking peoples
survive. Sheikh Ali died in Muscat on Monday 20 March, 2006, in his
eighty-sixth year.
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| Ali Muhsin and Mohamed Said Muscat, 1999 |
1 comment:
Sheikh Ali Muhsin ameweza kugeuka kutoka kuwa Binadamu akawa ni Fikra. Huyu Bwana aliekua akijulikana Zanzibar kwa jina la “Zaim” yaani Kiongozi alikua na nguvu ya Imani ya Dini yake. Ametambua kuwa maafa ya Waislamu bali Binadamu wote nchi zetu hizi, yametokana na misiba mitatu:
1. Kupiga vita Uislamu kwa kuvunja mashikamano baina ya Kiswahili na Kiarabu na kubadilisha maandishi yetu asilia kuyafanya kwa harufi za Kizungu. Kwa kufanya hili imewatenga Waswahili na misingi ya dini yao. Hayo pia yamefanywa kwa Maturuki, Maindonesia na wengineo.
2. Kuvamiwa Zanzibar mwaka 1964 na kuondosha serikali ya kidimokrasia na kuimeza Zanzibar kwa jina la muungano wa Tanzania. Hili limefanywa tokea hapo mwanzo wa kuunda huo muungano kwa makusudi aliyo yasema majuzi Mheshimiwa William Lukuvi Waziri ya serikali ya Tanzania kwamba “hatuiachii Zanzibar yenye Waislamu 95% kuwa nchi kwa sababu wataleta serikali ya Kiislamu”.
3. Serekali za baada ya kutoka wakoloni ziliwashinda wakoloni kuzuia uhuru wa kuabudu na kuingilia wafuasi wa dini kufuata sharia zao. Haya yamefanzwa kwa jina la kuhifadhi ati usalama wa dola na wa nchi. Hapo ikavunjwa kila haki za mwananchi na ikawa usalama wa mwananchi umetanguliwa na usalama wa watawala. Mabaraza ya wananchi ya kidini yakavunjwa na serekali ikawaundia wananchi vyama vya dini vya serikali. Dini ikapotezwa.
Huyu Sheikh Ali Muhsin tokea ujana wake alipinga ugozi na chuki za kikabila na alifanya kila juhudi kuunganisha watu wake Wazanzibari wawe wamoja. Juhudi zake amezipiga vita mtawala mkoloni na vibaraka vyake na yakatokea yaliyo tokea. Hapana alie weza kuwaunganisha Wazanzibari ila Rais Amani Karume na Maalim Seif Sharif walipo unda serikali ya Muwafaka. Watawala wa leo wanafuata mbinu za wakoloni kuwagawanisha watu waweze kuendela kuwatawala kwa miaka 50 mengine. Ulimwengu wa leo sio wa 1964. Watu waTanzania nzima wameamka si Muislamu wala si Mkristo, wote wanajua nani mfitinaji na hawakubali kuatawliwa kwa mabavu.
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