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Introduction In ancient times Tanzania had strong connections with Egypt. In the fourth century the Arabs and Persians came to Tanzania for commercial activities. Especially Zanzibar became a powerful stronghold in this period. In the beginning of the fifteenth century the first slaves were transported to the East. Between the fifteenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, however, the Portugeze had a trading monopoly. The Arabs struck back and defeated the Portugeze and the slave trade on Zanzibar flourished as it had never done before. In the nineteenth century Zanzibar became the trading centre between East-Africa, Asia and Africa.
At the end of the nineteenth century the Germans came and turned Tanzania in a colony until the end of the First World War. After this period Tanzania became a British protectorate until the independence in 1964.
The name Tanzania is a portmanteau of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. In 1964 the two states united to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.
Tanzania has a vast cultural heritage and enormous potential for the development of cultural industry, crafts and cultural tourism through the utilisation of cultural heritage items, their setting and environment. The rich history of impressive sites, like Kilwa Kisiwani reflect multiple cultural identities and these are hardly known to the people of Tanzania. Local populations are generally ignorant of the values of the site, because most often they are ignored in the heritage management programmes. Little attention is given to transfer gained knowledge to the education system or to the public. Kilwa, for example, is on the World Heritage List since 1981, but is now an endangered site because of the decaying of the monuments. |
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