Book Review-Biubwa Amour Zahor-Mwanamke Mwanamapinduzi

By Caroline Uliwa

It fairs Biubwa Amour Zahor age 84, should have been born forward in time given her progressive feminist leanings. Renowned journalist Zuhura Yunus, in penning her biography written in Kiswahili, sheds light on an unsung hero from Zanzibar, Tanzania.

“Normally when our countries political history is told, the stories heavily favor men. The contribution of women is many times forgotten; however some of us have contributed and participated in many of the critical historical moments of our country.” Translated from Biubwa A. Zahor’s letter shared in this books foreword.

Many of us born in the waning years of the 20th Century, making up a huge slice of our population have heard narrations & images of historical moments in our countries like the gain of Independence or Zanzibar’s revolution of 1964. In a manner we can’t closely relate to especially as women, for these documentations are militarily formal with women’s visibility in them being scant.

Perhaps why this book quickly drew me to turn on the pages as it paints from a behind the scenes perspective that’s endearing. Mme Biubwa of Arabic descent is a brave woman who believes in equality for all. Ostracized from her family for marrying an African, in a time where a woman’s virtue was heavily measured by her home grooming skills. We encounter this daring individual, a Zanzibarian woman from the 50’s who gets divorced and is remarried more than once. Who survives rape, gender violence at the hands of her husband & public official all along knowing how to handle and hold a shotgun.

Biubwa was drawn to standing up for social justice since her teen years when she joined the ‘Girls Guide’ group and later ‘Zanzibar Women’s Association’. She later became a member of the political party Afro-Shiraz (ASP), having close alliances with persons from the Umma Party headed by Abdulrahman Babu. Whose wife was a dear friend of hers since her teen years. 

Zuhura in penning this book shares a biography that is laced with anecdotes divulging key events in history from the Isles. Like the assassination of the first president of Zanzibar since the revolution Hon Abeid Karume and the events leading up to Zanzibar’s revolution in January 1964. The East African citizens from Uganda & Kenyan who aided this revolution, the racial tensions between the Arabs & Africans experienced at the time and more. 

Though as an ASP member Mme Biubwa played an instrumental role in Zanzibar’s revolution. Upon the assassination of President Abeid Karume she was jailed as some government officials didn’t like her close relationship with the first family. Her incarceration that year was together with some 80 plus people all brought in on trumped up felony charges; she was jailed for four months plus. “Biubwa hakuwazaa kabisa kama angekaa gerezani muda wote huo na siku tatu baada ya kutiwa ndani alichukuliwa na kupelekwa nyumbani kwake kwa nia ya kupekura makazi yake.”Excerpt from the book Biubwa Amour Zahor-‘Mwanamke Mwanamapinduzi’ by Zuhura Yunus

Zuhura goes an extra mile in painting the ambience of the time, working to divulge names of other Zanzibarian women political activists like Mwanaidi Dai, Fatma Karume, Aipe Mzee, Khadija Jabir, Mwanaidi Hassan, mtumwa Fikirini, Pili Jaha Ubwa and others. A lot of the historical facts shared in this book are corroborated by other sources divulged in footnotes of the book.

On the 9th of Jan 2019 the then President of Zanzibar H. E Dr Ali M. Shein honored the political efforts of Mme Biubwa A. Zahor with a Medal of Honor. In fact this book has a blab by former president H. E Jakaya M. Kikwete saying “Nimefarijika sana kuona Biubwa Amour ahor akipewa nafasi yake stahiki kaitka maandishi na makavazi ya historia ya Mapinduzi Matukufu ya Zanzibar na Ujenzi wa Taifa la Tanzania kupita kitabu hiki.” Hon Kikwete shares how happy he is to see Mme Biubwa honored in history for her courageous efforts.

Why did it take so long to acknowledge the efforts of Mme Biubwa, illuminates the still steep uphill battle for gender equality on the continent. Mme Biubwa is a trailblazer who broke custom and fought for justice that is well to be shared with our current and future generations. In order to continue to inspire just actions and revolutions that uplifts the region & continent as a whole.

This book is published by E&D Vision Publishing Tanzania and is available for order on Amazon as well in several bookstores in Tanzania like TPH, APE Network, Mak Solutions, Dar es Salaam bookshop & A Novel Idea in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma Bookshop in Dodoma and Kase Stores Ltd in Arusha. 

n. b. this article was first published in the east african newspaper with this link Biubwa Amor-The East African