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SPOTLIGHT: Zanzibar

Zanzibar is located about 40 kilometers off the coast of Tanzania (East Africa) in the Indian Ocean

Zanzibar is commonly known as the "Spice Islands"

Zanzibar is a separate state within the United Republic of Tanzania, governed by a revolutionary Council and House of Representatives, whose members are elected or appointed. The president of Zanzibar is also the vice-president of Tanzania.

Zanzibar, which has a population of approximately 900,000, does have its own democratically elected president and government that run the internal affairs of the Islands.

Zanzibar is the oldest functioning Swahili speaking city.

Zanzibar has a total of 1500 square kilometres, which includes many surrounding islands. It is 85km long and 30km wide.

 

 

 

 


 

 Teach English and Learn Swahili in Zanzibar!

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Interested in teaching English overseas? Excited about learning a new language? Come join us in Zanzibar, Tanzania in July 2008!

The Office of Active Citizenship and Service is offering a new service learning program in Stone Town, Zanzibar this summer. Learn to teach English as a second language to elementary and secondary school students, while learning Swahili on the beautiful island of Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Students will live in the town of Bububu, just minutes from the enchanting historic city of Stone Town and a stones throw from the Indian Ocean. Once a trading hub attracting merchants from Africa, the Middle East, and India, the predominantly Muslim inhabitants of Zanzibar offer a unique foray into the past. The beautiful architecture of Stone Town is a majestic mix of Indian and Arab style, with a culture all its own. 95% of the population is Muslim, in contrast with the predominantly Christian mainland. Life in town is an intriguing mix of the past and present: fisherman still come into town each evening to sell their daily catch, a large market sells everything from spices (for which Zanzibar was once famous) to chickens, to Nike shoes, and yet internet cafes are now almost as common as tour-guides leading wide-eyed foreigners through the labyrinth of stone cobbled streets.

While the tourist trade may have injected some much needed funding into the island economy, there are still major issues of poverty and economic hardship among the people of Zanzibar. Over 50% of children are malnourished. Fishermen, who once made a comfortable living with small nets off the side of wooden boats, are now losing their harvest to large commercial vessels. Students, who grow up speaking Swahili at home and in school, are forced to adjust to an English-only environment upon entering high school; not surprisingly success is limited and many drop out. There are few jobs to be had; fewer still for those who can not learn to speak fluent English and graduate from high school.

Students who travel to Zanzibar will have the unique opportunity to live and work along side locals in the community of Bububu. Although a formal census has yet to be undertaken, community members estimate the town (and surrounding areas) to be around 100,000 people. The local elementary school, located alongside the Indian Ocean, has to offer a morning and afternoon session to accommodate the large number of students. Half the students attend school in the morning, the remaining balance attend in the afternoon. This schedule will allow Vanderbilt students the flexibility to create a unique living-learning environment: some can teach English in the morning and learn Swahili in the afternoon (among other projects) while others can swap their schedules to teach in the afternoons and study in the mornings.

For more information about this exciting opportunity, please contact Carolyn Audet at carolyn.m.audet@vanderbilt.edu

Contact Us!
Active Citizenship & Service | Vanderbilt University
Box 6308, Station B | Nashville, TN 37235
615-343-7878