Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-05-04


Tourists still pour of the
cruise boats, battle on the
First OF Two Articles
glistening beaches, gawk at
ZanZibar's braSs-studded, in
tricately carved Arab doors and
spend their shillings and pence
on ebony chests from India
Cthe city is a free port. Persian
carpets, silver slave bracelets
as heavy as handouts. curved
daggers. ivory figurines, trays
of beaten copper, plastic hand
bags, fake jade and semi
precious stones. a pirates horde
of junk and treasure.
Spike bearded Hadramaut
Arabs with their J-Shaped dag
gers and rust-colored turbans
still blow down from Oman on
the February monsoon, their
lanteen-rigged dhowS laden
with dates, carpets and frank
incense, returning to Arabia
when the wind changes in
April, their holds stuffed with
mangrove poles, grain and
copra.
The Sultan, His Highness
Seyyid Sir Khalifa bin Harub.
this British protectorate's &C.
togenarian constitutional mon
arch, holds the worlds record
for regal tenure Che has been
on the throne for 49 years..
He still whirls through Zanzi-
bars narrow, twisting streets
in a blood-red Rolls Royce (no
one else on the island may own
a red carr with a red light
flashing on its roof.
Communist Hopes
Yet this and Pemba. the other
island of the Sultanate. are
targets of intensive Communist
activity and could act as fuse
to the East African powder
key: Only % miles separates
Zanzibar from Tanganyika.
and the distance to Kenya is
little more.
Red hopes are centered on
the radical Zanzibar National
list Party led by a 40-year-old
Sheikh Ali MuhSin Barwani, a
sallow, stubby ex-civil servant
who comes from one of Zanzi-
bars wealthiest and most re-
Spected families.
Ali Muhsin, whose three chill
dren are at school in Cairo,
was educated at Uganda's
Makerere College. After serv-
ing for a time as an agricul-
tural officer. he published a
nationalist newspaper and was
appointed by the British to the
Legislative Council. In 1854,
he was. found guilty of sedi-
ton.
First FIectionS In 81
The teetotaling, -Srnok-
ing Arab leader agitated so
successfully that the British in
1857 called ZanZibar's first
elections, in which 81 per cent
of those 10000 eligible to vote
cast their ballots. Ali Muhsin
and his party were defeated at
the polls by the more numerous
and conservative Africans and
ShiraZiS.
Since then, Ali Muhsin has
reorganized. His party's young
secretary general, English-edu-
Gated Abdul Rahman Mo-
manned, has travelled far and
fast in search of the keys to
power. Last week he returned
from an extensive tour of
China and Russia.
Government officials MAIN
tain that Abdul Rahman's
party youth wing is employing
intimidation to assure victory
in next years elections. He de-
MES that he is a Communist
but asserts that "dictatorial
methods may be necessary to
consolidate democracy"
Red Radio Stepped Up
Ali Muhsin probably is not a
Communist. He is a brilliant,
complex man who is, however,
about as soft on communism as
a pound of butter at a July
picnic. The Reds know it, and
this week Radio Picking quadru-
pied its daily half-hour pro-
gram beamed at Zanzibar.
Ali Muhsin has one plank in
his platform and that is i'm
mediate independence. He has
threatened a civil disobedience
campaign if he doesn't get it
and the British are worried
After independence he wants
union with Tanganyika as q
first step toward a regional
federation and, eventually, q
United States of Africa.
Nyasaland's DR.. H stin g'
Banda, fresh from the United
States. is expected here next
week for talks with Ali Muhsin