Mystical Power and Politics on the Swahili Coast

Traces changing visions of mystical power and authority on the island of Pemba, whose people's reputed resistance to outside rule has shaped the national narratives of both Zanzibar and Tanzania. For two centuries, Pemba, the second largest island of Zanzibar, has been known by East Africans and outsiders alike as rich in dangerous knowledge. Despite Pembans' reputation for piety and deep Islamic knowledge, uchawi - 'mystical work and power', sometimes termed 'magic', 'witchcraft', or 'sorcery'