Heroin Hits Zanzibar

By Marlies Pilon

On the tropical island of Zanzibar, a shot of heroin costs as much as a bottle of beer. As a consequence, many Zanzibaris are addicted to what they call "unga" - flower in Swahili.

Zanzibar must be the ultimate exotic holiday destination. The sun is always shining, and the white beaches with coconut palms appeal to the idea of a picture-perfect beach paradise. But when the sun sets, the island reveals her less sunny side. In the old harbour on the coast, dealers and users meet. Used needles lie shattered in the white sand.

"A dealer offered the stuff to me for free," says tells Abdullah, a tall Zanzibari with a soft voice, scruffy beard and broken teeth. "When I used that stuff for the first time, I flew straight to the sky." The 54-year-old Abdullah lost his wife, work and normal life to heroin. A faded shirt hangs hopelessly around his small shoulders. "But off course, after some time I had to pay for the heroin. I've use that stuff for eighteen years now, three times a day. It destroyed me."

International drug route

The reason why the drug problem on this tiny island just off the Tanzanian coast is so big is because Zanzibar lies at a strategic location for the international heroin trade. From Pakistan and Afghanistan, the heroin is shipped through the Indian Ocean to Zanzibar from where it finds a way to Europe and the US. Because the supply is plentiful, heroin is very cheap. For around two dollars you can get a dose at the old harbour or in one of the small alleys of the capital Stone Town.

Reychad Abdool works for the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He thinks the problem is much bigger than the statistics imply. "The heroin problem is huge, especially in Zanzibar and along the East African coast." Although reliable data is lacking, most reports indicate that around six percent of the inhabitants of Zanzibar are addicted to what locals call "Unga", meaning flower in Swahili.

Local initiatives

The conservative Muslim community living on the island recently took matters in their own hands and formed the "polisi jamii", or social police. This citizen-led initiative patrols the street at night and takes addicts off the streets by force and hands them over to the police. But treating addicts as criminals is not a real solution to the problem, thinks Suleyman Mouley, a 32-year-old former addict. "Addiction should be considered a social health problem, not a criminal act," he says.

Suleyman is the founder of six Sober Houses in Zanzibar, alternative spaces where addicts can recover. The idea behind the Sober House is that addicts can kick their habit together, if you give them intense holistic counselling and enough daily chores to keep them occupied. The Sober Houses are all run by former addicts. They don't use medication but rather talking, sports, carpentry and mediation.

Needles

Today, the tough-looking Rafael has his weekly acupuncture session. Rafael's arms are covered with scars from the needles he injected in a previous period of his life. But today, the needles go into his ear. "I found that after a session I can better speak about how I really feel inside," says the 27-year-old. Rafael is almost ready to go home. He learned carpentry in the Sober House, and wants to set up a small furniture shop once he is back in the "real world".

Meanwhile Abdullah thinks the government of Zanzibar should do everything it can to try to prevent a new generation of drug addicts. "I am already wasted because of the stuff. Sometimes at night, I cry. Not for myself, but for the future generation. I hope their life will be better than mine."

Source: Radio Netherland Worldwide