TANZANIA: 40th birthday of Tanganyika and Zanzibar marked

Tanzania has been celebrating the 40th anniversary of the union between the island archipelago, Zanzibar and the mainland Tanganyika. Speaking at the Amani National Stadium in Zanzibar, President Benjamin Mkapa called for the union to be maintained at all costs. He said that, as in any marriage or community, problems were inevitable, but solutions must be found that consolidated Tanzania's unity. "Our union is a demonstration that where there is political will, Africans can unite," he said.

The two former sovereign states sealed their union following the departure of the British colonial authorities at the beginning of the 1960s. The union has allowed Zanzibar to remain semi-autonomous with its own president while benefiting from the economic and political clout of the mainland. (The East African, Nairobi)