Fatma Karume: A legacy of unity, union and women’s rights

ZANZIBAR: FATMA Karume, 97, the widow of Zanzibar’s first President, the late Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, has died, leaving behind a legacy closely associated with the defence of the Union between Zanzibar and Tanganyika and the advancement of women’s rights.

Her death was announced on the night of September 21, 2026, by Zanzibar’s Second Vice President, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, who told viewers through Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) that Ms Karume had died at her home in Mbweni, Unguja.

For many Tanzanians, particularly in Zanzibar, her name will be remembered not only because of her place in the country’s political history, but also for her outspoken defence of the Union and her longstanding advocacy for women’s participation in public life, including their right to vote and to hold leadership positions.

One of the issues on which she remained particularly firm was the Union established in 1964 between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

In her view, the Union was not merely a political arrangement but an important bond that had created opportunities for Tanzanians on both sides of the Union to live, travel, work and learn from one another.

Speaking in a recent special interview with a team of journalists from the Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN) programme Retired Leaders’ Bench with the Daily News, Ms Karume offered a strong defence of the Union and rejected arguments that it had undermined Zanzibar.

“At least for the past six decades of the Union, I have seen the bad side of it,” she said, referring to the absence, in her view, of evidence that the Union had harmed Zanzibaris.

Instead, she argued, the Union had opened opportunities for people in different ways and strengthened social, political and economic connections between Zanzibar and the Mainland.

“The Union remains strong and has a very good connection. We are free to live and travel to any part of the Union. It has also helped in sharing experience as many people from Zanzibar learn from their counterparts in the mainland,” she said.

Her conviction was rooted partly in her personal connection to the history of the Union.

As the wife of Abeid Amani Karume, one of its founding figures, she had witnessed the importance attached to the Union by the generation that established it.

She said the Union’s founders, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Abeid Amani Karume, were motivated by the wider interests of the people rather than personal ambitions.

According to Ms Karume, the founders considered the aspirations of the people when creating the Union and even envisioned a broader regional integration involving neighbouring countries.

She recalled an interesting story she had heard from her husband: Mwalimu Nyerere had suggested that Karume become the first President of the Union, but Karume declined and instead urged Nyerere to take the position.

For Ms Karume, the story illustrated the spirit in which the Union was created—a willingness by its founders to place broader national interests above individual positions.

She acknowledged that disagreements had emerged over the years, particularly over issues involving the relationship between Zanzibar and the Mainland.

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However, she argued that such differences should not be allowed to undermine the foundations of the Union.

She attributed some of the more divisive debates to developments following the deaths of Karume and Nyerere and the return of multiparty democracy.

Ms Karume nevertheless maintained that the principles upon which the Union was founded—unity, freedom, love, peace, stability and dialogue— should continue to guide Tanzania.

“It is true that disputes will emerge, but the best way to address them is dialogue,” she said.

She also recognised that Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania are distinct entities within the Union, a reality that could sometimes produce disagreements or frustrations.

But rather than treating such differences as a reason for division, she advocated dialogue and practical solutions.

She particularly called for unnecessary barriers affecting citizens and traders, including non-tariff barriers at entry points, to be reduced, arguing that leaders on both sides remained committed to strengthening the Union.

“We should all pray for the Union to continue and last,” she said.

Her words reflected a consistent message throughout the interview: that the survival of the Union depended not only on constitutional arrangements or political leaders, but also on the willingness of Tanzanians to protect the values of peace, unity, mutual respect and dialogue.

Beyond the Union question, Ms Karume’s public life was also marked by her support for women’s rights.

She stood for women’s right to participate fully in national affairs, including voting and leadership, at a time when women’s political participation remained a critical issue in the country’s development.

In remembering Fatma Karume, therefore, Tanzania is also remembering a woman whose life was closely connected to two important national conversations: the place of the Union in the country’s history and the role of women in shaping its future.

Her death closes a chapter in the living memory of the Union’s founding generation, but the questions she spoke about—unity, dialogue, equality, women’s participation and the future of the Union—remain part of Tanzania’s continuing national conversation.