Cracks in the Dome: Fractured Histories of Empire in the Zanzibar Museum, 1897-1964

As one of the most recognisable landmarks from Zanzibar’s years as a British Protectorate, the distinctive domed building of the Peace Memorial Museum is widely known and admired by Zanzibaris and visitors alike. Yet the compelling history behind its construction and collection has been overlooked until now. Through vivid narratives involving people, objects and exhibits, this book exposes the fractures, contradictions and tensions in creating and maintaining a colonial museum, and casts light on the conflicted character of the ’colonial mission’ in eastern Africa.