The Zanzibar doors of Butiama

There are (probably) only two Zanzibar doors in Mara region and they are all found in Butiama, at Mwitongo.

When the war between Idi Amin's Uganda and Tanzania under President Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere ended in 1979, the Tanzanian army chose to build a house for its commander-in-chief as a gift for the victory against Idi Amin's forces.

Over a hilltop, steps from where he was born and is now buried, he pointed to a spot where he wanted the house to be built. We refer to the house as the Kagera residence, using Tanzania's preferred naming of the 1978-9 war with Uganda: the Kagera War.

During the construction of the Kagera residence the then president of Zanzibar, Salmin Amour, donated two Zanzibar doors to the house. One of these doors is located at the house's entrance while the second one is located at the entrance of the personal library of Mwalimu Nyerere that contains more than 8,000 volumes.

The Zanzibar door at the Kagera residence at Butiama, at the entrance to the personal library of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere that houses more than 8,000 volumes. A Zanzibar chest is seen on the lower left side.

The doors are not as elaborately decorated as this one, but they provide a unique view and serve as a permanent link between Butiama and Zanzibar.