Harare — Days after authorities in Zanzibar said men are banned from braiding their hair on the island, Minister of Information, Youth, Culture, and Sports Tabia Maulid Mwita, apologised for the confusion caused by the statement.
Mwita said the 2015 law being enforced is meant only for Zanzibar men, not those from outside the isles.
Men face a fine of more than U.S.$400, six months in jail, or both, if they break the law.
“We find it dangerous to our future generations. This is one form of immorality in Zanzibar, it is a culture which is adopted from outside Zanzibar,” executive secretary of the Council of Arts, Film, and Culture in Zanzibar Omar Adam said.
The government denies the ban is linked to their crackdown on the use of the rainbow color scheme and 16 books in classrooms on the grounds that they supported LGBTQI+ rights, but the Education Minister Adolf Mkenda justified that ban by using the same wording – “immoral content that violates the country’s cultural norms, morals and good practices”.
In May, 2023, The Travel named Zanzibar as number one destination for tourists in Africa.