Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania and consists of two main islands, Unguja and Pemba, in the Indian Ocean; it is part of the larger Swahili Coast. The majority of its approximately 1 million inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. The nation of Tanzania was created in 1964 when the former mainland protectorate of Tanganyika and Zanzibar united. Mainland Tanzania has the largest Muslim population. Kiswahili is the national language.

Zanzibar has a long media history, with its print press starting in 1888 and broadcast media in the late 1930s. It is arguably th…