Side effects

摘要

In Kiswahili, the language spoken along the Swahili coast, Ng'ambo means 'the other side', a common way of referring to 'the other side of a place'. It is also the name given to the 'other side' of Zanzibar Town, historically describing the neighbourhoods across the street from Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. Ng'ambo and Stone Town share a common history going back to the early 19th century and, over the years, the two parts of the city established a mutual relationship touching on all levels of the sociocultural, economic and urban aspects of life. However, the inherent connection between them was severed by foreign impositions, leading to a division of the city - Ng'ambo ceased to represent the geographic 'other' only and became a metaphorical 'other'.