Cherryflava

Zanzibar rejects Mercury brand

Posted on 28. Aug, 2006 by Cassandra in Totally Whack

Apart from being an awesome place to go on a relaxing spice island holiday – Zanzibar is also the birthplace of Queen frontman, Freddy Mercury.

Now – to us, this little gem of information is a tourist marketer’s wet dream.
The great Freddy Mercury, arguably one of the best musicians ever to walk the face of the planet, born on a tiny East African island. Like Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris – this has got rock tour safari tour package printed all over it.

Instead – Zanzibari Muslims are wanting to ban a 60th birthday
party for the late Zanzibar-born rock star Freddie Mercury, complaining
the flamboyant singer’s lifestyle offended Islam.

"Associating Mercury with Zanzibar degrades our
island as a place of Islam," UAMSHO chief Abdallah Said Ali wrote,
adding that the singer was known to have been gay, died of Aids and had
lived a wild life many Muslims would condemn.

Its just astounding to us how opportunities are wasted on a continent crying to dig itself out of an economic hole. Here’s an opportunity to bridge cultural boundaries and step way out of the remark-ability box, but narrow-mindedness just has to swap the vodka for Oros.

Zanzibar oppose Mercury bash – Sunday Times
Zanzibar trippin – Cherryflava pics