The uprising against the ethnic Arabs (and Indians) has been overlooked by the majority [3] and the massacres remain largely undiscussed and outside the public eye in terms of official histories.

His Christianity held no appeal to the largely Muslim African population of Zanzibar, so he found racial hatred a more effective way to motivate people to his side.

[8] By the time of the Zanzibar Revolution, the island had a population of about 300,000 people, including 230,000 Black Africans, around 50,000 Arabs and about 20,000 Indians.

[3] In addition, several hundred Comorians (including Mahorans) were killed during the pogrom as they were associated with the Arab elites and Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP).

[9] The once thriving communities of Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Malagasy in Zanzibar also came to an abrupt end as the vast majority were driven out or otherwise fled the archipelago during this time.

[12] The leaders of the Zanzibar Revolution encouraged Black African militiamen to attack non-Blacks, leading to a massacre.

[5] Homes were invaded and people of lighter skin were targeted for extermination, often in a brutal manner, to the point that no body could remain for burial.

[14] The film was initially banned in Zanzibar, but it has become well-known in recent time and has polarised opinion, with some seeing it as an archive of what happened and others (often those involved in the revolution) claiming that the footage was staged or exaggerated.

[15] Thousands fled Zanzibar, although many were unable to leave and forced to "live in the shadow, seeking more to make themselves forgotten than to recapture lost advantages".

[13] Historian Jonathon Glassman estimated that Zanzibar lost a quarter or more of its Arab population by the end of 1964 due to expulsion, flight or mass murder.