Amaan Stadium

Sports venue in Zanzibar, Tanzania

6°09′58″S 39°13′26″E / 6.166003°S 39.223862°E / -6.166003; 39.223862OperatorZanzibar Football AssociationTypeStadiumCapacity15,000^[1]SurfaceArtificial turfConstructionBuilt1970TenantsKMKM FC
Miembeni S.C.
Mlandege FC
Zanzibar national football team

Amaan Stadium (also spelled Amani) is a stadium in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The stadium holds 15,000 people.^[2]

History

The stadium was built with Chinese government aid and opened in 1970.^[3] This was China's first stadium project in Africa and it marked the beginning of its stadium diplomacy over the decades.^[4]

The stadium was the location of a ceremony on 5 February 1977, uniting the Afro-Shirazi Party and the Tanganyika African National Union into the Chama cha Mapinduzi. The flags of the respective parties were raised and lowered for the last time with the flag of the Chama cha Mapinduzi then being raised.^[5] Amani Abeid Karume was sworn in as president of Zanzibar on 8 November 2000.^[6]

The stadium underwent refurbishment again with Chinese assistance, reopening in 2010.^[7]

The annual Revolution Day anniversary celebration at the national level is held at the stadium on 12 January.

References

^ https://integralspor.com/reference/tanzania-amaan-stadium-renovation-and-expansion-project
^ "Amaan Stadium". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
^ Ogunsanwo, Alaba (1974). China's Policy in Africa, 1958-71. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780521201261.
^ Ross, Elliot (2014). "China's Stadium Diplomacy in Africa". Roads & Kingdoms. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
^ Konde, Hadji (1984). Press freedom in Tanzania. Arusha [Tanzania]: Eastern Africa Publications. p. 8. ISBN 9976-2-0029-3.
^ The East African Journal of Human Rights and Democracy. East African Human Rights Institute. 2003.
^ "SMZ to protect Amaan Stadium". Guardian IPP. April 1, 2010.