Why condoms are hard to find in Zanzibar

Condom use is generally encouraged around the world but the rubber remains taboo and it is virtually impossible to buy a condom in the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, people have been telling the BBC.

A vendor said condoms are frowned upon because the island, with a predominantly Muslim population, is a “very religious place”.

“When you are selling condoms, it is like you are encouraging people to commit adultery, but if condoms are not available, adultery becomes rare,” he said.

Muslim clerics on the island have in the past rejected the use of condoms because they are seen as promoting promiscuity, particularly among the youth.

“We believe that advocating the use of condoms is promoting illegal sex, mainly among the youth…The proper campaign is A and B,” Fadhil Soraga, secretary at the office of Zanzibar’s mufti, has previously said.