The Freddie Mercury Museum in Zanzibar : In honor of the 28th anniversary of the adored rock legend’s passing, the first-ever Freddie Mercury Museum, which is situated in Shangani, the center of Zanzibar’s Stone Town, was formally opened on Sunday, November 24, 2019.
Queen Productions Ltd. in the UK is an official partner of the Freddie Mercury Museum and has donated exclusive photos of Freddie Mercury at various points in his life. This project attempts to present a thorough account of Farrokh Bulsara’s hometown of origin, his Zoroastrian religious roots, his upbringing and formative years in Zanzibar, then his education in Panchgani, and finally the rest of his journey to becoming one of the greatest stars of all time.
THE MUSEUM
The Freddie Mercury Museum is situated in the center of Zanzibar’s Stone Town. It is situated in the same home that Freddie and his family occupied prior to their 1963 migration to England. The Museum presents a thorough account of Zanzibar beginning in the late 1800s; the location of Farrokh Bulsara’s birth; his Zoroastrian religious roots; his childhood and upbringing in Zanzibar; then his education in Panchgani, India; and finally his extraordinary journey to becoming one of the greatest stars of all time.
Bomi and Jer Bulsara welcomed Farrokh Bulsara into the world on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar’s Stone Town. Farrokh signifies being fortunate and lucky. One of the oldest religions in the world, Zoroastrianism, was the faith of Farrokh and his family.
In 1951, when he was 5 years old, he began attending St. Joseph’s Convent Missionary School. He remained in Zanzibar up until the age of 8, at which point he was transferred to Panchgani, India’s St. Peters School. At St. Peter’s, he adopted the name “Freddie Bulsara.” Freddie was a hesitant child, but he quickly gained confidence after enrolling at St. Peters. He was a talented pianist and songwriter. Ten years before he joined Queen, he formed his first band at St. Peter’s called “The Hectics” with Bruce Murray, Victory Rana, Farrang Irani, and Derrick Branche. At the age of 16, he visited Zanzibar once again in 1962.
As Zanzibar prepared to secede from Britain in 1963, the Bulsara family relocated to England, where he enrolled in the Ealing Art College to pursue a degree in graphic illustration. In 1970, Freddie Mercury founded Queen, which is when his rise to stardom started. At the age of 45, he passed away at his Kensington home on November 24th, 1991. Rock musicians are continually influenced by his fascinating legacy.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the music of singer-songwriter and musician Freddie Mercury topped the charts in the United States and Great Britain. Over the course of his 20-year lead vocalist tenure with Queen, the group sold more than 150 million albums worldwide. Over 700 live performances by Queen were recorded. Mercury was one of the most gifted and creative singers of the rock period and the front man of the band Queen. His colorful demeanor and four-octave vocal range made him stand out during performances. He was named one of the “100 Greatest Britons” by the BBC and one of the “Top 100 Singers of All Time” by the magazine “Rolling Stone.” The museum is accessible to guests staying at Zanzibar and is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm. $10 for adults and $6 for kids gets you into the event
Choose the hottest time of the day.
One of the hottest and muggiest areas in Africa is Stone Town. The houses are close together, and the wind cannot enter the town at all due to the tight, steamy streets that are delicately twisted into a weird tangle. As you meander through the stone alleyways, it is quite difficult to find any shade from the sweltering sun. Only scant museums and cafes provide hope. One of them, the Freddie Mercury Museum, has air conditioning.
Choose a time of day when it won’t be too hot to visit, and take your time browsing the photo galleries. Enjoy the cold air and Queen’s music while looking at the sights and taking in the lyrics. Keep an eye on the area where concert recordings are being shown on a screen. Stay away from the sweltering streets till you have thoroughly cooled off.
Maintain Calm and Pole-Pole
The term “pole-pole” refers to the way of life that is prevalent throughout Tanzania and Zanzibar, which is one of leisure and minimal fuss. The greatest guideline for visiting the Freddie Mercury Museum is definitely that one. The more time you spend there, the more details you notice, and the more vivid your impression becomes. Even individuals who are completely deaf to the music of Freddie Mercury and Queen may become interested in the musician’s personality as a result of the exhibit.
What else can you see in Freddie’s museum?
There are various aesthetically diverse sections to the show. You learn about Stone Town‘s history at the entryway, which seamlessly takes you to the period when the Bulsara family welcomed their firstborn. The units that follow correlate to the times when Freddie Mercury studied in Panchgani, India, experienced his first musical achievements after moving to the UK, experienced Queen’s peak in popularity, and lived out his final years while already ill.
One of the more impressive components showcases a number of song lyrics in draft form. Fans of Queen will recognize their favorite quotes written in the author’s hand here. The narrative of Queen’s creation is told beneath the band’s emblem by the artist himself, Freddie Mercury, who attended an art school and was a talented painter.
Near the end of the exhibition, you may read Brian May, the lead guitarist for Queen, telling the moving tale of the artist’s final song, Mother Love. Next to it are framed prints of images of Brian May that were found on his Instagram feed (so everything is fair and square because we did discover them there). In the picture, Brian is seen exploring Stone Town, where Freddie spent his formative years, including a recently opened museum and other locations. Brian May claimed that he had always imagined visiting the place.
If your dream is similar to Brian May’s, it may be the nicest thing that has ever happened to bring you to Zanzibar. We still haven’t even covered all of Shangani Street that you can discover! It is impossible to adequately express everything you experience here in words. You can only sense that the exhibit must–and is–ongoing by physically visiting the museum.
