In historic Stone Town, the main city in Zanzibar, Tanzania, the story of one cinema building and its imminent restoration is reflective of the city's history and the narrative of cinemas generally. The early twentieth century saw the advent of cinema construction, peaking in mid-century, before declining against competition with multiplexes and home television. While many were demolished or irreparably altered, many also lay abandoned, like time capsules for a bygone era. They are a snapshot of the architecture styles and methods of their time, acting as a reminder of their role in their communities. Restoring and adapting a cinema like the Majestic is a recognition of its heritage and community value.
Zanzibar is no stranger to movies. The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), one of the continent's prime film events, is held there. However, it takes place in a temporary cinema on nearby Pemba Island. Tanzania formerly hosted 53 cinemas, most of which closed in the 1980s economic slump. By 2011, there were only 2 in the entire country, both multiplexes in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam. The three historic cinemas in Zanzibar, including the Majestic, reached a similar fate. Similar trends on the entire continent resulted in the continent only having a total of 1,800 cinemas (compared to 82,000 in China, for example), despite having an increasingly successful filmmaking scene.
