Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock band 'Queen,' was born and spent much of his early life in Stone Town, Zanzibar. The home he lived in - a distinct modernist style apartment building in the middle of town - now contains a small, touristy museum, dedicated to his memory and time in Zanzibar. The museum merely occupies a small corner of the building, and it's unclear if the space is the actual apartment unit (sadly, there's nothing apartment-related to see inside).
Born Farrokh Bulsara in 1946 to Parsi-Indian parents, Freddie Mercury lived in Stone Town until the age of eight, after which he attended boarding school in India. He returned to Zanzibar in 1962 at the age of 16. And then, in 1963, while Zanzibar sought independence from Britain (the Zanzibar Revolution), the Bulsara family moved to Middlesex, England. It was there that, having studied and written music for years, Freddie formed the rock band Queen in 1970. He died in 1991 of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS at the age of 45.
Freddie Mercury is regarded as one of the greatest lead singers in the history of rock music. Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and all four band members were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. Their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame citation reads, "in the golden era of glam rock and gorgeously hyper-produced theatrical extravaganzas that defined one branch of '70s rock, no group came close in either concept or execution to Queen."
If you've never seen it, I highly recommend watching the video (click here) of Queen's twenty-minute set at the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985. Featured in the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody', it is considered by many as the greatest live rock music performance of all time.
A young Freddie Mercury, then known as Farrokh Bulsara.
Entrance hall and ticket window inside the front door of the museum. Photo by Jennifer.
A seven month old Mercury with his mother at their family home in Zanzibar.
This photo was taken by a local photographer at the Capital Art Studio located on Shangani Street in Stone Town. The photographer displayed the photo in his shop window, which then won a prize. The photographer's son is still the proud owner of his father's photo studio.
Photo by Jennifer.
A red and white cotton twill military-inspired jacket worn by Freddie Mercury on Queen's 1986 Magic Tour. This was Queen's biggest tour and Mercury's last with the band. Photo by Jennifer.
Photo by Jennifer.
A tack board of testimonies that visitors can leave at the end of their visit.
Return to Zanzibar
