Karume

Karume is a surname and, less commonly, a place-name found in East Africa, particularly on the island of Zanzibar and along the Tanzanian coast. It is most closely associated with a prominent political lineage in Zanzibar and has been carried by families and individuals in the region and among diaspora communities.

The most notable bearer of the name is Abeid Amani Karume (circa 1909–1972), a Zanzibari politician who led the Afro-Shirazi Party. After the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, he served as the first President of Zanzibar and later played a role in the formation of the United Republic of Tanzania through post-revolution political developments on the islands. He died in 1972, and his legacy is tied to the early political history of Zanzibar and its union with Tanganyika.

Beyond Abeid Karume, the surname is used by other families in Zanzibar and coastal Tanzania, with the name appearing in various contexts within East African communities and among expatriates. The etymology of Karume is not widely documented in standard references, but it is recognized as a distinctive East African name with strong association to Zanzibar’s modern political history.