Nairobi, May 11 -- This article about the Union between Zanzibar and Tanganyika cannot be late because the topic is always open. Much of the year is spent either defending the Union or counting its many faults and challenges. And then one day in April we throw a party, an abrupt ceasefire with pomp and time off from work. And then we start the process all over again.

It is a very organic arrangement, managing to be formulaic and dynamic at the same time and allowing for ambivalence to breathe.

Sometimes the Union celebration provides me an opportunity to wonder about my sense of nationality, if it has nuance? Maybe, but not nearly as much as someone from Pemba or Unguja. I do not think we are allowed to be too complex in our identities ...