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Zanzibar
Nungwi, Tanzania
Zanzibar
Jambo Jambo ! Kirambo ! Hakuna Matata ! Asante sana ! Mambo Mambo !
Swahili Words of greeting and welcome which one learns very quickly on arriving in Zanzibar. Zanzibaris are extremely friendly and welcoming. All of them. No matter where one meets them. The arabic influence of their Omani colonisers is evident in all facets of Zanzibari life ...their name, their language, their religion, their culture, their food, their customs, their architecture and fishing boats. The fusion of Arabic, eastern (Indian) and african lends this island its exotic flair. It has been and still is ruled by Omani emirs for hundreds of years ....an empire that is 8000kms away from the island.
95% of Zanzibaris are Muslim. There are 50 mosques in Stonetown alone and 10 in the small northern village of Nungwi. These are not ostentacious buildings however. Very plain and austere, in sync with the status of the local population who live very simple lives, eek out an existance and live in small, grey stone or reed houses. Windows are covered by bars and shutters or holes covered by scrap wooden boards. Sand, mud and limestone create a strong cement. The building styles and materials have hardly changed over the centuries. Although corrugated iron has taken over as preferred roofing material from plaited banana leaves. Many homes in the village of Nungwi are constructed totally from plaited banana leaves and palm fronds - looking identical to those found in Cambodia and Thailand. All women , and even small girls, are covered with scarves and long flowing dresses. Some in the traditional black and others in the vibrant colours that
Stone Town, about 200 000 inhabitants, the main city of Zanzibar island (with a total of approx 800 000 local inhabitants - although depending on the tour guide it can be as high as 1.5 million), has an interesting history. We walked through the narrow alleys and lanes of the old town, which does not seems to have changed over several centuries. The Arabic influence is strongly evident , especially in the ornate doors Zanzibar is known for. The buildings are in dire need of maintenance and renovation. Rickity bamboo scaffolding is testament that the desire is there, but funds seemingly in short supply. In the socialist revolution of 1964 many properties were nationalised by the government. The people living in these buildings now do not wish to invest money they do not really have in properties, that do not belong to them. Foreigners have started buying some of the more impressive buildings and renovated them to the standards of their former glory. Luckily the heritage foundation has a strong hold on things, and limits changes and insists on authenticity. Unfortunately the local residents do not have the money to buy their properties back. So buildings are falling into ruins. Also interesting to note, that there is very little colour around. Houses are not painted , they generally have the traditional rough stone finish. The mosques are often painted white, but that is about the only colour around. The wooden doors have arabic and punjab origins and are very ornate. The carvings often symbolise the trading or craft origins of the family. Chains in the design show that the family business was involved with slave trading. Zanzibar was a trading station for many goods and spices, from east to west and vice versa, and sadly also slaves.
Tourism is the main business of the island and the remainder of the people seem to be small traders, subsistence farmers or fishermen. Milk is still delivered out of a steel canister on the back of a bicycle .
A small 4x4 room easily has the sign Shopping Centre above it ...so careful as to what you imagine and expect when you read about Zanzibar. Star ratings of properties are boight more than earned. Just a word of caution when you mKe decisions about where to stay on the island. Jaws Corner was an interesting interlude in the middle of the town...with wooden benches, a TV in the corner and an arabic coffee stall in the middle. This is the place where the men meet, discuss politics, exchange gossip and watch soccer. Even Bill Clinton has mingled with the locals here , without intrusive bodyguards and there are many around to prove it. No need for a newspaper here !
The old fortress and the House of Wonders ( which is a stately home of the ruler, which was the very first building in East Africa that had an elevator and electricy) again give one a glimpse of what Zanzibar was like several centuries ago. In the old town it seems as if time has stood still. The alleys are too narrow for cars , so wooden carts and bicycles are still the main sources of transport. The hooting of scooters, which send you scampering for cover flat against the houses, are the only sign of time that has moved on.
No visit to Stowntown is complete without stopping at the home of one of Zanzibar's most famous sons - Freddy Mercury. He was born here and called Zanzibar his home until 1964, when the family was forced to leave and Freddy ....Youssouf at the time - moved to the UK. What a culture shock it must have been for this young teenager from this small island in the Indian Ocean. One wonders what he would have become, has the 1964 socialist revolution not happened and he had remained in Zanzibar. I believe the world would most likely have been deprived of one amazing musical phenomenon.
Spices and medicinal plants and herbs are still sold in very traditional stores of the traditional healers, who are still greatly revered.
Amjan, our guide for the day, had collected us from the airport and taken us directly to Stonetown for our short tour of the old quarters. He parked in a public parking area. When he saw our concern regarding leaving especially our hand luggage in the motor vehicle, he laughed. All South Africans are concerned, he said and offered to drop off our hand luggage at his home for safe keeping. Crime is not a big issue in Zanzibar. Although , looking around , there is lots of fencing, Masai security guards at the hotels and windows are generally covered with steel bars. Due to the tropical weather the traditional stone houses do not have glass windows. Sometimes wire mesh or a thin piece of fabric, combined with wooden shutters fulfill the function and sometimes it is just the shutters or a piece of wooden board. This is malaria country, so keeping the mosquitos at bay cannot be easy at all.
As part of our informative walk through the little alleys of the old town, a stop at the coffee house for some good Tanzanian coffee and a large purchase of locally roasted coffee beans was more or less mandatory. At the top of 3 flights of stairs we arrived at an open and airy loung area, one of the highest viewpoints in Stonetown, and were able to orientate ourselves with the view over the multitude of corrugated iron roofs. Wandering through these alleyways can have you going in circles, as it is tricky to orientate yourself, all the buildings look similar and there are no street names. A guide is definitely the way to go. We did find out however, that it depended on the guide, as to what statistics and what historical version of the country you wil obtain.
Lunch was a special affair, at the home of Amjam, lovingly and very well prepared by his wife. Amjam's family home has been in the family for several generations and is one of the traditional two storey very thick-walled homes in the old city. You step inside the door directly off the street, and the dark lobby looks and most probably is a storeroom and a depository for all the shoes. Up the creeky wooden stairs made out of mahogany wood, the treads having been worn by the many feet over the many years, the traditional and cosy home is spread out over the first floor. The electricity has been off. We are told it often happens on a Saturday when maintenance is done on the wiring. It is rather a hot day and very warm inside the house. Even Anjam and his family find it far too humid and warm. It does not inhibit our enjoyment of wonderful Zanzibari cuisine however. The food has a Indian and oriental influence, spicy but not hot and the rice cooked with coconut milk , rich and creamy. Just up our alley ! The small fried fish as a starter was also very tasty. All in all - very enjoyable and personal.
As an aside, as in the East Asian countries and other 3rd world countries, the luxury of stringent rules for Health and Safety is not really an issue here either. Birdsnests of electrical wires accummulate at street corners. Having black waterpipes and electricity lines run concurrently along the walls, does not seem to be the safest option either. Helmets for scooter riders are an optional extra, for cyclists unheard of, sidewalks are non-existant on narrow roads for the hugely pedestrian population, busses, trucks and taxis hurtle past each other with inches to spare, with seemingly little regard for pedestrians. But ...somehow these seem to be first world issues ! We were lucky to not witness any accidents. Roads are narrow, look very worn with large potholes and are generally in need of maintenance or actually rebuilding. With the exponential increase in the number of vehicles over the last few years, this is going to become a dire need soon. Another rainy season and there will be more potholes than road. Now that would be an interesting project to manage. Hakuna Matata surely will take on a whole new meaning.
One notices many children, all in their uniforms, all the girls covered in the traditional cover similar of a nuns habit. Schools have a morning and an afternoon session to cope with the numbers. Families of 6 children are the norm, as is polygamy. So, it does lead one to wonder how this island will be able to sustain the next generations. Money seems to flow in only through tourism. For the rest everything is imported from the mainland, that is not a product of subsistence farming. One hopes that tourist developments will be strictly managed, so that the natural environment, that makes Zanzibar so appealing is not compromised. It is interesting to note, that an inhabited island off Zanzibar has decided, that they are not open to tourists. Quite a bold move in these global times. It would interest me to learn more about the impact of this on the island and its people.
It was also surprising to see, having been overwhelmed by the refuse and plastic waste in Cambodia, that there seems to be very little litter on Zanzibar. The beaches up in the north around Nungwi were certainly free of refuse and litter on the beaches. The roadways and areas around the homes are also generally litter and refuse free. As soon as one hits the more urban peripheries, litter becomes an issue, but in a much more limited way.
Coconut trees and Banana trees make up a big portion of the arborage of the island - although mahogany, ebony, rosewood and even the boabab trees are present and part of the harvesting for the small, local specialised furniture makers. One sees headboards, bedbases, cupboards and intricately carved double entrance doors in small stalls along the dusty roadside, in various stages of completion. Coconuts and bananas are therefore in great supply and they are main ingredients in the different vegetable and seafood curries. Octopus seems to be in abundant supply and included in many dishes. Zanzibar is known as a Spice Island, both as a trading centre of spices and also for its spice farms. In the centre of the island are many spice farms which cultivate vanilla, cinnamon and cloves amongst many others. Saffron however needs higher altitudes (Zanzibar's highest point is 60m above sea-level....not great if one keeps the rising sea-levels in mind) and therefore, although sold here is not cultivated here.
In the north-western section of the island, the village of Nungwe is mainly made up of subsistence fishermen, who also sell their wares to the many hotels in the area. Walking along the beach from our hotel, we were "picked-up" by a 24 year old Zanzibari man, wno spoke impeccable german. He attached himself to us and became our unofficial tourguide of the area. A fee was not negotiated up front, but we paid him well for his time, as we found his commentary interesting and it was a pleasure not to be harrassed by the multitude of hawkers on the beach. Karl had grown up with his aunt in Nungwe. A german tourist seems to have sponsored him and taken him to Berlin for 6 months and sent him to language school there. It must have been such a culture shock for this young man from this tropical island to land in stark Berlin in the middle of winter. It is quite remarkable to hear how well he learned to speak the language. Really impressive ! Somehow it does not seem to have helped him to secure permanent employment though and he seems to earn his living by this freelance and informal tour guiding.
It was interesting to see the fishing boats, the dhows, that are still built and sailed, as they most probably were 2500 years ago in the Middle East. They seem to be well suited to the conditions and there does not seem to have been a need to modernise them. The sail set-up is simple, yet very effective.
Sunsets over the rimflow pools at the Royal Zanzibar were spectacular every night. Cocktail in hand it was a time to reflect on our very good fortune to be able to experience this wonderful environment. The warm tropical water was so very inviting, especially at dusk. I could easily have turned into a Mermaid, with the length of time I spent lollong in the water. What utter bliss.
The only dampner on this blissful feeling came from the hawkers that camped on the fri ges of our resort. As one stepped on the beach they would try to aggressively sell their wares and tours - very much with an attitude of "you owe me !". As much as I realise, that they all need to make a living, I find that they actually have less trade because of their attitude. It just becomes too much !! It became very unpleasant at times, as they would not take NO for an answer. Whoever had the sunloungers closest to the beach would be yelled at every few minutes to make you aware of their wares. As I never purchase from people that hassle me, I purchased some goods from a trader further along the beach, who was happy to let me browse without hassling me. When we got back to the hotel and walked past the hawkers there, they became quite indignant, as to how I could dare to buy from someone else and not from them. Free market and customer service still has some way to go !
An amazing experience was a daytrip with Safari Blue to a small island off the southern point of Zanzibar. Unfortunately this meant another 1.5 hour drive over potholed roads, but was definitely worth it. Mnembe island is at the northern end of Zanzibar and there are many snorkeling day trips offered to this island. The tricky thing is, that the island is privately owned and therefore the boats are not able to land on the island. When there is a big group, where not everyone likes to snorkel, it is a bit trickytoexpect the non-snorkelers to spend the time in a really rocky boat. Boarding the dhows we were slightly apprehensive, as it was very windy and there was quite a heavy swell. Some of us - sitting at the front of the dhow got extremely wet as we cut through the swell. The dhows were manoevered with small engines, rather than the sails, due to the heavy wind. Luckily, the sandy island was totally sheltered from the wind. We were greeted by a small band making local music and the barbeque fires on the go. The Seafood braai was really good....about the best food we had had on the island. As dessert we had a taste and explanation of all the different types of tropical fruit on the island. Tasy and interesting.
For the few people who decided to go snorkeling, the dhows took us out to the small reef. The reef is not very big and the coral not very developed, but the coral is growing. We saw some lovely clown fish and some small colourful coral. One can just hope that the locals will make every effort to protect the coral.
In summary, Zanzibar is a typical tropical island with lovely beaches and warm water and very welcoming and generally very friendly people. It is important to choose your resort / hotel carefully, as during lowtide you may have to walk about 2 kms before you reach the water. There is not too much to do though - except to laze in the sun and enjoy the sea for swimming. So for a real relaxing time and a romantic get-away this is definitely the place ! Would I go back ... not in the near future ...so many more places to see, visit and explore. So happy to have been and experienced it though.
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