My Madness Trip to Zanzibar (Part 1 & 2)

 

 

My madness trip to Zanzibar (part 1)

I left Moroni Hahaya airport on Sunday 12^th December, 2021 to Zanzibar. It was 10 to 4p.m. I arrived at Julius Nyerere International Airport one hour later, exactly at 20 past 5 p.m. Zanzibar is about one hour twenty minutes by boat, but I could not get out the plane because I have to go first to Adis Ababa following the itinerary plan set up by the Ethiopian Airline. Thus, I left Dare es Salaam at 6 p.m. heading to the Ethiopian capital. I met on board a young Tanzanian citizen. His name is Suddeys Hatibu. He is a physician. He is travelling to Cairo for a business trip. It was an opportunity for me to talk with him. He told me that some Comorian doctors were trained in Tanzania with the support of the United Arab Emirates. 

Dinner on board

We ate dinner at 7 p.m. I travelled with a Comorian sport team. The delegates consist of 5 people including a girl. They are swimmers. They are going to Dubai for a world championship in swimming. ‘’Yes! Yes!’’ says one of the swimmer. ‘’Don’t say yes! Yes! Do you take chicken or beef?’’ asks the hostess.  ‘’Is your meal halal?’’ Asks Dr. Hatibu who was seating next to me. “Everything is halal” replies the hostess. We were talking about the relationship between our two countries in terms of health care. He told me that his trip to Egypt concerns technology and medical equipment exchange made in Egypt with the cooperation of some European Union countries. I expressed my concerns about the medical system and the dire straits in which the Comorian hospitals are. I said that hospital buildings and equipment are generously donated by countries such as China, France, the United Arab Emirates, to name but a few. However, the medical system does not work. Many Comorian citizens go abroad to cure, especially in Tanzania, Egypt and Madagascar.  

Adis Ababa

I arrived at the Adis Ababa Bole International Airport at 9 p.m. I asked a stewardess if I can take my luggage. ‘’ You will take you luggage in Zanzibar which is the final destination of your trip’’, she said. I had to queue in the middle of half thousand passengers in transit like me. She printed a paper and gave it to me. I spent one hour in a lookalike labyrinth where many people were standing. Some were chatting on their smartphones, talking or reading while waiting to get the ‘foreign passengers ‘ticket office of the airport. I submitted the reservation hotel voucher to the immigration authorities. They stamped it. Then, I got out the airport and got on the bus of the hotel where I was going to spend the night. I had dinner at 11 p.m. at Empire Adis Hotel and went to bed at midnight. Adis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. It is a little bit cool in December as the megacity is located in the plains. I remember my first journey in December 2005 where I attended a seminar about the pan African public service when I was director of the Comorian public service.

Zanzibar via Kilimanjaro

I wake up at 5 a.m., took my ablution and prayed. The water was very cold. I returned to my bed after the al-swalat as-subhi prayer and stayed until 7.50 a.m. Then I went to the restaurant to have my breakfast. Like the dinner, it was always a self-service. I met in the hotel a former Comorian colleague with his wife. They were in transit heading to Niamey.  I boarded at 10 o’clock heading to Zanzibar via Kilimanjaro where many tourists go there for a visit. The Mount Kilimanjaro is situated between Kenya and Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa. There was always some snow at its summit, but it probably disappeared because of the climate change effects. We had to cross a turbulence zone in the sky. Some people were yelling because they were scared. They finally applauded when we landed on Kilimanjaro airport at 12.30. It was a small, calm and charming place.

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport

I arrived at AAKIA (Abeid amani Karume international airport) at 13.55. As it had rained, the airport was a little bit swampy. I had to fill the form for my visa. Tanzania’s policy encourages visa abolition. Thus, when people arrive in the country, they get their visas at the airport. ‘’ Mouzawar, where are you going in Zanzibar?’’, asks the police officer. ‘’ I don’t know the address, but family members will come to pick me up’’ I reply. The policeman smiled and let me go. When I reached the visa payment window, a civil servant wanted to know if I pay with a master card or a visa card. I told him that I pay cash. Then, he told me to go to the cash office. The visa costs $50. I gave them a €50 bill. They reimbursed me $2. When I left the airport, a local guy brought my baggage without asking me. ‘’Where are you going? A village or a city? ”, he asked me. “ I don’t know’’ I said. I tried to call a family member with the phone of someone who accepted to help me, but there was not a response. I dialed the number of another family member. It seemed to be the right number. A lady answered. It was an aunt who visited Comoros 30 years ago. Ten minutes later, a 4x4 car arrived with family members from both Unguja and Ngazidja. We were heading towards a village called Bububu.

My stay in Unguja (part II)

Darajani market

Today is Tuesday 14^th December. I have to take a taxi with my nephew Ahmad to go to darajani in order to find an office exchange. Mouigni is our taxi driver. I need Tanzanian shillings to do some shopping.  Darajani is a city center located 5 miles away from Bububu. It is a bustling place where you can find and buy everything from food, clothes, shoes, etc. There are also some services such as pharmacies, banks, money exchanges offices, public services and mosques.  In addition, the mayor’s office is near the city center. It is called in Swahili language baraza la mjini i.e. the municipality counsel. The revolutionary government of Zanzibar (Sirikali ya mapinduzi ya Zanzibar) has a project named ‘the Darajani Souk Commercial Bazar’ sponsored by africab and simba developers Ltd to expand and renovate the commercial center in order to make a big stunningly beautiful one.

I am accompanied by Ahmad for my first visit in the city. He is a student in a high school in Dar es Salaam. His dream is to become engineer in electricity. He is in holidays until January 2022. He is my guide during my 3 weeks stay in Tanzania.  After making change, I got the shillings I need for my shopping. One euro (1€) is the equivalent of 2,500 Tanzanian shillings (T sh). Now that I have the local currency, I can go shopping. First of all, I have to buy a sim card and a USB key because I need to use national calls and internet. I also buy some tissues and natural medicated soap made in Tanzania.

There are four means of transportation when you go sightseeing in this country. You can take a taxi, a Dala Dala (bus), a Bajaji known as Indian tuk tuk or even a motorcycle.  I took a taxi for my first visit to Darajani. It cost Tsh 15,000 (€6). My guide and I went back home at 1 p.m.

Family members in Unguja

Youssouf and Abderemane are our sons’ cousin named Shinuna. Youssouf is abderemane’s elder brother. He will be the groom (bwana harusi) that Thursday, 16 December 2021. Youssouf works in a hotel resorts. He only got one week of vacation in order to get married.

According to the tradition, the groom has to bring his bride to live in his own house. It is a charming and cozy villa located about 3 miles from the airport. Abderemane has already visited Comoros when he was only 4 years old. It was in 2001 during my sister’s traditional marriage. He studies marketing at Zanzibar University. It is a private educational institution. He wishes to earn a master degree. The government of Zanzibar has also its own public institution of higher education established in 1999. It is named SUZA (State University of Zanzibar).  

This Wednesday 15 December, Ahmad and I have to return to Darajani commercial center because the USB key we bought the day before does not work. Someone from the family gave us a ride. The seller accepted to replace the 3G USB key by a 4G one. He tried again and again, but it did not work. Thus, he reimbursed us Tsh 30,000 instead of Tsh 35,000 which was the exact amount I paid for the 3G USB key. It was raining every day since I arrived in Unguja. We took a Bajaji to go back home. It cost Tsh 6,000. 

 

The Wedding Day

Amine is my cousin who lives in France. He also came in Unguja to attend the family marriage. This Thursday, 16 December is the wedding ceremony for our nephew Youssouf Aboubacar mohamed. His father is from Comoros. He used to live in Unguja. He also came from France to attend his son’s marriage. Youssouf father -in- law is called Bwana Said. He retired from the Central Bank of Tanzania. Women are very busy at Bwana Said’s villa this morning. Some were cooking; others were cutting various cakes in small and medium chunks. The cakes-including mkatre wa gudgud from Comoros- are dispatched in beautiful wrapped bags. They will be served tonight during an ‘’only women’’ ceremony to be held in a private building. We had lunch with Youssouf, his friends and neighbors at 1p.m. We ate biriyani with beef.

Ahmed and I went to Darajani by taking this time the bus called Dala Dala. It is the public transportation in Unguja. It is managed by the direction of transportation (idara ya misafara) which is under the supervision of the ministry of Communications and Transport (wizara ya mawasiliano na usafirishaji) of the government of Zanzibar. I always go to the city center to buy newspapers, have street coffee and buy many other things. There are a dozen of daily newspapers in Tanzania. Many are in Kiswahili language: Uhuru, Mwangaza, Mwananchi, Nipashe, Zanzibari Leo, to name but a few.  Others are in English language such as the Guardian, the Standard, etc.      

We left Bububu village heading to the mosque where the wedding ceremony is held after the swalat incha prayer. It is very far away from our suburb. The bride was probably represented by her brother. The groom was accompanied by his father, his grandfather Muswadiq and his father-in-law. Muswadiq is my uncle who used to visit Comoros several times in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. We have been served Arabic sweet cake (halwa), big chunks of beef meat and coffee. When the religious ceremony finished at 9 p.m., we took pictures with the groom (bwana harusi) and let him go to see his bride (bibi harusi) in his new home. Another ceremony for women started at 10 p.m. in a public building specialized in weddings and private parties. Some guys close to Youssouf - including myself- were allowed to come in and take pictures with the just married couple and throw some money according to the tradition. We let them and went back home at 11p.m.

That Friday, 17 December we had to go to the covid-19 center. Our cousin Amine had to take a PCR test before leaving Zanzibar the next day afternoon to Paris. He paid $80. He had to go back to his job in Marseille on Monday, 20. On our way back home, we took the opportunity to visit Youssouf new home and bring him some food offered by his mom. Then, we went to pray the Jumaa swala at a mosque close to our house where on the other side of the road, there is a beautiful Golden Tulip resort.       

The Laundry Service

That Saturday, 18 December I brought my dirty clothes to a laundry service located 300 meters from our villa. I had 2 trousers, 3 shirts, a polo shirt, 2 sleeveless T-shirts, a cotton handkerchief and 6 underpants. It cost Tsh 25,000. It is cheaper than in Comoros where one item costs KMF 1,500. In the afternoon at 5 p.m., Amine, Ahmad and I went to the beach. It is located 300 meters from our house. The 2 miles beach stretches away as far as the eye can see from Bububu and Mwanyanya to other villages. To get the beach, we had to cross the road, reach a park where a bunch of kids were trained to play soccer.  There is a public hospital in the park and a hatchery center financed by the republic of South Korea.  I took the opportunity to do my jogging on the beach.

Bububu beach

I met Jumaa while swimming. He is a young guy of approximately 16 years old. He is from Mwanyanya village. I asked him if I can swim until I reach the 3 isles we can see from the beach. ‘’ You have to take a boat to reach them as they are very far away,’’ he said. Then he told me the story of the three isles. The big one is the habitat of big bats like the Livingstone bats we know in Moheli Island in Comoros. The second isle is called Prison Island. According to him, it was for slaves who revolted against Arab slave owners in the past prior to the 20^th century.  The small one between the two isles used to be a cemetery for probably slave owners.

In fact, Prison Island is a tiny island of just 800 metres by 230 metres and it is a natural reserve called Changuu. According to Jahazi, a Kilimanjaro Fast Ferries Magazine (issue 5), the project was a jail built there in the late 19^th century to house the overspill from its overcrowded and squalid counterpart on the Zanzibar mainland. Nevertheless, no one inmate ever stayed there, and the island became a place of quarantine during disease epidemics.  It is now a home to a number of aldabra giant tortoises- some are more than 100 years old.  Some historians say that the origin of the tortoise population was a gift from the British governor of Seychelles in 1919. The tortoise species are now under the protection of a foundation. If you are a ferry day trip visitor, you have the chance to feed them and even swim with them in the turquoise waters. Last but not least, the coastal waters of Zanzibar are peppered with traditional Arab dhows. You can visit the tiny islands surrounding Zanzibar by riding a dhow. Nungwi village is the famous center of building traditional dhows on the island. If you go there, you will get the chance to see local guys building them by using techniques handed down from the 15^th century.    

We took some pictures on the beach before the sunset and went back home at 6 p.m. My cousin amine has to leave Zanzibar for Marseille that night. The airport is located 4 miles away from our village. He has everything in his smartphone: the PCR covid-19 test result as well as the ticket from the Emirates Airways. He left Unguja at 10 p.m. heading to Charles de Gaulle airport and then to Marseille by a TGV train. He has to go back to his work on Monday, 20 December.

The Walima Day

That Sunday, 19 December is the Walima day. The bwana harusi family invites friends and family members to eat lunch. The guests have seats to listen first the Maulid Barzanji.  A maulid is a religious ceremony celebrating the prophet of Islam’s life. The walima was held at a public building which belongs to the Institute of Tourism of the SUZA.  The building was inaugurated on 6 January 2021. It is rented to anyone who wishes to hold a wedding event or any friend or family party. You can see on the reception window, the pictures of the president of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zanzibar president Dr Hussein Mwinyi. You can also spot a 2021 calendar on the reception wall advertising the SUZA and the University of Ankara from Turkey in conversation aimed at developing the Suza School of Dentistry through Erasmus program.  The photo features the SUZA Vice chancellor, Dr Zakia mohamed Abubakar and prof. Okan Ackam, the Vice dean –School of dentistry at Ankara University representing their institutions in the talks which ended up in signing an agreement.