Idioms in the Comorian language

Itsandra Mdjini in the 19th century Once upon a time a city known as Sankule or Itsandra Mdjini was ravaged by an epidemic disease called ‘mbelembe’. Many inhabitants of the city trembled and died. Doctors, experts, marabouts failed to find a cure. One day, a committee chaired by a notable called Mze went to consult a famous marabout who suggested changing the name of the city and replacing it by Mdjwazema(i.e. jerkwater of generosity).The committee accepted the proposal and went to see Mmadi Ali who was the man who called the shots in that time. The nobleman and the committee members were invited by the marabout to attend a solemn ceremony at the public place near the Friday mosque. As great notable Mmadi Ali did not swallow the new name, he took his baton, raised it and uttered: ‘‘ngefo Sankule, sha ketsufa Mdjwazema!’’ i.e. our city will die as Sankule not Mdjwazema. Thus, the charlatan’s proposal was rejected and since that day Mmadi Ali was nicknamed ‘ngefo sankule’. He was buried in Itsandra Mdjini at the cemetery known as the mausoleum Al-habib Omar Bin Sumeit. The idiomatic expression ngefo Sankule means never give up to stand up for your rights. The idiom Mbe kali mbe (a bull does not eat a bull) was coined by Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane, the father of the Comoros’ independence. His policy was focused on the unity (udzima) of the men and women of the four islands of the archipelago of Comoros. He nalayele was coined by prince Said Ibrahim. The verb huyela literally means to have a bath. In the volcanic islands, as a volcano always finishes in the sea, it’s like it takes a bath. Dzaha means volcano in the Comorian language. It can also mean catastrophe. During the internal autonomy under the French administration, the prince became the head of the government when president Said Mohamed Cheikh passed away. But, when his government was censored by the majority of the members of the parliament, the prince accepted to step aside. Nowadays, when you disagree with someone who is stubborn, you can say he nalayele and stay apart to avoid conflict. Kafa bo liwali was a slogan used on the radio during the authoritarian revolutionary regime of mongozi (leader) Ali Soilih. When President Ali Soilih wanted to finish quickly the administrative buildings called mudiria in the mid-1970s, he ordered his prefects (liwali) and their team to assiduously follow the project timeline to ensure they met the tight deadlines. Otherwise, there will be a catastrophe (kafa) for them. Now that you know the history of some Comorian idioms, do you know who coined Mariama homwa ndro (Mariama has been well stung)? What about ya liwusa na lariye (who lays egg, must hatch it)? Some people think that history is written by the victors. This idea, attributed to the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, is that our understanding of history is never complete or objective but tends to privilege the version of events of those in power or those who are skilled at documentation or writing. Chami Mouzawar, 1st /10/2024, the Comorian Blog

Science festival at the University of Comoros

The government and partners. The Faculty of science and technology of the University of Comoros celebrates from Tuesday 7th to Thursday 9th May 2024 its 5th edition of the scientific days. The theme chosen this year is: ‘‘contribution of research and technological innovations, ecological transition, health and economic development of the Comoros’’. The event was sponsored by the ministry of higher education and vocational training, the French embassy in Comoros, ORTC, SONELEC, BDC, Comore telecom, Rooshdy Media, to name but a few. Dr. Amir Aboubacar was the moderator at the opening ceremony. He teaches statistics and mathematics at the French university of Lille. He is also the president of UONI – vision in Comorian language – which is an association created by some professors and researchers of the Comorian scientific diaspora in order to help their country’s origin in terms of science and technology. Some of them attended the event. Dr. Soulé Hamidou is the dean of the Faculty of science and technology of the University of Comoros located at the corniche campus in Moroni. ‘’This scientific event aims to raise government’s awareness of the importance of research for the development of our country and define the priority areas in terms of scientific research for our faculty,’’ the dean said. The administrator and acting president of the University of Comoros suggests structuring the faculties’ projects with the hierarchical administrations. He thinks that these kinds of events are extremely important to arouse the curiosity of our students in scientific matters. “As Doctoral training is our current priority, we intend to set up a multidisciplinary doctoral school for the 2024-2025 academic years,” he said. Ludovic khamchane works at the cultural department of the French embassy in Comoros. He reminded the audience that France is the 6th host country for international students. He praised the Faculty of science and technology for its dynamism and claimed that he works daily with them. He supports the idea of setting up a doctoral school for the next academic year. “We must promote all the men and women involved in research at the University of Comoros”, he said.

Some faculty of sciences students Dr. Takiddine is the minister of higher education and vocational training. He was thankful for the professors and researchers of the faculty of science and technology for the publication of their scientific researches. In addition, he recommends putting the synergy of their efforts together with the other schools and faculties and development partners for the emergence of the country by 2030. The minister also encourages the students to focus their further researches on the local products such as vanilla, clove, ylang flower, sea creatures, etc. which are all sources of wealth for the country. He claims that adding value to them means creating many jobs for young people. The dean of the faculty of sciences and technology was the first to make his presentation. He took the opportunity to present the state of research at his faculty. His school consists of three departments: Earth and Environmental Science, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. The students and faculty members work together in 9 research laboratories with few resources, he said. From 11 to 12 a.m. just after the coffee break, the public was invited outside to visit the booths, thematic posters and exchange with local traders. There were about 30 booths at the corniche campus this year. We had the opportunity to visit booth № 2. It specializes in the process for manufacturing food powder. The students explain that corn, peanut, sweet potato, red bean(nkude in shikomori language)contain a lot of starch that can be harmful as a food for a baby aged between 6 and 12 months. Therefore, we need more time to make sure that the starch has diminished before feeding the babies. The process can last several months, the students argue. They also display aromatic plants for the manufacture of essential oils used in medicine, cosmetics and the food industry. While stand № 3 focuses on juice manufacturing and quality control, booth № 1 specializes on the production of essential oils and water treatment.

Madrassa Al-Suddiq exhibitors We moved to the building that hosts booth № 17. We were welcomed by third-year students in Physics. They displayed a composter of organic materials. The process is pretty simple. “You collect household waste, let them dry during several weeks and mix them with soil by using 1/3 of compost and 2/3 of soil. Then let them dry again in a cool, clean and dry place for a couple of weeks. Then you can plant whatever you want, ‘’ the students explain to us. In order to fight against global warming, our physics laboratory students have their genius ideas. We can recycle household waste by mixing it with animal excrements to produce biogas for cooking and even electricity, they asserted. Other organizations, traders, schools and NGOs exhibited their know-how in the gardens of the faculty campus. They showed us how recycling tins, cans, boxes, plastic bottles, rubber to build useful trash boxes, model airplanes, cars, houses, toys and other playthings. Mbuweni middle school students in Moroni and madrassa al Sadiq in Bandamadji Itsandra students were among the exhibitors. Ulanga NGO displayed some posters and English books for those who wish to boost their knowledge in scientific English. Online and face - to - face thematic conferences continued from Tuesday to Wednesday afternoon. The Tuesday conferences and presentations deal with the genetic studies of the Comoros archipelago, the study of infant malnutrition in urban areas(example of Dakar, Senegal), foot and mouth disease on livestock in Anjouan, the problem of invasive exotic plants in Comoros, etc. Most of the presenters hold doctorates or are PhD candidates in overseas universities.

Ulanga NGO exhibitor The Wednesday lectures and presentations focused on many and various topics such as rational management of aircraft parking stands (case of the Comorian international airport, AIMPSI), exploratory study of the internet and its impact on economic growth in Comoros, the effects of economic growth due to CO2 emissions in SADC countries, valorization of marine sponges in the Comoros archipelago: exploration of their potential and prospects for sustainable use in the future as medicines, etc. Needless to remind you those other presentations in posters formats by some students and alumni from the faculty of science and technology from the University of Comoros. Some topics concern mangrove restoration initiatives, drilling techniques to obtain drinking water, plant formations on our islands, the diachronic study of land use in Moroni, the abundance and diversity of invertebrates in coastal villages, etc. Thursday 9th May was dedicated to visiting mount Karthala and a concert took place at the campus in the evening from 6 to 9 p.m. Twenty 20 years later, the Human Resources of the University of Comoros is having trouble retaining newly trained scholars when overseas colleges offer better wages. God save the University of Comoros! Chami Mouzawar, contributing writer

Ramadan in Comoros

Iftar at the IUT, University of Comoros. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is also one of the most sacred times of the year. Ramadan in Comoros begins on Tuesday, 12 march 2024, after sunrise. During this holy month, Comorian citizens together with Muslims around the world will take time to pray, worship Allah and reflect, as well as fast from dawn till dusk. Those of us observing Ramadan, they are forbidden to eat, drink, smoke or have sexual relations with their partners (husband or wife) from dawn to sunset. In addition, lying, gossiping, arguing, and quarrelling are not allowed to those who fast. Throughout this holy month, those who fast during the day – after eating a meal known as suhoor or tsahu in Comorian language – until sunset, will have the privilege to break the fast with iftar, a lavish meal enjoyed among family members, friends and neighbors. Islamic law stipulates that children, youngsters under 15, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating and anyone who is sick, elderly, or travelling, are exempt from fasting. The university institute of technology (IUT) of the University of Comoros is located at the campus site of Hamramba in Moroni. It organizes one time every Ramadan a lavish evening iftar where students and teachers are accustomed to share their recipes and chat together. The iftar dinner was scheduled this Friday 29th March which is the 18th day of Ramadan in Comoros. The first evening iftar organized by the IUT started in 2019. The idea of breaking Ramadan fast in the campus is to bring students, professors, staff and faculty members together. Iftar is a home-cooked feast for the five senses. Every participant has to bring something special from home. Students’ families usually cook special recipes that have been collected over generations. Many Comorian traditional cakes made from rice or flour are served with meat, chicken or fish sauces. Some bananas, cassava edible roots, yams, sweet potatoes meals cooked with coconut milk -to name but a few - are also served. As Ramadan is a month of many special prayers, people often go to the mosques to pray together not only the five daily compulsory prayers, but also to listen to Islamic lectures hold at many mosques in the afternoon and read the holy Koran as well, after each pray. Tarawih and witri are non-compulsory night prayers conducted after the evening iftar. Ramadan in Comoros is also a period of business activities. Many streets vendors invade the streets of the main cities of the country to sell their products. They usually sell food, clothes or shoes at reduced prices. Fasting during Ramadan can be quite rigorous, especially during this hot and rainy season. Thus, doctors recommend eating well-balanced, nutritious, and filling meals when breaking the fast. According to doctors, fasting has many health benefits. It can help reduce fat, stress and prevent many diseases such as Alzheimer, stroke and some cancers. For those observing Ramadan, and according to Islamic scholars, it is highly recommended to double your prayers during the last ten days of this pious month by doing good deeds every day until ‘Eid al-fitre celebrations on Wednesday, April 10. Giving money or food to poor or families in need is an example of good deed. May Allah (SWT) forgive us our previous sins. Amen. Mouzawar Chami, contributing writer