The following morning we had ten tuk-tuks arrive -- motorbike taxis, that took us on the ferry back to city and then on the next ferry to Zanzibar -- the Spice Island, the capital of Oman for a few hundred years, the slave centre on the East African coast, the birthplace of Freddie Mercury -- and the romantic, beautiful place where Marc and Sacha got married.
Beautiful beautiful Zanzibar.
Known as the Spice Island, and also locally called Unguja, this is an archipelago made up of Zanzibar and Pemba Islands, and several islets. It is located in the Indian Ocean, about 25 miles from the Tanzanian coast, and 6° south of the equator. Zanzibar Island is 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, occupying a total area of approximately 650 square miles. It is characterised by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs, and the magic of historic Stone Town - said to be the only functioning ancient town in East Africa.There are no large wild animals in Zanzibar, and forest areas such as Jozani are inhabited by the Red Colobus monkeys -- remember me talking about them in Gabon? -- we saw a few real live ones as we drove through Jozani -- but we were not allowed to stop or take photographs. In order to do that, one has to pay! Imagine -- even the monkeys now want payment for being photographed! Humph! There are also bush-pigs and small antelopes, a few civet,and, rumour has it, the elusive Zanzibar leopard. Various species of mongoose can also be found on the island. There is a wide variety of birdlife, and a large number of butterflies in rural areas. The coral reefs that surround the East Coast are rich in marine diversity, and make Zanzibar an ideal location for snorkeling and scuba diving. Shani, Orm and Emy and I set off for a few days on the East Coast -- treated ourselves to a beautiful thatched lodge on the beach, good food, a blue pool surrounded by flamboyant splashes of bougainvillea, a private massage hut -- luxury galore! Shani went scuba diving and Orm and Emy tried the snorkeling -- and they all came back enamoured with the beauty of the Indian Ocean -- except the coral they boast about is mostly dead and bleached -- very sadly.
Zanzibar's local people are an incredible mixture of ethnic backgrounds, indicative of her colourful history. Walking around Stone Town is like nowhere else in the world. Almost like a Hollywood film set with costumed extras about, as there is something of everything to be seen here -- colourful, fascinating, alluring!
Islam is the dominant religion, and practiced by most Zanzibaris, although there are also followers of Christianity and Hinduism. Population is estimated at 800,000, with the largest concentration being Zanzibar City which has approximately 100,000 inhabitants. Zanzibaris speak Swahili (known locally as Kiswahili), a language which is spoken extensively in East Africa. Many believe that the purest form is spoken in Zanzibar as it is the birth place of the language.
Apparently Zanzibar's most famous event is the Zanzibar International Film Festival, also known as the Festival of the Dhow Countries. Every July, this event showcases the best of the Swahili Coast arts scene, including Zanzibar's favourite music, Taarab. -- mmmm perhaps something to remember for a next visit?
Zanzibar is an island state within the United Republic of Tanzania, and has its own semi-autonomous government made up of a Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives -- don't you just love that! the Revolutionary Council and House of...! And yet nothing can be further from the nature of these people -- kind, friendly, welcoming, smiling -- just beautiful! The present government is led by the island's President, Amani Karume.
According to our knowledgeable guide Daniel, fishing and agriculture are the main economic activities of the local people. Zanzibar was once the world's largest producer of cloves, and her economy was based on large incomes thus derived.
We all traipsed off to do the spices tour -- and I have to admit, we did not expect too much from it. And yet, it turned out to be one of the reddest Red Button activities to date! Wandering amongst the giant Jack Fruit trees, the Peacock Flower trees, the fields of Lemon Grass and Vanilla bushes, the clove trees, the fabulous Cinnamon tree -- so talented! with its bark, its wood, its roots, its leaves, even its dry sticks all providing some deliciously aromatic use. Daniel had one of the 'spice boys' walk with us armed with a sharp knife and we got to taste and smell and touch and savour every one of the spices. The 'lipstick' fruit provided immense entertainment as everyone painted their faces with stripes and dots and red lips and war paint, and, when Orm finally tried to rub it all off, he was the best ever specimen of a fake baked man -- orange to perfection! After reluctantly leaving the coolness and beauty of the spice forest, we were invited to sit down under a thatch roof where we were treated to the tasting of selection of Zanzibarian tropical fruits and spice teas. Pomelos (grapefruit) lush and pink and sweet, sugary pineapple, Jack Fruit -- sweet and delicious and juices dripping down to elbows, Zanzibar oranges -- a taste I have never experienced before -- and it left us want for more!
Although cloves are still a major export along with coconut products and spices, tourism has been ear-marked as the primary foreign exchange earner, with more visitors coming to Zanzibar each year. At this stage, the numbers are still low (less than 100,000 annually) and the potential for tourism is relatively untapped, but one has to secretly hope that there will never be too many more -- at least not at any one time, as this is part of the amazing beauty of the place -- the relative calm and tourist-free freedom of movement on the island.
No visit to Stone Town would be complete without a visit to the night market. Set on the foreshore in the harbour, there are dozens and dozens of tables set up -- each with is own bright gas lamp, and each table sells fresh, delicious sea food, Zanzibar pizzas -- pancakes with various fillings, savoury and sweet, and then re-fried in oil -- yum! The crayfish and octopus, kingfish and tuna, kebabs, deep fried, grilled and baked, the colours and the smells, the people all dressed up in their finery for this Sunday evening outing, the 'chefs' in their high white hats and white aprons, the hand painted signs advertising the menu and prices -- and all of this against the backdrop of the boats and dhows and harbour traffic casting their millions of fairy lights on the black water.
I went in search of Father January who was the priest who married Marc and Sacha. Everyone I spoke to knew him well and loved him -- but he had gone off to Rome and no one knew whether he was ever coming back to his beloved Zanzibar. Daniel did, however, manage to find someone at the cathedral who will send us his address, so mission accomplished!
The small remaining vestiges of the barbaric slave industry were moving -- a stark reminder of the horror of slavery and hopefully a good way to keep that fresh in our minds so that we will be much more aware of the slavery still practised today... And then, of course, talking about Zanzibar and about Stone Town in particular, one has to mention the doors; those magnificently carved doors, each indicating the profession of the man in the house: the lotus flowers showing that he was an educated mathematician (i.e. a man working with money!), the scales around the posts showing the man inside was in the fishing industry, the cloves -- well, of course! showing that he was involved in the spice industry. I was happy top see that since Zanzibar has been named a World Heritage site, much has been done to preserve the beautiful doors and stop foreigners from coming in and taking them off to Europe and the rest of the world. This looting of doors -- as is happening in Fes and Marrakesh in Morocco as well, is such a horrible, irretrievable damage done to any heritage site and I can only hope that the authorities will not relent in their fight against the theft of this valuable treasure of Zanzibar.
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