Jambo! Zanzibar
Africa, October 2009
“Zanzibar” conjures up images of white sandy beaches and exotic spices. The capital, Stone Town, is famous for its wooden carved doors, slave trade past and being the birthplace of Freddy Mercury. But, it is the infectious greeting – Jambo – that will make you smile from head to toe.
fishermen and their wives who search the sea and reef for edible delicacies.
The island of Zanzibar is part of the Republic of Tanzania and lies just 25 miles off the East Coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Although everyone has heard of this famous island, you may be surprised to learn that it is part of an archipelago and that Zanzibar has a sister called Pemba. Their position on the equator means that both islands enjoy year round sunshine although the locals told us that from April to May is “baby making season” as the rain can be so heavy that everyone has to stays indoors.
Zanzibar has two, totally different, faces. It’s most famous and the main reason tourists visit, is the pristine sandy beaches, warm water and coral reefs perfect for snorkelling and diving. The sand is velvet soft, made up of lilac and pink shells the size of painted toe nails and miraculously doesn’t stick to your feet.
The touristy part of the island is in the North but the coastline on the South East is almost deserted and only a handful of hotels share the 12 mile stretch of beach with local villages. Here, it is the tourists that are out of place, disturbing the Sandpipers feasting on the miniscule white crabs and the fishermen and their wives who search the sea and reef for edible delicacies.
Due to the wide reef, there are two tides and when the waves are breaking out on the horizon you can walk the 1.5km through a maze of coral beds, black sea urchins and tiny colourful fish. In fact there is so much coral that you definitely need to hire reef shoes and the zig-zagging walk, in the heat of the sun, can take a good hour. In contrast, at high tide the reef vanishes and is replaced by an enormous hot bath.
Although the white beaches are stunningly beautiful, particularly when set against a bright blue sea and sky, inland the island is more barren than tropical. The roads and houses are made of coral which although sounds pretty, when turned into “bricks” resembles white concrete and the land is very flat and lacks trees and vegetation. In contrast, the rest of the island is more fertile and as you make your way towards the centre you drive through a small forest which is home to the Red Colobus monkey. If you are lucky you can see the monkeys jumping from tree to tree or crossing the road in front of your car.
a pit containing a sculpture of five slaves shackled together with original chains
Beyond the Zozani forest, there is a magnificent avenue of ancient mango trees and to the north are the spice plantations. Many of the local villages also grow their own spices but be warned, taking a walk around the fields with one of the local farmers could leave you feeling very stupid. Having only ever seen spices in little glass bottles in my kitchen cupboard, all the plants seemed alien and when asked what spices each produced, all I could do was make a wild guess. After an interesting lesson we also got to taste some of the locally grown fruits including the unusual Jackfruit which is the largest tree growing fruit in the world and tastes of a mixture of banana and pineapple.
On the West coast, close to the airport, is the island’s capital and the old historical part of the city is called Stone Town. This is the other face of the island. The town became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000, although I was disappointed that this prestigious award had not resulted in more restoration. The white coral buildings are grubby especially with their rusty corrugated iron roofs and many appeared derelict. I have to say my first impression wasn’t great.
There are pockets of renovated buildings which have been turned into beautiful hotels, restaurants and boutiques but unfortunately these are few and far between. However, they definitely show how much potential there is for development and give a glimpse of what Stone Town could be like. If you can look beyond the shabbiness the architecture is wonderful. There is an eclectic mix of Arabian, Persian, Indian, European and African styles but it’s the not the buildings the town is famous for.
The focal point of each building is an outsized wooden door and the majority are beautifully carved and covered in large brass studs. We were told that the protruding studs were to stop elephants from pushing them down but they are merely a design feature as there have never been elephants on Zanzibar although there used to be, and possibly still are, leopards.
but they are merely a design feature as there have never been elephants in Zanzibar.
The reason for the unusual mix of architecture is that Zanzibar was once the centre of the African slave trade and natives were brought here from the mainland and traded with the Middle East. Although the slave market is one of the highlights of the city tour there is in fact nothing to see as when slavery was abolished, an Anglican Cathedral was built on the site. So apart from a couple of depressing underground holding cells in an adjacent building and a circular piece of marble on the floor of the cathedral where the whipping post once stood, nothing else remains. However, outside the cathedral there is a pit containing a sculpture of five slaves shackled together with original chains which is a poignant reminder of what took place here in the past.
The great thing about Stone Town is that it is a real town and to prove this you only have to walk through the lively market and watch locals buy freshly butchered meat and fish and, of course, spices. The rest of the town is a maze of narrow alleys where you can buy local souvenirs but sadly all the shops seem to stock identical goods. However, there is one gift shop that is more popular than all the others as it is located beneath the flat where Freddy Mercury was born. Apart from a small plaque in tribute to Freddy on the wall next to the entrance, the building is rather non-descriptive and you could easily walk straight past it.
One of the largest and most bizarre buildings in Stone Town is the House of Wonders. This run down museum displaying dusty exhibits was built in 1880 as a ceremonial palace. However, it is only really worth visiting for a glimpse inside and the great views of the town, harbour and old fort from the top floor, wrap around, balcony. At night, in the park opposite there is a food market and in June/July each year the fort becomes the venue for the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Sadly, even from this angle, the town appears neglected with its sea of rusty roofs and the luxurious roof terrace of a newly renovated hotel looked totally out of place.
I have to admit that the two different sides of the island left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand the beaches are immaculately pristine and the sea irresistible but the inhabited parts of the island are dirty, run down and, in particular, the fields of plastic bags and rubbish on the outskirts of Stone Town did not create a good impression. Although we felt very safe on the island and the locals all greeted us with a very friendly “Jambo”, there were elements that left me uneasy, such as the numerous police road blocks. Our hotel was also stunningly beautiful and the service and food incredible which was in stark contrast to the inefficiency at the airport. The chaotic pavement check-in, long queues and hand written departure board meant we weren’t exactly surprised when our luggage got home a few days after us.
What is frustrating about Zanzibar is that the island could be stunningly beautiful and Stone Town definitely has the potential to justify being a World Heritage site. Don’t get me wrong I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from visiting as it is the ideal beach add-on following a safari in Tanzania or Kenya, it’s just that the name “Zanzibar” conjures up somewhere far more exotic. Perhaps one day the island will live up to its illustrious name and I will go back and walk along those beautiful white beaches once again; get to know Stone Town better and say a happy Jambo to everyone I meet.