The Spice Island: Zanzibar

The spice island..Zanzibar

African New Year's...what a thrill!!! We set off from the chaos of Milan's Malpensa airport with LaudaAir, destination Zanzibar...a long trip but all in all acceptable. If I, as a good Piedmontese, thought that Turin Caselle was a bonsai airport and that after Arequipa, Iguaçú and Krabi, I had also seen the least equipped airports on earth...well, I have to take it all back. The small Zanzibar airport, the size of the Locate Triulzi train station, is a little red house in the middle of the jungle. We head toward the hostel, accompanied by the smiles of these beautiful people and kissed by the purplish African sky, which has decided to delight us with a sunset to die for!! First time in Africa...another continent, the continent of beginnings, the continent where man became man, where nature has absolute power and where man must submit to its will.

The only place on this blessed earth where Mother Nature raises her voice....often taking it out on those who can do nothing about it... The bean-shaped island is of an enchanting beauty: from north to south, its coasts are green and white ornaments on a blue plane, this Indian Ocean that here gives its very best. We arrive at the hostel, northern area, Nungwi. We eat something spicy and remain motionless before the African night, its sounds, a noisy silence, here there's no joking around. The island, despite itself, is bombarded by tourist villages, by caravans of affluent gentlemen in search, like good old Livingstone, of a virgin Africa, shocked to learn that they are not the only ones and that many peoples before them had already left their hearts here, and not only.

An island of passage, Portuguese in its early days, a mysterious kingdom of Arab origin, land of Sultans, the Arab influence is absolute, but absolutely pleasant. Hordes of smiling children, after a day of school among huts of palm wood and blue aprons, in streets fiery red, colors and colors, scents and smiles. What a marvel. A week that Benny and I spend under the banner of the sea and nature. We visit the capital, Stone Town, the only urban center of any importance, alleys of little markets, fabrics, spices of every kind, from red pepper to yellow saffron, to 20 types of coffee, to chocolate, from natural dyes to drinks made from unknown and exotic fruits. Stone Town is tiny, big Mamoud helps us, a tall young guy who speaks Italian and Spanish very well..with him we'll discover that Stone Town is truly fascinating.

The old fort of the remote Portuguese, the Arab mosques, the terrible slave trade square..here the English did business on the skin of poor people. We wander together with Mamoud around the House of Wonders (Beit El Ajaib), once the seat of the ceremonies of Sultan Bargash, the Palace Museum, residence of the Sultan...all heavily bombarded by the British troops who wanted to impose the protectorate on the island at the expense of the Bargash dynasty. We visit the derelict Cathedral of St. Joseph, an unmistakable sign that Christianity left little mark here.

From Stone Town you can reach Turtles Islands, a small islet, a nature reserve of giant tortoises, enormous...hungry despite their considerable weight problems!! The sea is blue, the sun is very hot and that sky that presses down on you, very low, the infinite horizon...Africa, what a marvel! We move to Kiwenga, a long stretch of coast of an unnatural beauty, palms and the inexorable motion of the tide that covers and uncovers.... Zanzibar claims an ancient dream of independence, but in a very humble and submissive way. The people smile, greet and smile again. Reluctantly, we have to leave...Goodbye Zanzibar

Jambo Jambo...Ashante Sana...

Andrea