Travel

Zanzibar

The spice island

A few years ago, we travelled to Zanzibar for my birthday celebration. The island might just be my favourite East African coastal destination.

What’s yours?

We flew from Nairobi and arrived in this small, Indian Ocean paradise. Our first few days were at a coral rock beach called Jambiani. We lazed, decelerating from work. We stared out at the pristine white sandy beach, the turquoise waters and watched the local fishermen. Each night, we would meander to a local cafe and dine on aromatic Swahili curries full of all the local spices; ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and coriander, products widely exported from the island.

We chose to base ourselves in Jambiani, to visit nearby Jozani forest, so that we could hike and hopefully catch a glimpse of the red colobus monkey. The excursion wasn’t necessary. Each afternoon, the beach lodge we were staying at would bring us afternoon tea. On our second day, a red colobus monkey appeared in the tree by our deck, watching us and eyeing up the bowl of sugar on our tea tray. His face was like a little old man. I took this photo and he let us watch him for a while before he left.

Our next stop was Stone Town. After days of chilling by the beach, we both wanted to experience more authentic Swahili cuisine, meet local people, and find out more about the history of this fascinating, ancient island.

We stayed at the unforgettable Emerson Spice hotel. I long to go back and we will one day. It’s a unique and eclectic hotel, with sumptuous decor and traditional, Zanzibari architecture.

The hotel consists of three World Heritage site buildings in the exotic Kasbah of Zanzibar’s Stonetown. We were shown to our suite, up many wooden steps, up on the roof, with a bed on a platform and two balconies; one for breakfast and the other for the bath. The hotel was perfectly situated to explore all of Stone Town on foot; the markets, the lanes and the coffee houses. Crumbling Zanzibari buildings were at every turn.

On my actual birthday, we were booked for the five course, degustation menu which surpassed all expectations. We were in food heaven, truly one of the best meals I have ever enjoyed. And at the end of the evening, the whole kitchen staff and the waiters stood by our table and presented me with a birthday cake. They sung Happy Birthday in Kiswahili, in harmonious, dulcet tones.

The trip was perfect in every way, except one.

I wanted to retrace the steps of Freddy Mercury. I had loved Freddy as a teenager. Who didn’t?  I remembered that he had been born in Zanzibar, to Parsi parents from India. He grew up there for a while, in a house in Stone Town. But there were no references to Zanzibar’s most famous export anywhere. I looked for the signage to his childhood house. Gone. I looked for a commemorative brass plaque that used to be in the wall. Removed. It seemed that Zanzibar didn’t want to acknowledge this phenomenally talented performer.

We just watched the film Bohemian Rhapsody, an engaging biopic about a unique singer. I remembered seeing this dynamic man with his powerful voice at Wembley Stadium in the summer of 1986, with close to 100,000 others. “All we hear is, radio ga-ga, radio goo-goo, radio ga-ga”. Incredible.

I thought to myself, how sad that this small, Indian Ocean island seemed almost ashamed of this artist. Maybe that will change, especially in the light of the film’s success, and more will be done to celebrate his talent and raise funds for HIV charities, doing invaluable world around the world.

Have you travelled anywhere, that failed to acknowledge a notable local person?

©Maggie M/ Mother City Time