Thursday, March 10, 2022 – Photo of the Day – Zanzibar, Tanzania

THURSDAY, 10 MARCH 2022 ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA Overnight stay
TODAY’S WEATHER Partly Cloudy High: 88°F 31°C Low: 80°F 27°C
DRESS CODE: CASUAL
For Ladies: DRESSES OR BLOUSES AND PANTS
For Gentlemen: SPORT SHIRTS AND SLACKS
No shorts or flip flop type footwear after 6:00 PM in indoor venues

Today’s Schedule – Zanzibar Insight featuring Professional Photographer Javed Jafferji

Zanzibar is not only about pristine beaches washed by gentle ocean in all shades of blue. The beauty of the archipelago lies also in is people and their culture. Music in Zanzibar is a living tradition, telling stories of the past days and present.

Dhow Countries Music Academy

We started our day with a short drive to visit the Dhow Countries Music Academy which is the only music school on the island. Particular emphasis was being placed on teaching traditional music styles, such as taarab, kidumbak and ngoma. They promote and preserve the islands’ musical traditions of the Swahili Coast along the Indian Ocean. We saw several performers practicing and classes going on at the time of the visit.

Waterfront Forodhani Gardens

From the Music Academy Centre we proceeded with a short walk to the waterfront Forodhani gardens where we paused for photos. We saw the House of Wonder building which is currently under renovations as well at the Palace museum which was the Sultans residence where are despayed the collection of portraits of past sultans and relics of early explorers including Dr. Livingstone’s medicine chest are found therein.

Old Fort

Another short walk took us to the old fort known as ‘Ngome Kongwe’ in Swahili. It was built by Omani Arabs after expelling the Portuguese in 1699 and used as a garrison and prison in the 19th century and as a terminal of the Zanzibar railways. Its courtyard has been adapted to serve as a cultural centre with curio shops selling tourist-oriented merchandise such as ‘tinga tinga’ paintings. We spend time browsing for the unique pieces of art. A Heena art gallery displayed the centuries old tradition of adorning women’s hands and feet for celebrations such as weddings and festivals. The artists translate the patterns of the body art onto canvas creating a new and soon to be iconic art style through their elaborate paintings. ‘The old fort’ It is also has an open-air stone amphitheater where live dance and music shows are held most evenings. It is also the main venue used for large events such as the Festival of the Dhow Countries also known as the Zanzibar International Film Festival and the Sauti za Busara, one of Africa’s top music festivals which takes place in Zanzibar every year normally based on celebrating cultural diversity and live performance.

Freddy Mercury Museum and Javed Jafferji

On our visit to the Freddy Mercury Museum we met Javed Jafferji a professional photographer who has captured images of Zanzibar and has published over 90 coffee table books. Javed will present us with an autographed book to remember and cherish your visit to Zanzibar. He has received the Almanacs Top 100 Africans of 2000 for his work in promoting Africa worldwide and is also an award-winning filmmaker.

We concluded our tour by enjoying a cup of spiced tea and refreshments in a nearby rooftop restaurant with wonderful views.