How to help mistreated animals in Zanzibar?

The answer is Zaaso. They are located in a village close to spice farms, so you can include a visit to Zaaso in our Spice Tours with only 15 dollars extra per person. We will donate 10 dollars from the price to the NGO.

Animal lover? When you arrive to Stone Town, you see cats everywhere - absolutely everywhere, especially in the Forodhani Garden during the night market. You find cats behind every corner but the worrying fact is that some of them are in quite a bad condition.

Rescue cat at Zaaso. Picture by: Zaaso

Zanzibar Animal Affection Society is a great NGO which helps mistreated animals in Zanzibar. We decided to visit their facilities and learn more about their organization.


What is ZAASO?

ZAASO is a community based registered nonprofit organization that rescues, adopts, and provides shelter, foster care, medical treatment and valuable services to animals in need.

Everything started in 2003 when a poisoning incident happened to Johanna Maria van Berg's dog Simon. Last turning point happened on December 2009, when Johanna found a donkey on the road in serious trouble. The donkey was overloaded and already collapsing. She was tired of animal abuse in the community, and decided to open a centre for donkeys in bad condition and take ones in the worst condition off the road. 

After the first weeks from the opening there were already 45 donkeys. People started to bring all kinds of different animals in ditress outside her house. She decided to build a clinic in order to treat the animals, and a house for the animals to provide them a shelter.

Some of the donkeys residing at Zaaso. Picture by: Zaaso

What are they doing nowadays?

Zaaso is currently home for 50 animals. They have cows, coats, donkeys, dogs, cats and few horses. Some of the residents are waiting to be re-homed or are living in Zaaso permanently. At the moment, there are 16 cats living in Hedda’s house.

On Saturdays Zaaso has an open Community Clinic where locals can bring their animals for medical treatment along with free dip-washing and rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats. Locals usually bring their dogs, cats, cows and goats there, but sometimes there have been brought chickens, ducks and rabbits.

They also do some consultations which they get some money from. They provide for example sterilizations, vaccines, and emergency operations or treatment. ZAASO provides also shelter, adoption, foster care, rescue, and medical treatment to animals in need.

Small things make a big difference! Picture by: Zaaso

How could we help?

Zaaso is making very good work with animals in Zanzibar and it helps animals on the street for free. It is a society, which still exist because of donations and the clinic. They have been talking about closing if they will not receive more donations. Through donations they can continue to help victims of abuse and accidents, and control the spread of diseases and growing population of non endemic species on the Island.

They have been making very good work and progress for getting donkeys out from the streets. The government has also realized that with traffic increasing, donkeys do not belong there anymore.
ZAASO currently provides veterinary treatment to any animal in need on the Island of Zanzibar. On their website there is a wish list for supplies they need. You can check it here http://www.zaaso.net/wishlist.html

Text by: Katariina K.

Jahazi – Swahili poetry, book about revolution and jazz every night.

Yet another festival posting! And there are more to come after the Water Sports Festival next weekend. After that, I promise to write about something completely different – I will give you updates from Kenya, North Tanzania and Tanzanian coast. And after that, about a TV show that we are cooperating with.

So please just forgive me for a more serious posting this time. Well, again.

Here's links and more information about Zanzibari festivals!

But back to last weekend and Jahazi. This year was the second year for Jahazi Literary and Jazz Festivals. Everything happend right here in Stone Town, which I of course greatly appreciate. During the day time there were many different discussion and reading sessions, workshops etc. Night time was reserved for jazz music from all over the world.

Now, the star visitors were Americans: Quincy Troupe, Jeffery Renard Allen and Tariq Ali. All very interesting people, but since this is a swahili culture blog, I will not write more about them. You can find someone else who does.

The two main swahili, Zanzibari even, authors were the poet Haji Gora and a writer Fatma Jinja. Both of them belong to the older generation, Gora being 70-something and Jinja 82. What's wrong with the younger writer generations? I think they are all out of the country. Zanzibaris of these days are not the most enthusiastic readers.

Haji Gora is a man whom everybody in Zanizbar knows. Especially those who still remember their school times, since his books and poetry are thought at school. This is because a) he's really good and b) he writes excellent classical swahili.

Gora on the right, Farouque on the left is translating.

Gora red some of his poems to the audience. To me as a Finnish person it was a surprise to hear him actually sing the poems more than reading them – it reminded me greatly about our Kalevala poems (also available in Swahili by the way). It turns out that Gora has a very specific rythm and form in his poems. Here, I'll give you a (very badly) translated example:

Wonder-poem

This poem is very metaphorical, for example this verse:

It is a secret inside a secret
The chameleon passed the car
When you consider this

In this poem, the chameleon represents women and car men. So nowadays women are the ones more advanced.

And this gives me a chance to talk about an advanced woman, mrs. Jinja. In the 60's she opened the first guesthouse in Zanzibar, Malindi Guesthouse. She was also in the frontline of entepreneuring women in her time, and still an inspiration to many. A mother of 10 who lost her father and husband around revolution times, she had to struggle to make her living.

Fatma Jinja on the right. Left is a Ugandan author Doreen Baingana.

At the age of 82, she's now writing her autobiography. She said it's finally a time for that, earlier she could not have done it - it would have been too sensitive subject for many. Now she plans to write down all of it – being a shirazi, the revolution, her view of president Karume. And here's the charm: this book will be in English.

At the same time, she's also still owner of a farm, anf of course a great grandmother of almost 30 children.

As a lighter ending I offer you some jazz, just like in Jahazi festivals. Here's Simon Spang-Hanssen and Rainbow Spirit from Denmark.

And as an extra surprise, a Zulu song :)

Ramadan kareem and Eid mubarak!

I'm a bit late with this one, since it's already the last day of Eid. But what can you do - first I wanted to experience it all, and then I was on a holiday.

This was my first Ramadan in Zanzibar. I was not quite sure of what to expect, and I was positively surprised. First of all, it's the most relaxing and quiet time. Usually I have to sleep with a lot of music coming through the windows, but during Ramadan I could finally sleep. Well, if you don't count in this tradition called dufu:

These musical groups are in the streets every night. The idea is to wake people up for daku, the late night meal which helps a lot when you're fasting. In this particular video you can also find out what happens if the drum brakes!

Every evening after magharib (west, since it happens during sunset) prayer calls people gather at home to have an iftar (meal) together. Later on during Ramadan it's usual to get invitations to other homes. For example, we ended up eating at family and friends on 8 nights.

When the end of Ramadan draws closer, everyone becomes a shopaholic and shops are open late at night. The tradition is that on the first day of Eid, everybody has a new set of clothes. Children get 4 sets of new clothes, one for each day of Eid. This is important, since it's gonna be the number one subject of discussion when the schools start again...

And then, finally, after 30 days of fasting, comes Eid. On the first day, you're supposed to meet family and friends.

Here we are, me and Khamis in our Eid clothes.

In the evening, children are the ones who have the most fun! All the little girls are dressed up and super happy. There's a huge ground full of stalls selling toys and candy. There is amusement, funny photography... and it's so dark that the teenagers have a possibility to date and meet. Unfortunately, due to the darkness, I cannot provide any photos.

Now everything is getting normal again. First day in the office. I already miss the meals when everyone sits together to eat the most delicious foods and milk tea.

 

Sufi tradition in Zanzibar – Maulidi ya homu

(Posted on July 31, 2012 in Colors of Zanzibar)

 

Now it’s Ramadan month. But I will get to that later (with more experience about the subject). This time I want to tell about a performance I got to see twice just before Ramadan, which was lucky since the group doesn’t perform during the holy month.


This sufian ceremony, Maulidi ya homu, is performed by men who chant, sing, dance and play drums. Songs tell about the sufian founder and about God. The whole experience is almost hypnotising as the ceremony starts from slower chanting growing into bigger and more animated performance.

After one of the performances, audience was asked what did they feel. Love and joy was the usual answer.



This particular group has been practicing for long, as the skill goes from father to son. But not only – anyone interested is free to join the group. Maulidi ya homu group has rehersals every night, and the neighbours and others who are intrersted are free to come and see.

The cereomny has had some changes during time. Some say it used to be more serious, as now it’s actually very entertaining.

The group has some sponsors and gets paid for performing outside their own madressa (religious school), so the future of Maulid ya home looks bright at the moment!

Contact us to see a performance!

ZIFF has taken over Zanzibar!

(Posted on July 13, 2012 in Colors of Zanzibar)

I’m happy to start this blog by writing about ZIFF, Zanzibar International Film Festivals. Our office in the Old Fort happens to be in the heart of all action, so I’ve got a close look on what’s going on.

Movie screening in the Old Fort

Firstly, this festival is huge. Besides that there are film screenings the whole day every day for 9 days, there are also music perfomances every night. So if someone decides to come next year to ZIFF, I’m sure you will find enough to see and do.

As a Finnish person, it was a pleasure to get a chance to watch Mika Kaurismäki’s Mama Africa with the mostly African audience. Besides for certain teenagers with their loud mobile phones, there was a great concentration and apllases in the high points of the movie.

Our office has never before been a more interesting place to hang out. It’s been used as a VIP lounge and a press room, so there have been people from all over the world, especially from Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa. And we got a chance to get some Hollywood glamour from the We The Party -movie promoters Mario Van Peebles and Michael Cohen.

Khamis from Colors of Zanzibar, actor-director Mario Van Peebeles and designer Farouque at the film forum

This year there is also lots of excitement around the local movie productions and there was a discussion forum on how to make Zanzibar a more appealing filming location and also how to boost local movie industry. Did you know that the Dar es Salaam movie industry, called Bongowood, has been growing extremely fast? There is nowadays a new movie almost every day!

The thing is, movie industry is still in a very early stage here in Tanzania as there is no proper education provided in Tanzania, and funding is difficult to get. The money comes now from DVD sales, but the DVD prices are very low to avoid piracy. But now a pay-TV called Zuku has promised to stand up and start broadcasting local movies.

Here is one small example of how the local movies here look like:

So this years’ festival has been great, and there is still more to come on saturday and sunday. Those of you who didn’t make it this year, make it next year then!

Colors of Zanzibar provides special packages made for ZIFF visitors, and there is always a possibilty to have a tailor-made holiday including ZIFF. And you East Africans, you should definetely visit this and enjoy the culture of your own district!

Shilole performing in the Old Fort

Colors of Zanzibar - cultural experiences in Zanzibar!