My fondest memories of Eid celebrations

One of my fondest memories as a child is the Eid celebrations specifically those of Unguja, Zanzibar. In fact Eid is a whole sequence of events before and during the actual Eid days.

All that business of girls decorating hands and feet with exquisite henna designs and boys sporting fantastic haircuts a day or two before Eid. Really, the best way to describe these celebrations is to witness them.

This festivity is ofcourse celebrated worldwide, but Zanzibar gives a unique charm to the celebrations. Everyone you meet from infants to adults are dressed so smartly, sometimes so flamboyantly, females especially and little girls in fantastic party dresses.  They seem to plunge you into a fairy world of pinks and blues and greens and what have you, with all manner of frills and trimmings added. Not to forget the scent of oud and hal- oud lingering in the air and around every person you meet.

In Zanzibar, Eid celebrations are known as “Sikukuu ndogo” and “Sikukuu kubwa” in Kiswahili. This basically means small celebration, which is after the Holy month of Ramadhan. Then there is “Sikukuu kubwa” celebrated after Hajj (pilgrimage) with little less fanfare.

Every child in Zanzibar would practically be dying of excitement and anticipation about a week or less before Eid as the count down begins.

One will hear children and young adults talking about the new clothes, shoes, handbags, hair accessories, kanzu and kofia, the parents had bought them and what they themselves would buy with the cash given to them when they visit friends and families in the Eid morning.

It really creates a warm, loving atmosphere, almost fairy-like for the children, as out of the whole year, their smiles would be widened for about four days. Yes, Zanzibar takes it a notch higher and has Eid for four days, from the moment children wake up until they go to sleep, it is “heaven on Earth”.

I always wondered as a child why we could not have “sikukuu” more frequent. Especially, “sikukuu ndogo”, which offers a bonus of extra cash from family and friends to children who had fasted during Ramadhan.

Unlike Christmas, children are not bought presents. They buy their own from money received. And the best part of this is when you get back home and can start counting the notes and plan your shopping spree.

Usually, after Eid prayers everyone returns home for a mouthwatering breakfast, more feast like before setting off for those cash gathering visits to family members, friends and neighbours usually enlivened by laughter, childhood memories and sheer delight of meeting of family members who had vanished throughout the year and more.

The chatters, swapping of food plates between houses, lavish delicacies, the envying of other children’s outfits or the huge cash they had netted, these are just among the joys of Eid. If one doesn’t watch out, quite a few extra calories could be among the Eid gifts received and don’t blame the weighing scale but the memories gained are worth it. You can always melt down those extra pounds with extra workouts after Eid. 

Everything has its price!

It is absolutely beautiful to watch for four days how every child feels like a prince or princess regardless of social status. Parent and guardian go out of their way to make Eid a special event for the kids.

For four days the island’s humdrum activities seem to have frozen. Not a thought of school, hospital, the fish market or laundry. All those pushed aside in a whirl of fairyland romance. The days would usually end at Mnazi Mmoja or Maisara grounds where open-air stalls are set up for children and their families to buy toys and delicious goodies.

And who would not want to be treated like a prince or princess even for just four days!

www.grassroots-traveller.com

Life is all about trial and error (Part II)

One could ask numerous questions about the tourism sector, as answering these questions could bring about more doubts or it could prove that everyone is somehow affected by tourism, directly or indirectly.

We hear from numerous quarters of the contribution of tourism to our national economies. Perhaps what we need to look at now is its impact on our societies at large and our environment.

Tourism ofcourse has negative as well as its positive side. The bottom line is how to eliminate the negative effects and accentuate the positive.

There are various forms of tourism, tailored to the needs of specific target groups. Each type of tourism has baggage of good and bad. Local tourism policies usually determine what type of tourism it attracts to its respective country, which usually regulates who would benefit from it. Though, this does not make for equal distribution of the fruits of the industry but one might earn some portion from it.

In recent decades, some countries have realized that perhaps the aim of tourism is to firstly guarantee high local participation and benefits. As without local contribution and participation, the industry might not see a steady or progressive growth. There are some examples of destinations in the world that have jumped on the community-based tourism bandwagon, like some islands in the Caribbean or Southern Europe.

These destinations have had to focus on protecting their environment and safeguarding the welfare of the local communities. It is all done in the name of “tourism for all” - after all it is all about the people.

The tourism sector like any other industry requires knowledge and awareness conducive to positive changes. Changes that should benefit “all” directly or indirectly. The goal is to involve everyone where possible.

Every destination has its attractions, be it the natural flora & fauna, vivid history, exotic culture and ofcourse the people – this is what normally drives most outsiders to the exploration of the individual countries.

Though we must also learn how to preserve these precious gems of what make up our homes and unique tourist destinations, we should encourage and inspire the younger generation on the importance of preserving their identity while still reap the fruits of tourism, in a sustainable manner.  We should instill pride in them as well empower them to be the next pioneers in the tourism sector so that they can showcase the power of the local people and the beauty of their culture and heritage.

We have learned that in order for the industry to thrive, infrastructure is needed to cater for the various needs demanded by visitors. Though, if we were to remove from the equation, the infrastructure and other investments made to cater for the tourism industry, we are left with the local communities and the environment. This in essence indicates the significance of these two factors in the whole equation. Every equation needs a balance so that the end results can add up and form a well calculated formula.

In this case, one side of the equation is the infrastructure and the other side is our societies and environment. Some might argue that both side need just as much focus to ensure that the equation balances.

www.grassroots-traveller.com

Life is all about trial and error (Part I)

We have all been in situations where we might doubt our decisions. Be it at home, at work or even while making our political decisions, we worry.

It’s human nature to be doubtful, to be fearful, to have regrets or simply just to worry and hope that things would work out for the best. After all, as they say, life is all about trial and error and we have to try to know it.

The tourism industry since its inception has had its highs and lows. Some destinations have had to learn the hard way to be ranked as the so-called top destinations of the world or fall into some of the more fashionable contemporary categories such as “green destinations” or “sustainable destinations” and what have you.

It has not been an easy ride to achieve these titles. Some destinations have had to combat seasons, external cultural influences, over population, environmental damage, and weak economies to stand where they are today.

Like any product that is marketed and sold to the public, it has a life cycle and so is the case with the tourism industry. Products have a limited life expectancy and every product has its own life cycle. Product sales pass through distinct stages, each posing different challenges, opportunities, and problems to the seller. Products also require different marketing, financing, manufacturing, purchasing, and human resource strategies in each stage of its cycle.

At this point, we might raise a few eyebrows, thinking why on earth are we treating our destinations, which are our homelands like a bar of soap or a lavish dinner set that is advertised on TV?

 

The truth of the matter is that the representation of a destination (the product) creates a certain image of a place before anyone would even dare to set their feet on it. Certain expectations of a place are created for us and we tend to use those as our “guidelines” from the information dished out to us.

Take for example the mobile phone industry. In essence a mobile phone only has a few basic functions but to boost sales and to keep the industry going, the manufacturers have to be creative by introducing new features and functions. Otherwise, most of us would hold onto the same phone for years till its final demise, never dreaming of a replacement.

With the rapid advances in technology, different media are used to market destinations. These play a huge role in influencing the outsiders’ perception of each destination. Therefore the representation of the “world” whether socially or politically, is really beyond our control, as media created external influences making it difficult to be “neutral” or have zero expectations.

Historically, “world tourism” saw raising new trends in the mid 19^th century with the elite travelling to their peripheral areas such as the Caribbean. The tourism season centred around the winter months mostly, from which the tourist could escape to warmer climes in search of sunshine and warmth. The tourists were wealthy with plenty of time for lengthy sea voyages to their destinations. A Caribbean holiday would therefore be the prerogative of the wealthy with plenty of time in their hands. It could take weeks, or even months.

Ideally tourism was welcomed for the economic benefits it was believed to bring. This is somewhat true, though tourism contributes less to the long-term economy than is commonly perceived.  

Tourism requires substantial investment in infrastructure. Western-style amenities are vital as tourist attractions. These amenities include: airports (large international airports to handle newer airplanes), roads, electricity and telecommunication. Some destinations have had to borrow money from foreign governments to develop these amenities for tourism to take off. Paying off those loans, and the cost of maintaining the expensive new infrastructure, have often stretched some local governments and their taxpayers to the limit.

(to be continued next week)

www.grassroots-traveller.com

Talking to strangers

It’s quite normal for most of us to go on with our lives without ever fancing to talk to strangers. Some cultures might encourage you to speak to strangers but it would boil down to polite platitudes and perhaps a plastic smile.

Not too long ago, I made a dash to the food market for a last minute purchase. I needed some carrots I had forgotten to buy for a cake I was making. It was after seven in the evening and lo and behold there was a whole world of food bazar waiting for me to step into.

I always thought things wound down around six but someone has obviously told me a lie. Oh these people! I bought what I needed for half the price. Fancy half a kilo of carrots for 700 shillings – fantastic! The Lord he praised. I was tempted to nip in at the fish stall next door. I soon found myself in a lively conversation with a middle aged nobody smelling of fish.

A whole array of fish was there, up for grabs. I had stepped into a world of sights and sounds.  A man had just brought his day’s catch and was waiting to have it gutted out. He must have read my mind, the genius!  Oh these fish fellows, I had eyed his fish, stoutish little tuna. He knew I wanted it. And why not, it was an evening of throw away prices. I remembered to say hello at this moment. It was fish before courtesy. The priorities of the market places. “Excellent for fish cakes”, the man blurted out an unsolicited recommendation forgetting to answer my hello. Yes fish before courtesy!

I felt suddenly in the mood for some fish talk.  Where and how do you get the fish to the market? I asked. And we were soon chatting about what would go well with the fish.  A lady from the municipal council asking for the vending fee suddenly appeared out of the blue. The fish seller then told me that they pay them to clean the mess after them. I realized I had I seen them while jogging in the mornings. The fish seller popped his eyes to hear that I jogged. He was soon reeling off his personal story.

He had once been a street chips vendor- it made him unhealthy after some time. An occupational hazard one might say. Too many chips and too little exercising, he was getting dumpy. Couldn’t even walk for ten minutes without running out of breath. He gave up chips frying to word off obesity. He knew he’s had his share of chips. From then on it was fish without chips. He became a fish vendor and took up exercising seriously.

He said he couldn’t understand why so many young people these days were suffering serious diseases. It was all due to an unbalanced diet and little or no exercise. Too much chicken and chips would do nobody good, stressed my new friend, sounding like a lecturer of the market place. We need to change our food mentality, he told me. His parents and grandparents never had problems with cholesterol, diabetes or other of today’s fashionable diseases. Theirs was a healthier life style. They ate the right if simple food and used their bodies well. They might not have heard the word jogging but their full day of hard work could handle a good portion of carbohydrates and protein to replace the used energy. Getting professional, he told me that there was a need to educate people on what they dump into their tummies.

This all might sound a bit bizarre but it’s worth striking a conversation with complete strangers from time to time. You could be in for quite a few surprises, my trip to the food market is a case in point.

www.grassroots-traveller.com