Air Tanzania, TWIGA issue 13

Issue 13 / April to June 2022

YO U R F R E E A I R TA N Z A N I A M AGA ZINE

T R AV E L / TA STE / TALEN T

The meat mountain Twiga A I R TA N Z A N I A Issue 13

How to cook the Kilimanjaro burger

Historic Dar es Salaam

Tour the city's ancient architecture

Kariakoo derby

One of Africa’s most fiercely fought footballing rivalries

KIBUBU Pay for your flight in instalments Visit airtanzania.co.tz

contents 16

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38

Regulars

Features

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CEO foreword

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16 The Last Ride

Air Tanzania news

20 UNEP at 50

Upendo Manase

50 years working for the planet and its people

15 Twiga competition Win a night for two

23 Music stars

38 Cookery column

East African artists to watch out for

The Kili Marangu burger Finding your destination in life is a journey worth taking

54 Faysal’s blog

Tanzania-set thriller gets inside the mind of a President

31 Swahili story Chaguo Langu by Rashid Said Rashid

32 Comoros Time to invest in the land of opportunities

54 Sound and vision 55 Arts column

34 Fitness

57 Kid's puzzle page

PT tips – how to train like a pro

Fun challenges

Is published by: Land & Marine Publications (Tanzania) Ltd 4th floor, Josam House Block A, along Coca Cola Road Mikocheni Area, Dar es Salaam Tel: +255 686 118 816 www.landmarine.com Head Office: Land & Marine Publications Ltd 1 Kings Court, Newcomen Way Severalls Business Park, Colchester, Essex, UK, CO4 9RA Tel: +44 (0)1206 752902 Email: publishing@landmarine.com

Read Twiga online: qrs.ly/qdbooco

Stop being a slave to your Smartphone One of Africa’s most fiercely fought footballing rivalries

47 Legal eye What you need to know before importing electronics

49 Joseph Shaluwa The book of love: a guide to marriage

27 I Am Semba

41 Business column

36 Screen time 42 Kariakoo derby

Taking on Kili and climate change

11 My Tanzania

52 Tech for teenagers

Historic Dar es Salaam Tour Dar's ancient architecture

Looking to expand worldwide

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50 Exclusive escapes The luxury list

Air Tanzania information 59 60 60 62 64

Twiga miles Travel information Air Tanzania fleet Air Tanzania destinations Air Tanzania contacts

On behalf of: Call toll free: 0800 110 045

Editor: Mark Edwards markedwards@landmarine.com Advertising sales: Catherine O’Callaghan Tel: +44 (0)7944 212063 (WhatsApp) Email: catherineocallaghan@landmarine.com Godfrey S. Urassa Tel: +255 (0) 686 118 816 (WhatsApp) Email: godfreyurassa@landmarine.com Printed by Jamana Printers Ltd, Dar es Salaam

@AirTanzania Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ACTL) Second floor, ATC House, Ohio Street Dar es Salaam. Email: info@airtanzania.co.tz Office (JNIA) Telephone: +255 222113248 Jerry Ngewe, Marketing Executive, Email: jerry.ngewe@airtanzania.co.tz

@airtanzania airtanzania_atcl For the latest flights, information and to book online, visit:

www.airtanzania.co.tz

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor, or any other organisation associated with this publication. No liability can be accepted for any inaccuracies or omissions. ©2022 Land & Marine Publications Ltd.

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Image courtesy of Belinda Mkony

CEO foreword

EDITOR’S NOTE Just as it commands the Arusha region's landscape, Mount Kilimanjaro has been dominating the news of late.

A contentious plan to build a cable car to whisk tourists a good way up the mountain has this year met with opposition from the country's tour operators, who feel the option of a rapid ascent, rather than boosting tourism, will mean visitors actually invest less time and money in the region and the livelihoods of mountain guides and porters will be threatened.

Then there are the environmental concerns. Deforestation is already an issue on the mountain and many more trees are sure to make way for the cable car construction. The effects reach the summit of Africa's highest peak with its glaciers melting away with some studies warning the snow will be gone by 2040.

It's this dire forecast which has motivated The Last Ride – an expedition to ski the highest points across all seven continents while the snow lasts and you can hear from one of the team inside this issue of Twiga.

If the cable plan does go ahead, let's hope the iconic snows of Kilimanjaro are still there to get a closer look at. markedwards@landmarine.com

www.airtanzania.co.tz Follow us on:

@AirTanzania @airtanzania airtanzania_atcl Air Tanzania ATCL

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Looking to expand worldwide Karibu sana. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you onboard your flight today. Thank you for choosing Air Tanzania.

While our airline will always remain proudly Tanzanian, we are becoming a truly worldwide operation. This year has already seen us expand our international network of destinations with flights to Nairobi, in Kenya; Lubumbashi, in the DRC; Bujumbura, in Burundi; Ndola, in Zambia; and Entebbe, in Uganda.

There is much more to come and I can also confirm that Air Tanzania already has partnerships with a number of other airlines, including Oman Air, Air India, Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airways.

These companies are among the largest in the world and partnering with them will prove excellent preparation for our ultimate move to get our own aircraft flying to the US and Europe. We are also working on similar arrangements with aviation authorities in China.

The range and frequency of Air Tanzania’s domestic network is also on the rise. Currently, we are operating 109 scheduled flights every week and to 13 destinations, including recent additions Mtwara, Songea, Bukoba and Mpanda. It also now easier than ever before to buy your flight tickets now they are available at TPC post offices across the country.

Thank you for flying with us today and being part of our expanding endeavours.

Eng. Ladislaus Matindi Managing Director and Chief Executive Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania news

Book flights or parcels by air at the post office Now you can book ATCL flights or send parcels with us by air at the post office We have made it even easier to fly you or your parcels wherever you are in the country. In March, Air Tanzania entered into an agreement with the postal organisation Tanzania Postal Corporation (TPC) for passenger ticketing and courier services.

Now you will be able to get your Air Tanzania ticket at any TPC post office nationwide and you will also be able to transport parcels both inside and outside the country through the postal agency at an affordable cost.

The signing of the agreement was overseen by Nape Nnauye, the Tanzanian government’s Minister of Information, Communication & Information Technology.

Call for free on 0800 110 045 for more information.

FLYING TO NAIROBI 12 TIMES A WEEK

Elena Skalovskaia / Shutterstock.com

It’s never been easier for Tanzanians to reach Nairobi with Air Tanzania flying to the Kenyan capital 12 times a week.

To celebrate we’ve put together 12 reasons you need to make the trip.

1. Take a safari in the city Nairobi is the only capital in the world to have a national park within its city limits. Just a short drive will get you to Nairobi National Park, where you can find lions, giraffes and zebras in the wild with the strange but stunning backdrop of the city’s skyline.

2. It’s a hub for East Africa As one of the biggest cities on the continent, Nairobi is a strategic spot in East Africa

with plenty of embassies and organisations such as the United Nations. Its Kenyatta International Convention Centre attracts delegates from across the world. There’s also amazing views of the city from the top of its tower.

3. A tall order – dine with giraffes Stay at luxury lodge Giraffe Manor and you’ll find guests also include plenty of giraffes who are as tame as they are tall. They’re so

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Air Tanzania news

natural history. The Great Hall of Mammals has some impressive displays, and the human origins exhibit features the ‘Turkana Boy’ – a 1.6-million-year-old near-complete skeleton of a youth found near Lake Turkana in the north of the country. used to humans they’ll even pop their heads through the window of the restaurant for you to pet them.

4. Visit the Thorn Tree Café This café on the ground floor of the Savova Stanley Hotel become famous for the huge acacia tree at its centre that became an innovative message board for travellers, who would pin notes for each other on its branches. Grab a coffee and take in the historic hotel, which has catered for politicians, movie stars and royalty over the years.

5. Learn about Karen Blixen The Danish writer and coffee farmer, whose life inspired the film ‘Out of Africa’ has a Nairobi neighbourhood named after – the affluent and leafy ‘Karen’ – and her former home at the beginning of the Ngong Hills is now a museum dedicated to her.

6. Hang out with the cool crowd Nairobi hipsters head to microbrewery Brew Bistro on the Ngong Road for its craft beers, all kinds of burgers, live music and DJ nights and its cool rooftop location. The Alchemist, in Parklands, also offers a quirky night out with street food stalls and an arthouse outdoor cinema with seating from a double decker bus.

7. Adopt an elephant At the David Shedrick Elephant Orphanage

young elephants are nursed back to health before being reintroduced into the wild. Get there at 11am and you can see the cute creatures being fed and there is the opportunity to adopt them – although that doesn’t mean you get them to take them home.

8. Explore Karura Forest This urban forest is Nairobi’s green lungs and a hugely popular place for locals to escape the bustle of the city. Its network of trails is great to explore on foot or two wheels – bike hire is available – and there are some beautiful waterfalls and picnic spots to stop at.

9. Experience Kibera Well over half of Nairobi’s residents live in slum areas and the largest informal settlement is Kibera with around 250,000 inhabitants. To visit is a sobering experience, but while there is undoubted hardship here there is also innovation and a thriving community with art co-operatives, fashion designers and even a ballet school to be found among its makeshift structures.

Sensitive visitors are welcomed here. Take a tour with a trusted operator (Kibera Tours or Explore Kibera both run reliable and responsible excursions) or local NGO workers.

10. Find out about the city’s history The Nairobi National Museum is an excellent introduction to find Kenyan culture and

11. Shop ‘til you drop Nairobi is peppered with massive shopping malls. Two Rivers on the outskirts of the city is the biggest and even offers an amusement fair complete with big wheel.

The Junction, Westgate and The Hub in Karen also offer a refined shopping and entertainment experience. If you’re looking for something a little grittier (and cheaper) head to Gikomba, the largest general market in Nairobi. It’s a spot that few tourists ever see, but a place to experience an exhilarating slice of Nairobi life, and just about anything can be found on sale.

12. Hop on a matatu Air Tanzania will take care of getting you to Nairobi, but once you’re there, taking a matatu to get around is an unforgettable experience. You can’t miss these public minibuses. They are everywhere in the city and are often decorated in colourful graffiti and disco lights and pumping out the latest music. The system may seem a little chaotic but speak to the conductor – locally known as a makanga – and they’ll tell you where they are headed and signal when it’s your stop.

Fares for direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi start at US$ 157. Book your flight at airtanzania.co.tz or call for free on 0800 110 045

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Historic Dar es Salaam

Take a tour of Dar's

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE

Dar es Salaam is one of the world’s fastest growing cities and its towering modern skyline is testament to its rapid development. But Tanzania’s commercial capital also has a storied history and there are many far older buildings that remain to tell it. City guide Bernard Ntahondi (@bendarchtz on Instagram) has devised a tour that connects some of this ancient architecture and here he shares his favourite historic oceanside buildings while Dar-based artist Trailing Sprout (@trailing.sprout) provides the illustrations.

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OLD BOMA

You’ll find the city’s oldest building at the junction of Sokoine drive and Morogoro road. It was built from 1860 to 1866 under the Arab sultan Majid as an official hotel for his prestigious guests. During their colonial occupation, the Germans used it as a base, enlarging it and securing its fortifications, although it still sustained damage in the Abushili war in 1889. Until 1916 the Old Boma was used by German Imperial Navy as a barracks. After WW1, the British administration

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turned it into a police station and the site also housed the naval headquarters with a prison behind.

In the late 1970s it looked like the Old Boma was going to be demolished to make way for a multi-stored hotel, but it was saved at the last minute by the high court injunction to preserve the monument of the city. It currently serves as the architectural museum under Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage.

ST JOSEPH CATHEDRAL

Located at the corner of Sokoine Drive and Bridge Street is St Joseph Catholic Cathedral. The Benedictine missionaries order of St Otillien of Bavaria laid the foundation stone of their substantial church on June 1, 1897. There was an earlier Benedictine church in Pugu, just outside the city, but it was destroyed in the Abushili War in 1889 with several Benedictine brothers and sisters being killed. The war also held up the building of St Joseph. The Gothic-style church construction completed in 1903 on the site of Dar´s first mosque – seen by the clergy, no doubt, as a symbolic replacement. Now it serves as the cathedral.

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WHITE FATHERS (ATIMAN HOUSE) 3

This building was originally built in 1886 as a harem for sultan Majid of Zanzibar. But after a time as a base for German officers it was given in 1922 to the White Fathers, now known as the Missionaries of Africa. The building has been the seat of their Roman Catholic mission ever since. The alternative name references Adrian Atiman, an African physician who was freed by the missionaries in Algeria after he was taken by slave traders in Mali. He later served as a physician in Tanzania until his death, in 1956 aged 90 years. The building is currently undergoing renovations and it believed the building will soon be opened to the public.

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THE OLD POST OFFICE

When this building was built in 1903 during German colonial times it was filled with ground-breaking technology. It was the first building to include both a telephone and telegraph offices, as well as a sorting room and postal hall. Although it has been remodelled to give it a modern appearance, the pointed arches of the windows on

the ground floor give its age away. Just inside the entrance there is a plaque to the memory of members of the signal corps who lost their lives in the WW1. There are 200 names; their loyalty to Britain drew them to the conflict. The building is still being used as a post office.

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KALIMJEE JIVANJEE BUILDING 5

Most people in Dar now know this property in Sokoine Drive as the International Motors building. It was built by the Karimjee Jivanjee family, traders who moved in Zanzibar from India in 1824 and then later established themselves on the mainland.

The original house on that site was owned

by Paul Devers, a German businessman. A few years after WW1 it was sold and eventually bought by the Kalimjee Jivanjee Family.

HYATT KILIMANJARO HOTEL 9

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NBC BANK

National Bank of Commerce (NBC) was built by the (South African) Standard Bank on the site of the first Old German post office. This impressive building was then nationalised.

Its façade red, white and blue marble has led many to claim it resembles a strawberry and vanilla ice-cream block.

While studying for a degree in architecture in Israel, student Beda Jonathan Amuli started working for the architecture firm Zevet in the holidays. When he graduated in 1964, Zevet had started planning the Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar es Salaam.

Amuli became the project manager and a local associate in Tanzania. Before its modernisation in 2005 the hotel façade was designed to provide comfortable ventilated rooms without air conditioning.

The former US President Barack Obama stayed in this hotel during his threecountry trip to Africa in 2013.

AZANIA FRONT LUTHERAN CHURCH 7

At the junction of Sokoine drive, Azikwe Street and Kivukoni Road is a neo-gothic Lutheran church built by the German missionaries from 1899 to 1902. Its red-tiled roof, tiled canopies over the windows, bright white walls, turreted tower and numerous steep tiled roofs are typical of the Bavarian style of the time.

The architect who designed this church was Friedrich Ludwig Karl Gurlitt, who was employed as Director of Public works in German East Africa from 1895 to 1906.

Before he designed this church, he visited places including Latin America and India to study buildings designed for a hot climate. Currently the church is open to the public.

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FORODHANI HOTEL (COURT OF APPEAL) DAR ES SALAAM CLUB 8

This club at the junction of Kivukoni Front and Ohio Street was founded in 1903 as a social club exclusively for Europeans. The building is in the style of a German villa and was designed by Gurlitt as his own residence from 1900 to 1901. In 1903 he agreed to transfer the building to the Club in exchange for an adjacent plot of land. It became the first hotel in Dar es salaam and at the same time being used as club. Prior to independence it was owned by the British and known as the Dar es Salaam Club. The

novelist Evelyn Waugh stayed here in 1959 and described his experience the following year in his travel book ‘A Tourist in Africa.’

After independence the building was turned into a school for hospitality and hosted the first gala dinner of the young nation.

Despite its current use as the Court of Appeal, the building is still popularly known as Forodhani Hotel. In 2014, this historically significant structure was taken off Dar es Salaam’s list of protected buildings.

My Tanzania

UPENDO MANASE

'I was so proud to be first act on stage at womenpositive Sauti za Busara' The Dar es Salaam-born musician and singer Upendo Manase is one of Tanzania’s leading afro fusion artists.

Here she talks about how her start in music, the big topics she addresses on new album ‘Wake Up’ and why she loves to rest and relax in Zanzibar.

Q: You first started singing in the church choir. Where did you grow up and what do you remember about what music meant to you at that time?

A: I was born and raised in Dar es Salaam, and when I was growing up, music was the first thing I loved, and I really liked going into the middle of the choir and playing while the choir sang.

who are doing classes together as well as private students. I am very proud to see my students enjoying how their voice changes and especially when are ready to perform live. It gives me the strength to continue giving them more skills. However, I am currently more focused on my own performances rather than teaching, in order to achieve my own career goals.

Q: Who were your early musical inspirations?

A: As I continued with the music, I remember the musician whose voice I was most attracted to was [US gospel singer] Lynda Randle. She has a very powerful voice when she sang, but my voice was so soft. So, I listened intently so that I could have the same voice as her.

Q: How did it feel to be the artist who opened this year’s Sauti za Busara festival in Zanzibar? What was the atmosphere like?

A: I felt both happy and anxious because Sauti za Busara is a big festival and there was a big crowd there. But the atmosphere was good, I was able to perform well, and the audience seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

Q: You are also a music teacher at Action Music Academy, in Mbezi Beach. How rewarding is it to see your pupils improve and grow in confidence? Have any of them gone on to careers in music?

A: I am a vocal trainer and I have students

Q: This year’s festival was played out under the banner ‘Amplifying Women’s Voices’ and featured some strong female acts such as Zambian-born rapper Sampa The Great, Zanzibari taarab singer Siti

Muhuram, Ugandan singer Suzan Kerunen and yourself. Do you think it marks an important recognition for women artists?

A: That is absolutely true, and it has definitely brought about a positive change for many female artists aspiring to do more.

It has also helped to instil a lot of hope even in other female artists who have never tried it before. They now have that inspiration to start to emerge and perform.

Q: You recently released the album ‘Wake Up’. What can you tell us about the sound of it and did you try anything new with this album?

A: The eight songs on the album describe the realities of African life and culture, especially in Tanzania, where people depend on each other in the pursuit of life and economic growth. There are lessons in there about why young people should start relationships at the right time and the danger of infectious diseases. Also, the album tackles political issues, describing colonialism in pictorial language. It contains both happiness and sadness.

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My Tanzania

The sound of this album owes a lot to the producers I worked with. The preparations for the composition of words and poems, melodies, and rhythms was supervised by Shabani Mugado, from Denmark, while the recording and mixing was supervised by Abuu Masika, from Tanzania. There was a great atmosphere of co-operation working with these guys.

As for the sound, you’ll hear Afro pop, Bongo fusion and a number of traditional and local styles.

Q: What can you tell us about the message of the title track?

A: ‘Wake up’ translates as ‘Amka’ in Kiswahili. I use it in the song as a state of waking up and regaining consciousness, in our thoughts and minds. In this ‘awake’ state you start being able to discern things and make the right decisions.

Q: You are a modern afro fusion artist, but are you influenced by traditional African music and how does it find a way into your songs?

A: When I was a music student [Upendo is a graduate of Music Mayday Training Center in Dar] it was important for me to learn about my origin, especially in Tanzania.

I did a lot of volunteer work and played with music and used to compose and sing African traditional songs, especially of indigenous Tanzania from different tribes.

As my career has developed, I have gained a deeper appreciation of the heritage in my country’s music, and I found myself enjoying singing songs with more of traditional styles. However, I am still a modern afro fusion singer.

Q: You and your band are a popular booking in Tanzania and many countries around the world with festival appearances in Uganda, Kenya, Germany, Denmark and Finland. Where are some of your favourite places to play and why?

A: In fact, as an artist it is difficult to choose where you will perform, because I believe we have fans who love to listen and watch our performances all over the world. If I

have to choose, then it would be in places that are new to me. It’s wonderful to play to new fans and audiences.

Q: When you need some time away from things to relax where do you like to escape to in Tanzania?

A: I love the island of Zanzibar more than anything. I feel so free and more relaxed there. I also love the town of Njombe, in southern Tanzania. I always feel at home in my homeland and I get new ideas for my music wherever I am in the country.

INFORMATION To buy copies of ‘Wake Up’ (for just 15,000 TZS each) email upendomanase01@gmail.com To watch live performances and music videos, visit Upendo Manase’s YouTube channel or @upendomanase01 on Instagram

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competition

WIN

All photographs courtesy of The Oyster Bay

WIN A NIGHT FOR TWO AT THE OYSTER BAY ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS To be in with a chance of winning, email your answers to the three questions below along with a photograph of yourself holding Twiga 13 on your Air Tanzania flight to competition@landmarine.org by 10th June 2022. Bahati njema!

1

Upendo Manase was the opening act at which Zanzibar music festival this year?

2

What are the names of the two Tanzanian Premier League teams that compete in the Kariakoo Derby?

3

What is the name of the oldest recorded building in Dar es Salaam?

COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Prizes dependent on availability.

One entry per person. Entrants must be 18 years or over. The decision of the organisers will be final. The competition is not open to employees and their relatives of The Oyster Bay, Air Tanzania or Land & Marine Publications Ltd. The prize does not include flights or travel to and from the destination. Images are for representation only.

T

he Oyster Bay is one of Dar es Salaam’s most iconic hotels.

This beautiful seaside property is a collection of spaces, tastes and experiences curated to reflect contemporary African style and providing a haven of tranquillity amid Tanzania’s busiest city. With eight spacious ocean-facing guest suites, one of the city’s best restaurants, extensive manicured gardens and a 15-metre lap pool, everything about this place is special yet it also manages to be homely and welcoming. Twiga is delighted then that The Oyster Bay is providing the prize for this issue’s competition. One lucky winner will win a night’s stay for themselves and a guest of their choice.

Last issue’s

WINNER Congratulations to Grace Natabaalo who wins a night’s stay at Amans Kilimanjaro Villa in Moshi. Well done and thanks for flying Air Tanzania.

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The Last Ride

TAKING ON KILI AND CLIMATE CHANGE The Last Ride is a daring four-year project to climb and ski the highest mountain in every continent before climate change robs them of the snow to do it. Mark Edwards speaks to filmmaker and skier Jon Moy before he and the rest of the team take on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Skiing down Russia's Mount Elbrus – the first of the seven summits tackled by The Last Ride team

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kiing can be risky, especially when, like seasoned adventurers Edward Salisbury, William Tucker and Jon Moy, your tastes run to freeskiing, a form of the sport that throws away the rules and ventures beyond the groomed terrain of the piste, leaving the skier at one with the unique challenges of the wild mountain, such as large drops, hidden obstacles, crevasses and even avalanches.

Ed, Will and Jon have ramped up the risk even further with their latest ambitious project, The Last Ride, in which they will attempt to climb up and then freeski down the highest mountain in each of the world’s continents. However, the risk the project is most concerned with raising awareness of is not that faced by the UK skiing trio and their support team, but rather to the vital signs of our planet earth.

Human-caused climate change

is plundering the planet and it has even reached the world’s highest points, thinning glaciers and diminishing snow cover. The Last Ride, which is anticipated to take just under four years to compete, is so named because it is unlikely there will be enough snow on the seven summits – Elbrus in Europe, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Aconcagua in South America, Denali in North America, Vinson in Antarctica, Puncak Jaya in Indonesia and

All images courtesy of Jon Moy

The snow coverage on the mountain’s three volcanic cones – all almost 6,000 metres in height – now only amounts to 1.85 sq km height – now only amounts to 1.85 sq km and the glaciers have shrunk by 85 per cent since measurements began in 1912 and are predicted to disappear by 2030.

Warnings nothing new

Everest in Asia – for it to ever be repeated.

That snowless vision of the future is at its most imminent on Mt Kilimanjaro. According to scientific forecasts and studies, the iconic image of its snow-capped peaks visible year-round from the sweltering equatorial plains of Tanzania and Kenya will soon be just a memory. The snow coverage on the mountain’s three volcanic cones – all almost 6,000 metres in

Dire predictions about the perilous state of Kilimanjaro’s snow coverage are nothing new. One of former US presidential candidate Al Gore’s most headline-grabbing soundbites from the award-winning 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth was: “Within the decade, there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro.” Sixteen years on, the snows remain and will no doubt see out the year, despite a 2009 study led by US glaciologist Dr Lonnie Thompson that forecast the ice fields would be gone by 2022.

Still, it is little surprise that the trio wanted to prioritise the Mt Kilimanjaro attempt to ensure there was still some snow to play with. The Last Ride began with a successful freeski on the way down from the highest point in Europe, the 5,642metre Mt Elbrus in Russia, in October

At the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro

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last year and 5,895-metre Kilimanjaro is second up with the team due to arrive in late April.

Climbing alongside Ed and Will on each of the seven ascents will be award-winning adventure filmmaker Jon Moy. He is a former competitive skier himself and has over a decade of experience as a ski camera operator, working with the British Olympic ski and snowboard teams. It will be him – assisted by UK skier and filmmaker Tom Coe on Kilimanjaro – who will capture Ed and Will’s adventures and turn them into an eight-part documentary “through a major streaming platform” once the last expedition to the world’s highest mountain, Everest, is completed in 2024. The team will also be releasing content continuously throughout the project on its social media channels and those of its sponsors and supporters.

Filming and skiing Jon will be skiing most of the seven summits, but such is the paucity of the snow on Kilimanjaro and Puncak Jaya – where the glaciers are predicted to completely melt away by 2024 – there will be no opportunity to follow and film Ed and Will on thrilling descents. Instead, he anticipates climbing to vantage points to capture the skiiers struggling to do much at all.

“I won’t be taking skis [this time] as there is so little ice left,” he says.

“It is more practical for me to work with an ice pick and crampons while filming in this terrain. I think the image of the boys carrying skis all the way up a rocky mountain to only be able to do a few turns before running out of ice will be a striking visual message for our story.”

Raising awareness of the fragility of these frozen landscapes has become the dominant motivation for The Last Ride, soon overtaking the expeditionary team’s initial focus on becoming the first people to climb and ski all of the seven summits.

“The idea initially began as our next big challenge as professional

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/ The Last Ride skiers to push the boundaries of high-altitude skiing and our own limits in these environments, but very quickly became so much more than that,” Jon says. “The idea started with Ed, who began his career in skiing as a freestyle athlete before moving over to freeride and ski mountaineering. He approached his climbing partner William Tucker to begin the process of turning dream into reality and it was at this point that the penny dropped, and they realised they actually had climate activism project on their hands not just ski movie.

This is where I came in. Will gave me a ring one day and said something like “if we had some money behind us would you want to come film us ski some big mountains?” naturally I said ‘100 per cent yes!’ before I even considered how I would be getting up these massive peaks in order to ski down them with a camera.”

Filming challenges With Elbrus now behind him, Jon has an appreciation of the challenges of working in high altitude and remote locations and knows it is vital to balance “the needs of the expedition with the requirements of the film production. You can’t simply go for another take if you mess up a shot of someone climbing a ridge line or tell everyone to stop and wait in the cold while you change lens. Not to mention all your batteries freezing and having to sleep with all your equipment inside your sleeping bag if you want any hope of it turning on the next day.”

Kilimanjaro, Jon anticipates, will bring its own unique challenges, not least that the damage wrought by climate change will be made starkly apparent.

“I think the biggest challenge for Kilimanjaro specifically will be seeing how far the glacier has retreated and imagining the landscapes around the world that we currently know as snowy peaks turning to rock and dust,” he tells me. “The further into this project we progress the greater our understanding of deglaciation is

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There are many ways of tackling the issue, but for this project we want to focus on inspiring positive action by showing the fragile beauty of our world and telling the stories of inspirational people developing, but I think Kilimanjaro will be the first time really see the evidence before our own eyes of a mighty glacier on the brink of extinction. I’m anticipating it being a very sad and humbling experience, but I hope we can channel that into positive action through our project.”

Jon hopes that positivity will come through in the footage he shoots of unique Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain with its spectacular sequence of biodiverse ecosystems from savannah, through mountain forest to the glacial conditions at 5,000 metres and beyond.

He hopes to showcase not just this remote beauty worth saving, but also the people helping to preserve it.

“Essentially the Last Ride Project is a form of activism. It’s our way of using the love and passion we have derived from the mountains as a vehicle to better understand the climate crisis, to tell stories of its impact from people around the world, and ultimately search for positive solutions to the problems we encounter.”

Local guides In Kilimanjaro, this will include working with local guides on the expedition and finding out about their experiences of climate change.

Most are Chagga, belonging to the people who have lived in the foothills of the mountain for centuries and have, in recent years, seen water levels drop in the perennial streams that run down from the highlands because of the diminishing glacier.

However, the introduction of sustainable steps such as bench terraces to conserve water and soil

Skier Ed Salisbury came up with idea for The Last Ride

has helped return the farmland the Chagga are known for to its fertile prime.

Jon says: “For the project as a whole we want to include local people in the story as we go, whether that be our guides telling us how they’ve seen the mountains change over the years, or climate activists and scientists steering us in new directions of investigation.

“The title is a grave warning of what is still to come around the world if we don’t find ways to collectively do better. Meeting these harsh truths head-on is an essential step towards dealing with them effectively. That said, our project is more a celebration of people who are moving in the right direction than it is a finger pointing at those who are not. There are many ways of tackling the issue, but for this project we want to focus on inspiring positive action by showing the fragile beauty of our world and telling the stories of inspirational people.”

/ The Last Ride This positive ecological message has been welcomed by the Tanzanian government with Tanapa, which organisation manages the country’s national parks, waiving its usual ban on skiing and snowboarding on Kilimanjaro to let the UK crew complete its expedition.

Ready for the risks “Skiing and snowboarding is generally prohibited on Kilimanjaro because the infrastructure is not in place to support it safely,” says Jon. “We have however applied for a special permit to do so in this case as we are professional skiers trained to operate safely and responsibly and are undertaking this challenge to promote a positive ecological message and to ultimately help fight to protect the National Park and others like it around the world.”

There may be a few climbers on the final stages of their guided ascent of Kilimanjaro who may worry that the low oxygen levels are causing

them to hallucinate when they see Ed and Will jinking through the snow on their skis. April, though, is not an ideal month for first-time climbers of Kilimanjaro. The wet season is in full force by then and extremes of weather – such as temperatures way below freezing and high winds – are common at higher altitudes.

Jon is aware the team has chosen one of the most challenging times to take on the mountain, but says their combined experience, support team and level of preparation means they are ready.

“It would be foolish to step into these environments without being aware of the risks involved,” he says.

We know there could be avalanches, crevasses, falling ice, temperature injures and all the rest that comes along with it. That said safety always has to be our top priority. Reaching the summit should never blind you from the realities on the ground and teamwork that borders on family is essential.”

Ed Salisbury on Mount Elbrus

Just as the skiiers and the mountain can all be said to be at risk, Jon says there are also more positive overlaps with collaboration being key to the success of the expedition and the bigger picture of driving the global climate agenda.

“I began to understand the gravity of the project and how much work lays before us – from sourcing funding, to physically training - not to mention starting our journey into climate activism. It’s very easy for the undertaking to feel insurmountable, much like addressing climate change. But if mountaineering teaches you one thing it’s that you’re capable of so much more than your ever imaged if you keep a level head, work collaboratively, and tackle the challenges ahead one step at a time.”

If you want to find out more about The Last Ride Project and the team’s progress, visit jonmoyfilm.com/the-last-ride or follow @thelastrideproject on Instagram.

Melting mountains Mountain glacier systems are decreasing in volume worldwide and its even affecting the highest peaks.

A study this year found the highest glacier on Mount Everest has lost 2,000 years of ice in just three decades.

Puncak Jaya has lost about 80 per cent of its ice since 1936 – two thirds of that since 1972/73. It is now down to about two square kilometres.

The ice fields of Kilimanjaro have shrunk by around 85 per cent since 1912 (when measurements began). They cover an area of just 1.85 sq m.

If the glaciers of Mount Elbrus in Russia continue to melt at their current rate, a study forecast the amount of ice on the mountain will shrink by 40 per cent by 2050.

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UNEP at 50

50 YEARS

WORKING FOR THE PLANET AND ITS PEOPLE As the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) marks half a century of galvanizing the world’s commitment to environmental challenges, its national co-ordinator in Tanzania Clara Makenya takes a look at how its work has had an impact in the country.

B

ack in June 1972, the UN Conference on Human Environment, the first of its kind, was conducted in Stockholm, Sweden. This meeting marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics and was the beginning of a dialogue between industrialised and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water, and oceans and the well-being of people around the world.

One of the major results of the Stockholm conference was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the global authority that sets environmental agenda and promotes the environment-related sustainable development goals within the UN system.

Since then, UNEP has been promoting partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to make responsible lifestyle choices and decisions that will not jeopardise the life and livelihoods of future generations.

What are the issues?

The world has been facing pressing environmental challenges, and currently the challenges can be

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/ UNEP at 50

Right to left: HE Ambassador Anders Sjöberg of the Swedish embassy, Prof Esnati Osinde Chaggu, NEMC board chair, Clara Makenya, UNEP representative.

categorised into three planetary crises: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. These are closely interconnected challenges that put the well-being of current and future generations at risk.

What progress has been made in the past 50 years?

Since its creation, UNEP has worked closely with its 193 Member States and other stakeholders within and outside the UN system in coordinated actions and commitments that have addressed the most pressing environmental challenges across the globe.

It has had a leading role in administering at least 15 MEAs – these are legally binding treaties, conventions and protocols targeted at a specific environmental goal. In administering these MEAs, UNEP has played a key role in coordinating worldwide effort to confront the planet’s biggest environmental challenges.

Through scientific research, studies and assessments, UNEP has provided a platform for countries to engage, act and advance the global environmental agenda in areas such as repairing the ozone layer.

This earth-protecting layer provides a protective shield from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. By administering the Vienna

Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, UNEP contributed to phasing out chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. Around 99 per cent of ozone-depleting substances are no longer used and the protective layer above Earth is being replenished (once released, ozone-depleting substances stay in the atmosphere for many years and continue to cause damage).

Pollution UNEP has contributed to the phasing out of leaded fuel, which was the world’s largest cause of lead pollution causing heart disease, stroke and cancer. Phasing out lead meant prevention of about 1.2 million premature deaths and saves USD 2.45 trillion a year globally, connected with provision of health services to these diseases. Efforts are still needed to phase out lead from other sources such as lead in paints, leaded batteries and lead in household items.

UNEP in Tanzania Pollution In 2016, the city of Dar es Salaam launched the first phase of its Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, cutting travel times by over 50 percent and

serving approximately 200,000 people a day.

Since 2005 in the country, UNEP had been implementing a project to increase overall knowledge of planning, designing and implementing BRT systems in cities in developing countries with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector globally.

In Tanzania, this project contributed technical knowledge and inputs in the development of the BRT systems, which has reduced traffic congestion and accidents, improved air quality and generated jobs, improved employment conditions and benefits for bus drivers. Key stakeholders included Dar Rapid Transit Agency, Dar es Salaam City Council, Tanzania National Roads Agency, and the World Bank Group in Dar es Salaam.

Environmental Governance: Red colobus monkey endemic to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania, are among endangered monkey species.

Animal conservation UNEP has also contributed to efforts to preserve the numbers of endangered species in Tanzania through strengthening the legal and regulatory frameworks and supporting efforts against illegal wildlife trade.

Resources Efficiency: sustainable consumption and production UNEP has enhanced a greater understanding of the need for resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production to build a sustainable Tanzania.

Through Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) it has taught communities about workable

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/ UNEP at 50

(Above) The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania HE Dr. Philip Isidori Mpango and the UNEP Coordinator, Clara Makenya (Below) L to R: Clara Makenya, UNEP Country Coordinator, Tanzania; Joyce Msuya former ASG, Deputy Executive Director UNEP; HE Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania; Christine Musisi, UNDP Country Representative

solutions for sustainable lifestyles.

UNEP actively supports partnerships and networks to address emerging environmental challenges.

A green business expo jointly organized by International Labour Orfganisation (ILO) and UNEP and supported by the Swedish embassy presented eight innovations from young environmental entrepreneurs from across Tanzania. The expo is set to be an annual event, recognizing, strengthening and promoting innovative environmental solutions and circular economy business models, that create decent jobs and generate income to the youth and women across Tanzania.

Ecosystems Management UNEP has been promoting “naturebased” solutions such as the restoration of mangrove – a critical coastal ecosystem – which offer the best way to achieve human well-being, tackle climate change and protect our living planet.

Mangroves are trees that thrive in salt water and are found on coastlines in warmer regions throughout the world. They are, and they support, some of the most

22 / Twiga

productive ecosystems on earth.

They provide nursery areas for fish, crustacea and many endangered species such as sea turtles. They also protect shorelines from eroding, shielding humans from flooding, hurricanes and other storms. Despite their usefulness, it is estimated that up to 55 per cent of mangroves have been lost globally since the 1990s.

In an effort to increase the resilience of coastal areas against the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels, UNEP and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) co-ordinated the construction of 2,400 metres of coastal defence structures in combination

UNEP recognises the concerted efforts by governments, businesses and communities to prevent the worst aspects of environmental degradation A man checks a mangrove sapling at a reforestation project site supported by UNEP in the Kisakasaka community in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Photo: UNEP / Hannah McNeish

with widespread mangrove and coral rehabilitation around Pangani (Tanga), Kisiwa Panza (Pemba) and Dar es Salaam.

Without major investments in adaptation, an annual average of 800,000 Tanzanians stand to be impacted by flooding caused by rising sea levels between 2070 and 2100. More than five million people currently live in Dar- es- Salaam – a coastal metropolis at risk of flooding.

UNEP@50 is indeed a moment to spur collective action. We will continue to work for people and planet. UNEP recognises the importance of concerted and coordinated efforts by governments, businesses, communities and people at large to prevent and reverse the worst impacts of environmental degradation.

Music stars

The East African music stars to watch out for Looking to find your new favourite musical artist?

Check out our guide to some of the hottest acts in the region that are sure to be on repeat on your playlist soon.

Zuchu Tanzania

@officialzuchu

The rise of Zanzibar-born singer Zuchu has been nothing short of stratospheric. Since she signed for Diamond Platnumz’s WCB Wasafi label in 2020, she has become one of Tanzania’s favourite acts. The 28-yearold’s debut EP, ‘I am Zuchu’, was the most played album in Tanzania in 2020 and she made history by becoming the first female East African artist to hit one million YouTube subscribers and the first female artist on the continent to achieve this milestone within 11 months. She was in the record books again with the release of her 2021 single ‘Sukari’, which took only 22 hours to clock up one million views of its accompanying video.

Music is in Zuchu’s blood. The singer born Zuhura Othman Soud is the daughter of the muchloved taarab artist Khadija Kopa and mother and daughter duetted on the song ‘Mauzaza’. All-Swahili lyrics also feature on Zuchu’s latest single, ‘Mwambieni’, that arrived with a super-cool video directed by Wasafi videographer Hanscana, which showcases the charismatic Zuchu’s star quality.

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@bienaimesol

/ Music stars

Turunesh

Bien Baraza

Tanzania

When the members of hugely popular, Kenyan band Sauti Soil announced they would be focusing on solo projects in 2022, it was seen as a bold move… or perhaps that should be bald move in the case of the group’s guitarist and songwriter, Bien Baraza, who released his debut EP ‘Bald Men Love Better’, a collaboration with the similarly chrome-domed East African pianist. The soulful five-track collection from the talented duo has proven a huge success with more than 10 million streams online. It has even spawned its own graphic novel and clothing line to big up all the baldies out there. Don’t worry, though, it does not signal the end of Sauti Sol with the Nairobi foursome announcing an extensive tour this year.

Tanzanian singer-songwriter Turunesh is a versatile talent whose smooth and sexy music is a singular blend of neo-African soul and more traditional sounds.

Towards the end of last year, she released her second album, ‘Satin Cassette’. Tracks such as recent singles ‘Cigarette’ and ‘Rum and Butter’ are an unashamed celebration of sexual pleasure with the sultry voice of the self-proclaimed “Swahili sex symbol” and her hypnotic soundscapes combining to create a synaesthetic sensual experience. The Dar es Salaam singer got her first break as a 16-yearold performing at the city’s then regular showcase of emerging live music talent, ‘Alternative Nights’. Now in her early 20s, she has supported Afropop giants Burna Boy and Wizkid in Canada and is heading a wave of leftfield East African hitmakers with two EPs and two full albums released.

@shashaofficial1

Kenya

Sha Sha Zimbabwe Amapiano, the soulful, keyboard-led lounge music from South Africa, has become one of the hottest new music genres and Zimbabwe’s Sha Sha is considered by many as its queen. The Mutare-born artist has been singing and playing piano since childhood, but her recording career really took off in 2018 when she was signed to noted Amapiano record producer DJ Maphoriso’s label, Blaqboy Music, which led to the hits ‘Tender Love’, ‘Akulaleki’ and ‘Woza’. Last year she became the first Zimbabwean artist to win a BET Award when she was named Best New International Act. With a new album looming, 2022 could be Sha Sha’s biggest year yet.

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Twiga

@AzawiOfficial

/ Music stars

Azawi

Photo: Jenn Xu @jennnerally

Uganda Priscilla Zawedde, aka Azawi, started out writing hits for fellow Ugandan artists such as Nina Rose, Eddy Kenzo and Lydia Jazmine while still in secondary school, but now she is a star in her own right. Her breakout single ‘Quinamino’, a track on her debut EP Lo Fit, was watched a couple of million times on YouTube and ended up on international dancehall act Major Lazer’s influential fourth Africa is the Future mixtape.

More hits followed on the Swangz Avenue label with ‘Repeat It’, ‘Crazy Lover’ and the joyous ‘Party Mood’ garnering further success. In December last year she released her debut album, ‘African Music’, which showcased the rude health of current Ugandan music with collaborations with dancehall star Fik Fameica on the fiery ‘Majje’ and A Pass on the reggae-tinged pop of ‘Face Me’.

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I Am Semba

Tanzania-set thriller gets inside the mind of a

PRESIDENT Fact meets fiction in new thriller ‘I Am Semba’, which captures the political power play that follows the election of a rather familiar reforming President. Mark Edwards meets one of the book’s co-writers.

T

he central character of Tanzania-set political thriller ‘I Am Semba’ is the newly elected president, Joshua Luombe Semba. He’s a fictional character, but there is much about him that seems drawn from the country’s recent political past.

He comes from a farming family in Chato, in the Geita Region; is given the nickname Tinga Tinga or ‘The Bulldozer’ for his

no-nonsense, hands-on style; becomes an immediate internet sensation and sparks the ‘whatwouldsembathinkaboutit’ hashtag; rebrands Independence Day as National Clean-Up Day and instigates a ruthless clampdown on corruption in the country. Sound familiar?

The book’s dual authors claim in their introduction that their characters “should not be perceived (or at least not to a

large extent) as current dignitaries of that loveable nation”, but as for the late President John Pombe Magufuli, well, they continue, “we know for sure that ‘he’ wouldn’t mind about this anyhow, as he died recently”. Legally true, but a little offhand in sentiment.

Still, perhaps it is fitting that a book that is so dense with espionage, deceit and double-crosses should hide some of its

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/ I Am Semba

characters behind aliases. That extends to the authors themselves as Ajeka and Fox are pseudonyms. The pair of first-time authors began collaborating on ‘I Am Semba’ a few years ago out of a shared love of Tanzania.

I get to meet ‘Fox’ via a video call to her hotel room in Dubai, where she is spreading the word on the novel at an international book fair. She introduces herself with her real name, but is keen that I don’t reveal it and I maintain the air of mystery surrounding both authors. I can disclose that neither are Tanzanian, but that both are well-travelled and that ‘Ajeka’ was born in Africa and spent over a decade in Tanzania running projects such as recycling foundation Greenmanjaro, which continues today to inspire the youth of the Kilimanjaro Region to protect their fragile and special environment.

Both writers are now based in the Netherlands. Ajeka is retired while Fox, who was born in the UK, is a translator and

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Twiga

a private English tutor to Dutch students.

When the pair were introduced around four years ago they found they had a lot in common.

“We clicked immediately,” Fox says. “We both have travelled extensively and share a passion for writing. I think we make a good team.”

Co-writing collaboration The co-writers have worked out a clearly delineated method of collaborating. “Ajeka comes up with the general plot and the idea for the novel,” Fox tells me. “I then get it down on Excel and we break it up into chapters and decide who would be best suited to write each one. It is nice to rebound idea off each other and confer. He has a deep understanding of the workings of the country and can get into the nitty gritty of it while I have more of a feel for the outdoors and the natural riches of the country.”

There are moments when you can see

the join between the two writers’ work and the novel becomes an odd blend of political thriller and tourist guide. This may well be intentional as the book makes clear throughout that its intended audience is the mzungus of western tourists and expats. “We wanted to show what a wonderful country Tanzania is,” Fox says.

The book release was officially launched with an event at A Novel Idea, the popular Dar English language bookshop in tourist magnet the Slipway shopping centre. “It was a fantastic place for the launch and we got a great reaction from people to the book,” says Fox. While it delves deep into the shady machinations of African politics, ‘I Am Semba’ does a good job of selling the attractions of the country. Some very bad things happen in some very beautiful places with dramatic scenes in Stone Town, Dar harbour, Arusha, Tanga, Bagamoyo and Mbeya.

It can jar slightly that the book’s

/ I Am Semba

The new president’s uncompromising stance on corruption brings him a lot of very powerful enemies. When an attempt is made on his life it is up to his faithful bodyguard and head of security Nulu to determine which of them is plotting to finish the job before it is too late

Tanzanian characters always rely on Western references to make sense of what is happening. A car chase in Dar is compared to the film Bullitt starring Steve McQueen, a beautiful woman is like Beyoncé and even Meghan Duchess of Sussex gets a mention when talk moves to mixed race. The mzungu gaze also prompts some egregious errors such as the biggest band in Kenya Sauti Sol being described as a solo artist and Semba’s Tanzanian bodyguard being shocked when his black lover reveals the effort that goes into maintaining her afro. Maybe, if he was white.

Still, ‘I Am Semba’, is rarely anything less than a gripping read. The new president’s uncompromising stance on corruption brings him a lot of very powerful enemies. When an attempt is made on his life it is up to his faithful bodyguard and head of security Nulu to determine which of them is plotting to finish the job before it is too late.

Page-turner Suspects include the mining multinationals Semba is targeting for tax, the ‘Gang of Four’ Zanzibari billionaires seeking power or a Chinese gang heading the lucrative, illicit poaching of elephants for their ivory in the country. Plots and counter-plots involving kidnappings, poisonings with pufferfish toxin, street shoot-outs and Chinese assassins plotting on Bongoyo Island keep the suspense levels high. “It’s a real page-turner,” says Fox.

Amid all these high-octane thrills, the novel also manages to give an impressively layered appreciation of the conflict within African politics, its history and tribal complexities and the responsibilities and pressures on a president.

Semba, for all the comparisons to Magufuli, is his own well-intentioned, but flawed character. “It is based on a Tanzanian president,” says Fox. “It is fiction, but there are a lot of facts entwined in there. It starts with elections in the not-too-distant past.

In the everyday world, life behind the palatial walls is not often discussed. We guide the reader behind closed doors and show them the bodyguards, secret service and his relationship with his wife and kids.”

While this undercover view of the President has come from Google and local newspapers rather than insider information, Ajeka and Fox build an involving character study with Semba regaling the reader with a colourful report on his life full of grim humour and learned asides. “I think it brings to life the challenges of running a country that is so young [the book often mentions that more than 50 per cent of Tanzanians are under 18] and has so much to offer.”

‘I Am Semba’ also has more to offer as it is the first book of a trilogy with Ajeka and Fox well into the writing of the second instalment already. “We always planned it as a trilogy,” says Fox. “We are putting part two together now and hope it will be ready

for release in the next 10 months. We know how we want to play it.”

And if there are those who are not happy about the memory of John Pombe Magufuli being played with, Fox would like to assure them, all the books come from a place of love for the country. “Our message is purely to enlighten people and not to criticise,” she says. “We want to put Tanzania on the map.”

‘I Am Semba’ is available from the Dar es Salaam and Arusha branches of ‘A Novel Idea’.

The bookstore is also offering to send the book mail order to addresses across Tanzania.

You can also pick up the book at the duty free lounge at Terminal 3 at Julius Nyerere International Airport. Paperback and Kindle versions are also available on Amazon.

For more information, visit ajekafox.com and @ajekafox on Instagram.

I Am Semba cowriter 'Fox' and (above left) at the A Novel Ideal launch party

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Swahili story

Chaguo Langu My Choice

BY RASHID SAID RASHID

Twiga presents the latest in its series of Kiswahili language short stories showcasing the talent of Tanzanian writers’ co-operative Uwaridi. In this relatable morality tale, a young man learns that one should always abide by the choices one makes.

“S

ikuchagulii mke, lakini kumbuka huku ndiko kitovu chako kilikozikwa.

Si tulishakubaliana kuwa utamwoa Sauda? Iweje leo ukatuletee mtu tusiyemjua ndewe wala sikio? Watoto wa kike walioko huku wote tunazijua tabia na ahali zao.

Haya nambie huyo uliyemwona wewe unazijua tabia zake na familia yake?” Mama alinijia juu pale nilipomfikishia suala langu la kutaka kuoa.

Nilibaki nimejiinamia, nikiwaza. Eti msichana nimekutana naye toka naanza mwaka wa kwanza tukiwa chuoni, kweli nitashindwa kuzijua tabia zake? Nikaona kabisa kuwa utu uzima ulikuwa umeanza kumcharaza viboko mama yangu.

Nikazivuta kumbukumbu za makutano yetu.

Mimi na Semeni. Ndio kwanza tunafika chuoni. Ugeni umetutawala. Hamkani hamkani na michakato ya kutafuta madarasa ndipo nikajikuta naye ubavu kwa ubavu mbele ya ubao wa matangazo.

“Samani kaka… natafuta ratiba ya kozi ya afya, unaweza kunisaidia?” Aliniuliza, nami nikamgeukia huku nikimaizi kuwa naye ni mgeni kama mimi.

Alikuwa mrembo. Macho yake makubwa kama yule mwimbaji wa bongo flavour Rey C. Uso wake mrefu utasema ule wa Alicia keys. Kichwani amejistiri kwa mtandio rangi ya bluu bahari. “Dah! Itabidi tusaidiane, mi’ mwenyewe naitafuta ya kwangu ya uwalimu na sijaiona” “Kwani na we’ mgeni?”

“Ndio” Tukacheka pamoja tulipojigundua sote tu wanagenzi pale chuoni.

Huo ndio ukawa mwanzo wa urafiki wetu.

Urafiki ukazaa penzi. Tumeishi pamoja kwa miaka yote hiyo mitatu mpaka tumeingia kwenye ajira. Mwenzangu akaajiriwa Hospitali ya mkoa. Miye katika skuli moja ya serikali iliyopo hapo hapo mjini.

Ahadi ya ndoa iliyokuwa vichwani na vinywani mwetu muda wote wa masomo, sasa ikahamia kwenye vitendo. Ikahitaji kufanyiwa kazi.

Ndipo nilipomfikishia mama suala hili, na ndipo akawa mkali kama mbogo.

Ingawa sikupenda kwenda kinyume na mama yangu, mapenzi yangu kwa mtoto Semeni yalikuwa mazito sana. Alikuwa ndiyo chaguo langu.

Nikamwoa Semeni, na mama akashiriki mwanzo mwisho.

“Mwanangu hata ukimwona simba kazeeka msituni ujue kashakwepa mishale mingi sana. Nakutakia kila la kheri katika ndoa yako” Hayo ndio yalikuwa maneno ya mwisho ya mama.

————————

kutosha lakini mwisho nimeshindwa, madhila yamekuwa makubwa mno. Hata hivyo ametaka mwenyewe.” Niliongea kwa maumivu makubwa mno. Nilipoona mama yuko makini kunisikiliza nikaendelea, “Amedai kwenda kujiendeleza kusoma masters. Nimejaribu kumtaka asubiri kwanza. Amekataa katakata. Nikamtaka kuchangua baina ya kusoma na mume.

Huwezi amini mama, amechagua kusomaaaa!” Nilimalizia kwa kilio kipya.

“Pole sana mwangu. Ukupigao ndio ukufunzao. Naamini sasa utafanya chaguo sahihi. Narudia maneno yangu. Sikuchagulii mke, lakini chagua mke awe mkeo sio mke na wenzio” Maneno hayo yakarejesha taswira ya Sauda.

Tabasamu na vichekeo vyake. Hasira zake za muda mfupi na haya za kiutu uzima.

Nikajikuta natabasamu huku macho yakibubujikwa machozi.

“Sauda” Nilisema.

Mama alinitazama huku na yeye akitabasamu. Naamini alikwisha yasoma yalikuwa moyoni mwangu.

“Kila la heri, mwanangu.” Aliniambia.

Waswahili husema mtoto akinyea kiganja hakikatwi bali huoshwa tu.

Mama aliniangalia pale nilipokuwa nimempigia goti huku machozi yakinitiririka. Nilimwona kabisa akiyahisi maumivu niliyonayo. Japo alinitahadharisha mapema lakini sikumsikiliza. Alininyanyua.

Akanikumbatia huku akiniuliza, “kwanini umechukua maamuzi hayo?”

“Nimechoka mama. Nimestahamili vya

About the author Rasid Said Rashid lives in Pemba Island, Zanzibar.

He has four unpublished manuscripts so far, ‘Mali Ghali’, Mwanagenzi’, ‘Tamati’ and ‘Sadfa’.

As we as ‘Chagua Langu’, he has written two short stories, ‘Hatia’ and ‘Madhila’. He holds a BA degree in education from the Muslim University of Morogoro. To get in touch, call 0623987983/0776787825 or email rashid-r1988@hotmail

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Comoros

TIME TO INVEST IN COMOROS

Comorian culture

the land of opportunities

Comoros is an Indian Ocean archipelago rich in nature, culture and opportunities for investment. Here’s a few reasons why savvy investors should be looking to explore the untapped potential of this perfumed paradise.

The Union of the Comoros is a group of islands located north-east of Madagascar, at the entrance to the Mozambique Channel. The archipelago contains three independent islands, Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Anjouan (Ndzouani) and Mohéli (Mwali).

Its unique geographical position between East Africa, Madagascar and other Indian Ocean islands makes Comoros a unique hub for business and trade.

Evgeny Shulin / Shutterstock.com

The Comorian culture is also diverse, especially in terms of crafts (woodcarving, embroidery and traditional jewellery) and gastronomy with delicious local dishes including kakamoku, a soup made of fish heads cooked in coconut milk. The rich culture is a melting pot of diverse influences from African to Malagasy, Asian to Indian and Arab to French. There is also the country’s historical heritage, which includes numerous monuments, archaeological sites, religious buildings (such as the Great Mask of Moroni), forts and the old Sultan’s Palace.

Natural attractions Visitors will find a wealth of natural attractions. The Karthala volcano on the island of Grande Comore, has a summit crater which at 4km wide is the largest of any active volcano in the world. The islands, Mohéli in particular, offer a unique underwater landscape (marked by the presence of the coelacanth, an endangered fish species dating back hundreds of millions of years, as well as turtles and dugongs) and a diverse tropical flora. The Bangoi-kouni Salt Lake in the north of Grande Comore is also a popular destination.

The islands’ diversity of flora and fauna is

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considered to be of worldwide significance. The nation’s forests represent one of the world’s 200 most important biomes. Its coastal ecosystems (nearly 820 species of marine fish and pelagic species, more than 24 species of reptiles, 17 species of mammals and 98 species of birds) are classified as one of the 43 priority marine regions in the world due to their biological specificity.

During a virtual meeting held on 27 and 28 October 2020, the International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (ICCMAB) Programme of UNESCO designated Mohéli Island as a Biosphere Reserve.

/ Comoros

Untapped territory The Comoros is situated in the vicinity of other islands in the Indian Ocean and is only a few hours’ flight from the Middle East and from East and Southern Africa, making it a favourable geopolitical location for investors. Moreover, the archipelago is considered to be largely untapped territory, which offers significant opportunities for investors.

Investors are strongly encouraged to do business in the Comoros, which has an attractive investment code, with conditions which are considered more favourable than those in most neighbouring countries.

Development

Ylang ylang Even if you are on your first visit to Comoros you may feel a sense of the familiar when you breathe in the air here. Much of the islands are heady with the sweet, slightly fruity floral scent of plantations of ylang ylang, a plant used extensively in some of the world’s most popular perfumes.

The Comoros ranks among the world’s top five producers of vanilla, cloves and ylang-ylang. These cash crops used in the production of perfumes and cosmetics account for 90 per cent of exports. While vanilla and clove production on the islands has fallen slightly in the past few years, ylang-ylang export earnings rose sharply with the latest figures (2019) almost triple that of the preceding year. previous year.

Vanilla is the second most exported product in the sector. Key export markets are Canada, Germany and the USA. New investment in the sector will facilitate improvements in productivity and value addition to the crop.

The European market remains Comoros’ main customer, accounting for 47.3 per cent of the total exports of goods in 2019. These local products of vanilla beans and ylang-ylang essence worth nearly KMF 8.5 billion (US$ 20 million) were mainly imported

by France, which accounts for 68.7 per cent of the products sold by the Comoros in Europe. The Asian market, which ranks second, accounted for 24.3 per cent of exports, mainly intermediate goods, vanilla beans and ylang ylang.

Due to export opportunities and the weight of food imports in domestic supply, the agricultural, food processing and packaging sectors still have much room for development. But they require green-field investment in some areas and the expansion of existing production assets, as well as the development of new organic crops and overall strengthening of the agricultural sector.

DEDICATED TO INVESTMENT Government institution the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANPI) has been in charge of promoting national and international investment in the Comoros since 2008. It is dedicated to making private investment the lever of development in the Comoros and offers its services to an investor throughout the country.

The ANPI, which operates across the country through its three offices, promotes awareness among investors of the benefits of setting up a business in the Comoros. Its Business Creation Office (BCE) is a one-stop shop for investors, which makes setting up a company easy with just one document and one single payment required.

In addition, the Agency provides a follow-up and support service tailored to your needs to enable you to enjoy the benefits of the Investment Code, such as securing approvals, and associated tax and customs exemptions or intermediation between investors and the relevant government officials.

The ANPI plays a central role in improving the business climate in the Comoros and by actively participating in a platform that promotes public-private dialogue.

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Fitness

PT TIPS

HOW TO TRAIN LIKE A PRO We all know we need to be exercising more, but where to start and how to not stop when challenges arise? Luckily, Twiga has personal trainer Badus Pierre Badundwa to offer some expert advice. The Dar-based trainer has been working in the fitness industry for more than a decade. He incorporates elements of boxing, weight training, running and yoga into his own fitness regime and is an established part of the fitness team at the Colosseum Hotel & Fitness Club, in Oyster Bay, where he leads group classes and offers one-on-one training. Here are his 10 tips to get – and stay – in shape.

Warm up gradually ‘This is very essential in reviving your cardiovascular system by raising body temperature and increasing blood flow to the muscles. This combines to help reduce muscle soreness and lessen your risk of injury especially on your joints.’

For a strong body you also need a strong mind ‘No matters what it takes, you must believe and have faith in yourself.

You need to face the challenges each day brings and believe you can do it. This is the mindset to succeed in your fitness goals.’

Get your technique right ‘Always make sure your posture and exercise form are correct that you can execute that particular movement effectively for

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maximum gains. In turn this will help you avoid injury or strains.’

Mix up your exercises

Consistency is the key

‘Just like with food groups, exercise works best with variety. We advise people not to stick to the same exercise routine because the body needs to get challenged in different ways to keep improving. Also, you don’t want to get bored because then you might lose motivation and quit. To keep things interesting, you can lift weights in gym, do outdoor jogging, play football once in a while or swimming.

‘If you want to progress with your fitness, make sure you have your upcoming weeks and months planned out in advance.

When you know the time you should be working out you are less likely to skip a session.

Planning like this means you are also able to track your progress and celebrate each gain.’

The Colosseum Fitness Club

Everyone should work in their own fitness zone ‘Targeting a workout that is just challenging enough for a client, without putting them at risk or demotivating them is the mark of a good trainer. Since many people differ in fitness level, health status and age, getting a fitness programme tailored to your needs is crucial.’

/ Fitness

Since many people differ in fitness level, health status and age, getting a fitness programme tailored to your needs is crucial

Personal trainer Badus Pierre Badundwa

Make it fun

Stay hydrated

‘If you enjoy your workouts you are likely to want to keep doing them, so make sure you keep the entertainment level up. Attend group classes with your friends or play your favourite music when you go out running. You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even notice you’re getting fit at the same time.’

‘Try to get into the habit of always carrying a bottle of water with you wherever you go. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water, remember water contains no calories at all. It acts as a cleansing agent in our body system.’

You are what you eat, and you are what you are doing

‘One of the best ways to rejuvenate our bodies for a healthy and active life is getting quality sleep. You should be aiming for six to eight hours.’

‘Eat the right foods to get the right body. By that, I mean eat plenty of greens and veggies. I also advise cutting the amount of carbohydrates you eat and making sure you have plenty red meat and seafood.’

Get quality sleep

MORE INFORMATION For more information on the range of fitness classes and personal training available at the Colosseum Hotel & Fitness Club, visit colosseumhotelandfitness.com Badus is also available for private training either outdoors or gym-based boxing and kickboxing sessions. Contact him on +255 787 254 441 or through his Instagram site @badpierro_trainer

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Screen time

How to stop being a slave to your

SMARTPHONE Smartphones have revolutionised our lives, but are they also taking them over? If you want more ‘me’ time than screen time, Twiga has some tips on streamlining your smartphone use.

Facebook Restrict your news feed There are lots of reasons to use Facebook such as article sharing, friend tagging and keeping up with your clubs, but the news feed rarely has anything positive to offer beyond whatever Facebook’s algorithm thinks will keep you clicking. To take back control, whenever you see a post from someone that annoys you, click or tap the three little dots in the top right corner of the post and select Unfollow to stop seeing their posts in your News Feed. You’ll keep them as friends, and they won’t get any kind of notification that you’re not following them. Their stuff just stops showing up in your feed.

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Twitter Mute words from your timeline If there are certain subjects you know are going to trigger some upset or will plunge you deep in a scroll hole, then you can mute them. It could be mentions of a particular TV show (you might be trying to avoid spoilers) or celebrities that annoy you. From the Twitter menu on desktop or mobile, choose Settings and privacy, followed

by Privacy and safety, then Mute and block, and Muted words. You can add new words and phrases via the Add button.

Instagram Turn off notifications Whenever we get a notification on our phones through Instagram Direct we are tempted to open the app to see who ‘likes’ our latest photo or that meme a friend sent.

So, turn off those notifications and then check them all at once when you mindfully decide to open the app. Tap Settings in the top left of your screen. Tap Notifications. Tap Push Notifications. Tap next to Off below the type of notification you want to remove (such as Reminders, Comments, Likes).

/ Screen time

LinkedIn Unfollow anyone irritating

WhatsApp Disable your read receipts

When you follow someone on LinkedIn, new content posted or shared by the person will be displayed in your feed. These posts are often a cavalcade of annoying feeds from self-proclaimed ‘disruptive thinkers’, ghosting headhunters and sales pests. If they are getting to you, consider unfollowing them. Unlike removing or unfriending them, the person in question will be unaware of the move.

Getting your kicks from blue ticks can mean many anxious returns to WhatsApp to see if your message has been read by its recipient. It can also be stress inducing to read a message and then feel you have to respond immediately. Remove these stressors then by going to Settings, then Account, selecting Privacy and toggling read receipts to off.

TikTok Set a time limit

YouTube Install the extension

Email Pick a time of day

How can videos which are so short take up so much of your time? TikTok is the Bermuda Triangle of social media, and many have got lost. The app is aware of how addictive it is and has time-limit options embedded.

Go to Settings, Digital Well-being and the Screen Time Management to select a time limit of 40, 60, 90 or 120 minutes a day. Once your time is up, your screen locks until you enter a passcode or come back the next day.

Watching videos on YouTube can be entertaining but watching one video can quickly turn into watching fifty if you’re not careful. YouTube makes falling down this video rabbit hole all too easy with its ‘suggested videos’ sidebar. To seal the hole, restrict your viewing to on your desktop and install the extension YouTube Rabbit Hole, which hides some of YouTube’s most attention-grabbing, time-wasting components. The extension offers the ability to hide the homepage, sidebar, comments, and the trending/subscription pages. You can toggle each option on and off at will by clicking the extension icon.

Several studies have shown that checking email frequently leads to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. Best then to set aside set times in the day to devote to reading and sending of emails. Pick three periods during the day – aside from the highest-energy periods – when you can set aside 30-60 minutes of your time to focus on emails. Batch your responses to emails during these time periods only. This should help you take control of your time, alleviate stress and set proper expectations of your email usage.

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Cooking with Belinda Mkony

Can you conquer the Kili Marangu burger?

Twiga cookery columnist Belinda Mkony aka ‘the Rebel Chef’ – goes back to her roots with a delicious burger that contains a mountain of meat.

M

y Kilimanjaro Burger is a personal favourite and one I return to time after time. I have been able to mix two cultures and recreate this tall and tasty burger. Like any good Chagga, I love my meat and cherish barbeques with family, enjoying and good food and good conversation. As a girl from Marangu, this recipe allows me to enjoy the essence of my culture with the meat complemented by avocados from my hometown. Ask any Chagga, they are the best you’ll ever taste –sweet and packed with healthy fats. The region is also renowned for its pig farms and here my burger’s honey-glazed bacon balances sweet and salty flavours for a next level topping. I have to admit, I’m proud of this one. Don’t let the pictures fool you, this burger was soon demolished!

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All images courtesy of Belinda Mkony / Cooking with Belinda Mkony

The burger:

Coleslaw:

Honey-glazed bacon:

6 800g minced chuck steak

6 2 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt

6 4 rashers of certified streaky bacon

6 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

6 1 tablespoon of natural honey

6 Olive oil 6 1 pinch of jeera 6 4 slices of American cheddar cheese

6 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 ¼ of a red cabbage

Avocado aioli:

6 4 burger brioche buns

6 ¼ of a white cabbage

6 A few sprigs of fresh thyme

6 1 small red onion

6 2 ripe avocados from Marangu town, halved, pitted and peeled

6 A few sprigs of fresh rosemary

6 1 carrot

6 2 garlic cloves diced.

6 1 red eating apple

6 A pinch of salt and pepper

6 A few sprigs of fresh of parsley 6 ½-1 fresh red chilli 6 1 tablespoon of olive oil 6 A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

Step-by-step guide: 1. For the minced meat, mix together the herbs and spices and set aside.

2. Divide the minced chuck steak into four and, with wet hands, roll each piece into a ball, then press into flat patties roughly two cm wider than your buns. Place on an oiled plate and place in the fridge to firm up.

3. Place a griddle pan over a high heat until screaming hot.

4. To make the slaw, add the yoghurt and mustard to a large bowl and squeeze in the lemon juice. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then mix together well.

5. Remove the tatty outer leaves from the cabbages and peel the onion and carrot. Coarsely grate all the veg into the bowl of dressing, along with the apple. Mix everything together. Have a taste

and add a little more lemon juice or seasoning, if needed.

6. Pick the parsley leaves and finely slice them with the chilli (deseed if you like), then add to the bowl and set aside to toss together just before serving.

7. Season the burgers with a small pinch of salt and pepper and then place in a griddle pan.

8. Cook the burgers for three to four minutes, then flip them over. Place a slice of cheese on top of each one and cook for a further three to four minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the burgers are cooked to your liking.

9. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until sizzling and golden brown all over, drizzle the honey and toss, then remove to kitchen paper to drain.

10. Place the avocado, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green chili and garlic

6 1/3 cup mayonnaise 6 Juice of 1 lemon 6 1 green pepper, seeded and minced 6 1 clove garlic, minced 6 Salt and freshly ground black pepper

in a food processor and purée until smooth – should take around a minute. Taste the aioli and season with salt and pepper.

11. Cut the burger buns in half and lightly toast them, cut-side down.

12. Add a dollop of slaw onto each base and place the cheese burger patties on top of one another topping it with honey bacon. Then spread a little avocado aioli to the bun tops, add lettuce then – and this is the most important bit – press down to squash all those delicious flavours together, and tuck in!

FOLLOW BELINDA To keep up with her latest recipes and events, visit Fork.Ur.Munchies on Instagram

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Business column

Finding your destination in life is a journey worth taking Charles Joseph Nyahucho has more than 14 years of experience in supporting business undertakings as a trained accountant and business analyst, including almost a decade with Air Tanzania. Here he shares life lessons based on his own experiences.

M

y mind goes back to a day in which I set out for the nearest bus stop to take a trip. I stood in a spot where I could see all the oncoming buses and as they approached, I would look at the destinations they had clearly printed on their windscreens.

I spent hours debating which bus to board as each one seemed to be going to an appealing place. I couldn’t make up my mind.

I went back home and met Mariana, my best friend. She asked me: “Where have you come from?” and I answered: “From the bus stop.” So, Mariana responded: “And where were you heading?” Just as I was thinking of my answer. I woke up in my bed. It had all been just a dream.

Dear esteemed readers, my friend’s question went unanswered. I wished my dream would

have continued a little longer so I could have made my response. The dream gave birth to a question, which I shall spend my entire life pondering. Did I know my destination?

I have given the matter much thought and have come to the conclusion that determining my destination would require five distinct steps that could be applied to everyday life.

Firstly, I would begin with a guide on how I should spend my day (a day blueprint). This in turn would give meaning to my day (set deliverables). I would then be able to decide on a bus to board and my boarding time (vehicles to carry values and timing). This would lead to me knowing exactly where to stand to catch my bus (strategic location and strategy development) and ultimately prompt optimum utilisation of my time (resource needs and allocation).

The situation I encountered in my dream happened, does happen, and will happen to most of my readers. If any of those five stages are not completed, then your life is set to be a miserable succession of disappointments.

My esteemed reader, I recommend that you take the time to examine each of these stages in advance and get your thoughts down on paper. In this way you will have a destination in mind for your day and will not waste it with time spent in vain.

I know how useful this plan is as it has worked for me many times in the past.

I have also seen many people who have failed to set the direction of their life in advance and have failed as a result.

Don’t let that question go unanswered in your life.

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Kariakoo derby

Why the Dar derby is one of Africa’s most

FIERCELY FOUGHT FOOTBALLING RIVALRIES On April 30, the latest instalment of one of Africa’s most enduring and hotly contested footballing rivalries will take place at the Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. The Dar derby pits Kariakoo neighbours Simba SC and Yanga SC, the biggest teams in Tanzania, against each other. Tumaini Nyika, who has organised a special match day tour of the city to reveal the history behind the contest, reveals why the derby has become much more than just a game.

W

ith 60,000 seats, The Benjamin Mkapa Stadium is the largest in Tanzania and hosts the national team’s home games. There is, however, only one fixture that can guarantee that every one of those seats is taken and that’s the Kariakoo Derby.

Mpaka is the home ground for Dar clubs Simba SC and Yanga SC, the two oldest and most successful clubs in Tanzanian history. When the teams play each other in the Tanzanian Premier League it is always a sell-out and such an eagerly anticipated event that there will be weeks of pre-match banter and bickering between the

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loyal fans of each team.

Both teams are not only from Dar, but the same bustling neighbourhood near the city centre, Kariakoo. They were also formed within a year of each other with Yanga (short for Young Africans) founded in 1935 when players in Dar grouped as Africans by the colonial administration decided to form a football club to compete in a league which was full of “non-African” football clubs. A run of poor results, led to in-fighting within the club and in 1936 a breakaway group formed their own team, then called Queens, but in time to become Eagles, then

The Mpaka Stadium is the home ground to both Simba SC and Yanga SC

/ Kariakoo derby

Sunderland, before, in 1971, being renamed Simba.

The two teams have been rivals ever since and have established themselves as the premier outfits in the country, especially after the establishment of the National League (now the Premier League) in 1965, each winning a host of trophies.

Yanga has the advantage when it comes to domestic titles, having been crowned league champions 27 times and being multiple winners of the Nyerere Cup, Fat Cup, Tusker Cup and Community Shield, making it the most decorated club in Tanzania. Simba is not far behind with 22 league titles (they are the reigning champions), but has a more impressive international record, having won the East and Centra Africa-spanning CECAFA Club Championship (now the Kagame Interclub Cup) six times and been the runners-up in the 1973 final of the Africa-wide CAF Cup, the highest continental achievement by a Tanzanian team to date.

The aim of the tour, which will include tickets to the game itself, is, Tumaini tells me, to “sell the unique experience which comes out of this derby”.

No wonder, then, when these teams face off it is such a big deal.

Match day is a raucous event with excitement levels reaching fever pitch long before kick-off with groups of rival fans – dressed either in the red of Simba or the yellow and green of Yanga – congregating at pre-arranged points in the city to party, dance and sing in support of their teams. Dar es Salaam may be one of those cities that never sleeps, but it certainly stops for the 90 minutes of the Kariakoo derby.

Those who are not lucky enough to have a ticket for the game will meet at bars and cafes and crowd around TVs there to show their support. It’s a similar picture at other major cities across Tanzania. No matter what team you support, if you’re a football fan the Kariakoo derby can’t be missed – it’s the biggest fixture in the Premier League’s calendar.

Pan-African renown The game’s renown extends across Africa where it has become one of the most talked about footballing encounters on the continent rivalling other massive encounters such as the Soweto derby (Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs) in South Africa and the Mashemeji derby (between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia) in Nairobi. Football fans come from across the continent to watch the match at Mkapa, especially in the past couple of years with the Tanzania Premiership being one of the few African top-flight leagues that allowed fans in to

watch matches during the height of the covid pandemic. It is the Dar match’s pan-African appeal that has led Tumaini Nyika, the founder of Tanzanian sustainable travel company Kwazi Birding, to devise a match-day tour package for visitors to the city that gets to the heart of what the event means to people here.

Match-day tour “The tour’s itinerary is made up of three main activities,” he says.

“Pre-match, visitors will be taken to five popular spots in the city where fans congregate so they can engage with local communities and see the celebrations and dances close up.

“We will also narrate the history of these two clubs and visitors will get an appreciation of just how high a regard these teams are held in and how important this fixture is. They will learn why the whole country and even the rest of East Africa is brought to a standstill when the match is on. The fans believe their teams are unbeatable and a bad result can result in one of the team’s coaches being fired.”

Tumaini and his expert team will also explain about the two clubs’ membership structures, which mean that supporters are the majority shareholders and so have a decisive say in the running of the teams.

“We will explain about the ruling structure of the clubs and how they are still owned by the members along with the large involvement of the Tanzanian government,” Tumaini says.

Image: PROJESTUS PROSPER / Shutterstock.com

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/ Kariakoo derby

The aim of the tour, which will include tickets to the game itself, is, Tumaini tells me, to “sell the unique experience which comes out of this derby”.

With the line-up of both teams filled with the cream of footballing talent from across the continent, Tumaini says the tour also draws on how the history of Dar reveals many other instances when the city was seen as a beacon of progress among African countries.

Power of the TPL “The tour introduces the tourism component within major sporting events,” he says. “Tanzanian football these days attracts a lot of attention in southern Africa, especially in South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and the DRC. The main reason for this is due to presence African players from all these countries who have joined the Tanzania Premier League.

“You cannot separate Tanzania and the history of southern African states’ struggle for freedom. In this tour the visitors will learn about this rich history – the role independent Tanzania played in supporting the liberation movements of these states. Many freedom parties set up their offices in Dar es Salaam and the buildings are still present. Tanzania once served as headquarters for Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) and Mozambique FRELIMO party was founded in Dar. “So, there is a lot of history to be shared in this part of the tour before we head back to the stadium for kick-off where another amazing experience will be shared during the 90 minutes of the game.”

The atmosphere is exhilirating and the passion of both teams' fans makes the match very interesting, exciting and fun for those who enjoy sports

For more information about the Kariakoo Derby Experience tour and how to book a place, visit kwazi.co.tz

‘The derby is bigger than anything else except winning the league’ Senzo Mbatha is a man with a unique insight into the Kariakoo derby. Currently, he is the chief executive officer at Yanga SC, but for the 2019/20 season he performed the same role for Simba SC. Here the sports executive, who came to Tanzania after years of success running premier league clubs in his native South Africa, talks about the “incredible” atmosphere of the Kariakoo derby and why he had to “lay low” after his move from Simba to Yanga was first announced.

Q: You more than most know how important this fixture is to both sides. How do you feel when another Kariakoo derby approaches? Are your loyalties torn?

A: My loyalty is not torn; my loyalty is with Yanga SC. I honestly feel most of the pressure in my work around this time of the year, whenever there's a derby. A win for Yanga SC can only ensure that I walk tall knowing that I am leading a winning team and we will have all the bragging rights until the next derby.

Senzo Mbatha, CEO at Yanga SC Image: @andersonmyshorts

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/ Kariakoo derby

Q: In your opinion, what makes this derby so special?

A: The coming derby is extremely special because Yanga SC has a much better team and an improved performance so far this season. It is extra special because the odds of winning the league are on Yanga SC’s side. To beat Simba SC and go on to win the league will be something that will be satisfying to all of us at the club, but mostly this will be the biggest reward for our fans.

Q: What would you say are the major differences between the two teams?

A: They are both big institutions, dividing the country into two when they lock horns.

However, the most significant difference is that Yanga SC is more of a community club, it is closer to its people and its members and fans have much influence and say in how their club is managed. I can't say the same about the other. They have massive support but what I have seen at Yanga SC is that this is a people’s team – as they say ‘TimuYawananchi‘, which loosely translates as ‘the citizens’ Team’.

Q: How do the players feel when a derby approaches? Is there an extra sense of excitement and can winning the derby be seen as more important than winning the league?

A: The excitement is tremendous, you don’t need too much effort to motivate them, they are motivated, however the player bonuses that are paid for this derby are enormous so players know that a win can bring them a serious fortune. The derby is bigger than anything else except winning the league.

There's also a saying that winning a league without winning the derby is the same as not winning the league.

Image: Richstar / Shutterstock.com

Q: There is a strong rivalry between the two teams and between their fans. Were there any negative reactions to you moving from Simba to Yanga?

A: It was one of the most challenging times and experiences in my entire footballing career. I never knew impact the move would have in Tanzania. By the way, I remember that day I was splashed on all available media platforms, and I was the topic of the day. This was an indication also that these two big clubs are prominent in the country.

I had to lay low for about a week. As they say, you gain a lot of new supporters from the new club and a lot of antagonists from the former club. Some have taken this to the extreme because of their disappointment, however, things did quieten down and returned to normal.

Q: You’ve represented the sport internationally. What attracted you to football in Tanzania?

A: Tanzania came as an opportunity at the right time. I was looking for a chance to work outside South Africa when I heard and read about the opening at Simba SC. I had no plans to come to Tanzania, but I was looking at broadening my scope and experiencing a different environment outside South Africa football.

Q: While there is rivalry is there a sense of mutual respect between the fans of two top teams?

A: Since I have been in Tanzania, the rivalry between the teams has gone to extremes, to the extent that you see fans supporting opposition teams, whether in local or international matches. But within the players, there’s always mutual respect and professional conduct when it comes to rivalry.

Q: You've been in the National Stadium for a few of these derbies in your time. Can you describe the atmosphere?

A: The atmosphere is incredible, unexplainable. The emotions are so high that the stadium's energy is the same. With the recent stadium closures worldwide due to Covid, the Mkapa stadium has attracted several international media and fans to come and experience the derby. The atmosphere is exhilarating, and the passion of both teams’ fans makes the match very interesting, exciting and fun for those who enjoy sports. It can also be a stressful time for many. There have been reports of people dying as a result of stress and people losing their houses as a result of betting on their teams.

Q: Do you have a prediction for the final score on April 30?

A: I don’t have a score prediction, I only have a winning projection to Yanga SC.

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Legal eye

What you need to know before importing electronics Rayson Elijah Luka, senior associate at Dar es Salaam law firm Victory Attorneys, lays out the key legal issues surrounding the importing, distributing, selling, installing and operating of electronic equipment in Tanzania.

T

he importation, installation and operation of electronic equipment is part of the digital world we now live in.

Although, it is carried out on a massive scale, many importers and users are unaware of the underlying legal compliance framework.

Consequently, they can find themselves in the courtroom charged with various non-compliance offences, which can in turn become economic offences.

We find it prudent, therefore, to highlight the key legal issues importers, distributors and users need to be aware of.

No importation without a licence According to section 116(3) (c) of the Electronic and Postal Communication Act, 2010, any person who imports electronic equipment must obtain the licence to do so from Tanzania Communication & Regulatory Authority (TCRA). It is a punishable offence to import that equipment without a licence. If convicted one is liable to pay fine of not less than TZS 5 million or imprisonment for a term not less than 12 months or to both.

No distribution or sale without a licence A person who is distributing or selling electronic equipment is required to obtain a licence to

that effect. Distributing or selling this equipment without a licence is a punishable offence under section 116(3) (c) of the Electronic and Postal Communication Act, 2010.

No installation without a licence Installation of electronic equipment without a licence is an offence under section 116(3) (c) of the Electronic and Postal Communication Act, 2010. If convicted, one is liable to pay fine of not less than TZS 5 million or imprisonment for a term not less than 12 months or to both.

Equipment approval before use Any equipment to be used for connection to any electronic communications network for the purpose of receiving and or transmitting electronic communication signals must obtain a prior approval of the Tanzania Communication & Regulatory Authority (TCRA). This is according to section 83(1) of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act, 2010. Failure to do so is an offence as provided under section 152(1) of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act, 2010. If convicted, one is liable to pay fine of not less than TZS 5 million or imprisonment for a term not less than 12 months or to both.

It is therefore, very important for the importers, distributors and users to observe

the mandatory legal requirements in order to avoid landing in trouble. Technically, the above offences may involve other subsequent and associated serious offences such as leading organised crime, fraudulent use of network facilities and occasioning loss to a specified authority.

The massive demand for electronic equipment should not be taken for granted. There are number of legal requirements which must be satisfied, and trivial omission may subject the individual to serious offences.

The operation, importation and installation of electronic devices and machinery is a complex and technical topic which needs the highest expertise and diligence. Victory Attorneys & Consultants are experts on ICT laws and regulations. We have guided various clients on, ICT, Telecommunication and Electronic Devices. For more information, contact us at the details below.

For more information, call Victory Attorneys & Consultants on +255 752 089 685, email info@victoryattorneys.co.tz or visit its offices at 1st Floor, IT Plaza Building, Ohio Street/Garden Avenue, PO Box 72015, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. airtanzania.co.tz / 47

Joseph Shaluwa

THE BOOK OF LOVE: author's guide to marriage

Prolific Tanzanian author Joseph Shaluwa returns with ‘Maisha Ya Ndoa – Toleo Jipya’, a guide to making the most of marriage. Here he tells Twiga why love needs constant work and how he is proud to set an example for emerging Swahili writers.

W

riting stories has been Joseph Shaluwa’s passion since he was a nine-year-old coming up with tales that were turned into theatrical performances at his local church. So, when aged 24 he had his first Swahili language novel published – 2007’s ‘True Love’ – he was so proud he carried a copy of the book around with him wherever he went. “It was a very big day for me,” the Dodoma-born writer tells me. “I walked around with the book for almost a month wanting people to see it. I was overjoyed.”

This month he releases his 13th published work and love is still on his mind. ‘Maisha Ya Ndoa – Toleo Jipya’

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Twiga

(‘Married Life’) is a part memoir, part psychology and self-help that explores the true meaning of love and how it forms the foundation of a long-lasting and mutually supportive relationship.

“The book is a collection of articles that builds a model for proper relationships that will move towards better and happier marriages.”

Experience “I always say there is nothing new in love, but the goal is just to remind each other and encourage each other about what we are doing to build a good relationship.

“It is a book for all people, but most of all for young people hoping

to enter into a marriage or relationship, whether they are boyfriend or girlfriend, fiancé or couple.”

‘Maisha Ya Ndoa’ is officially launched on April 14, the same day that Shaluwa and his wife, Upendo, mark their 10-year marriage anniversary. It’s a fitting double celebration as Joseph draws on his own experiences in the book and

Love is the foundation of life. To have good leaders, they must be in a peaceful relationship or marriage. Love is everything in life.

/ Joseph Shaluwa

credits the happiness of his home life – his family are now settled in Dar es Salaam – with creating a calm writing environment. “For a marriage to thrive, there must be love,” the father-of-four says.

“Having a loving home life gives me the stability I need to think clearly and write well. It is the best possible relationship.” The couple set a fine example of teamwork being fundamental to a good marriage with designer Upendo even creating the cover art for ‘Maisha Ya Ndoa’.

Recurring theme While Joseph’s written output – from his early short stories such as ‘Lazima Nikuue’ (‘I Must Kill’) and ‘Safari Ya Kaburuni’ (‘The Tomb’s Journey’) which were printed in local magazines and newspapers to his later published novels such ‘Wino’ and ‘Tuzo’ – has ranged in genre from horror through comedy to politics, the theme of love has been ever present and crucial to the way the author sees the world.

“Love is the foundation of life,” he says. “To have good leaders, they must be in a peaceful relationship or marriage. Love is everything in life.

You can’t avoid it in any way. Life is love. That is why so many authors are writing about affairs of love and marriage.”

Joseph has certainly been feeling the love from Tanzanian readers of late. His 2020 political thriller ‘Chotara’, which follows a former president who will do anything – including involving criminal gangs – to regain power, proved to be his best-selling book yet.

Its success, Joseph says, was due not only to the “the quality of the novel itself”, but also some savvy publicity.

“The book was launched at the Mjue Mtunzi event organised by [Tanzanian writers’ collective] Uwaridi and it was advertised in Tanzania's number one sports magazine – Champion. The book’s renown began from there.”

Joseph’s membership of Uwaridi has been key to his development.

Most Tanzanian authors have to publish their work themselves and this is expensive. As a co-operative of writers, Uwaridi can split the funding of publishing between members and use its reach to improve marketing and sales of the book – all the while attracting new members and encouraging emerging writers across the country.

Writing as a career Joseph is certainly one of Uwaridi’s success stories. His prolific output shows that it is possible to carve a career as a writer in Tanzania and that there is an appreciative Swahili-reading audience out there.

He hopes that his achievements will inspire others to follow.

“I am very proud to see that there are more and more young Tanzanian writers out there,” he says. I have seen many of them come up and it feels good to be the catalyst for the success of composers here in our country.

“There are many local writers who impress me, but I would single out Fadhy Mtanga, Eric Shigongo and Maundu Mwingizi. To me they are the best writers of the current generation. I also draw inspiration from older writers such as Hammie

'Maisha Ya Ndoa' shows there is more to marriage than putting a ring on it

Rajab, Ben Mtobwa, Beka Mfaume and Elvis Musiba.”

As for ‘Maisha Ya Ndoa’, Joseph hopes it will not only inspire budding writers, but also provide a guide to a happy relationship from day one. In his opinion, there are many out there who are getting love wrong.

“There are some people who do not have enough understanding about sincere love. That is why I wrote that book to help stimulate the relationships and marriage of others. I hope for reading this book, many of us will change and became the sources of happiness in our relationship.”

INFORMATION ‘Maisha Ya Ndoa’ by Joseph Shaluwa (left) is available to buy at Posta stores across the country as well as Dar book shops Kona Ya Riwaya at Kinondoni Block 41 and A Novel Idea in the Slipway retail centre. It can also be ordered by contacting Joseph himself.

Email joeshaluwa@gmail. com or visit @JosephShaluwa on Facebook or @joeshaluwa on Instagram.

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Exclusive escapes

THE LUXURY LIST We all deserve a treat sometimes. With help from Julda Makundi, (right) founder of Tanzanian high-end holiday and event planners Luxe by Elle, we have put together a list of the most exclusive attractions in Dar and Zanzibar to indulge in.

Island escape The Rihla, Zanzibar

For art lovers Rangi Gallery, Dar es Salaam

A blessed beach break Le Mersenne, Zanzibar

If you really want to get away for your next holiday adventure, consider new luxury restaurant The Rihla. Guests arrive at the tiny and beautiful Niamembe Island in style via the Sanjeeda – the only double-masted dhow plying the Indian Ocean. They then get to spend the day indulging in exclusive cuisine, an extensive bar menu and the surrounding natural delights. The restaurant serves a menu inspired by Hadimu (the original inhabitants of Zanzibar) cuisine with super fresh ingredients sourced from local fishermen, farmers and seaweed gatherers. Favourites include a slowcooked seafood stew that is to die for. Once you've dined, you can go swimming, explore nature trails or just soak up the sun on the island's flawless stretch of sand. It is the most exclusive beach break you can imagine.

The Rangi Gallery began selling Tanzanian contemporary art solely online, but this year it opened a physical location in Oyster Bay to showcase the work of the talented community of artists it has built up. As well as paintings, photography and sculpture to purchase, the stylish, white-walled photography also offers art classes and events such as sip and paint in which guests can create their own works with inspiration let loose with a glass or two of wine. If you just want to turn up and browse the permanent collection and ever-changing calendar of special exhibitions, the gallery is open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. Entry is free.

The Mersenne family own a collection of luxury hotels across the world, but hailing from Tanzania, the setting up of their flagship resort on Zanzibar Island was a homecoming.

Located on the Michamvi Peninsula just footsteps from the fine white sand of Pingwe Beach on the south-east coast of Zanzibar Island, this stunning resort slots seamlessly into surroundings with its rooms, restaurant and outdoor pools making the most of the priceless ocean views. With such a romantic setting it’s no surprise the resort is a favourite with honeymooners. There are stylish design details wherever you look, but perhaps most Instagram ready is the resort’s jetty that stretches out into the Indian Ocean. It is the launching point for romantic dhow cruises or snorkelling trips that take guests to the nearby coral reefs. It also provides a quite wonderful sun deck where guests can relax while the crystal blue waters gently lap below.

For more information, visit therihla.africa

For more information on the latest works available and upcoming exhibitions visit the Instagram page @rangigallerytz

For more information, visit lemersenne.com

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/ Exclusive escapes

(left) Luxury restaurant The Rihla and (above) The Rangi Gallery

(Right) The idyllic sundeck at Le Mersenne, Zanzibar

Barbecue like a boss Mamboz Grill, Dar es Salaam

Café culture Woodberry Café, Dar es Salaam

This roadside restaurant and takeaway has become a Dar institution and has a lip-smacking menu curated for carnivores. Its city centre branch has recently undergone an extension and there is now a new branch in Masaki to cope with the crowds that love the spicy menu of Swahili and Indo-Chinese cuisine served up by the crack team of Indian chefs here.

Favourites include mishkaki cubed beef and fiery pilipili sauce, an army of Biryani dishes, lamb chops and mash, butter chicken and barbecue wings. There are a few vegetarian options (I hope you like paneer), but this really is where meat eaters meet. A great place to for an authentic Dar dining experience.

This welcoming café and takeaway is now to be found a leafy and airy new location behind Garden Market on Haille Selassie Road, in Masaki. The food here is wholesome and healthy (although there is also a great range of freshly baked cakes and pastries if you’re feeling naughty) with homemade soups, sandwiches and salads as well as some delicious brunch options, including the ‘The Fully Loaded’ big breakfast. With swing seats to channel your inner child, the vibe here is cool, calm and fun. The Woodberry is the perfect place to catch up with friends over a coffee, expertly conjured up the team of baristas here.

For more information, visit @MamboSizGrill on Facebook.

For more information, visit @woodberry café on Facebook and Instagram.

LUXE BY ELLE Luxe By Elle, creates tailor-made luxury holidays and experiences for her exclusive clients in which everything is taken care of – from reservations at five-star hotels and award-winning restaurants, yacht charters and VIP access to the hottest clubs and bars – all with a chauffeur-driven vehicle to connect you. As well as classy adventures that join the dots between Tanzania and Zanzibar’s most glamorous hospitality options, the company can also find clients long-term high-end accommodation. For more information, visit luxe.by_elle

Swing seats at Woodberry Café

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Tech

TECH FOR

TEENAGERS Buying gifts for your supercool teenage sons and daughters can be tricky, especially if you’re an out-of-touch parent who still thinks TikTok is the sound a clock makes and Instagram is an automatic weighing machine. To help you out Twiga has rounded up some top tech with teen appeal.

FOR THE EAST AFRICA’S GOT TALENT HOPEFUL… Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3

If you have a teenager who loves to sing, then they will love this tough portable speaker with room-filling sound quality to accompany them. It is waterproof and drop proof so they can blast it in the shower or a pool party (it’ll still play floating in the water). With Bluetooth connectivity, you can pump out your favourite playlists from your phone, tablet or laptop and if you come to a track you are just not feeling, just press the magic button on the top of the speaker and it’ll skip to the next song. With a Boom Battery that lasts up to 15 hours, it will be able to cope with even the most extended of singalongs.

Where to buy: ultimateears.com Price: US$ 225

FOR THE ‘GRAM… Fujifilm Instax Mini 11

This tiny instant camera is super social and designed for the Instagram era with a built-in retractable selfie lens and automatic exposure to make sure each moment you capture is perfectly lit. Even the look of this cute camera is teen approved with a range of bright colours to choose from, transparent frosting on the lens and customisable shutter buttons (one looks like a jewel and the other glows in the dark).

Where to buy: fujifilm.com Price: US$ 70 FUJIFILM

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ULTIMATE EARS.

/ Tech

FOR THE GAMER ON THE MOVE… Nintendo Switch Lite

FOR THE MUSIC LOVER… 1More ColorBuds

FOR A TIKTOKREADY ROOM…

Govee RGBIC Pro LED Light Strips These fully customisable strip lights are a great way to add flair and a personal touch to a teenager’s bedroom. Connect them to the Govee Home App and you can adjust the brightness or colour and even sync the lighting with your favourite music for TikTok videos primed to go viral.

With 16 million colour combinations, your teen can really make their room stand out. Just don’t expect to ever be invited in!

Where to buy: govee.com Price: US$ 32.99

These fully wireless earbuds come in a choice of four teen-pleasing candy-coloured designs, but they also sound pretty sweet with an audio quality that is pretty rare in the sub-US$ 100-dollar market.

They are ideal for those with active lives as the rubberised finish means they fit nice and snugly and they are IPX5-rated to withstand even the sweatiest of workouts.

The music you play should also give you the required oomph to get through your training with the frequency response favouring some serious bass. All this and six hours play time with each full charge.

If you’ve got a teenager who loves computer games, but you don’t want them stuck in the house in front of the TV all day, this portable model is ideal. The Switch Lite has a 5.5-inch LCD screen and built-in controls but will run just about all of Nintendo’s huge library of genre-defining games and the graphics look the same as the bigger, pricier versions.

Nintendo's eShop has a host of titles to choose from and some of the hottest new games are only available on the Switch. The multiplayer gaming options mean your teen can link with up to eight of their friends to play anywhere.

Where to buy: nintendo.com Price: US$ 199 Nintendo

Where to buy: usa.1more.com Price: US$ 69.99 1MORE USA, Inc.

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Sound and vision

Faysal’s blog

New year in Zanzibar was a turtle delight Faysal Alao is a vlogger and tour operator from Tanzania living in Arusha. He uploads regular videos about his experiences and everyday lifestyle on his YouTube channel, ‘Lifestyle of Faysal’. You can also keep up with him on Snapchat @faysal_alao and Instagram @callmefays

MUSIC REVIEWS

Mark Edwards rounds up the latest releases to stream, screen and read

Located about 50 kilometres off the coast of the mainland of Tanzania, Zanzibar had always been our dream holiday destination. This archipelago, which is the home of beautiful sandy beaches, is renowned for clear warm waters, coral reefs and rich marine diversity making it a perfect under-water destination for snorkelling and diving.

The ancient architecture and street food culture in Stone Town and the famous spice plantations are also among must-visit places that triggered our decision to visit this beautiful island. After months of planning and seeing the world slowly opening up, my friends and I thought it would be best to welcome the New Year with the Zanzibaris.

On our arrival in Nungwi, in the north of the main island Unguja, we went to Turtle Sanctuary. Here you can feed the turtles by hand. At first, we were scared to try but we followed what everyone else was doing and it was an incredible experience. Being one of the most beautiful places to visit up north, our driver made sure we were not to miss it.

We spent quite some time with the turtles connecting in a very indescribable way and later in the evening, we left for a Full Moon Party and New Year’s Eve celebration at Kendwa Beach. With thousands of people packed waiting for the fireworks, this place had prepared a buffet dinner with a great selection of meat, sides, vegetables and seafood. Then there were laser lights, groovy beats and high-kicking performances that kept us energetic the whole night and definitely made the night one we will never forget.

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BOOK REVIEWS

The weather was quite balmy; the sun shone brilliantly in the clear blue sky and the people were so friendly they made us forget we were even away from home. We began our drive which took about an hour from our hotel and the moment we arrived, we were all astonished with one of my friends screaming out: “OMG! This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen”.

FILM REVIEWS

It was very early in the morning; our driver came to us with a big surprise. It was our third day on the island and we thought we had seen it all. He told us to quickly shower, have breakfast and pack, ready to leave.

TURUNESH / Satin Cassette Turunesh is the self-styled ‘Swahili sex symbol’ from Dar es Salaam, who first appeared out of the city’s live music scene and has now releasing two EPs and two full-length albums. The latest, Satin Cassette, is a celebration of love with tracks such as ‘Rum and Butter’, ‘Cigarette’ and ‘Green Hibiscus’ conjuring synaesthetic paens to physical pleasure. For all her neo-soul stylings, the singer does show her appreciation for more traditional Tanzanian, albeit with her own sex-positive twist.

‘Zanzibari Spice’ draws on unyago coming-ofage ceremonies with Turunesh a conduit to the storytelling power to her strong women role model and taarab pioneer Bi Kidude.

THE BATMAN / Director: Matt Reeves The Gotham caped crusader tends to attract filmmakers with a gothic palette, such as Tim Burton, but this latest release may be the darkest Dark Night yet, channelling elements of film noir and horror genres. Former teen screen vampire Robert Pattinson plays the lead character as a very tortured soul who seems to have as many issues as the baddies he’s up against such as Penguin (Colin Farrell), Riddler (Paul Dano) and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz). It all makes for a very adult and ambitious superhero adventure.

I AM SEMBA / Ajeka Fox Mystery surrounds the release of this new novel.

A book about a country that could be Tanzania and written by two authors that both go under the mysterious synonyms of Ajeka and Fox. Is it a thriller, a travel guide or a political expose? It is being marketed as the first part of what will become the Tanzanite Trilogy and focuses on the inner thoughts of a fictional African president with a plot that is a cocktail of plots, traitors and attacks.

Arts column

TKAY MAIDZA / Last Year Was Weird Volume 3 The Zimbabwe-born artist who now resides in Australia completes her trilogy of recent EPs with another playful mix of pop, rap, R&B, and reggae coupled with her own take-no-prisoners rapping. This wide-ranging album suits her creativity and breezy confidence, which comes through in the “I want it all” refrain of the stomping ‘Syrup’ and there’s more teeth-shuddering beats on ‘Kim’, in which Maidza and US rapper Young Baby Tate spar over ping-ponging synths.

There is a more unguarded quality to softer tracks such as ‘High Beams’ and ‘Cashmere’ in which Maidza laments a failed relationship with honeyed, heartfelt vocals hugged by choral backing vocals.

BLACKLIGHT / Director: Mark Williams Actor Liam Neeson seems to have cornered the market in vengeful, gun-toting grandads after the success of the Taken franchise and last year’s The Marksman. Here he plays a Vietnam War vet who gets caught up in a government conspiracy to cover up the death of a civil rights activist and it all gets personal when his granddaughter goes missing. The film doesn’t wander too far from the Taken template with the steely, stoical Neeson updating his “I will find you” warning to offenders with the equally portentous “You’re going to need more men”.

THE UNDERNEATH / Melanie Finn Author, conservationist and filmmaker Melanie Finn grew up in Kenya and travelled extensively in East Africa during her time as a freelance journalist and her gripping 2015 thriller Shame was partly set in Tanga on Tanzania’s northern coast. Kay, the protagonist of her latest release, The Underneath, has also spent time in Africa and it is a part of her past that still haunts her. Now married and with two children, she rents a farmhouse in Vermont, in the US, and meets a local man who is dealing with his own demons. Their two stories collide in this beautifully written tale as Kay discovers there is a horrible history to her family’s temporary home.

Exploring creative and eco-friendly design Rebecca Mzengi Corey is the director of Nafasi Arts Space in Dar es Salaam and Twiga’s arts columnist. You can visit Nafasi Art Space online at www.nafasiartspace.org and instagram @nafasiartspace.

In March, Diébédo Francis Kéré became the first African to win the Pritzker Prize – often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture. He was first inspired to learn about architecture as a way of improving the learning environment for children in the small community where he grew up in Burkina Faso and his work has become known for using local materials and a community-centred approaches that result in spaces that are both beautiful, imaginative and welcoming.

Kéré’s achievement was received by the artistic community at Nafasi Art Space with celebration and a degree of pride, as the local Tanzanian art space has been designing and building with these same principles over the past several years, starting with its Nafasi Academy in 2019 and continuing with two major renovations this year.

In fact, a recently completed workshop space for Nafasi Academy students appears similar in many ways to the early work of Kéré, featuring local materials such as coco poles and re-cycled shipping containers. Extra efforts were made to ensure that the trees in the building area were not cut down but rather integrated into the design.

Maisha van den Heuvel, the Dutch co-designer of the space who grew up in Tanzania, noted, “we use creative design to build a centre that fosters creativity and collaboration”.

Hopefully, Kéré’s Pritzker win signifies a growing appreciation for African design and architectural methods and materials – one with sustainability and environmental awareness as its centre. For people hoping to experience such an approach to design in Tanzania, they’ll find a warm welcome at Nafasi Art Space.

Local materials were used in building a new workshop space at Nafasi

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Kids’ fun and puzzles

DOT TO DOT

How many Crocodiles can you find in the below

Follow the dots to finish the images and see what animals are hiding below

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

CROCDILE SEARCH

Find the five differences between the first and second pictures of the safari vehicle below

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Sign up to Twiga Miles now and get 1,000 free points!

And that’s just the beginning of your savings as every subsequent flight you take will earn you more points, which can all be redeemed towards future free flights across Air Tanzania’s domestic and international network of destinations. The amount of points you will earn depends on your ticket type, fare class and destination.

As a Twiga Miles member each flight you take will also help you climb through the ranks of our tier system. With each tier upgrade, you’ll get access to even more varied and valuable benefits.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up at www.airtanzania.co.tz now.

Member Benefits

There’s never been a better time to take advantage of Twiga Miles, Air Tanzania’s loyalty programme, with all new members who sign up before May 19 this year getting a welcome pack of 1,000 points as soon as they take their first flight.

BLUE

SILVER SELOUS

GOLD SERENGETI

Start earning points towards a free flight with Air Tanzania.

Members will earn 25% more points than Blue members on each flight they take.

Members will earn 50% more points than Blue members on each flight they take.

Free extra 5kg baggage allowance on domestic flights

Free extra 10kg baggage allowance on domestic flights

Priority check-in at Dar, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar airports

Priority check-in at Dar, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar airports

Priority membership baggage tags that ensure your bags are first on conveyor belt at your destination

Priority membership baggage tags that ensure your bags are first on conveyor belt at your destination

FAQS How do I enrol?

Visit airtanzania.co.tz or contact our call centre on 0800 110 045.

Will I get a membership card?

Cards will be issued to Silver Selous and Gold Serengeti members.

How long does it take for my points to be transferred to my account?

Your points will have been transferred

to your account no later than 72 hours following your flight.

How long do my points remain valid?

Until the end of the third calendar year following the date you earned them.

For example, points earned in June 2021 remain valid till the end of 2024.

How can I spend my points?

You can spend your points by clicking

on “Use My Points to Buy” section under the payment options tab for the tickets you are going to buy on our website at www.airtanzania.co.tz Twiga Miles is only for passengers aged 18 and above. The scheme applies to all Air Tanzania destinations. Air Tanzania reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions of the campaign. All users participating in the campaign are deemed to have read and accepted these rules.

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Travel information

Before take-off Taking your first flight is certainly exciting, but can also become a source of stress for those who are unfamiliar with the rules, procedures and customs of flying. To prepare yourself for your first flight, it is therefore important to get information on everything you need to do before and during your journey. Here is a useful pre-departure checklist.

1

Before departing, it is important to check the airline’s website for its hand luggage rules: weight, sizes and types of objects you can take on board. For example, as regards liquids, you are advised to carry these in your hand luggage, only in transparent, reseal able, plastic containers, not exceeding 100 ml. In this section, you will find information regarding the hand luggage permitted on your flights; if you have connection flights, we advise that you also check the websites of other airlines.

2

Arriving at the airport in advance (at least two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international flights)

will enable you to check in and board your flight calmly, without anxiety and without unexpected last-minute issues.

3

Check in online, if possible.

If travelling with hand luggage alone, you can check in online and print or download your boarding pass which you must take with you directly to security checks. This will enable you to save precious time once at the airport and to go to the gate calmly. For further information, please visit the dedicated page.

4

Set your mobile to flight mode, as well as other devices connected to the internet that you are taking on board.

Cabin crew will remind you of this step before take-off. With flight mode set, you can still take photos of your unforgettable journey and you can also enjoy the in-flight entertainment system! To find out more, please visit the dedicated section.

5

If you suffer from motion sickness… you will only find out about it during your first flight! To prevent sickness from ruining your first flight on a plane, we advise you to take natural remedies, such as, for example, ginger tablets or gum to chew. Ginger is believed to have a anti-nausea properties. Otherwise, ask your doctor to prescribe you antihistamines with a sedative effect.

6

Enjoy the view! By choosing a seat near the window, you will see breath-taking landscapes and you can take photos of the exquisite white clouds you will be flying above.

Try to take a nap. Sleeping on the plane will make time pass faster and you will arrive at your destination calm and rested.

7

8

Lastly, especially during take-off and landing, the change in pressure inside the cabin may cause discomfort in your ears. To prevent this discomfort, you are advised to stay awake during these manoeuvres and to chew gum or wear earplugs.

AIR TANZANIA FLEET National carrier Air Tanzania is justifiably proud of its revamped six-strong fleet. Here we take a close-up look at our aircraft with technical data and specifications.

BOMBARDIER DASH 8-Q400 Number of aircraft available: 5 Bombardier Seat capacity: (3 Bombardier) Business Class 6, Economy 70 (1 Bombardier) Business class 10, Economy 68 Number of flight-deck crew: 2 Range: 2,063 km (1,362 Nm) Typical cruising speed: up to 360 knots (414 mph or 667 km/hr) Wingspan: 93 ft 3 in (28.4 m) Length: 107 ft 9 in (32.8 m)

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AIRBUS 220-300 (CS300) Number of aircraft available: 4 Seat capacity: Business Class 12 and 120 Economy Class Number of flight-deck crew: 2 Range: 6,112 km (3,300 Nm) Typical cruising speed: 470 knots (541 mph or 871 km/hr) Thrust per engine at sea level: 23,300 lbf / 103.6 kN Wingspan: 115 ft 1 in (35.1 m) Length: 127 ft (38.7 m) Interior cabin width: 129 inches (3.28 m)

BOEING 787-8 DREAMLINER Number of aircraft available: 2 Seat capacity: Business Class 22 and 240 Economy Class Number of flight-deck crew: 2 Range: 13,621 km (7,355 Nm) Typical cruising speed: 488 knots (561 mph or 903 km/hr) Thrust per engine at sea level: 64,000 lbf / 280 kN Wingspan: 197 ft 3 in (60.12 m) Length: 186 ft 1 in (56.72 m) Interior cabin width: 18 ft 0 inch (5.49 m)

Flying between COMOROS - AFRICA TANZANIA - TANZANIA AFRICA - INDIA AFRICA - AFRICA

hours ahead of your flight time for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.

Family travel

Passports and visas A valid passport or travel document that is valid for at least six months is required to enter the United Republic of Tanzania.

Visitors will also require a valid visa upon arrival. There are a range of visas available depending on the nature and frequency of your visits, but a single entry visa can be obtained on arrival in Tanzania subject to the fulfilment of all immigration requirements. There is a US$ 50 charge for the visa.

For a full list of visas available and for countries for which special terms exist, visit the Air Tanzania website.

Check-in Check in online, if possible. If travelling with hand luggage alone, you can check in online and print or download your boarding pass, which you must take with you directly to security checks. You should check in two

Fares for infants and children As a general rule, children up to two years old are not required to have their own seat and are allowed to travel on parents’ lap.

An infant tickets costs 10 per cent of the regular fare. Depending on the destination, taxes and fees may apply. Please note that only 1 baby per adult is accepted. You can choose to buy a seat for your baby at the reduced rates for children if any children’s rate is applicable.

If your child is older than two years or turns two while you are travelling, you will have to book a separate seat for him or her and book the children fare for the entire journey. If a child travels with an accompanying adult in the same class of cabin, the child should be seated in the same seat row as the accompanying adult. Where this is not possible, the child should be seated no more than one seat row or aisle away. Reduced rates apply for children aged two to 11 on most routes, depending on the travel class. Children turning 12 years en route need to be booked as adults for the entire journey.

Expectant mothers Our priority is always your safety and that of your unborn child.

To avoid unnecessary risks to you and your baby, we recommend

Free allowance

30 kg 23 kg 2PC @ 23 kg 2PC @ 23 kg

that all expectant mothers consult a doctor before booking their ticket and inquire about their fitness to fly the length of the trip they intend to take.

Depending on the stage and circumstances of your pregnancy, you may be required to present certain medical forms before flying. For your own safety and the well-being of your child, Air Tanzania will not accept expectant mothers who are pregnant from their 34th week or beyond.

UMNR (children travelling alone) If you’re planning for your child to travel alone, we’re here to make sure they enjoy their trip and that they are well taken care of throughout their journey.

When you book our unaccompanied minor service, your child will be received at the originating airport, taken care of during transit and while on board the aircraft. He or she will be handed over to the person designated by the parents/ guardians upon arrival at the final destination.

Cost To avail the unaccompanied minor service, an adult fare needs to be purchased for the child. Please contact us to book the flight and the service.

Infant fare checked baggage allowance Infants travelling on an infant fare are allowed 10 kg as baggage allowance.

BUSINESS

Air Tanzania has a free allowance for passengers’ baggage across economy and business class. For full details and rates please see our website www.airtanzania.co.tz or contact booking enquiries 0800 110045

ECONOMY

FREE BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Free allowance

40 kg 30 kg 3PC @ 23 kg 3PC @ 23 kg

Child fare baggage allowance Children and infants travelling on a child fare are eligible for the same baggage allowance as adults.

Wheelchairs If you need wheelchair assistance at the airport, you must advise Air Tanzania of this at the time of booking. You can request wheelchair assistance through our Call Centre or at Air Tanzania Sales offices.

Inflight Wi-Fi On board Wi-Fi Enable Wi-Fi on your laptop, tablet or smartphone, and select AirTanzaniaWifi You will need to launch your web browser, which will display the log-in web portal. From the portal, simply select your preferred price plan.

Portable electronic devices (PEDs) You can use your e-readers, tablets and smartphones from gate to gate – including taxiing, take-off and landing – without a risk to safety.

Note that on-board Wi-Fi is only available on certain aircraft. Please follow cabin crew instructions at all times.

For Booking & Enquiries: 0800 110045 www.airtanzania.co.tz

airtanzania.co.tz / 61

Air Tanzania destinations

DISCOVER

Domestic and international routes Bukoba Mwanza Geita

Arusha

Kilimanjaro

Tabora

Kigoma

Zanzibar Dodoma

Dar es Salaam

Katavi

Mbeya

Songea

For Booking & Enquiries: 0800 110045 | www.airtanzania.co.tz

62 / Twiga

UK

London

CHINA

Guangzhou Mumbai

INDIA

Bangkok

THAILAND

NIGERIA

Lagos UGANDA

Entebbe

KENYA

Nairobi

RWANDA

Kigali BURUNDI Bujumbura

TANZANIA

Dar es Salaam

DRC

Lubumbashi Ndola Lusaka

ZAMBIA

Comoros

ZIMBABWE

Harare

Active routes Upcoming routes

airtanzania.co.tz / 63

Air Tanzania contacts

WHERE TO CONTACT US E-COMMERCE Location: ATC House, Ohio Street.

Email: tce-commerce@airtanzania.co.tz

CONTACT CENTRE Location: ATC House, Ohio Street.

Email: contactcentre@airtanzania.co.tz

0800 110045 Toll Free (Tanzania only) Tel: +255 022 212 5221

For the latest flights, information and to book online, visit:

www.airtanzania.co.tz

Follow us on:

@AirTanzania

@airtanzania

airtanzania_atcl

Air Tanzania ATCL

AIR TANZANIA CONTACTS DAR ES SALAAM (HQ)

TABORA

KAMPALA

Location: ATC House, Ohio Street PO Box 543 Office (JNIA) Tel: +255 222 117 500 Email: darairport.station@airtanzania.co.tz

Email: tabora.station@airtanzania.co.tz

Location: Park Royal Mall, Room 208, Buganda Road.

Email: uganda.station@airtanzania.co.tz Email: bbesalestc@airtanzania.co.tz Tel: +256 414 289 474 / +256 393 517 145

ARUSHA Location: Old Moshi Road, NSSF Mafao House Email: arusha.station@airtanzania.co.tz Tel: + 255 272 520 177/ +255 739 787 500

MBEYA

SONGEA Location: African Benedict Office Hanga- opposite TRA Songea Email: songea.station@airtanzania.co.tz Mob: +255 712 796 421

KIGOMA

Location: Mbeya Mjini Email: godfrey.Samanyi@airtanzania.co.tz Mob: 0714 800 080 / 0737 800 090

Location: Lumumba Road, opp. Mambo Leo Pharmacy Email: kigoma.station@airtanzania.co.tz Mob: +255 742 580 580

COMOROS

IRINGA

Location: Immeuble MATELEC Moroni, Grande Comores Email: com’airgsaatc@gmail.com Tel: +269 3312570 / +269 3322058

BUKOBA

Location: Asas House, Dodoma Road, opp. TCC. Email: Iringa.station@airtanzania.co.tz Mob: +255 753 574 986

ZANZIBAR

Location: Jamhuri Road, NSSF Building Email: airtanzaniasalesbukoba@gmail.com Tel: 0767351336 /0735351336

Location: Postal Building, Kijangwani Email: zanzibar.station@airtanzania.co.tz Mob: +255 785 452 585

KILIMANJARO

ZIMBABWE

Location: KIA Email: arusha.station@airtanzania.co.tz

DODOMA Location: Hatibu Road, Tofiki Street, CDTF Building Tel: + 255 262 322 272/ 0735 787 241 (mobile)/ 0683 776 744 (mobile) Email: dodoma.station@airtanzania.co.tz

MWANZA

Tel: +255 735 787 239/ +255 28 2501059 Email: mwanza.station@airtanzania.co.tz

64 / Twiga

Location: 24 Shamwari Complex, 157 Sam Nujoma Street, Ext Belgravia, Harare Email: hresalestc@airtanzania.co.tz Tel: +263 424 796 286/7 Mob: +263 773 119 462 ZAMBIA Barnetts Building, Shop 3, Hailie Selasie Avenue, Longacres, Lusaka.

Mob: +260 956 610 250 Email: support.lusaka@airtanzania.co.tz

ENTEBBE Location: Entebbe International Airport, Room no 095.

Email: uganda.station@airtanzania.co.tz Email: bbesalestc@airtanzania.co.tz Tel: +256 716 680 250

BURUNDI Location: Bujumbura-Mairie, Boulevard de la Liberté, Galerie Alexander, No 10 Email: fantasticvoyage1@gmail.com Tel: +257 610 139 48.

INDIA Location: Ajanta Travels PVT Ltd, VN Road, Mumbai.

Email: Res.bom@airtanzania.co.in Tel: +91 224 979 0108/09/ +91 98200 61232 (cargo)/ +91 98193 65286 (reservations)/ +91 740 0084680 (staff airport supervisors)

JOHANNESBURG Location: West Tower, 2nd Floor, Nelson Mandela Square, Maude Street, Sandown, Gauteng, South Africa 2146 Email: southernafrica@airlinepros.com Tel: +27 11 881 5945 Tel: +27 11 881 5945

Issue 13 / April to June 2022

YO U R F R E E A I R TA N Z A N I A M AGA ZINE

T R AV E L / TA STE / TALEN T

The meat mountain Twiga A I R TA N Z A N I A Issue 13

How to cook the Kilimanjaro burger

Historic Dar es Salaam

Tour the city's ancient architecture

Kariakoo derby

One of Africa’s most fiercely fought footballing rivalries

KIBUBU Pay for your flight in instalments Visit airtanzania.co.tz