“Not everybody has to study” insists Maliha Sumar and chose a different green career instead.
Only 20 years old, Tanzanian born Maliha Sumar has already done her fair share in saving the world. She fought against climate change, collected plastic garbage, joined the boat activists of “Flipflopi” in Mwanza, who sailed from Lamu in Kenya to Tanzania in 2019, after building the world’s very first 100% recycled plastic dhow covered with 30,000 multicoloured flip. “We were so honoured to be working with the youngest member of our team, Maliha Sumar“, the activists proudly recall about her on their website.
Hailing from Mtwara and a Muslim Indian by faith, her mum works at the British Council and her dad runs a garage. After schooling in London, Maliha says, she was shocked by the extent of plastic pollution on Tanzania’s beaches and joined the Flipflopi boat team in protest. With all these activities already behind her, it’s no surprise that she is leading the race in winning the Tanzanian 2021 Youth environmental Award.
Since the tender age of 14 Maliha Sumar has been committed to social justice and environmentalism and has spent the last few years dedicating herself to learning new sustainable skills such as permaculture, composting, recycling seaweed and seamoss farming.
In 2019 - at only 17 - Maliha coordinated My Mark My City in Tanzania, an UN initiative engaging young people to make their own mark on tackling the climate crisis. She founded her school’s “Zero Waste Club”. She has also helped the Kilimanjaro Tree Project and Nipe Fagio plant more than 5,000 trees.
A green jack of many trades and a super dynamic and warm person to meet, Maliha started her own green company soon after leaving school. „Not everybody has to study“, she says. “I always wanted to live a self-sustainable life, and nothing better than doing my own green business.” With „Natural Living Tanzania '' she sells sea moss and other biological products such as Moringa and nettle leaf powder, useful against allergies. The organic substances can be used “inside and outside”, as healthy nutritional additives and skin products. Her new favourite is sea moss which grows on a rope during farming. “Seamoss removes mucus from your body, the root of many diseases'', she says. “I had no idea about it, now I would know how to farm it myself”, says Maliha – always eager to learn. (AT)
Info:
instagram.com/natural.living.tanzania
Folk going hip
Local start-ups give craft a new meaning
From shopping baskets and exotic mirrors to ohhh-so-sweet scented candles – artisan producers are popping up in Tanzania. We met some exceptional ones at Fumba Town’s own market
The candle lady
“Every time she’s at the market, I have to buy a candle or two”, says Rosemary, a new Fumba resident and happy costumer of “Manucato Scents”, the brainchild of Josephine Farahani from Arusha. With her neatly designed scented candles, moisturising body oils and soaps - bearing promising names such as “safari lover” or “capuccino”- the 30-year-old has clearly reached a professional level. And that’s no wonder: Josephine is a medical lab technician by profession and was inspired, she says, by “Inaya”, Zanzibar’s first eco cosmetic firm. Both share a super-professional production line. “My bee and soya wax candles burn well”, Josephine assures customers, using only high-quality baobab and lemongrass oils from suppliers. She maintains two stores in Arusha and Dar, and sells online. The candles come in nine flavours and Josephine generously shares her production knowledge in workshops with clients: “I give away my recipes”, she says with a smile – but doing it to her perfection is another matter.
Instagram - @Manucato_skincare
Phone: +255 719859145
The mega weaver
Majid Kumba is no doubt a big guy and a big guy it seems, thinks big. And out-of-the box. The 38-year old family man, a traditional mkeka and jamvi weaver from Mikunguni in Zanzibar, has somehow woven himself beyond standard colour schemes and sizes, and now presents, successfully, mega-mirrors with a wild straw frame spanning more than 1,50 metres in width. Find a bathroom for that! The giant beauties sell “like wildfire”, Majiid, happily claims in Swahili. And so do his mkeka’s in plain beige, his straw paper bins, lamps, house décor, and oud stands, all running under his label “Bin Majid Cultural Products”.
Instagram - @vitu_vya_asili
Baskets galore!
We spotted not one, but two up-and-coming basket makers at the Fumba markets, Patricia from “Kukaye Crafts” and “The Mafia Mamas”. Immaculately woven handbags, laundry bags, market bags, beach bags and storage bags have given Kukaye arts & craft a solid following of more than 5000 fans on Instagram. The designer from Dar es Salaam sells at major stores and fashion outlets. Sweet is her tag line: ”Building better live hood through crafts – African stories to the world”. - The “Mafia Mamas” stem, of course, from Mafia island where chief designer Samira Mafia owns the New Bweni Beach Lodge. It takes her a whole long day travelling by ferry and bus to Fumba market, her bags and bathroom mats in toe which come in unusual shapes and colours, like a feisty plain lilac. “No problem”, the well-known entrepreneur says, “I like travelling and exploring.” And we like her bags!
Instagram - @Mafiamamas
Phone: +255713380115
Art in Zanzibar
Finding and buying art in Zanzibar can be tedious. Some new (and established) art outlets are set to improve quality.
It was full house when the Emerson on Hurumzi Hotel recently embarked on its biggest art exhibition ever with 35 local artists. 80 artworks – by Dallah Wise, Mmadi Ausiy, Y. Kola, the shy pen & ink drawings by Abdu Haji Ussa and many more - were presented in the elegant 19th century building restored to old glory by the late Emersion Skeens. Eye-catcher was certainly the dramatic “Bye Bye House of Wonders, 2021” by Mmadi Ausiy, depicting Zanzibar’s premier monument being swept away in a tsunami – an apt interpretation of real events. The House of Wonder had collapsed last Christmas after decades of deterioration. The monochrome work, almost a satirical cartoon, sold for 800 dollars to a buyer from New York, still a far cry from commercial heights reached by African bestsellers on the international market - but a start.
African Art still has a long way to go. It was therefore the much-welcomed intention of the Emerson exhibition “to provide buyers with a one-stop overview of artists and existing trends'', said Director Len Horlin. Also a new Emerson's Zanzibar Foundation Art Award was launched; the first recipient was Hamza Ausiy for his painting 'Sokoni'. About 40 per cent of the art, curated by Russian artist Luba Roshchyna, found buyers, a quite high ratio. Roshchyna had intensely prepared the show with artists’ workshops and lectures, visibly enhancing quality. Emerson director Len Horlin announced follow-up shows: “We are planning to start a permanent online collection of Zanzibar art to make it more accessible.”
African Art Auction
In December
Another entirely new platform for the collectors market as well as first-time art buyers will be the anticipated first Zanzibar Art Auction planned for 11 December by the Forster Gallery in Mbweni. Around 20 paintings by artists mainly from East and South Africa will be on sale. The event will be held simultaneously at the Zanzibar Serena Hotel and online – a rare opportunity to view, and bid on some fine African art pieces in a local context.
Tinga Tinga in Stone Town
Tinga-Tinga originals – very much sought after - can still be found at recently renamed Wasanii Art behind the Old Fort on Gizenga Street. Managing Director Anita Sitta exhibits statues and paintings of the graffiti-like Tanzanian art genre started by Edward Said Tinga-Tinga, as well as work of George and Hendrick Lilanga. Proof or originality is important with Tinga Tinga. – Up the same Gizenga Street, established Zanzibar artist Bayuu runs his own gallery.. Bayuu is known for Stone Town scenes in psychedelic colours and has recently created watercolour labels for natural ZALT company from Pemba. – Less known, and hidden in a clothes shop on Hurumzi Street, are the Bulugu brothers of Dr. Bulugu Gallery - here’s some raw talent to be spotted.
BU:
The House of Wonder swept away by a tsunami – an artistic satire of tragic realities. Painting by Zanzibar artist Mmadi Ausiy, 49.
African Art, famous and less famous: Mickey-Mouse-like Lilanga statues (left); two works by the Bulugu brothers from Zanzibar (right), all spotted on Gizenga Street
With his striking looks Robin Batista, 45, could easily pass for a model himself - but he’s actually the man BEHIND the camera. Since almost 20 years.
One of the most established Zanzibari and Stone Town professional photographers, Robin Batista has covered almost all facets of his trade – from romantic wedding to fashion shooting, from unique drone and video packages for private clients to postcards’ to calendar production, from high-gloss coffee table books to media and blog posts.
Has his view of Zanzibar not been exhausted over the years? The 45-year-old photo artist, trained at the Indian CMYK academy, laughs: ”Newcomers might see more, but I see things, people don’t see.” One of his photos shows a woman in a colourful kanga dress carrying firewood along the beach of Jambiani – almost statuesque in her natural elegance. Or the impoverished orchestra of corrugated iron rooftops forming the picturesque entity called Stone Town, hundreds of years old and, like Havana in Cuba, deteriorated to a crumbling existence since Zanzibar became part of socialist Tanzania in 1964. “I still find it very beautiful here”, says Batista, “this island is a paradise for a photographer.”
Born and grown here as a son of a Goan immigrant tailor, and therewith part of the last remains of the catholic Goan community in Zanzibar and Tanzania, he finds his motifs in the treasures of island life: the weathered alleys of historic Stone Town, the once glorious Arab palaces, the turquoise sea, the white beaches and – over and over again - in the calm passage of traditional wooden dhows, sailing along the shore of Stone Town.
Batista is best in XXL: 1,50 by 0,80 metre measures one of his ngawala fishing boat scenes with a high-contrast beach and African houses in the background – appearing almost like a painting and not a photo. His monochrome and colour photos, often enlarged and framed as wall hangings popular with tourists and residents alike, take a different outlook: the Stone Town roof panorama, for instance, developed in sepia and printed on canvas perfectly captures the bygone charm of the historic quarter still home to more than 10.000 inhabitants. His art prints range from $50 to $300.
Still a bachelor, Robin Batista has photographed “500 weddings in the last 15 years” and witnessed Zanzibar becoming an attractive honeymoon destination. But ”although weddings are very enjoyable, intimate moments' ' that's not where his heart is: “A lot of famous photographers have passed through Zanzibar; I want to keep their artistic tradition alive”, he says. Recently he curated a successful exhibition at the Old Dispensary featuring Goan and Portuguese photographers such as the Coutinho Bros, A.C. Gomes and Pereira de Lord who arrived in Zanzibar as early as the 1890’s. In the pipeline is a new project about Zanzibar’s famous carved wooden doors.
Located on busy Gizenga Street opposite Istiqama mosque, his shop with a simple signpost “Robin Batista Zanzibar'' has grown into a full-fledged photo gallery over the years. An organic soap shop to the right, a baraza stone bench with local fruit sellers to the left, slender Robin Batista is very much part of local life himself, his studio covering the ground floor of a 19th century family home: “It’s very costly and time consuming to look after an old Stone Town building”, he says. “For instance the mangrove poles holding the ceilings have to be replaced every so often.” But Batista would not want to live anywhere else: “It’s the uniqueness of Stone Town to host inhabitants from all walks of life. When locals are moving out and only boutique hotels are moving in – that’s the end of Stone Town as we know it”, he says. (AT)
Info:
Robin Batista Zanzibar
155 Gizenga Street, Stone Town
Tel. +255 777 575 664
@robinbatistazanzibar
www.robinbatista.com
Treasures lost?
Historic Mtoni and Mbweni ruins at cross roads
Zanzibar has a rich cultural heritage – an enormous potential for tourism. But so far, the island hasn’t shown little real interest in conservation. Two beautiful and significant just-out-of-town ruins are currently awaiting better times.
Saleh Mohammed is sitting behind a shaky wooden table in the shade of a lonesome Mango tree, a few flyers about „candle light dinners“ and „living history tours“ in front of him. But there have been no dinners for years. No tourists either. We ask Saleh, 31, when the last holidaymaker visited Mtoni ruins, the precious remains of the oldest and grandest sultan palace in Zanzibar. „No tourists today, last week and last month also none“, the jobless tour guide replied dryly. This sounds rather strange, since the palace ruins stand right next to the imposing Hotel Verde, about five kilometres north of Zanzibar City. But the non-alcoholic 5-star resort seems to have other priorities like an aqua fun park. Built in the ocean against environmentalists’ warnings the plastic attraction did not survive currents and winds; a replacement in the parking lot is also meanwhile defunct.
Mbweni – a school
for freed slave girls
A different picture presents itself to us on the southern outskirts of Zanzibar city where the Mbweni ruins, delicate remains of a former convent and 19th century school for freed girl slaves, are presently being integrated into a new hotel, “Jungle Paradise”. After several ownership changes and years of neglect, the historic floors are now swept and clean again; bougainvillea entwines on old walls. “With 670 plant and tree species, among them 200 different kinds of palm trees, we plan to open a botanical garden soon”, explains new hotel owner Christian Rockenbauer, who took over the premises recently.
The 46-year-old German immediately restored the old 120-metre-pier going into the Indian Ocean, opened a new sunset bar and generally overhauled the tired-looking former Protea premises, one of the few west coast hotels with a proper beach.
After-work events on Fridays and a brunch club now attract a young crowd. “The Mbweni ruins are one of our main attractions,” Chris Rock explains to me, “we will definitely incorporate them; the old chapel is ideal for weddings.”
How many orphaned girls may have dreamt of their own weddings here in the former Victorian St. Mary’s School? Freed from captured slave dhows between 1870 and1900, they were trained as teachers, in basketry, stitching and cooking. In 1906 the school, incorporating an old Arab house, became a convent. The two-storey complex later deteriorated into a ruin but the chapel, whilst lacking a roof, is intact and has even been used for yoga classes some time ago.
Why is Mtoni palace
forgotten?
The Mtoni Palace ruins on the other hand, two kilometres north of Maruhubi, look deserted although the remains, overgrown with grass, still look impressive: several private hamams, an aqueduct which once brought chem-chem mountainwater to “Beit il Mtoni” and a regal inner courtyard. When THE FUMBA TIMES photographer Keegan Cheick let his drone fly over the structures, the old palace layout became clearly distinguishable. „We used to take care of the palace, even provided concepts for its future use which were all rejected by the government. Then we returned the monument to the government in 2018“, manager Nasheeb Uddin of Bakhresa-owned Hotel Verde explains.
The weathered grey stone labyrinth right on the shore of the Indian Ocean, the oldest palace in Zanzibar, was home to Sultan Seyyid Said (1806-1856), his only legitimate wife, 75 concubines and 36 children. In its heyday, around a thousand people, most of them slaves, lived here, among them the sultan’s youngest daughter Princess Salme who later became famous when she escaped to Germany with a German merchant. Explorer Richard Burton described the royal home as “half castle, half chateau” with “a quaint Gothic look”. “Most of the day”, Salme alias Emily Ruete wrote in her memoirs from 1886, “we were playing around with peacocks, or resting in one of the many steam rooms in the large bath tract.” After the sultan’s death the palace lost its importance.
Tourism minister Lela Mussa:
“Will make Mtoni a museum”
I am meeting the man who knows many historical details about the site and successfully ran it some time as a cultural event spot. Tonino, as everybody calls him, is Italian and a long-time Zanzibar entrepreneur. “Concept? Nobody had a concept!” he indignantly exclaims, when I report my findings at Hotel Verde to him. “All they had planned was to put aluminium windows in the ancient coral palace walls.” That, luckily, didn’t happen - but nothing else either. When contacted by THE FUMBA TIMES, Zanzibar’s new Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Lela Muhamed Mussa, however now announced: “We are going to revive Mtoni and turn it into a museum”. The restoration would be “part of a bigger cooperation with Oman to restore all major monuments”, the minister said.
Historic Stone Town, UNESCO-protected since 2000, has seen many attempts at restoration efforts, but UNESCO strongly criticised Zanzibar for “mismanagement of cultural heritage” in 2016. The premier monument in town, the House of Wonder built in 1883, collapsed last Christmas Day.
Nostalgic tours
in conkey carts
Mtoni was not always forgotten. Between 2000 and 2015, the ruins were full of life, attached to the Mtoni Marine Hotel, the popular forerunner of Hotel Verde. “We had hundreds of Taarab concerts there, fashion shows and lectures”, recalls Antonio “Tonino” Garau, 56: “In Italy culture drives tourism, we did the same in Zanzibar then.” Stefanie Schoetz, the Dutch owner of traditional Mrembo Spa, drove tourists around in a thatched cart pulled by a donkey during nostalgic tours in the tracks of Princess Salme. She even got the Netherlands involved in drafting an elaborate 28-page architectural “Sketch for a future life” in Mtoni. But somehow it all died off. “You need an investor with a cultural awareness for such activities”, Tonino sums up the ensuing story of neglect.
”It is vital for Zanzibar to preserve a tangible reminder of their past”, historians support that view in a picture book, he co-authored, simply called “Mtoni” (2010). It can only be hoped that politicians and investors of today wake-up to that message before nothing of the heritage is left.
Rotary Club of Zanzibar
“Small but
highly active”
Projects worth $100,000 in the pipeline
By staff writer
Helping expecting mums to experience a healthy pregnancy. Preventing breast cancer. Bringing Karate to kids. The new, all-female Rotary board of Zanzibar explains the club’s new projects, vision and strength.
With only 18 or so active members but hundreds of generous supporters collecting yearly more than $30,000 dollars at fundraising events, the Zanzibar Rotary Club is considered a small but “highly active club”, as outgoing chairman Michael Nelson said. And indeed, recognised “as the most diverse club” in East Africa, it administers a total annual budget of around $100,000 to projects and individuals in need.
But what exactly is supported and how is the outlook of a modern Rotary Club today? Time to sit down with Zanzibar’s new all female Rotary board.
New club president Bernadette Kirsch is well known to THE FUMBA TIMES readers by her permaculture activities in Fumba. Secretary Shireen Jivi is owner of the “Simply IT” company; new treasurer Daniela Brenco an Italian-born marketing professional who took over Zanzibar Palace Hotel in Stone Town.
Recently, three significant new local Rotary initiatives have been launched for women and kids. But smaller activities receive attention, too. A big joy for disabled students, for instance, are regular music lessons with teachers of the Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA).
It is a typical trait of Rotary, that clubs from all over the world help and fund one another. The Rotary club of Zanzibar has been lucky to receive “quite some attention by other clubs”, President Bernadette Kirsch noted.
Finding money – a problem?
Contrary to what most people may think, “finding funds is not the biggest challenge, but often finding the right projects for willing sponsors”, knows treasurer Daniela Brenco. To start with, “ties to the community” are “all important” to identify where help is really needed, she says. The Rotary Club of Zanzibar has “a strict assessment procedure in place to screen aspiring projects,” explains president Kirsch. Rotary started as the vision of one man – Paul Harris. The attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1905 to help people in need through professional expertise. The commitment endures today with 1,2 million members in 35,000 clubs. The name came about because of rotating club meetings in the beginning. The Rotary club of Zanzibar was founded in 2005 – three new projects will be carried out this year.
Wajamama: Healthy mamas,
happy babies
Mbweni, a favourite expat hub and suburb of Zanzibar city, is home to many things but also to an unusual women wellness centre for the community. Founded and run by Nafisa Jiddawi, a well-known primary care clinician, the Wajamama centre is assisted by Rotary in a program for pregnant women from vulnerable groups and their babies. The women receive education and personalised care throughout their pregnancies. More than 700 women are expected to benefit from the high-quality prenatal care per year. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of maternal deaths in Zanzibar occur during and immediately after childbirth. “Group prenatal care with fitness programs and clinical visits are essential for healthy deliveries”, says Jiddawi. “We promote healthier pregnancies and, down the road, healthier lives of women and children in a low resource setting.” Wajamama stands for Watoto (children), Jamii (community) and Mama. Founder Nafisa Jiddawi, herself a mother of three, excelled in co-ordinating a massive and speedy response to the Covid pandemic, with education and wash-stations across Zanzibar in 2020.
Why Karate is good for kids
Martial arts such as Karate, Aikido and Judo are a great way to stay fit and healthy, but also teach children important skills such as self-discipline and patience in a fun and healthy environment. The Zanzibar Martial Arts Club is a newly born association, formed in 2020. The community outreach project “Budo for a reason (BORA Project)” was formed by martial arts teacher Vadim Dormidontov who says: “Martial arts is second worldwide after football. We know Zanzibari are very interested in it.” Rotary supports martial arts programs in three schools here.
Helping to prevent breast cancer
95 per cent of breast cancer is curable when detected early. “In Zanzibar women detect it too late, therefore the mortality is high”, says Dr. Jenny Bouraima. Under her lead a first “breast cancer awareness and early treatment programme” is currently being launched with the help of Zanzibar’s Rotary Club. It involves the teaching of self-examination, setting up recurrent and on-going breast cancer consultations and training of local radiologists and physicians. The awaited Rotary grant of $90,000 will also cover technical equipment for biopsies. “We want to interrupt the vicious circle of late discovery and death”, explains Dr. Bouraima, head of the Urban Care clinic in Fumba Town. An initial pilot study will involve 600 women to establish more data on breast cancer in Zanzibar.
Rotary – too old fashioned
for the internet age?
To become “directly and personally involved is very rewarding”, says board member Daniela Brenco. “We are all strongly embedded in our communities”, she adds, “we are not expats in an ivory tower.” Members such as Eleanor Griplas, one of the founders of Rotary Zanzibar and owner of Safari Blue, have set examples for many years with intense community involvement in Zanzibar. Describing Rotary’s involvement in Zanzibar Bernadette Kirsch uses a simple comparison: “We are just like the nice aunt helping a poor family with children, but we are not replacing the parents.” The permaculture expert is set to bring more sustainability to Rotary’s engagement here.
For a child like Biko Rotary’s help has already shown a lasting effect: The 10-year-old boy has Spina Bifida and is wheelchair bound, no government school in Zanzibar was able to accommodate his extra needs. The club has donated his school fees at the Kiwengwa International School (KINS) for many years and teachers are happy to report: “Biko is a very bright student full of fun and eager to learn.”
Fumba for everybody
Beautiful homes at convenient rates in Fumba Town – Studio rentals from $150
By Andrea Tapper
Living light is the new buzzword in Zanzibar. Affordable apartments for sale and rent in a clean and safe environment attract more and more people to the growing seaside development Fumba Town.
Sharmin Esmail tightly holds onto her tape measure. The town manager knows: Every centimetre counts in a home with about 21 square metre living space. And yet, furnished with a queen size bed handmade of coconut wood, a matching corner couch with inviting cushions in African colours, a dining table for two, a cabinet for clothes and home office, the new mini apartments in Fumba Town are renting out faster than they can be built. Inspecting practical drawers under the bed and couch, nurse Rachel, 28, seems happy with her home-to-be, and so is Omar, 27, a sales agent wanting to settle in Zanzibar for at least two years. “This is exactly what I was looking for”, he said, his mobile constantly ringing – obviously a man on the move.
Starting at a rent of $150, the mini units are perfect for a younger, aspiring clientele. “Fumba Town is not only for foreigners and rich people”, stresses Tobias Dietzold, COO of CPS, the German developer behind the project, “we are constantly widening our portfolio to enable ever larger parts of the local community to enjoy the Fumba lifestyle.” 900 residential units are sold, occupied or under construction. Eventually, the green dream town will house 3000 residential units, from apartments to town houses and chic villas. The first house was handed over in 2018.
Every inch and corner of the new Fumba mini homes – available also unfurnished – is intelligently equipped with ample built-in storage space. The kitchenette near the entrance has a toaster oven, a two-plate cooker and fridge; a fully tiled bathroom with shower and toilet offers enough space for toiletries and towels in wooden wall fittings. “Such a studio is ideal for one person”, explains town manager Esmail, “for young professionals or students. Busy all day, they want a convenient and safe place to crash at night. The refrigerator is bigger than a hotel bar fridge; you can prepare a simple meal in your own kitchen and afterwards relax in your totally private space.”
The concept of comfy living space at very affordable rates is new for Zanzibar, even for East Africa. The Fumba homes are part and parcel of a top-notch contemporary infrastructure with high-speed Wifi, permaculture gardens, waste recycling, clean drinking water and 24/7 safety. Overlooking palms and moringa trees, five shiny-white apartment buildings with balconies and large windows appear practically from nowhere when visitors approach Fumba Town near the village Nyamanzi. The seaside estate stretches out on 160 acres along the Indian Ocean only 18 kilometres south-west of Zanzibar City and 15 kilometres away from the airport.
“Some five years ago all this was just a dream, a vision on the drawing board”, says one of the chief developers of the project, Tobias Dietzold. Now there’s a school, a fully operating clinic, a colourful Adobe-playground and at night, most windows in the new buildings are lit. During the day one can watch house owners driving up in pick-ups, loaded with fridges, mattresses and lampshades. Each four-storey apartment block in Fumba Town houses 16 to 24 apartments. Nine more blocks are already under construction making it a total of around 300 new living units coming up. “Until the end of the year, we will bring about 50 studios for rent on the market”, says town developer Tobias Dietzold, “on top of that 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units.” All property in Fumba Town is individually owned; the owners can furnish and rent out their property supported by a town management rental scheme (see box).
“From the beginning it was our concept to provide equitable living space for a whole range of income groups”, says Sebastian Dietzold who in cooperation with his wife Katrin and brother Tobias started Fumba Town. “Sure, not every house will be seafront, but all have the same infrastructure comfort”, adds Tobias Dietzold. The brothers, who grew up in Tanzania, promise: “We’ll open up Fumba Town even further with yet more affordable living concepts.”
Meanwhile, after making her first coffee in her new studio and enjoying her sea view, tenant Rachel has one more question: “Will it be safe for me to return here at night?” Town Manager Sharmin Esmail does not hesitate to reassure her: “Being a single woman myself I know how important safety is. With CCTV cameras and patrolling guards, Fumba Town is every bit your secure home away from home.”
3 questions to the town manager
Sharmin Esmail about the advantages of Fumba Town:
.
What can I rent? With more and more housing being completed, new rentals are coming on the market almost daily, among them 50 furnished or unfurnished studio apartments, 1- and 2-bedroom apartments and townhouses with up to 5 bedrooms. Fumba Town is a new seaside town, only 20 minutes drive away from Zanzibar City. We provide quality living with a complete infrastructure for all budgets. And we have beautiful sunsets here!
How much is the rent?
Studio apartments start at $150, 1 bedroom apartments at $250, 2 bedrooms are available from $350. Townhouses with 2-5 bedrooms start from $450.
Can I also buy a budget home? Anybody, local or foreigner, can purchase units in Fumba Town with a 99-year lease. Prices start as low as $25,900 for a studio apartment and go up to 300.000 and more for a villa. More than 900 homes have been sold as investments, holiday homes or permanent homes. We offer furnishing and rental packages for homeowners.