#My Ramadan “My detox from alot of things”

Is it hard to stay without water? Can you actually work? Are tourists welcome? Hafsa Mbamba, prominent Zanzibari career woman and mum, explains how she personally practices the highlight of the Muslim calendar.

THE FUMBA TIMES: Can you tell us about your Ramadan routine – between office and family?

Hafsa Mbamba: A lot of things change during Ramadan. It helps living in Zanzibar where the whole society adapts to this special time in Muslim faith. We are allowed to leave work earlier, usually at 2:30pm and by then you may actually feel a bit worn-out and tired, having had no drinks and food since sunrise. So we go home, prepare Iftar, the daily fast-breaking meal. I am not much into cooking and am happy to have household help. Sometimes I cook one special dish. The evening is a special time for family gatherings and visiting relatives and friends. In my family we stay mostly at home, but on weekends we join my only living grandmother for Iftar. I come from a lineage of very strong women. You could say I am a feminist but I am also very spiritual. We hold night prayers, read the Koran, Ramadan is a time to be more giving. As a family, we started a “Ramadan basket” to support the less fortunate in 2014.

I usually go to bed early, and after a short night it’s getting up at 4am when you can take your breakfast before the sun rises. My small daughters at their age do not practise Ramadan yet, but the older one sometimes tries to miss out on a meal; you slowly introduce your children to it. It’s like trying for a marathon. Fasting is an almost invisible act. It makes me feel connected to my inner soul. I feel really elevated. It’s certainly not sleep-all-day, and eat-all- night. Who could do that holding a job? I still have to be alive and functioning.

Is it hard to stay without water the whole day?

Actually it’s only 12 hours. It’s important to keep your body hydrated. I drink at least eight glasses of water between waking up and going out. I take vitamins and other supplements. We have delicious rich smoothies with healthy fruits like moringa and baobab, or oat milk with banana and dates, that keeps me going up to 2pm. Some visitors ask, if the veil is not terribly hot or uncomfortable? Well, you try different materials, different colours like with any other clothes.

What is the essence of Ramadan to you?

For me it’s like a detox. A detox from a lot of things. I become more conscious about what I say, think and do. It’s like a reset button for my thoughts. Isn’t that why people go to yoga retreats? It’s me-time. I grew up in a very libertarian society, in Scandinavia. My parents made no difference between boys and girls, especially my father who taught me everything from using tools to painting a house. Islam gives women the freedom to be active, contrary to what many believe. My husband also supports me in my job.

Are tourists welcome during this time?

Certainly, why not? With 2o years of experience in tourism I would actually say, Ramadan can showcase the authentic Zanzibar; cultures are more present, big hotels prepare beautiful Iftars. Of course, you don’t run in a bikini through Stone Town, but you don’t do that in the Vatican either! I did not cover up before I came to Zanzibar. Instead I had an Afro before it was in fashion! Now I wear the hijab like a crown; anybody can straight away identify me as a Muslim woman. My personality has come out more wearing a scarf, I am not constantly defined by my haircut or my clothes.

Hafsa Mbamba currently is Tourism Portfolio Manager at the Presidential Delivery Unit under State House. This interview with her was first published in The Fumba Times in March 2023.