Zanzibar under the microscope

Dutch writer and safari guide unveils the island’s hidden secrets

She was attacked by an elephant and has no fear of walking the streets of Stone Town in the middle of the night. Is Caroline Langevoord braver than others? Hardly so. “It’s safer here than in many other places,” the long-time resident says, sharing her insights into daily island life in a new book, “Zanzibar in 365 stories”.

The question comes quickly. “Is there anything you don’t like about Zanzibar?” During her recent, well-attended book launch in Stone Town, Caroline Langevoord paused for a minute. “Definitely”, she replied after a short moment, “I don’t like the blackouts.” The book delves deeper: What makes power cuts and frequent electricity shedding so disturbing in the tropics is not sitting in the dark (people use their mobiles for light) but having to endure the heat without a fan! These are simple realisations, but few visitors to the isle of hakuna matata (Swahili for “no problem”) will be aware of them. The tiny phenomena of everyday life, paired with substantial knowledge about Africa, are the backbone of Langevoord’s storytelling. Her collection of micro-short stories, often less than a page, sheds light on just about everything from customs to recipes, from Freddie Mercury’s birthday to the pole-pole-mentality – one topic and one day at a time. Gently, the writer and photographer, who left an advertising career in Amsterdam to come to Africa, dissects the puzzle of a fascinating world. Sometimes the topics match the date, like on New Year’s; often they are random.“It’s not a diary, and it’s not a calendar”, the author says, adding that she is “quite proud of the format”. It’s a book one picks up, and gets back to another day. She researched the internet for days to find any travel book with a similar structure – there wasn’t.

We meet at her rooftop apartment, a simple place full of plants and books, overlooking the Mkunazini part of Stone Town. In her almost 15 years of living here, she had to confront severe illness. Today she says: “Zanzibar is my home, Holland is my place of birth.” Even a life-threatening encounter with an elephant mum in Samburu National Park in Kenya, which attacked her with her tusks on the chin and arms, did not decrease her affection for wildlife: “It was just bad luck”, she says. Langevoord became an official safari guide, the only Dutch woman in that position, and published her first book ”Bush life”.

• “Swahili is tough”

She wrote her new book in Dutch, then translated it into English. She never mastered Swahili, despite making close local friends here, the writer in her mid-fifties frankly admits. “As much as I tried, it remained a struggle.” She did pick up some Swahili cooking, though. Was she afraid of certain topics like religion or politics? “But no”, she says, “I never meant to deal in detail with history or politics; others have done that better.” Her focus is the nuances of life between tourist beaches and mosques. While enjoying most of it, something she finds irritating up to today:  the often-heard calls of mzungu – Swahili for white people – in the streets.  “No matter how innocent the intention, it makes me feel like an outsider.” A. Tapper

Book Tips: 6 good reads about Zanzibar

• ZANZIBAR IN 365 STORIES

Fresh from the printer, Caroline Langevoord takes you on a year-long journey across the island (see feature on the left).

• FROM SANSIBAR WITH LOVE

A love story and guide to contemporary Africa, the memoir by THE FUMBA TIMES editor-in-chief Andrea Tapper, written in German, is a popular read.

• SWAHILI KITCHEN

If you love good photography and cuisine, this book will open up Swahili culture. By Elie Loseleben and Javed Jafferji, the island‘s best photo documentarists.

• SEA LEVEL

Intricate illustrations by design artist Sarah Markes capture the island’s charm and heritage as seen today perfectly – a great coffee table book.

• MEMOIRS OF AN ARABIAN PRINCESS

Famous Sultan’s daughter Princess Salme, who ran away with a Hanseatic merchant in 1866, with an early reflection on multiculturalism.

• BIBI KIDUDE

African music history would be incomplete without the portrait of the Zanzibar Taarab legend who was still dancing at 100 years. Outstanding

Best bookshops in Zanzibar: RECYCLE @International Airport departure;

MEMORIES, Stone Town. – “Zanzibar in 365 Stories” also available at Amali boutique and Chako Glass (both in Stone Town); most books also available online.