“My island is fascinating”

My Zanzibar

In this column, THE FUMBA TIMES asks residents and prominent fans of the island to show us Zanzibar through their eyes – from personal happy places to must-try-restaurants and standout attractions. This time we present insider tips by none other than Zanzibar’s Tourism Minister, Mudrik R. Soraga

Tourism Minister: Hon. Mudrik R. Soraga

Horseriding, sky-diving, scuba diving – Zanzibar’s young and agile Minister of Tourism and Heritage is a sports fan. Before becoming tourism minister one-and-a-half years ago, the father of three children was investment minister and created a resident permit for foreign investors who buy a house above $100,000 here. The 40-year-old started his career as a diplomatic attaché in Comoros in 2009. He studied political and economic development in Idaho, US, and Arusha. For us, he parted with his best-kept secrets about top spots in Zanzibar!  His office website: www.utaliismz.go.tz

01 Swimming with turtles

This is my place to relax. The Salaam cave in Kizimkazi takes care of turtles and oversees the hatching of their eggs. Visitors can swim with the big gentle creatures in crystal clear water. It’s an excellent conservation project, and Kizimkazi at the south end of Zanzibar is a nice snorkelling area. We have celebrated several birthdays of our kids here. salaamcavetours.com

02 Home, sweet home

I live with my wife Bahati and our three children in a new green city called Fumba Town near the capital and airport. Especially here in Africa, some people are surprised when they hear that as a minister I don’t live in a golden villa but in the midst of a colourful international community. My wife and I feel it’s ideal for us! We love the safety and playgrounds for our kids, the clinic and supermarket within. For us it’s authentic! And of course, as the Tourism Minister, I’m happy that many foreigners buy beautiful holiday homes here.

fumba.town

03 Sunday picnic on the farm

I grew up on the Msonge Family Farm just outside Zanzibar City where my mum organises the most amazing Sunday picnics for visitors, with abundant organic food and a violinist playing serenades. People come from all over the world to the traditional farm-to-table feast, sitting on woven mkekas, sipping coconut water and trying original Swahili recipes from mchicha ya nazi (spinach in coconut) to barbecue chicken. Growing-up in an extended family taught me many life lessons: commitment, hard work, discipline. “Stick to the task” my mum and dad, whom you see on the photo, told us every day, a quality which has served me well even as a minister! And I learnt to care for the environment on the farm. My mother has invented a green delivery service called pakacha for Zanzibar and heads the Practical Permaculture Institute where she teaches out-of-school girls organic farming. But I know she is most happy when she can sit on the lawn on Sundays and chat with everybody!

Ig: #msongeorganicfarm

+255 754 536630

04 Culture Club

Here you see my daughters Jasmin, 10, and Leyla, 7, practising violin. Only our five-year old boy Jahim has not yet learnt to play an instrument. The other day I took them to a concert of a Russian violinist at the Hyatt. They were impressed. It’s important to expose kids to culture. And there’s lots of it in Zanzibar. For holiday makers, I’d suggest visiting the Dhow Countries Music Academy, our hot annual music festival Sauti za Busara in February and the film festival ZIFF. We Zanzibaris do love our heritage!

busaramusic.org

05 Sport for everybody

I try to run five kilometres in the morning – well, I don’t succeed every day. I love snorkelling with my girls at high tide in Fumba. Kitesurfing is the big thing to do in Paje, since the sea is shallow, even beginners can’t fail. We have new padel courts in Nungwi near the airport and are building one right in Stone Town. Some travellers love spearfishing. I tried scuba-diving to understand more about overfishing – but I must admit, I like any sport!