July 22, 2025

Ronaldinho Match Postponed to Avoid Clash with CHAN Tournament

It already got many fans excited and asking for tickets, but the hotly anticipated soccer match between Ronaldinho and other international football stars against a Zanzibar all-star team has been postponed, it was officially announced. The match, previously scheduled for 27 July 2025, was set to be a highlight of the season (as earlier reported by The Fumba Times).

Labelled the “Match of the Legends,” the event has been postponed to avoid overlapping with the African Nations Championship (CHAN) — a major international tournament recognized by FIFA and CAF. A new date for Ronaldinho’s visit and the friendly match has not yet been released. Organisers stated that the event is postponed until further notice.

In the meantime, football fans across East Africa will still have plenty to cheer for.

The African Nations Championship (CHAN) matches will take place from 2 August to 30 August 2025. Commonly abbreviated as CHAN, this biennial African association football tournament is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and features national teams made up exclusively of players who play in their home country’s domestic leagues.

The much-anticipated event will be hosted across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zanzibar, marking a historic moment for the region, which has not hosted the CHAN tournament since 2016.

Tanzania has been given the honour of staging the opening match of the tournament at the iconic Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, August 2, 2025.

Zanzibar will also take centre stage, with the Amaan Stadium selected to host Group D matches, featuring exciting showdowns between Senegal, Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria.

Football dates and tickets are now available and can be accessed through the official CAF link:
https://www.cafonline.com/media/ifggf4h2/match_schedule_totalenergies_caf_african-nations-championship_2024.pdf

So while fans may have to wait a little longer for Ronaldinho, they can still enjoy a month full of world-class football right at their doorstep.

November 14, 2025

Two Perfect Weekend Escapes

Travel tips for 48 hours in Nungwi and the East Coast North There’s nothing like a change of scenery – even in beautiful Zanzibar. With lots of new places and improved roads, it’s time to explore. Zanzibar’s two most noteworthy coastlines – the North with Nungwi and Kendwa, and the South-East with about 30 km

November 4, 2025

The LUXURY Race: Who wins?

Should Zanzibar become like the Maldives? The government says yes. Names of newly planned high-class tourism attractions come up constantly. Three ventures seem to stand the best chance of realization – we have checked in with their creators. The Burj: World’s tallest timber tower The highest-priced units were gone first. If you have been

October 27, 2025

Can a pool be ECO-FRIENDLY?

For 25 years, Blue Oyster hotel, one of the oldest and greenest family hotels in Zanzibar, had no pool for environmental reasons. Now they do. How does that add up? Among the biggest environmental concerns in Zanzibar is high water usage by tourists and hotels; village wells have run dry because of too many hotels

October 20, 2025

“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

October 13, 2025

Crafting the future together

Neema: built on empathy and good taste Looking for cosy cushions, stylish lamp shades or casual furniture for your home? Once you spot the label “Neema”, don’t go any further. In Iringa’s ochre-light afternoons, a low hum of looms, lathes and laughter spills from Neema Crafts – a workshop where modern Tanzanian design is crafted

October 6, 2025

The DJ with a band: DJ Kassim taking Zanzibar by storm

When turntables alone started boring him, he looked for some musicians. And formed Zanzibar’s best band. We have a date and he is punctual to the minute. We have been wondering where to do the interview, and he has prepared a comfortable setting in his mini bus taking us to his beach gig at

September 29, 2025

Zanzibar’s 7 best museums

Marvels of memory revealing the island’s multicultural soul and local treasures: Freddie Mercury – Shy rock star The sea breeze along Kenyatta Road carries faint echoes of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The unassuming 50s style Stone Town home, now bookable as holiday apartments by the Tembo Hotel, is where Farrokh Bulsara spent his boyhood before becoming Freddie

September 22, 2025

Fresh academics

India’s best university has produced the first class of graduates in Zanzibar. “Salemalaikum” and “Namaste” were two greetings heard during the festive ceremony celebrating the successful ending of the first master’s class by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) Zanzibar. The institute opened in Fumba in November 2023. 16 graduates received their degrees in