Blogs

Sauti za Busara director Yusuf speaks to the press. Photo: Pernille Baerendtsen Read more »

Boko-Boko (Meat porridge)

I remember the first time I ever tried this classic dish, known also in Arabic as Harees, at a friend's mother-in-law's house. Effectively a meat porridge, it takes some getting used to if you haven't tried something like this before, but it's a tasty, nourishing and filling dish that can be made with chicken, goat or lamb.

This recipe is designed to feed family, friends and neighbours. Cook it with an open heart! Read more »

This is not Peter Gostelow's first time in Zanzibar. The cyclist, who is crossing Africa to raise money to fight malaria on the continent, was here ten years ago, and denies that the place has changed much. Read more »

Sometimes a photo speaks louder than words. This picture of MV Spice Islander (the further boat), taken by our Indian intern Nipun Srivastava, has an elegiac quality. 'Too much feeling'. All over Zanzibar now: too much feeling, too much pain, not knowing when we will feel whole again.

RIP all those who died and let's all work together to help the survivors, bereaved families and for this never to happen again.

Since I've been engulfed in Swahili over the last few years, I've heard it in some unexpected places. After connecting cable TV in my house in Zanzibar, I'm watching movies I never would have otherwise, and Swahili seems to be the 'go-to' foreign/ethnic/tribal language in Hollywood. It's an interesting use of a language once known as the 'language of civilization' or 'Kiungwana'. Read more »