Kizimkazi
Kizimkazi was Zanzibar’s first capital and is in fact the oldest village on Unguja Island. The village is also one place reknowned for the practice of uganga, or magic, though most travellers will have a better chance of seeing dolphins than sorcery. Both bottlenose and humpback dolphins live in the waters surrounding the village coastline; several large pods cruise the Menai Bay area. Tourists can see the south coast by local dhow, even swimming with the dolphins if you are lucky enough to catch them. The ornate mosque of Kizimkazi is also the oldest building in East Africa, dating from its founding in the year 1101AD and is well worth a look.
It is said that the name Kizimkazi is derived from a Mr Kizi Mkazi (or ‘Kizi the Worker’). Kizi was the fabled slave of Mfaume Kiza, the founding king of Kizimkazi. Kizi built the town under the direction of the king and his work was so good that a neighborhood chief desired to have him. He asked Mfaume Kiza for him but the king refused and so the chief prepared for war. His dhows anchored in Ras Masoni, just south of Vundwe Island. At the time Kiza was building on the shore and saw the dhows and he prayed for help, so clouds of bees swarmed the shore, driving the invaders away. The chief however was not deterred by the swarms and he prepared a second expedition to capture Kizi. He marched overland and reached the town. Realising he had been defeated, King Kiza spitefully cut off of one Kizi’s hands so his skills could not be used by the invading chief. Then fearful that he would be captured, the king prayed and a nearby rock opened up, and he disappeared into it never to be seen again. The invading chief arrived to see Kizi without a hand and he returned to the village without a workman. Not much is said about Kizi’s career afterwards. The rock where Mfaume Kiza disappeared is still regarded very superstitiously in Kizimkazi.
Kizimkazi now has a burgeoning tourist scene, with a range of hotels to suit different budgets, from backpackers to luxury tourists. The diving in the area is relatively undeveloped, meaning you can go out on dives and rarely see another group of divers in the same spot.
