conservation, globalization, grassroots resistance... and monkeys!!

last time i wrote anything down was late Wednesday night. since then i've visited 3 villages, stayed with families there, interviewed an eco-tour guide, learned about conservation efforts to preserve the native evergreen and mangrove forests, and witnessed a man free-climb a 50-foot coconut palm while shouting (in Kiswahili), "if you are in the toilet, cover yourself. i am climbing and i can see you!" this is regarded as standard courtesy.

on Wednesday afternoon we toured the village of Kizimkazi with the local school's headmaster. we saw a 900 year-old mosque, entered a cave with a small monolith resembling a young woman that holds spiritual significance for the local people, and explored the quaint fishing harbor. the people here still use traditional outrigger canoes powered by wind or push-pole, since a gas engine is both expensive and disturbs the fish. most of the fishing is subsistence-based. that's me with one of the sail-less canoes. and yes, i am wearing my "sustain ubc" t-shirt, standard Tanner travel attire for all locations, although it is beginning to show the wear and tear, the latter being manifested quite literally in some spots. others call it raggish - i call it "breathable".

early Thursday morning my group jumped into a little motorboat with snorkel gear and chugged off up the coast in search of dolphin pods. sure enough, we found them, and i was able to spend a good 20 minutes or so diving around and swimming between the playful bottlenose. pretty hard to believe this is my school. i was able to take some pretty awesome pictures with my friend's underwater camera, but i don't have them on me so you'll have to wait. later that day we drove from Kizimkazi (South-West coast of Zanzibar island) to Jozani-Chokwa Bay National Park, where we hiked through jungles filled with the rare red colobus monkey, as seen below.

we stayed with families in the local village of Pete, and were honored guests of a communal drum-and-dance circle that evening.

on Friday we spent the morning talking with a few environmental groups who were attempting to create solutions that met the needs of the local communities as well as the conservation effort. although their efforts are commendable, the practices did not seem entirely sound and their funding relies on both external donors and the tourism sector, so sustainability is questionable. at noon we took our dala-dala to the final stop, the village of Jambiani on the East Coast. our host and eco-tour guide, Kassim, enthusiastically showed us around the village and some of the community cooperatives in play there. we talked with seaweed farmers (see picture below), women trying to make a living outside of the home and independent of their husbands. we also met several other community members who were searching for ways to sustain their local culture, economy, and civil rights in the midst of government corruption and the onslaught of foreign tourist investment dollars. there are not that many hotels on the beach yet, but the resorts that do exist are almost entirely owned by Europeans or Americans, employ imported labor, and exert a lot of power on local politics. for example, some resorts prohibit the local fisherman from using the beach in front of their property. despite all of the struggles, the people are incredibly kind, warm-hearted, and willing to talk with us curious (and very self-conscious) students.

yesterday morning i woke up early to see the sun rise over the Indian Ocean. actually, i woke up at 4 am to the crow of the rooster next door and the rats scurrying about my room, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the awe-inspiring scene. after breakfast we met with a medicine man whose family has been practicing for 400 years. the plethora of spices and herbs on the island make for all kinds of remedies and concoctions.

it was difficult to leave the serenity of the beach, but we had to return to Stone Town and our homestays yesterday afternoon. plus, i was in dire need of a shower (most of the bathrooms i encountered during the last few days consisted of little more than a hole in the concrete and a bucket of water to wash your hands). i decided to take last night and today for myself to relax, reflect, and express.