Zanzibar: Idd Festival

Our first night in Stonetown was the first night if the Idd celebrations. The community was celebrating the end of Ramadan, the period reflection and fasting for the Islamic community.
We headed over to the field, Mnazi Moja grounds, not far down from out hotel. From the outside it looked like any American street festival. There were tents everywhere, lights, and the smell of cooking food. Once I was inside the festival area, I saw similarities and differences. The similarities were pretty obvious. There were lots of children running around vendors of various kinds set-up selling all sorts of things. The main items for sale were food, specifically chipsi and kabobs, and lots of toys. There were no game booths and there were whole families playing together, dressed in their best clothes. All of the little girls were dressed up like princesses and brothers were dressed in little matching outfits. There was more sparkle on the ladies headscarves and dresses than a Vegas stage show. As we meandered through the festival grounds everyone was in a celebratory mood. Friendly smiling faces asked us over and over if this was our first Idd celebration. It was a nice evening out in Stonetown. It was a great chance to see interactions among families and the general community.

It felt safe and comfortable to be in the middle of this crowd. I’ve discovered that anywhere that children are present and safe, I feel safe. I enjoyed the time mixing and blending in a tiny bit. Most people were so busy with their celebrations that little attention was paid to us by adults. The children on the other hand were fascinated by the sight of three mzungu women walking through the crowd. They followed us asking for candy and money and giggling excitedly.

It felt a teeny bit like home too. I missed the Greek Festival and the Puyallup Fair this fall. It was my bit of the fall festivities. Not quite the same at home, but enough to help me not miss it so much.

This festival is one more piece of socialization that is used to reinforce cultural identity. Creating and reinforcing the culture and religious identity. The community seems to be really close knit. Part of that closeness is the shared occasions and close living quarters. When you live stacked on top of one another and squished in side by side, it is hard not to encounter people. In doing so you learn about their lives.

Current American suburbs have nice partitions that keep people from bumping into each other and communicating. It takes effort to cross the barriers. In Tanzania, and definitely in Stonetown, it is expected that you know your neighbors and communicate with them. The environment and culture are conducive to it.

Going home, and taking part oft his experience with me means making a point to chat with the girls who live on my floor, leaving my door open to invite passersby to say hello, and remembering important days and making them special. It isn’t something that is foreign to me. I know that recently, I’ve let life crowd out people and focus me on tasks. I want to be a relational person. Being in the situations reminds me that there is a different way to live.