News Feed | The Soul Zanzibar

September 14, 2022

Africa’s best architect

Tree house for a parliament The Pritzker prize for architects is what the Oscar is for Hollywood stars. In 2022, for the first time an African architect won the most prestigious award. Diébédo Francis Kéré from Burkina Faso is known for innovative buildings made of ancient material such as clay and wood and for his […]

September 14, 2022

Thumbs up for underwater lab

Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. And yet, in Zanzibar they are diminishing at an alarming speed. In Mnemba, corals are now artificially re-grown. Corals are critically important ecosystems hosting more than 25 per cent of all marine life. Their decline threatens local livelihoods, fisheries and tourism. The pressures on Zanzibar’s reefs mirror […]

September 14, 2022

Princess Pamunda

EXCLUSIVE How Zanzibar will turn small islands into big-time holiday spots 19 small islands are to become prime luxury hideaways. THE FUMBA TIMES was given exclusive access to the amazing plans for the first of them, Pamunda A and B. Meet Lukáš Šinogl, the new prince of – well, not Zamunda – but Pamunda. The […]

April 20, 2021

"Let's Bring The Old Glory Back"

A fresh start, a young cabinet: 36-year-old Hon. Mudrik Ramadhan Soraga is one of the promising talents of Zanzibar’s new government elected in October. Frank and open-minded, the Minister of Labour, Economy and Investment spoke to THE FUMBA TIMES about the planned mega-port, business incentives and called Zanzibar “one of the world’s hottest investment locations”. […]

February 9, 2021

Own A Piece Of Paradise

The sea shimmers turquoise, temperatures rarely drop below 30 degrees Celsius in December. There's a jungle out there, but your apartment is cool, modern and eco-friendly. You are sipping fresh madafu, coconut water, and open your laptop because it's home office time. The internet at the rooftop co-working space is top-notch and surely your colleague […]

November 10, 2020

Wood Magic in Zanzibar

Wood has many talents. The feel-good effect of the natural material is without doubt. But recently the aspect of sustainability has come to the fore. Properly managed, wood is a fully renewable resource. “Wood seems to be the construction material of the future”, says Tobias Dietzold, one of the chief developers of Fumba Town, the […]

October 26, 2022

Coast discoveries: Hanoi comes to Paje

Surely an enrichment for Zanzibar is Kim’s Vietnamese kitchen and style at the East Coast When a Vietnamese has a lot of work, he feels blessed. When a Zanzibari is busy, people say “pole sana”, sorry. It is for such words of wisdom, peaceful Buddhist vibes, Vietnamese all-day-breakfast and coffee with condensed milk, and for […]

October 26, 2022

Just discovered: Blue Oyster Hotel in Jambiani

It’s not the label, which makes you green but the content. This certainly applies to the Blue Oyster Hotel, a family-run, popular hideout with 18 rooms in Jambiani. The hotel, opened in 1999, can pride itself of being the very first in Zanzibar to receive the “Responsible Tourism Tanzania Certification” (RTTZ) at the highest, so-called […]

August 11, 2022

Get Ready For Surf And Soul

Christo, the famous wrapping artist, would surely have loved it. A huge black fabric covering an entire block of new apartments dropped down with the precision of a stage curtain during the official opening of The Soul residential resort in Paje a few weeks ago. When the curtain fell, a dozen new homeowners from Tanzania, […]

October 26, 2021

Top 5 Things We Love To Do in Paje

Zanzibar is well known as a top notch destination for tourists all around the world. Paje, located on the south east coast of the island is home to a number of water sports activities, historical and cultural activities whilst also boasting kilometers of white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Here are five of our favourite […]

August 31, 2021

The East Coast Boom

New hotels and restaurants, sensational tourism schemes and all that in the midst of the corona pandemic: There is a gold rush mood from Jambiani to Michamvi. Even my favourite little 18-room makuti-roofed beach refuge changed during the Corona year. Some guests were (very discreetly though) listening to music from their portable speaker on sunbeds; […]

April 20, 2021

The Sugar Man

Almost singlehandedly Rahim M. Bhaloo revived the ailing sugar industry in Zanzibar. He now produces 8,500 tons of the “white gold” per year - and could do much more. It’s 11 o’clock in the morning and all the machinery running smoothly when we enter the sugar cane mill in Mahonda. Huge processing buildings in white […]

February 9, 2021

Tres Chic, Congo!

Men, old and young, wearing second-hand or even newly bought Gucci suits in slum dwellings. Grim looking teenagers in Scottich kilts. Award-winning London photographer Tariq Zaidi is the latest in a long line of artists to document a unique African sub-culture. The world famous dandy frenzy emerged in Congo (in both the Democratic Republic and […]

November 10, 2020

Back to School Again

For us, the last school year had started full of promise. Our enrolment was up, and we were making big plans for a campus expansion. But already at the end of January our administration had to inform the community that we were following a strange health threat emerging from China and were taking measures to […]

November 10, 2020

"Locals Should Benefit More"

How is Zanzibar’s economic outlook, we asked expert Graham Stewart Leslie. The Oman-based consultant is working with the government on a “Vision 2050”. “Go clean, green and cultural”, is his advice. Corona brought tourism to a grinding halt worldwide. Did you manage to go on holiday this year? Yes, in February I was fortunate to […]

July 9, 2020

Tessa Hempson: Diving for a better world

Hamburg in spring. More than 1 200 people have flooded Cinemaxx, the biggest movie house of the North-German city, to watch and listen to a bunch of surfers, divers and activists. “Ocean without borders” is the motto. The “International Ocean Film Tour” in its fifth year no longer a clandestine environmentalist meeting but a massive audience […]

July 9, 2020

More Rights and Options for Homeowners

How protected are property owners – local or foreign - in Zanzibar? In this exclusive interview Zanzibar lawyer Mussa Kombo talks to FUMBA TIMES and finds straightforward answers for a complex issue. Mr. Kombo, what is the new legislation all about? Since 2010 a condominium law administers property with multiple units whether it’s a high […]

July 9, 2020

Lagoon Living for Kite Lovers

Breathtaking, never-ending beaches. Crystal clear, turquoise water. Kite surfers flying over sparkling waves. Colorful, picture-perfect sunsets and a refreshing, salty ocean breeze. And, not to forget, the smooth, velvety white sand between your toes. All that probably comes to mind when the word Paje is being mentioned to fans of Zanzibar. The former fishing village […]