SWAHILI COAST Magazine Article

Check out the fantastic article in the A. 2011 edition (#51) of Swahili Coast Magazine

THE MAGIC OF UFUFUMA FOREST

There is little known about the unique and rugged Ufufuma forest which lies close by to chwaka Bay, compared to its widely visited sister forest, Jozani. There are no Red collobus Monkeys performing aerial acrobatics of course, but it offers the more curious tourist an insight into the ancient world of ‘witchcraft’, performed in Ufufuma’s elaborately decorated caves, as well as off the beaten track walks, and an insight into the many medicinal plants and trees that grow wildly in the forest. What’s even more impressive about this unspoilt and natural environment is that is it closely protected by its local community from the nearby village of Jendele. Mr. Mustafa Makame has set up the Ufufuma forest conservation tourism project. It’s an NGo based in Jendele, which aims to maintain the benefits of tourism and foreign visitors while mitigating some of the bad influences it brings. In 1999, Mustafa, along with other villagers wrote a proposal to the government, requesting that Jendele inhabitants took ownership of Ufufuma forest. Mustafa by Poppy Farrow states ‘’we wanted to protect this forest from future development, it once belonged to our ancestors and we wanted to protect it for our future generations too.” Then 2 years later, in 2001 the community of Jendele were successful in their campaign, and now have full responsibility and protection of the forest. It was their motivation and passion that enabled the NGo to become initiated. Instead of allowing tourism to corrupt his culture, Mustafa wants to use the preservation of his existing culture to actually attract tourists to his islands and to teach them more about Zanzibari culture and to celebrate it. Mustafa is also getting local people involved, training them as guides and hosts to ensure that not only do tourists get a genuine experience, but also that the money is kept locally and goes to local causes. Mustafa can offer tourists guided forest walks to teach visitors about local flora and fauna and the use of medicinal plants that grow in abundance in the forest and, secondly, to share the ancient art of “witchcraft” with curious tourists. Ufufuma boasts 3 cave formations, each allegedly inhabited by its own “Shetani” (spirit). The one I carefully clambered down to view was occupied by an old Mozambican spirit, whose name I can no longer recall. Ufufuma is not only a robust, explosion of vegetation but a spiritual centre, offering local people the chance to come and be healed, treated and aided by these ancient souls, instead of seeking western medical care. The local Mganga or “witchdoctor” acts as a translator or mediator to facilitate the treatment the patient receives. She/he communicates in a meditative type state, using a dialect only known to those with the power to communicate to those Shetani. She/he also uses the power of the “Ngoma” or drum with chanting to aid the patients or expel illness. Throughout the caves, red and white cloths hang from the rock formation, symbolising each seeker who has passed. It’s beautiful and serene and marks the colours of the spirits, so Mustafa informs me. This experience can be witnessed by tourists who seek to see the local culture preserved, indeed it is a rare and memorable opportunity, and with a small donation to enter the forest to see such rarities, tourists can be reassured that all monies donated will go directly to the community of Jendele. “So far, with tourist contributions, we have built new bus stations, renovated the local secondary school and provided more teaching books. But we are only receiving 20 tourists a year, so development is only kidogo.” Mustafa does not have the expendable income to advertise his unique forest and culture experience, so those tourists that are lucky enough to stumble across the infamous Mustafa Makame, shall not be disappointed.

Story By: Poppy Farrow