YOWERI MUSEVENI

Mr Museveni is the President of Uganda

AU, EU urge restraint over escalating Sudan-Ethiopia tensions

Wednesday June 29 2022

African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat. PHOTO | FILE

By MAWAHIB ABDALLATIF

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By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE

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Sudan has pledged to deescalate tensions with Addis Ababa over the killing of its seven soldiers and a civilian in Ethiopia whose military it had accused of committing the atrocity.

Two days earlier, Khartoum had vowed to provide an adequate “response”. Reports indicate that Sudan shelled an area near the disputed border region since Monday.

On Tuesday night, the head of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made a promise to calm the situation hours after the reported escalation in which its military is said to have fired heavy artillery into Ethiopia.

The European Union has cautioned the two sides not to go to war. In a meeting between the EU's envoy for the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber, Lt-Gen Al-Burhan affirmed his country's keenness on “normal and balanced relations with neighbouring Ethiopia.”

The Sudanese Sovereignty Council said in a statement: “The meeting dealt with the unfortunate incident in the Al-Fashqa area, in which the Ethiopian army killed seven prisoners [who were] Sudanese soldiers, and a civilian, who were kidnapped from inside Sudanese territory.”

Read: Sudan accuses Ethiopia of killing 7 soldiers, civilian

Voice concern

On Wednesday, the African Union also voiced concern over "escalating military tension" between Ethiopia and Sudan, calling for restraint and dialogue.

The AU Commission chairman Musa Faki Mahamat, in a statement Wednesday, appealed for a “complete refrain from any military action whatever its origin and calls for dialogue between the two brotherly countries to solve any dispute.”

Sudan accused Ethiopia of capturing its soldiers and a civilian on June 22 in the disputed Al-Fashqa, which lies within its international boundaries but has been settled by Ethiopian farmers for decades.

Khartoum recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa on Monday and vowed to lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council and regional organisations.

Addis Ababa said Tuesday that Sudanese forces had crossed into Ethiopian territory and the casualties resulted from a skirmish with a local militia, denying its soldiers were in the area at the time. Ethiopian officials also said Sudan’s armed forces fired heavy artillery into its territory.

Sudan was able to capture Jabal Kala al-Laban, an area near the contested border, on Tuesday following an artillery barrage and an air raid, according to an anonymous Sudanese military source speaking to Reuters news agency.

However, the Sudanese Armed Forces spokesman said in a press release that “incorrect and misleading breaking news has been reported on some satellite channels and websites, attributed to the Sudanese army and military sources about troop movements and the capturing of Ethiopian soldiers in Al-Fashqa area.”

“The Sudanese Armed Forces confirm that it will not issue any speech or statements to these channels or other websites in any matter related to the situation on our eastern borders.”

Speaking to AFP in Khartoum, the army spokesman Nabil Abdalla said: "We have not attacked anyone and we will not and we are not planning that. But we will not allow any armed force from another country that wants to cross our international border. It's our right legally to deal with it."

Read: Ethiopia denies Sudan claims of execution of soldiers, civilian

Skirmishes have occurred between the two neighbouring countries in the past years over the disputed fertile border area of Al-Fashqa. The two sides are yet to formally draw a borderline on the area.

Al-Fashqa has long been cultivated by Ethiopian farmers but claimed by Sudan, and the dispute has sparked sporadic clashes between the Sudanese and Ethiopian sides, some fatal.

- Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters.

In the headlines

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The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

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Ethiopia denies Sudan claims of execution of soldiers, civilian

Tuesday June 28 2022

Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen. FILE PHOTO | REUTERS

By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE

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Ethiopia says it regrets the loss of life near its border with Sudan but denied claims that its soldiers were involved, blaming a local militia instead.

The government on Monday said the deadly incident followed skirmishes between Sudanese soldiers and a local militia on Ethiopian territory.

Sudan had accused the Ethiopian army of capturing seven of its soldiers and a civilian and later executing them.

Read: Sudan accuses Ethiopia of killing 7 soldiers, civilian

But Ethiopia claims a Sudanese unit, supported by Tigray rebels, had staged an incursion into its territory, resulting in the skirmishes.

Farmers and pastoralists often clash in the fertile porous border region of al-Fashqa, claimed by the two neighbouring countries.

Addis Ababa said Sudan misrepresented the facts and “unjustly put the blame on Ethiopia,” the Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement it issued Monday afternoon.

Ethiopia says it will investigate the incident.

Khartoum is reported to have filed a formal complaint with the UN Security Council.

Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited the area and said its “response would be felt on the ground” and that “no new movements or trespasses into Sudanese land would be allowed.”

Ethiopia said it “hopes that the Sudanese Government would restrain itself from any escalation of the incident and would take measures that could de-escalate the situation.”

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Sudan accuses Ethiopia army of killing 7 soldiers, civilian

Monday June 27 2022

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country's de facto leader since the 2019 ouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir. PHOTO | AFP

By MAWAHIB ABDALLATIF

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Sudan claims seven of its soldiers and a civilian were “executed” by the Ethiopian military after holding them captive.

In a statement on Monday, Sudan’s army said it was riled by the decision to parade the bodies in public and vowed to respond.

“This treacherous action will not go unanswered, and [we] will respond to this cowardly behaviour,” the statement reads.

The Sudanese army said the act “contravenes all laws and customs of war and international humanitarian law.” Brig-Gen Nabil Abdullah, the Sudanese army spokesperson, said the Ethiopian army acted “with all contempt.”

Ethiopia is yet to comment.

Border dispute

Sudan’s junta leader Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, visited the border Al-Asira area in southeast Gedaref state, where the soldiers and a civilian are said to have been taken captive. Some military leaders accompanied him.

The soldiers are said to have been guarding the area during the planting season. Farmers and pastoralists often clash in the fertile porous border area claimed by the two neighbouring countries.

Read: Rockets fired as Ethiopia, Sudan clash again in border row

Tensions have risen in recent years, souring relations and heightened by war, which erupted in November 2020 in the northern Ethiopia region of Tigray, forcing an influx of refugees into Sudan.

Khartoum and Addis Ababa have since been locked in a tense war of words, trading accusations of violence and territorial violations.

The border dispute feeds into wider tensions in the region, including over Ethiopia’s controversial Blue Nile dam.

Read: Why Sudan is wary of third filling of Ethiopia Nile dam

Sudan and Egypt, both downstream countries, have been opposed to the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and are pushing for an agreement over the filling of the reservoir and the operation of the dam.

- Additional reporting by AFP

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Sudan protesters rally against coup, day after nine killed

Friday July 01 2022

Anti-coup protesters take cover as riot police try to disperse them with a water cannon during a demonstration against military rule in the centre of Sudan's capital Khartoum on June 30, 2022. PHOTO | AFP

By MAWAHIB ABDALLATIF

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By AFP

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Sudanese protesters rallied again Friday in Khartoum, drawing tear gas from the security forces, a day after a mass demonstration joined by tens of thousands was met with the deadliest violence so far this year in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman.

Hundreds of activists massed near the presidential palace in the capital after at least nine people were killed during Thursday’s protests against the military rule led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since the coup last October.

Nine demonstrators died, and several others were injured in Omdurman, the city west of Khartoum across the Nile River, as fresh violence rocked the capital and Sudanese towns on Thursday. A protestor died from wounds on Friday, bringing the death toll from protest-related violence to 113 since the coup.

Thursday protests began at the Republican Palace in central Khartoum. Police responded with a heavy hand as authorities switched off the internet in certain parts of the country.

The protesters are demanding the restoration of the transition to civilian rule, launched shortly after the 2019 ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir but has since been derailed.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors described those who have died as “martyrs of right and truth.”

June 30 is significant in Sudan. During his reign, al-Bashir’s government would commemorate the day he seized power after overthrowing the late prime minister Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi in 1989.

Condemnation

It was also the anniversary of 2019 protests demanding that the generals who had ousted Bashir in a palace coup in April that year cede power to civilians. In 2019, about six weeks after the removal of al-Bashir in April, the political scene worsened after the agreement between the military and the Coalition for Freedom and Change (a pro-democracy civilian movement that helped overthrow al-Bashir) collapsed.

Protests and sit-ins in front of the army headquarters were brutally crushed, leading to the deaths of over 100 people on June 3, 2019, referred to as the Khartoum massacre. Sudanese staged a mass protest on June 30.

Read: One killed as Sudanese march for justice for 2019 sit-in victims

Those protests led to the formation of the civilian-military transitional government that was toppled in last October’s coup.

On Thursday, June 30, 2022, tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters came out in more than 30 cities to protest the delay in the transition to civilian rule.

In the run-up to Thursday protests, people staged demonstrations in their neighbourhoods. On Wednesday, medical sources said that “security forces shot dead a child in protests in Khartoum North.”

Read: Civilian groups issue conditions for dialogue with Sudan junta

The latest crackdown defied calls for calm from the international community.

“Tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the street... to demand democracy. We support their aspirations,” said the US State Department’s Bureau for African Affairs on Twitter.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the use of live fire by security forces against civilians. We offer our condolences to those who lost family members.”

The “violence needs to end”, demanded UN special representative Volker Perthes.

The British embassy in Khartoum said it was “appalled” by Thursday’s killings and called for a probe.

“Impunity and killing must stop,” it said.

Sudan’s police accused protesters of wounding 96 police and 129 military officers, “some critically”, on Thursday, as well as damaging vehicles and starting fires.

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Friday July 01 2022

Big brands are now turning to small-time social media influencers to boost their brand awareness and ramp up sales. FILE PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH

By VINCENT OWINO

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Big brands are now turning to small-time social media influencers to boost their brand awareness and ramp up sales, resulting in a dramatic rise in influencer marketing in the last year.

A new report by global media monitoring firm, Meltwater, suggests that the number of sponsored posts shared by internet influencers rose to about 3.8 million last year, a 26.7 percent increase from the three million recorded in 2020.

Sponsored stories (statuses) also rose 33 percent to 16 stories per week, compared to 12 in 2020, indicating a growing trend of influencer marketing.

“Brands prioritise digital strategies and adjust budgets due to changing consumer habits, with influencers playing an essential role in business planning,” said Katherine McInnes, Meltwater’s Head of Marketing Africa.

“In particular, working with micro-influencers has been identified as a critical way for brands to authentically communicate with customers.”

The micro-influencers – those with between 5,000 and 30,000 followers on social media, constituted 91 percent of the sponsored collaborations, a two percent rise from 2020.

“Their (micro-influencers) smaller but focused audience ensures a high willingness to buy and increases brand awareness, often yielding the best return on investments for brands,” Ms McInnes said.

According to the report, the micro-influencers charge $354 for social media posts, $555 for videos posted to their pages and $179 for every story (status) update.

Instagram emerged as the most popular destination for influencer marketing, with at least 94 percent of all influencer campaigns last year incorporating some form of Instagram content.

Facebook came second at 43 percent, followed by Tiktok at 13 percent, and YouTube at 10 percent.

“TikTok is still an emerging platform, and while it's not as well-known as Instagram, more and more brands are incorporating the social media channel into their marketing plans,” said Ms McInnes.

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

Friday July 01 2022

People stand in front of Zimbabwe's new parliament building on Mount Hampden Hill, Zimbabwe, on June 29, 2022. PHOTO | XINHUA

By KITSEPILE NYATHI

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China has gifted Zimbabwe with a new modern Parliament building to replace the current structure built during the colonial era as Beijing continues strengthening its influence on the southern African country.

The imposing structure sits on 33,000 square metres and comprises a six-storey office complex and a four-storey building housing the National Assembly and Senate.

Three bridges on each floor link the two buildings. The National Assembly can accommodate 400 people, while the Senate chamber seats 150.

It also has conferencing facilities, 15 committee rooms, staff office space, and a car parking area. The office building has 600 rooms that would house Members of Parliament and employees.

Built by Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) and fully funded by the Chinese government as “a gift to the people of Zimbabwe,” the new Parliament building is located in Mt Hampden, about 18 kilometres from Harare city centre, where the old chambers are.

The China-made Zimbabwe's new parliament building on Mount Hampden Hill, Zimbabwe, on June 29, 2022. PHOTO | XINHUA

SCG completed the buildings in 42 months, 10 months behind schedule with the delays attributed to the outbreak of Covid-19.

“There will be no doubt that the new Parliament building will become a landmark building in Zimbabwe and even in the whole of southern Africa,” said Cai Libo, the SCG project manager.

He said the building would be handed over to the Zimbabwean government. “The project strongly supports democracy in Zimbabwe while boosting the country’s image,” he said.

“This building is a landmark building in Zimbabwe,” he added. “This is a show of a solid friendship between China and Zimbabwe.”

China Aid funded the construction through a grant.

Also read: China clashes with Zimbabwean unions over 'systematic abuse'

Zimbabwe plans to build new infrastructure near the new Parliament to decongest the capital. It will include offices of the Executive, Judiciary, shopping and residential areas.

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the new Parliament building is a symbol of “deep relations” between Zimbabwe and China.

“This is an amazing building which has been made possible by a grant from the People’s Republic of China, which shows the deep relations between the two countries,” Mrs Mutsvangwa said.

“This will enable the legislature to do their work, and as you are aware, they have three mandates which are representative, making legislation and oversight.”

The Parliament building is the second major infrastructure “donation” to Zimbabwe by China after Beijing constructed the country’s biggest stadium in 1987.

Located in the capital Harare, the National Sports Stadium can seat 60,000 people, but it was banned from hosting international football matches by the Confederation of African Football because of poor maintenance.

China is also upgrading the country’s largest thermal power station at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion. It made a $533 million refurbishment at the Kariba South power station, the country’s largest hydropower.

Zimbabwe, which has an external debt of $14.4 billion, is heavily indebted to China, the only economic superpower willing to extend loans to Harare due to its poor repayment record.

During the late strongman Robert Mugabe’s era, Zimbabwe adopted a ‘Look East Policy’ after its economy took a hit from isolation and sanctions by Western countries due to alleged human rights violations and electoral fraud.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe in 2017 following a military coup.

In the headlines

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Beads fit for jewellery

Friday July 01 2022

Weaving on to a bed of glass beads to create a chain to support a pendant. PHOTO | COURTESY

By RUPI MANGAT

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A string of beads changed Ravinder Thatthi's career from an animal scientist.

“I worked in a lab for 20 years researching on the vaccine for Trypanosomiasis,” said Thatthi, now-turned jeweller.

Leaving the scientific world 30 years ago, she co-founded Aromatics, a wellness centre and spa. That is where I saw the beaded collars, necklaces, earrings and bangles.

“I made them,” she said. “Come over and I’ll show you,” she said.

A few days later I found myself in her studio surrounded by beads of every colour, sourced from around the world and turned into signature pieces exquisitely put together by her, under her brand — Seed Bead. Each piece is unique.

“I saw these beads in Singapore that were so beautiful that I had to buy them,” says Thatthi.

On her return to Kenya, she wanted to have them stringed. “I couldn’t find anybody to take my beads to the next level.”

From the beads, a string of fluorite, Thatthi made a necklace. This was in 2017. She dates the year as a start to a new life. She wore the necklace and a lady at the spa asked if she could buy them.

“I sold the necklace thinking I was making good money. But when I saw a necklace made from the same beads, I realised I had sold it for a throw-away price.”

Dubbed “the most colourful mineral in the world”, fluorite gemstones are renowned for their fluorescence and for transmitting positive energy.

“Gemstones have an intrinsic energy coming from deep within the earth,” explains the jeweller.

She handed me a string of rose quartz beads.

“It’s just a string of beads.”

Then she brought out an exquisite necklace made with the same beads.

“It’s the accessories that make the difference …like the clasps,” she says.

Collars

On her table, she has two necklaces she’s working on. They are the beaded collars that I was so enchanted by at the spa.

Each miniscule seed bead is strung on netting — handmade by Thatthi — a delicate operation demanding precision. Her work table by a window is set with pliers, sectors, a tube light, eye glasses and beads.

“This makes the difference,” she explains picking the net. “It has to sit firmly on the neck.”

After the first necklace, Thatthi worked on her hobby.

“A lady from England contacted me because she saw someone wearing one of my pieces. She wanted 10 pieces. I made them and took them to a shop to have them freighted.”

“Here I was standing in the shop with the jewellery spread out and the courier would not accept to freight them, which was a standard practice then.” This was in 2018.

A customer walked in, saw the pieces, and bought the whole collection.

“And I grew from there.”

Born in Kisumu in western Kenya, Thatthi’s early childhood was spent in Elburgon near the Mau Range on her grandparents’ sawmill.

“Elburgon was so rural then with a school that was just a room and one teacher. I was 10 when I went to a proper school in Kisumu.

“We were a big family of almost 30, living in a timber house in Elburgon and ate what was growing in the kitchen garden, the milk from our cows. I remember raiding my grandmother’s cupboards for knick-knacks like beads to make things with. We made our own clothes and so on. It was a really rich childhood.

Calling

“Reflecting back, that’s where my calling comes from.”

While we were talking, a customer called from out of town, gushing over the necklace she had received.

“The lady came one day with her old jewellery and asked me to do something with it. So here’s the picture of before and after.”

With a contemporary twist, the same necklace looks alluring.

A proud grandmother of one, Thatthi’s mornings are spent at the spa handling administration, and then managing her household and working on her jewellery.

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

‘False Manifesto’ dances to fight deception

Friday July 01 2022

Members of Spot Lite Crew in a rehearsal for “False Manifesto” at the National Theatre in Kampala on June 20, 2022. PHOTO | COURTESY

By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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The dance production False Manifesto uses hip-hop to address the power of manifestation, political-social mayhem and deception.

Performed by the Kampala-based urban dance collective Spot Lite Crew of Kasoozi Joseph Julius, Kawooya Grace, Bogere Ronnie, Ntambi Umar and Onyu Fazil bin Damusanga, it also features German music artist and actress Miriam Haltmeier.

The dialogue is in English and Luganda, expressed through dance, music, spoken word and poetry, and audio-visual projections.

The storyline exposes the false agendas, propaganda, motives and intentions of the public and leaders, and highlights promises that are never met.

The production is set to premier on July 2, at the National Theatre in Kampala.

The show is directed and choreographed by emerging Ugandan multiple-award winning choreographer Damusanga.

Each character stands for a certain element in society. For instance, the bourgeois or politician for the capitalist system, mother earth for the climate crisis, persons living with disabilities for equal representation, and LGBTQ for sexual identity.

Questions

The characters question the happenings in the spheres of life they represent, asking the audience why society reacts in the way it does, with prejudice and jaundiced eyes.

The character of Umar says: “Things are ironical. The situation is indifferent. The sex identity question persists. Men in women’s bodies. Women in men’s bodies. Is it a crime or deviant behaviour?”

Damusanga says, "Politics is everywhere, and society is complex in nature with the ability to hold power and decide over others.

"One thing leads and affects the other. So homosexuality, mother nature and PWDs are all in one world, and these are the topics we generally shy away from although we are aware of them. The same society that condemns homosexuality is the same that stands up for gay rights. The same society that draws environmental protection bills, cuts down tress to industrialise. It’s a puzzle.”

He added that society should not trust politicians. “They say one thing and act totally different. When your role is to serve, the role of we the people is to observe and see if you can walk the talk.”

He says politics cannot be ignored because the decisions by politicians affect all aspects of public life and the public needs to be aware of this.

Inspiration

Damusanga was inspired to come up with the production at a teaching workshop in Zimbabwe in 2019. Life was hard for the ordinary citizen and society was broken. All sectors of state were dysfunctional.

He realised that governance and political manifestos were at the centre of the rejection and mayhem. And then it hit him that it was the same almost everywhere in the world, especially in the developing world.

The plays message is therefore restitution, rethought and reappropriation of governance and social life. That the public needs to stand up against unjust policies without fear of retaliation.

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Grave of imam out of place in Dar city centre

Friday July 01 2022

The century-old grave of the imam in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | EMMANUEL ONYANGO | NMG

By EMMANUEL ONYANGO

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In downtown Dar es Salaam, between Samora Avenue and India Street, lies an old recreation garden that was set up by the German colonial government in 1890.

In the corner of the garden is a tiled, unmarked grave, believed to be more than 170 years old.

According to Benard Msofe, a curator at the Dar es Salaam City Council for Architectural Heritage — a tourist information unit — the grave is the burial place of the first imam in Dar es Salaam during the Arab reign along the east coast of Africa.

Sharif Abdushakur Salim Al Attas was buried in front of a mosque that was later pulled down by German colonial powers while constructing the city. Msofe said the operation involved redesigning of streets and the construction of offices along Samora and Sokoine Drive.

The mosque was the first to be constructed on the mainland by the Arab rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar in 1856 during the reign of Sultan Sayid Majid bin Said Al-Busaid. Later, German governor Hermann Von Wissmann agreed to build another mosque at Kitumbini, but did not relocate the grave

Other graves nearby were relocated to pave the way for town planning. Although it lies in the middle of a recreation centre, no one is allowed to sit on the grave.

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Exploring Moroccan cuisine: Eating in, out and about

Friday July 01 2022

Dinner at Fez at the Restaurant MB. PHOTO | TONY MOCHAMA

By TONY MOCHAMA

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Morocco, with 3,000 kilometres of coastline — from the Mediterranean Sea on its north to the Atlantic Ocean to its West — has some of the most abundant fishing waters in the world.

When we landed in Casablanca earlier this month, our first stop was at a bistro where we had a puff sugary pastry snack called briwat, and washed it down with sweet mint tea called atay served in a tiny glass.

Briwat is a fish and shrimp wrap, with cheese, lemon and pepper, in a triangular piece of pastry called warqa, similar to a samosa.

Atay is a popular beverage. Served from kettles with a long, curved spouts, Moroccans pour the tea from a great height.

The fish market of Casablanca reflects the country's rich variety of sea food, with tuna, turbot, red snapper, conger eel, mackerel, crab, molluscs and lobster available year round.

Our next stay was in Rabat, and the View Hotel had standard international fare.

The following day, lunching at the Rabat City Council parlour hosted by its president Aziz Derouich, the full glamour of Moroccan cuisine was turned on at the riverfront municipal restaurant.

Our lunch began with a choice of hot and cold salads, before a progressive feast was laid out on the tagine, the traditional Moroccan cooking vessel made of ceramic or unglazed clay with a round base and low sides.

'Poor man's' soup

There was a choice of lamb or chicken, but only after a starter of harrira, the "poor man’s" soup with pieces of meat that the country’s ruler, Mohammed the Fifth, has ordered served free in Morocco’s state soup kitchens.

Then there was the couscous, the most famous cuisine from the country — a Maghrebi dish of granules of rolled durum wheat semolina.

Dessert was kaab el ghzal (gazelle ankles, an almond paste pastry) and the classic ras el hanout, a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, anise, bay laurel, mace, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, fennel, sesame seeds, cumin, black pepper, caraway, fenugreek, paprika, coriander, and, if you can afford it, saffron.

A day later, we drove 200 kilometres east to Fez, where we explored the ancient section called Medina, and ate the famous street food Ma’Quda, a fritter made from potato-based batter, pureed with garlic, salt, hot pepper and cheese. It was delicious.

In the evening, shunning the Western food of the Fez Marriot Jnan Palace Hotel, we crossed the street to a swanky Restaurant MB (Maroc Bistort) that specialises in local dishes for international guests and serves great French wines.

We had goat mutton with lemon pickle, the latter condiment common to both India and Morocco.

The khobz (bread) that is a staple with every Moroccan meal comes with smen, salted and fermented butter from Yemen.

Instead of Spanish olive oil, they use argan oil, from the kernels of the argan tree that is endemic to Morocco.

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Bridge restores Mombasa to island status

Friday July 01 2022

The dredging below the Makupa bridge and the demolition of the causeway means water can now flow between the two creeks at Kibarani. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NMG

By ANTHONY KITIMO

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Mombasa has reclaimed its island status at Kenya's Coast following the completion and opening of the Makupa bridge and the dredging of the causeway, in compliance with Unesco standards.

Sea water now flows freely connecting the Tudor and Port Reitz creeks at Kibarani, which will revive the affected marine ecosystem.

The $42.1 million Makupa bridge, built by the China Communications and Construction Company, is 457-metres long with four 20-metre wide lanes, and a two-metre section for non-motorised traffic and a pedestrian footpath.

In addition to restoring the marine ecosystem, the bridge will also improve traffic flow on the Mombasa-Nairobi trunk road. It will now take motorists 10 minutes from the Moi International Airport and all western mainland suburbs to the island city centre using the bridge. It also becomes the third road link between the island and the mainland to the north and west, after the Nyali bridge and the Kipevu causeway on the port side.

Replacement

The bridge replaces the causeway built in 1929 by the colonial government to maintain full contact with the island. During construction, the causeway cut the free flow of sea water between the two creeks surrounding the island to the west, making Mombasa a peninsula. Over the years, massive reclamation of the sea at Kibarani lead to even more blockage of the creeks, reducing the water surface on the Port Reitz side, and silting of the Tudor creek, threatening marine life. In 2018, Unesco threatened to delist Mombasa as an island tourism city if the causeway was not demolished to connect the two creeks.

In January last year, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the removal of the Makupa causeway.

The extraction provided a solution to the constant traffic congestion on the main transport artery to the international airport and the standard gauge railway terminus at Miritini.

Work on the bridge to replace the causeway started early last year, and was completed this month with the dredging to comply with Unesco.

Kenyan marine expert Andrew Mwangura said: "The delisting of Mombasa as an island could have had far-reaching consequences especially in the tourism sector, but the bridge has restored full island city status."

In the headlines

China gifts Zimbabwe a modern Parliament

The China-funded Parliament building in Mt Hampden in Harare has been completed.

Juba traders plan to ditch Kenya port for Djibouti

Mombasa has been the main route for all consignments destined to the landlocked country and South Sudan now says Port of Djibouti is shorter.

Brands shifting to micro-influencers for marketing

Angola rejects claims of plot to turn off Dos Santos life support

Samia picks new Tanzania army chief

Kenya weighs in on Melilla 'brutality' against migrants

Kenya to woo vaccine firms with tax offer

Clinging to life in a dream

Friday July 01 2022

Samud battled waves which had suddenly grown three feet high, forming troughs which swallowed him and blocked the horizon. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGAH | NMG

By NADYA SOMOE

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A fire crackled and sizzled satisfyingly, throwing up flames that danced mesmerizingly against the pitch blackness of the night. Samud sat rocking back and forth gently, his rheumy eyes glazed as he stared at the fire, deep cobwebs of wrinkles stretching from his squinted eyes as he watched the flames, red wispy arms stretched then withdrawn, two tongues of fire morphing into one then splitting into three and so on, a pattern so erratic it was spellbinding. But Samud stared without seeing, his mind a vast distance away, lost in past years, on a hot beach under a blazing afternoon sun, looking out excitedly at a roiling foaming sea.

“Samud catch!”

Samud ducked as he dove to his right, his arms out-stretched, not bothering to look where Mensa tossed the coconut, trusting his instincts, hearing Mensa’s voice reverberate to his right, sensing the whir of the heavy coconut as it came flying through the air, mingling with the sounds of the waves as they crashed rhythmically along the deserted beach. He laughed gleefully as he caught it mid-air then rolled dexterously to his feet on the warm soft sand.

“Show off!” Mensa called from behind him. He was clamped around the tip of a tall coconut tree like a crab, holding onto the thin swaying trunk with his feet as he picked ripe nuts and threw them down to where Samud stood. Then, as agilely as he had clambered up, he slid down, landing on the balls of his feet like a monkey.

“Well?” Samud asked as Mensa walked over to where he stood staring at the incoming tide, “Shall we?”

“Uh,” Mensa wasn’t keen on risks, unlike his best friend. Born on the same day to women who’d themselves been childhood friends, they were inseparable, similar to a fault except in one thing. Samud was way more daring, he launched himself into things, as he had done just now to catch the coconut, without hesitation. Mensa, though daring and boisterous in nature too, was a bit more reserved. But today was different, today with Samud cheering him on, he’d been the one to scale the coconut tree and pluck the liquid filled nuts from it, instead of standing below to collect them on the beach as he usually did. So with a wink, Mensa dropped the coconuts cradled in his muscular arms and ran shrieking into the sea, leaping like an acrobat over a breaking wave and piercing the frothing waters like a swordfish.

“What the…?” Samud’s mouth dropped open but it was only a millisecond before he himself was streaking like a mad-man into the sea.

The sea was warm, much warmer than the creek where they’d learned to swim and which they bathed in every evening, a creek that was glassy, still and coloured gold by the setting sun; very unlike this sea, which even waist deep felt threatening, a mass of powerful water that was alive as it pulled, tugged and tossed you.

“Not too far Samud!” Mensa yelled as Samud whipped passed him as if propelled by an engine, his strong legs throwing salty spray up as high as the waves.

“Race you just over there,” Samud stopped away from where Mensa bobbed up and down in the water, standing on his tip-toe’s to show Mensa that the water reached only up to his neck, “It’s not that deep, the creek is deeper!”

It was on Mensa’s tongue to say that this, was not the creek. The sea heaved, moved in swells, it was strong, with currents that lifted your feet off the grainy sandy bottom and dragged you several metres as you fought it for control. Their creek was subdued, with a lazy soft current that flowed slowly out to sea, waters so serene one could float on their backs, fall asleep and wake up on the sandbanks of the tributary, peaceful and well rested. But his confidence bolstered by the coconut tree and at a sudden whoop from Samud as he crashed headfirst into a powerful wave, Mensa dove after his friend.

The sky was a messy meshwork of patterns in blue, lavender, lilac and the beginnings of hints of pink. The sun was setting and it was incredibly stunning, but Samud wasn’t looking to the sky. Frantic, panicky beyond reason, terrified past all logic, he battled waves which had suddenly grown three feet high, forming troughs which swallowed him and blocked the horizon.

“Mensa!” he yelled for the countless time, treading water with legs that were cramping and arms that did nothing now but flail weakly in the swirling water, “Mensa!” he couldn’t tell which way the beach was, but with a sob and another cry out to his best friend, he fought with the wildness of an animal clinging to life, clawing and sputtering to stay above the waves. But with each second breath he screamed out desperately, “Mensa!”

“Grandpa?”

Samud stared as a light hand touched his bony shoulder and shook him gently, and he shook his head in surprise to see a roaring fire before him and not a pounding sea.

“Who’s Mensa?” his grandson, strong and tall as he once was, asked.

“No one,” Samud replied sadly, wearily. He’d grown tired of reliving the past.

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