Swahili Cultural decorations for Women

The greatest charm of Swahili women decoration lays within not only the beauty of the woman but the combination of her make ups,fragile and jewels worn especial during different occasions like wedding and other ceremonial events, regardless of wearing a buibui which is well known as veil in English, still these kind of seductive cultural decorations of a Swahili woman can steal the eyes of many around a place.
                                                                         

Hina is one of a must use for Swahili women to decorates there hands and legs with different styles and colours such that it creates a nice combination with dresses and jewels worn by a certain woman, though it needs time and expertise for our mothers and sister better they stay behind if they will miss these services.

Jewels are something special and symbolises someone status in Swahili community, as a sense of pride and shows that the particular woman is well taken care by the husband or coming from a wealthy family. One can put on bungles made of gold, silver or other kind of make up, same with nickles and earrings made of  gold is the most favoured jewel here in Swahili world.

Dresses of high quality design is another must worn item for Swahili women and these started long time ago even during the Indian ocean trade whereby ivory and hides used to be exchanged with cloths and materials from as far as Indian, China and other areas of trade.

Colouring and hair making also is common as most of coastal women are blessed with black long beautiful hairs, oiling the hair and making them with different style contributes a lot on the outer beauty of a Swahili woman and in many occasions women normal celebrate separately with men's but these can be a good opportunity for some women to select the most charming women for there sons for a hand in marriage.

Here in east of Africa the culture of these women is respected and has spread into the hinter land, as majority are Muslim followers they to strictly following Islamic way of living and wearing like covering there heads with hijab and also the legs .when one visiting the coastal area he or she should take time to explore the culture of the people as well.

Kanga is also one of the greatest clothing used by Swahili woman and many other women in eastern and central Africa, these piece of cloths is to used in some events and coastal women mostly a long Tanzania coast like to used it in some traditional dancing and for daily used, it is well preserved for cultural used that many tourist and visitors especially womens adopt it so easily as it is good to wear it in tropical warm climate.

Mosi oa Tunya

 It is a natural world wonder that has click in many mind of explorers and nature travellers lovers, "the smoke that thunders" as well known by the locals inhabitant of Zambezi river region,it is a natural water falls that divides Zambia and Zimbabwe countries and one of the most visited site within the two countries.
                                                                           

                                                                   
Named as Victoria falls by explore David Livingstone in respect to the Queen of England, but still referred as Mosi-Oa-Tunya local and international as well. It's waters come from Zambezi river which flows eastwards towards the Indian ocean and the land here is a flat land such that it is amazing to have such a natural water falls.

On the Zambia side there stand Livingstone township with one main street called Mosi oa Tunya which lead one straight to the Victoria falls bridge and Mosi oa Tunya national game park, on the other side of the bridge is Victoria township in Zimbabwe side.these are is to home to plenty of birds and wildlife.

Around the falls there different activities apart from site seeing and camping on some selected areas, there is elephant walk whereby a visitor can have a chance to ride on an elephant, Bungee jumping along the Victoria bridge which is very interesting and great to experience in life, helicopter tour which  can give one the best view of the area at a short time.

Besides all these activities there is also some water sports including fishing along the Zambezi river, fishing is also one of the locals activities and most of the inhabitants depend on fishing and small farming along these great falls, tones of fish are been consumed in every year by fisherman's.

When come to accommodation for visitors the two sister towns of Livingstone and Victoria on each side of the Zambezi river provide modern equipments facilities for lodges and hotels, there different types of hospitality services depending on a person needs and desire.

Livingstone town which is in southern Zambia is saved with a international airport with connection with many destination including Nairobi of Kenya and Capetown of South Africa such that makes it easy for a visitor to connects direct to Livingstone town, local there is taxi services available and money transfer services like western union such that it easier for a visitor to get services local.

Sunrise in the Archipelago of Zanzibar Island

There is nothing great while one is on vacation in a warm tropical island where the sun rises so earlier as the birds singing, palm trees dancing from the sea breeze and one smells the salty of the majestic Indian ocean sea water.

It can be once in a vacation or in a life of someone visiting the east coast of Africa and explore the nature of creation,here not only the sandy beaches which will attracted a visitor but also the quite sunrise is a very grateful moment of it's own and can not compared with other places around these world.
                                                                                 

What a wonderful scenic as the day break while villages starting there activities, it is a complete different world away from noisy busy big cities where such life is not noticed, right from a balcony of a hotel a person can notice the different kind of sunrise in some parts of these islands depending on the weather and even the hotel environment.

If it happened you are visiting these former slave market centre of Zanzibar and you booked yourself in a lodge or hotel close to villages then you are at advantage to experience the sunrise followed with some activities by the islanders, such activities as palm wine harvesting which is made only during the sunrise and sunset and it's great to see how they do it local right from your hotel room window, another activity is the fisherman's who are returning from the deep sea, they can been seen sailing back to the island shores at a quite distance along the horizon as the sun gradually ascending.

It is also a great time for personal activities like jogging or walking along the beach while expose one body to the early morning sunshine, most of tourist prefer to lay down on sun beds as they sun bath.

These is not only entertaining but also healthy to the body as the sun is also a source of vitamin D in the body and it is free only getting yourself expose to the sun for a while.

There many hotels and lodges around these island and for a photographer to one has a lot of magnificent scenes to shoot at from the villages to the old town streets during the sunrise moment.

Getting around Zanzibar it's easier and Swahili people who are the most indigenous are very friendly people to deal with, there is a international airport in the main island centre saved with international flights with links to neighbour countries cities like Nairobi in Kenya and Johannesburg in South Africa.

Also the language of communication is Swahili and majority of residence can click some few foreign languages as these is a tourist centre, for those coming through Dar es salaam there are ferry services providing service within the main Tanzania commercial hub and the islands.

Buying Souvenirs a long Tanzania Tourism Centres

It is one of the traditional culture for travellers,tourist and visitors to buy some souvenirs around the world and take with them to their homes,others they buy for there relatives,friends and loves one.as a form of gift it can be also in different design if it is a curving items,sculpture,cloth and wear items.

The big challenge for making a good choice is on how to buy a quality items as a souvenir in most of existing curios shops and tourist trading centres especially a long the east Africa tourist destination.
                                                                           

Tanga a historical destination centre located in the northern coastal area of Tanzania is one of the centre where one can buy some quality souvenirs as there is an existing market centre at Forodhani market which specialise on curios mostly from the Kamba and Makonde curving's and Masai products likes neck less,bungles and other traditional regalia,the market centre is close to Independent road and Forodhani garden.

Moshi is another town famous for selling souvenirs and is located at the basement of Mt Kilimanjaro which is the highest point in Africa continent,at the main avenue of double road local known in Kiswahili as Barabara mbili,here is where one can buy some souvenirs just close to buffalo hotel there many curios store packed with varieties of items ranging from clothing to sculptures.

There other few places a long the Moshi Arusha highway whereby one can stop over and buy something and another place is Mto wa Mbu near Ngorongoro and Mara conservation area, in these area which is on the highway from Arusha city to Karatu town there also curios stores a long the road sides.

Stone town in Zanzibar is also a remarkable area with many types of souvenirs to choose coming from different places within east Africa region, a tourist here has a lot of Choices as there varieties of souvenirs from different part of east Africa. For every traveller buying items in some of these areas he or she will have a good chance to buy something good and never regrets afterwards.

Swahili curving and furniture's

    It is common for a newly visitor to come across wooden curving doors and windows in narrow streets in old towns along the coastal of east Africa,as from far north of Kenya coastal centres like Lamu,Pate and Kiunga to the islands of Zanzibar,Kilwa and Comoro islands along the India ocean waters.
   These culture is still practises to date and in many designs like showcase,beds and other types of wooden materials as decoration with the Swahili cultural areas, in hinter land where the culture has spread and it is currently a booming market.
                                                                             

One of a wooden curving door from a major old narrow street of Stone town in Zanzibar main island of Uguja,during the ruins of sultanate these kind of curving's was mainly seen as a prestige to some high social class people with the elite Arabs settle and local Swahili elite people and such that the curving will have some Arabic script on it.

Some of the other old cultural furniture's are so common in most of hotels and also in homesteads are Swahili chairs and the famous Mwakisu Swahili bed type,it made up of wooden sticks and a woven ropes both bed and chair then one can buy some cutions separately or mattress for the bed,normal in the local culture people uses a woven mate on top of the bed and a improvise mattress made local.

These is one of a Swahili woven bed commonly used by many Swahili people a long the east Africa coast and in many hotels.visitors and tourist explore these area have a lot to see and explore apart from the warm tropical climate and wildlife safaris,there is a deep rooted curving and furniture's which can be found in local market areas ranging from kitchen wear to furniture's and decorations,once your visiting these places please take your time to explore these east Africa coastal cultural.

     
                                                                

Kanga a Swahili cultural cloth

                                                                         

In most part of Swahili community along the coastal of east Africa is common to come across women wearing Kanga and shops selling the piece of the cloth at a very cheaper price.
These piece of cloth is in two pieces which resemble each other in colour,pattern,fabric and the name tag which is always in Swahili language and will differ with other pieces as it has a message written on it,normal such messages are in a proverbial way of written and sometimes a buyer will request in advance to be printed according to his or her wish.
Kanga has many symbolic way of expressing the culture of coastal people and some are like;
Wedding times whereby there is a special ritual event performed by elders and the husband to be has to identify his wife to be by identify her from a group of two or more women covered with Kangas,if it happens that he failed to identify his partner then there he must pay a fine of either a cow or anything requested by his in laws.

Receiving a newly born baby it is a must use of Kanga and even today in same hospital it is a rule,all newly born babies have to be wrapped by these piece of cloth and they will be using them until there umbilical unattached them,it is when most Swahili cultural people believes that now it is the right moment for the baby to start clothing after these un attachment of the umbilical.

Many women preferred to use Kanga like a wrap around there bodies,as there in two pieces a Swahili woman will wrap one piece as from her west part going downward and another piece on top to cover her head,these is also a sign of respect to the entire community.even when women are in there homestead they will use kanga like apron when there are cooking or doing any house hold activities.

Another is during circumcision whereby young boys a long the coastal will have to use these cloths during these period until their able to wear cloths again.

when there a event or ceremony among the coastal communities it's also common used like for a burial ceremony as a send of as mourners close to the deceased will wear the same type of cloth with message tag on them,the same with wedding,come together and other events in Swahili areas.

Travellers whom visit the coastal of east Africa and the islands within eastern Africa have to adopted to these culture of Kanga,in many beach hotels tourist like to cover themselves with these clothes as there good in warm tropical climate and easy to wash,majority of women travellers like to use them to and take with them back to there countries as souvenirs.

There readily available in many shops along the coastal trading centres in east Africa,while in any town around one can notice mostly women wearing kanga and even some women use them as baby carrier.it is a very respectable piece of cloth with deep rooted culture in the coastal areas of east Africa as from Kenya to Mozambique areas.

Visiting Tanga a City in Northern Tanzania Coast.

                                                                         

 Tanga is well known as historical centre with history of been the first place to be a centre of administration in today Tanzania mainland,as a harbour and the early gate way of the entire northern corridor of Tanzania tourist circuit and the first industrialist centre in east and central Africa with a concentration of agriculture export mainly tea and sisal products.
 Mkongwe(sisal) as known in local Swahili used to be a major product and a source of employment to many locals.
 The sisal plantations where are source of many upcountry Tanzania migration to the coastal region of Tanga thus creating a demand to the hotels and lodge industry,these locals have contribute alot to the local tourism industry and a new visitor to these warm quite town would easily notice the locals interaction of the communities as there all bond in Swahili culture and language as a common way of living and style.
 Independent street is one of the Major street with colonial land marks and a visitor must visit in his or her excursion,from the main library to the Forodhani garden area there quite old building which are well maintained and an excursionist can easily notice will walking along the independent streets local known as Uhuru street.
 Tanga is too saved with several modern hotels with well equipments that can meet one desire like Nyinda hotels,CBA hotels,Nyumbani and the famous Mkongwe hotel.
                                                                           

Few miles out of the town centre is the amazing Amboni limestone caves,the caves which is few kilometres long and are one of the major attraction sites in the entire East Africa region.the caves which according to the locals communities claimed that was a place used as a slave safety transit hidden place as they await for been shipped to the slave market centre of Zanzibar islands and to was a place used for conducting traditional ritual by the locals like the Digo,Wasambaa,Zigua and others tribes residing in Tanga region.

There few other land marks in Tanga town which a visitor can easily view them including the fisherman's market and bursting sunny township with streets numbers unlike other towns naming in the region,also the Tanga railway station opposite Mkwakwani stadium is the first and oldest rail station to be built in east Africa region.many tourist after a short stay in Tanga preferred to visit Pangani or Lushoto suburban centres which are kilometres away from Tanga.

Pangani its a long the coastline with Tanga and had a niece beach with hotels and villas,a well establish centre where the Pangani river pour its waters into the giant Indian ocean,as a fish harbour these makes it idle for photo scenic and good for day excursion,few kilometres from the centre its Saadani national park which make a tourist spending less as one can easily tour the game park and have a view of world animals.

Lushoto which is regards as a missionary centre by the locals due to the early colonials from Germany reside there and its prop of modern agriculture activities has the best climate in these region and it overlook the famous Usagara mountains,it host nice hotels for accommodation with pleasant environment.I do recommend for who ever visit Tanga to consider visiting Lushoto and he or she will never regret..