Fumba Town Zanzibar, 17, October 2022, Zanzibar's new eco-town development Fumba Town - a project by developer CPS - joins forces with Sauti za Busara and becomes the main sponsor for East Africa's most prominent international music festival in Zanzibar.
"Busara Promotions is delighted to announce its core operational expenses for the next three years will largely be covered by CPS, and by that, Fumba Town is becoming the main festival partner and sponsor." Yusuf Mahmoud, CEO and Festival Director of Sauti za Busara, announced yesterday.
He added that Sauti za Busara would not be possible without partners and sponsors such as CPS, the company developing Fumba Town. This new strong partnership will ensure that the internationally renowned Festival will carry on its journey and continue to attract thousands of visitors to Zanzibar. The Norwegian Embassy previously supported the Festival from 2009 until March 2022. When this and other sponsors withdrew earlier this year, the widely acclaimed African Festival was in danger of being discontinued.
This upcoming Festival will be Sauti za Busara's 20th-Anniversary edition. Except for 2016, the music event held at the historic Old Fort in UNESCO-protected Stone Town has never failed to be held, even during two years of the coronavirus crisis. It attracts up to 20,000 visitors over three to four days - a major booster for Zanzibar tourism for two decades. "The festival has been a vital part of Zanzibar's culture", said Tobias Dietzold, Chief Commercial Officer of CPS: "It brings together people from all walks of life, promoting strong, peaceful and resilient communities." Dietzold added: "This is what we stand for at Fumba Town and CPS, and therefore we are grateful to be able to contribute our part. The private sector must take responsibility to support initiatives like this."
Among many colourful and diverse acts performing at Busara in recent years were Sampa The Great (Zambia), Nneka (Nigeria), BCUC (South Africa) and Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana/USA). Under the inspiring guidance of festival director and music lover Yusuf Mahmoud, the Festival has focussed on women entertainers as well as young and upcoming acts. The cosmopolitan island of Zanzibar has a strong cultural connection. There is a saying: "When the flute plays in Zanzibar, the whole of Africa dances."
Diverse cultural heritage
"We are committed to keeping the Sauti za Busara festival robust and dynamic for the next few years as we enjoy our rich and diverse cultural heritage through live music," CPS director Dietzold stressed.
"Through this partnership, we want to ensure that, at the minimum, the next three Busara festivals and the culture surrounding them continue to thrive. In addition, we want to establish a long–term relationship with the organisers," he added.
Tourism Minister: "Unforgettable experience."
On his part, the Minister for Tourism and Heritage for Zanzibar, Hon. Simai Mohammed Said lauded both Sauti za Busara and Fumba Town for coming together to support the growth of tourism in the isles.
"The Festival has, over the last 20 years, become one of the major attractions for visitors in our annual events calendar. We urge all government agencies and leaders, businesses, private and corporate donors to follow CPS' positive example to invest in celebrations of our arts and cultural heritage, which offer unique and unforgettable experiences for visitors to the region," the Minister of Tourism noted. "
Sauti za Busara - Tanzania's most compelling music and cultural Festival, brings together thousands of enthusiasts and performers from across Africa and the world to celebrate the richness and diversity of African music and heritage. The Festival is staged during February each year and is organised by Busara Promotions, a non-governmental organisation (NGO). It ranks high among African music festivals, including the Festival in the Desert in Mali, which had to be discontinued because of political unrest, the MTN Bushfire Festival in eSwatini and the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in South Africa.
The 20th-anniversary edition of Sauti za Busara will take place from 10th to 12th February 2023. With its theme being Tofauti Zetu, Utajiri Wetu (Diversity is Our Wealth), the Festival will reach out to a diverse crowd and feature live music performances from Zanzibar, Tanzania, DRC, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mayotte and Reunion. It is usually embedded among training workshops, networking and cultural events throughout Stone Town.
28-storey Burj Zanzibar would be Africa’s first sustainable high-rise
Muscat/Zanzibar, 1 October 2022 – The Indian Ocean island Zanzibar is planning the highest green building in the world, a 28-storey apartment tower designed in hybrid timber technology. Named Burj Zanzibar - “burj” meaning tower in Arabic - the spectacular high-rise is designed to reach 96 metres in height. Dubbed “vertical green village”, it would represent an iconic landmark not only for the island but for the whole of Africa and a global environmental milestone, being the first timber structure worldwide of such proportions. The design of the mixed-use apartment and commercial building, in a playful beehive style with breathtaking ocean views, was unveiled to the public in Muscat, Oman on 1 October. Dutch-born architect Leander Moons, responsible for the concept, said: “Burj Zanzibar is not just an outstanding building but a new ecosystem for the future of living”.
The residential tower with 266 residences is to be located in Fumba Town, East Africa’s pioneering eco-town developed by German-led engineering firm CPS. Categorised as a strategic investment and fully supported by the Zanzibar government, the growing city near the capital, where foreigners are allowed to buy, stretches along a 1.5-kilometre seashore on the southwest coast. “Burj Zanzibar will be the highlight and natural continuation of our efforts to provide sustainable housing in Africa, thereby empowering local employment and businesses”, elaborated CPS CEO Sebastian Dietzold in Muscat.
With turquoise seas, white sandy beaches and a UNESCO-protected historic Stone Town, Zanzibar recorded 15% annual growth in tourism in recent years and 6.8% economic growth. Earlier this year, the semi-autonomous archipelago, 35 kilometres off the coast of Tanzania, stretched its wings also into another direction, launching an initiative to attract African tech companies with a total worth of six billion dollars.
Benefits of timber
Timber is the oldest building material in the world. As timber technology, it currently enjoys a renaissance because of its environmental benefits and longevity. New timber products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam are considered the building material of the future. One cubic metre of wood binds half a ton of carbon dioxide, whereas conventional concrete construction is responsible for 25% of CO2 emissions.
Once realised, Burj Zanzibar would be the highest timber building in the world and Africa’s first high-rise ever in this innovative technology. A few weeks ago the 86.6-metre Ascent Tower in Milwaukee, US, was certified as the world's tallest timber hybrid building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Africa’s highest conventional skyscraper is a 385-metre office tower named “Iconic Tower” in Egypt, still under construction.
Tanzania’s top skyscraper is the 157-metre Ports Authority building in Dar es Salaam. The world’s tallest conventional building is Burj Khalifa in Dubai with 828 metres.
Consortium of specialists from New York to Switzerland
Burj Zanzibar is planned as a hybrid timber tower. A steel-reinforced concrete core is designed to meet all required fire and life safety standards. The project is to be executed by a consortium of leading specialists from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, South Africa, Tanzania and the US. Green roof gardens and planted balconies further reduce the carbon footprint of the building. “Burj Zanzibar will be a widely visible new landmark for Zanzibar and beyond, not only because of its appearance but because of its construction method”, said architect Leander Moons during the launch event.
Set to promote locally available wood as a building material, Tanzania and its vast land resources for agroforestry would also benefit from the ambitious green mega tower. A large forest development in central Tanzania near Iringa already covers twice the size of New York; “an enlarged forest industry could create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the East African country”, said CPS Director Dietzold.
Playful, elegant style fitting any culture
The playful architectural style – reminiscent of a beehive with honeycombs – combines modern urban trends with local culture. “Panorama windows, closed-in green loggias and a modular layout will enhance the green nature of the tower and allow for flexible apartment floor plans, tailor-made for any cultural preferences”, explained lead architect Moons. Residents can have their outdoor garden even on the top floor.
Representing a young, vibrant and most of all sustainable lifestyle, the building allocates a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments and deluxe penthouses. The elegant tower stands on a terraced podium with shared and private gardens , shops and a common pool. Sizes of units range from studios starting at $79,900 to a vast penthouse with a private pool on the 26th floor at $950,880. “As a global architectural highlight the Burj Zanzibar will be setting a new benchmark of building in the 21st century”, CPS director Sebastian Dietzold concluded.
Some like it hot, some African traditional, others with a touch of Asia. These three recipes are the bestsellers in Fumba Town’s first kiosk restaurant which has been serving the community since 2018.
Paulina Mayala, 28, born and raised in Zanzibar, is executive chef of the popular Kwetu Kwenu – Swahili for “my place is your place” - in Fumba Town (meanwhile, read more about the new Kwetu Kwenu Chill on the following page). She started her journey in Fumba three and a half years ago with a lot of enthusiasm and passion for cooking – and without any culinary studies. “The owners of Kwetu Kwenu, Franko and Bernadette, helped me a lot”, Paulina says. “They have a beautiful way to empower people and to see potential and talent, and give people a chance to take their lives to another level.” Paulina’s best selling dishes at Kwetu Kwenu are Thai cashew chicken, Juicy Lucy beef burger and the famous Kwetu Kwenu brownies – cosmopolitan country kitchen made in Fumba.
Thai Cashew chicken
Chicken breast, onions, garlic, ginger, carrot, red and yellow pepper, zucchini (or any other fresh veggies)
What makes this recipe outstanding, is the way Paulina prepares the chicken, tossing the pieces of chicken breast in some flour and baking powder. Then she deep-fries the pieces of chicken in hot oil. The same procedure of deep-frying applies to the cashew pieces, until they become golden brown. Saute the veggies, starting with some onion, garlic and ginger, and add pieces of carrot, red and yellow pepper and zucchini, until they become golden brown. Then Paulina adds some special homemade Thai sauce to mix with all the ingredients to give the special Asian flavour.
Juicy Lucy beef burger
1kg of minced meat, 6 egg yolk, margarine 200g (frozen), bread crumbs 300g, Onions 2 (chopped), Carrot 1 (chopped), salt and pepper, garlic, 6 burger buns from Eat Zanzibar
Depending how “meaty” you want your burger, add more carrots, says Paulina. Some chefs use the whole egg, but she prefers to add only the yolk. Mix all well, form “flatties'' or more rounded burgers and keep in the fridge for at least half an hour before frying. Simple but cosmopolitan: Island treats by Kwetu Kwenu
Kwetu Kwetu Brownies
Sugar 300g, flour 75g, Cocoa 75, butter 225g, dark chocolate 225g, Egg 4 pcs fully
Stir and knead everything for 3 minutes, fill in forms and bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. Tastes fumbalicious for breakfast, afternoon tea or at parties, success guaranteed.
Fumba Town is getting two top-notch public roads and public water access, all to be completed this year.
Finally, two brand new tarmac roads will connect Fumba Town to the rest of the world. The roadwork is in the making and expected to be completed within weeks latest by November according to the contractor. The government has contracted Turkish company IRIS ASER in a joint venture to develop a network of feeder roads all over the island with a total of about 275 kilometres.
The road from Dimani market to the Fumba Town gate (1.3 km) and further up to the waterfront (500 metres) is part of the package, as well as a road from Nyamanzi to Kombeni (1 km), explained Taner Baskiran of the Turklsh contractor.
Residents of both villages and Fumba Town dwellers are eagerly following progress.Meanwhile, the Zanzibar Minister of Water, Energy and Minerals, Shaib H. Kaduara, visited Fumba Town alongside an on-going water extension on the Fumba peninsula. Public water pipes are currently being installed. So far, the new suburb Fumba Town has been relying entirely on its own wells and water supply. Fresh water is expected to become less costly once the public system is installed. Tobias Dietzold, chief of product of Fumba Town developer CPS, hosted the Minister and took him around the new town. “We had a fruitful discussion about the connectivity”, said Dietzold. Minister Kaduara ensured a “reliable infrastructure”. Fumba Town is one of the most significant inv
Government acts to bring tech firms here - major breakthrough for Zanzibar.
What do dukas (Swahili for shops) and the African tech revolution have in common? A lot, if you ask the Zanzibar government and Wasoko, the continent’s fastest growing company, which has just moved its base to Fumba Town.
The Zanzibar government is set to make the tropical island of white beaches, tourism and ancient culture a centre of tech in Africa by starting an initiative ‘Silicon Zanzibar’ with wide-ranging incentives. The first tech giant, Wasoko, initially from Kenya, has already arrived here. Other tech companies from across Africa are to follow. The physical base of the new digital world is Fumba Town, the modern seaside community just southwest of Zanzibar City.
Suddenly there were colourful pillows placed on an office veranda, beanbags in a meeting lobby. Vibes and looks changed drastically in recent weeks in Fumba Town, the flagship development of German engineering firm CPS, which is constructing thousands of shining white residential and commercial units along a 1.5 kilometre stretch of seashore close to the airport. Overnight, Wasoko – a tech firm focussing on changing duka trade and essential goods deliveries in Africa – had rented dozens of houses and apartments here and relocated 40 elite young team members including its CEO to the island. Penina Agure, 25, a tech supporter from Kisumu, Kenya said about her new working environment: “All is at arm’s-length; the houses are really nice and not too complex.”
Right time, right place
The surprise initiative for Zanzibar – which for now gets 80 per cent of its foreign exchange earnings through tourism - was to be officially launched at a VIP-studded inaugural event in Fumba Town on August 30 in the presence of Zanzibar’s president Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi and other dignitaries. Zanzibar Minister of Labour, Economy and Investment, Mudrik R. Soraga, explained: “No longer will tech companies need to open offices and move their people to Dubai or London to manage operations in Africa.”
‚Silicon Zanzibar’ will streamline the issuance of work visas to skilled tech workers from across Africa and beyond, it was announced. Also under debate are tax incentives to participating companies. In return Wasoko, for example, has offered to help develop IT curricula for Zanzibar university and train interns. “Silicon Valley was successful, because it invited the best and brightest from all over the world”, says Daniel Yu, the founder and CEO of Wasoko, “tech knows no borders.” According to experts, tech companies in Africa received over six billion dollars in financing in 2021, making it the continent’s fastest growing major industry.
No walls, no fences – that’s Fumba
“The start-up atmosphere of Fumba Town and new tech companies like Wasoko perfectly inspire each other”, noted Fumba town chief developers Sebastian and Tobias Dietzold. “CPS supports developing vibrant communities that add value for investors, such as Wasoko, with a core purpose of empowering the Zanzibar people and businesses.”
Coincidentally, both ventures – Fumba Town and Wasoko - were started in 2015. The African town built on eco principles with waste recycling and permaculture gardens will eventually house around 20,000 residents. It is the first project in Zanzibar where foreigners are free to buy. Wasoko, meaning “market people” in Swahili, is valued at $625 million after receiving over 145 million dollars of equity financing. According to the Financial Times it is Africa’s fastest growing company, now operating in seven countries and 30 cities. “We had been looking for a location where we can bring together the best talent from across the continent in a creative hub”, said Daniel Yu. “We chose Fumba Town and Zanzibar because it is a globally attractive destination, a facilitating environment and we found the Zanzibar government very supportive. No walls, no fences, no compounds, to us Fumba is like a campus”, he added: “We are honoured to be a founding partner for Silicon Zanzibar, and expect Wasoko to be the first of many tech companies to establish a presence on the island.”
How does Wasoko work?
Dukas, as trillions of informal, kiosk-like shops all over the continent are called in Swahili, are at the heart of operations of Wasoko. Collectively they sell an incredible $600 billion of goods every year. Just like Amazon, Wasoko is an e-commerce platform - except that it is not selling and delivering to individual customers but to shops. One duka serves about hundred people, is the equation. With Wasoko they can place orders through SMS or mobile app, receive free same-day delivery and, importantly, pay-later-financing schemes. It works with 70,000 merchants across Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Zambia. “Fast moving goods will become cheaper too with the new model”, says Yu.
No profit yet
The dynamic 29-year old entrepreneur, whose father is a medical doctor from Hongkong and his mother a pharmacist from California, developed his business model in a village in Sinai in Egypt while on a study trip: “The local trader never had anything and it was much too expensive.” His e-commerce scheme won a competition in Chicago; Kenyan based Unilever and others bought into his concept - and the university dropout never looked back. “We are still not making profit”, says Yu, who speaks eight languages including Mandarin and Arabic: “To built e-commerce in Africa requires long term commitment.” This echoes what Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said: “We were an overnight success in ten years.”
Whatever it takes, holiday destination Zanzibar might just become for the continent what the famous Silicon Valley near San Francisco became for the world in the 1980’s - a door into a new age with vast changes for image, economy and education.
By Andrea Tapper
First seaside restaurant opening – fun for the whole family
With quite some structural finesse the first seaside restaurant in Fumba Town is opening - complete with a sun deck, pizza oven, premium steaks and even sea access.
Enjoying sunsets only in Stone Town and Kendwa? Think twice. A long awaited new attraction in Fumba Town, a restaurant with a wooden deck on top of coral rocks directly overlooking the Indian Ocean, promises entertainment for the whole family – and golden Westcoast sunsets. Open from 5-11 pm, and on weekends from morning to night, kids are welcome to play beach volley ball here, grown-ups to enjoy a rooftop shisha lounge, a sun deck and even swimming access (depending on the tide). Fine casual outdoor dining in a friendly atmosphere is the focus of the new “KwetuKwetu Chill”. The location will be open to residents and visitors alike, with direct road access from Zanzibar City.
“For now it’s the first seaside restaurant in Fumba, but in ten years there will be a whole string of them all along the coast”, envisions Sebastian Dietzold, chief developer of Fumba Town, who has seen the peninsula develop from barren coral rock land to a sprawling suburb.
Finally a sea spot in Fumba
So far, the new seaside community Fumba Town, just 18 kilometres southwest of Zanzibar City, had been missing one important highlight – a beach. Some residents have taken to explore a natural lagoon and river towards within the vicinity, yet a proper ocean-side entertainment along the cliffy stretch of 1,5 kilometres shoreline had been lacking. All that has started to change with the construction of Kwetu Kwenu Chill (KKC). Metal poles drilled into the rocks are holding a deck with in-built hammocks in place; a wooden stairs leads more than three metres down to the sea. A shipping container was turned into a kitchen and bar.
Soft opening in coming weeks
“In the weeks to come we will have a soft opening”, announced Franko Goehse and Bernadette Kirsch, the proprietors of the restaurant, confident that “it will not only be a great addition for residents of Fumba Town but will attract visitors from all over the island.” The directors of the Permaculture Design Centre (PDC) are well-known personalities on the island and responsible for the green footprint of Fumba Town, setting new standards in urban landscaping in Zanzibar and beyond. In 2018 they opened the first and only Kwetu Kwenu Bistro in Fumba Town, a popular neighbourhood-hangout since its inception, 2019 a monthly farmer’s market of the same name. The new restaurant is the third enterprise in the Kwetu Kwenu family.
Everything locally sourced
Healthy, natural and local are keywords. The restaurant is designed in casual beach style with palette furniture by Ahmed design, dhow wood tables from Nungwi, eclectic sisal lamps from Katani. The food promises to be premium with a wood-fired pizza oven, “papy stove” barbecue grilling stations and a steak menu utilising “the best beef available in Tanzania”, as Franko Goehse puts it - prime steaks and dry-aged beef from “Let’s meat” in Dar es Salaam, already a favourite with upmarket clients on the mainland and exporting to Kuwait. Burgers, fresh seafood and chicken will compliment the menu, there will be seasonal salads and greens, sweet potatoes, cheli-cheli and plantain chips. “Will serve only the freshest local ingredients” the proprietors assure, vegetable, chicken and eggs from Msonge farm; fish from local Fumba fishermen; chutneys, honeys and more from Kwetu Kwenu farmer’s market.
With 14 suitcases the Van Bemmel family arrived in Fumba Town straight from the Netherlands, ready to start a new life.
Some homeowners buy for investment, others to rent out, you have come to stay?
Petra and Frank Van Bemmel: That’s right. We have no return ticket.
Why Zanzibar, why Fumba Town?
We stayed in Kenya for 3 years when we adopted our two children Darcy, 13, and Sifa, 10. And Frank wanted to live on a tropical island for a long time before he was turning 50. Now we have just made it!
You came with your companies?
Petra: Yes, we are both independent. Frank runs an online advertising company. I write education curricula for primary schools. Our business fits in a suitcase. But our main reason to relocate were our children, we wanted them to grow up in an East African culture.
Are they happy here?
First we worried, if they would adjust. We specifically bought them a dog to have a companion. But on the very first day of our arrival in May they met a lot of age mates. Now it is us who are stranded with baby shepherd “Boef”.
Sifa: Every two weeks our parents ask us, if we want to stay or go.
And?
We like it here, we have found many new friends.
What does the whole family enjoy most?
European comfort in Africa, good Internet, attentive caretakers. And that the children can play outside all day long without fear.
You occupy one of the prettiest units in Fumba, a 3-storey sea front house with a pool…
Every morning we try to swim 50 laps. We are only renting here, we bought a bungalow. An advantage of Fumba Town is that there are many options.
What’s missing?
Frank: Maybe more shopping options. We tried online shopping and I ordered two pairs of jeans from Japan and believe it or not, a few weeks later the post office texted me in Swahili to pick them up.
The Pavilion commercial centre located in Zanzibar Fumba Town is now open for business.
The first commercial centre in Fumba Town, The Pavilion, was opened on Tuesday, 30th of August 2022.
Speaking on this, the CEO of CPS, Sebastian Dietzold, said, "The Pavilion will be the first commercial centre for the fast-growing community in Fumba Town. It will provide diverse services such as retail, offices, food and beverage, medical and sports facilities." .
CPS develops vibrant urban communities that add value for its investors in and outside Africa. The newly opened commercial centre is built to support its residents and community living around Fumba by providing high-quality services.
The town has a beautiful 1,5km seafront and is located only 15 minutes south of the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.
Mr. Dietzold continued to say that the company has already completed hundreds of modern residential and commercial units and welcomes investors from around the globe to this stunning island full of opportunities.
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 ‘tree level’. “We had to fulfil 272 criteria for that in an auditing process”, says Simon Beiser, who together with his brother Anwar runs the beach property founded by their father, the late Klaus Beiser.
Sorry, no pool
There is no pool and no air conditioning. Instead “we have the ocean on our doorstep, coastal winds and fans in the rooms”, says Anwar Beiser: “Responsible tourism has a high importance for our daily business.” A simple set-up of only four solar panels provides hot water for the entire hotel, while a natural basin filters grey water for gardening use. All waste is collected and recycled. Staff are encouraged to bring their trash from home to learn how to separate it. “It’s the simplicity of most ideas which strikes me most”, says manageress Louise Tinning, 29, who holds a bachelor degree in sustainable tourism.
Staff from the neighbourhood
Other pillars of green success include fresh seasonal dishes. No endangered fish, but a local catch, fruits, veggies and meat from local farms. “Aware and well-trained staff”, says Tinning, is also very important. Many of the thirty or so staff members come from neighbouring villages, all are properly health insured and were kept on board even during the pandemic.
Blue Oyster has started a foundation for schools and maternity support in the neighbourhood. Captain Zapi, a former fisherman, takes guests on popular sunset cruises in an ngalawa outrigger boat - one of the many examples of Zanzibari being integrated in the hotel. But the most special Blue Oyster green trick is the most simple: Everyday around 5 pm while guests are happily turning their sunbeds towards the gentle late-afternoon sun, a young waiter goes around to collect early dinner orders. Fresh coconut crusted fish today? Or better spinach stew with chapatis? “With early orders we avoid throwing away at least twenty portions per night”, explains Louise Tinning. So easy a conscious holiday can be!
Together Greener – Bernadette Kirsch shares smart ideas for an eco-friendly lifestyle
Clay pots are the clue to clean water for your home.
How to make your own fresh water in Zanzibar at almost zero costs, explains our green expert Bernadette Kirsch, Fumba Town’s head of permaculture.
Water is an issue in many ways: pollution, environment, urban development and even government policies all get in the way of our prescribed dose of at least one litre fresh drinking water a day. Half of the Zanzibar population still has no access to piped fresh drinking water. 60 percent water loss occurs because of out-dated pipes.
When Fumba Town was started in 2015, an independent water supply for the new town was established with the neighbouring villages Nyamanzi and Dimani also benefiting from it. Starting in September this year, Fumba Town will be additionally connected to the municipal lines of Zanzibar Water Authority (ZAWA) who will then have to conduct regular quality tests. Good news: The water price is expected to go down. All water in Zanzibar, whether private or public, comes from boreholes.
Whatever the source, to be on the safe side, filtering drinking water with clay filters is a good idea for your home consumption - and a perfect way to replace buying bottled water. We all use far too much bottled water. Entire aisles at the grocery store are full of it. But while most people know that bottled water is not a good idea for many reasons (see box), we continue to purchase it anyway.
Clay is clean!
The use of sand filtration can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. In 1804, the first clay pot filters were used to purify the water supply in Paisley, Scotland. The ceramic water filtration system has been cited by the United Nations’ Appropriate Technology Handbook, and hundreds of thousands of filters have been distributed worldwide by organisations such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam .
For use in Zanzibar I recommend “Maji Salama'' fabricated by Safe Water Ceramics East Africa (SWCEA). We have used this system for more than five years at the Permaculture Design Company (PDC) and the Kwetu Kwenu kiosk in Fumba Town.
How do clay filters work?
SWCEA is a small family-run business in Arusha; their ceramic water filter has proven to remove 99% of all known pathogens, including those that cause cholera, dysentery, and stomach upsets. A combination of clay, sawdust and colloidal silver is used to form the initial shape of the hand-made pot. Colloidal silver is the key ingredient (also expensive) that kills the bacteria. The pot is burned at 900 degrees in a kiln for about 24 hours, followed by a cooling and drying process over several days. Regular tests, conducted at a local clinic, establish if the water flow is as expected (2-4 litres per hour) and bacteria-free.
Using the clay filter at home
It is simple and easy to use. Each ceramic filter comes with a food grade plastic bucket with a cover and tap. It can filter four litres per hour and 36 litres per day. A brush for scrubbing and cleaning the filter every three months and a cleaning instruction is included. The filters have a life span of five years.
A slight disadvantage is the slow process of filtering. I have made it a habit to let the filter run all the time and store the water in glass bottles in the fridge and outside. For the first two times that we ran the filter it had a clayey taste. Thereafter, it tasted fresh, as charcoal produced from the burned sawdust restored natural water taste. To pep up the taste, I often add a slice of lemon, mint or lemongrass.
