Photo creativity thrills Samia
ZANZIBAR: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan was all smiles on Tuesday evening as young Tanzanian photographers brought Zanzibar’s landscapes, people and culture to life at the Picture Dinner Gala held during the Kizimkazi Festival.
The President moved through the exhibition, taking in photographs that captured different sides of the islands, from tourism and tradition to the everyday work of Zanzibar’s people.
“We have seen the great talent and creativity you have in the art of photography. So, we thank the young people. You have put in the effort and shown creativity,” President Samia noted.
One image that caught her attention showed a woman from Kizimkazi harvesting seaweed. Samia praised the photographers for using their cameras to tell stories from home and urged them to keep developing their craft.
“You have seen my sister from Kizimkazi here. She is in the sea harvesting seaweed. That is a very beautiful picture of a hardworking woman from our community.”
President Samia said the exhibition also showed that Tanzanian photographers can produce images of the same quality and significance often associated with foreign photographers. Her remarks come as Zanzibar’s tourism industry continues to expand.
She said the islands recorded close to one million tourist arrivals last year, up from about 700,000 in 2024, representing growth of 24.5 per cent.
But the President said rising tourist numbers must translate into greater value for local people. She urged authorities and tourism stakeholders to create more spaces where photographers can exhibit and sell their work to tourists and international visitors.
“Let us not stop at this auction,” she said, encouraging young photographers to keep producing quality images while calling for an environment that allows them to showcase and sell their work.
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The gala was part of a wider festival experience that had already taken the President into the streets and corners of Stone Town.
A day earlier, she visited Forodhani Gardens, where the Makachu divers drew the evening crowd with flips and highenergy jumps from the seawall into the Indian Ocean.
Samia joined the group for a photograph, sharing a moment with the young performers and other Zanzibar residents.
She also tried her hand at bao, the traditional board game played along the streets of Stone Town, before taking in a live taarab performance.
Together, the moments offered a glimpse of the festival beyond the formal stage, young photographers behind their lenses, divers leaping into the sea, a president playing bao and taarab filling the evening with music.
