Living
In The Comoros Islands
The World Between Madagascar And Mozambique~
By Martin And Harriet Ottenheimer
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The
first thing that strikes the visitor to Anjouan is the sheer beauty of
the island. From its stretches of black, sandy beaches to its nearly mile-high
central peak--often shrouded in mist--the island is truly a tropical jewel
set in a sparkling sea. Anjouan is just one of the Comoro islands, and
it was our home for a year and a half in the 1960s.
Located at
the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, halfway between Mozambique
and Madagascar, the Comoros are an archipelago of small volcanic islands.
The four main islands are Grande Comore (seat of the capital, Moroni),
Moheli, Anjouan, and Mayotte. In the 1960s the Comoros were still an Overseas
Territory of France, administered by a French High Commissioner. They were
more isolated than any place we had ever been. To travel there, we had
to fly from East Africa to Madagascar first. There were no direct connections
from Africa to the Comoros, not to mention Europe or Asia.
Although the
Comoros had been active participants in a thriving Indian Ocean maritime
economy for centuries, European colonization had left them isolated and
disconnected from the rest of 20th century life. When we arrived in the
town of Domoni on the island of Anjouan, there were no hotels, restaurants,
electricity, or running hot water. There was one narrow, twisting, mountainous
paved road, a handful of cars, one radio, and a public telephone at the
post office (that worked sometimes). In spite of the lack of amenities
we set up housekeeping and settled into a wonderful way of life, learning
the language and the culture of our hosts. On warm evenings, sitting out
on the second-floor balcony of our coral-and-stone house with our new Anjouanese
friends, looking out over the Indian Ocean and watching the water sparkle
in the moonlight, we easily forgot about all of the technological comforts
we had taken for granted in the United States. Our new home boasted so
much more to delight the senses.
Anjouan is
a lush tropical island with an extinct volcano at its core. Rare, colorful
birds abound, Livingstone bats (found nowhere else in the world) thrive
in the mountainous fern forests, and furry, large-eyed lemurs can be enticed
into sitting on your shoulders. The luxuriant growth of wild tropical plants
combines with cultivated farmlands to provide spectacular vistas at every
turn. Breadfruit, taro, manioc, pigeon peas, coconut, mangos, avocados,
lychees, papayas, citrus fruits, and more augment cultivated mountain rice
to provide daily sustenance. Ylang-ylang, basilic, and jasmine flowers
perfume the air and together with vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves provide
cash crops for export. Cattle, goats, and chickens, supplement the wide
variety of fish available in the ocean waters. Small rivers cascade down
the mountains, splashing over waterfalls on their way to the seashore,
providing fresh water as well as popular spots for doing one's laundry.
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| The islands
that make up the Comoros Islands were originally inhabited by peoples from
the African mainland and Malay-Indonesians. It was in the 15th century
that Arab traders invaded the islands and converted the population to Islam.
The French were the colonial European powers that controlled the islands.
Three of the four islands seperated from France in 1975. In 1978 the newly
independent islands were briefly controlled by a French mercenary by the
name of Bob Denard. |
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While small
farming villages in the mountains have houses made primarily of thatch,
larger towns along the coast, such as Domoni, have multistory stone dwellings,
mosques with tall minarets, and cool narrow twisting streets. Seen from
the sea these coastal towns--set against a background of verdant mountains,
with the smoke from cooking fires drifting over the rooftops, and the aroma
of fragrant tropical flowers permeating the air--evoke the adventures of
Sinbad the Sailor. This fabled traveler probably visited Anjouan over a
thousand years ago when the islands were a major link in the Indian Ocean's
maritime trade. We found evidence of this trade in an ancient stone house
in Domoni where the whole ceiling of one room had been inlaid with small
porcelain dishes; the dishes turned out to be 17th century Japanase Imari
ware. Local elders also spoke of the ancient trade, with stories about
Indian Khotias--large multi-masted sailing vessels--visiting the islands,
and of Comorians sailing throughout the Indian Ocean, engaging in trade
and amassing great wealth for their marriages. By the 1960s, motorized
vessels and air transport were taking the place of traditional sailing
vessels as the major mode of transportation between the islands and the
rest of the world. Still, there were a few small Jahazi--single-masted
sailing vessels--plying Comorian waters, bringing passengers and goods
from one Comorian town or island to another, occasionally sailing as far
as Madagascar.
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| The beautiful
ilang-ilang flower grows on the Comoros Islands. The extract from
the exotic flower is used in most French perfumes. |
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The
rhythm of daily life in Domoni was influenced by the closeness of the islands
to the equator, where the noontime sun is high and strong. People rose
early in the morning to go to the fields to tend their livestock and crops
or go to small factories to prepare ylang-ylang, cloves, vanilla, and other
commodities for export. They would return to their homes before noon to
eat and rest for a few hours before completing their daily chores. In the
late afternoon, the men would gather in the main square of the town and
on the verandas of mosques to play mraha wa ntso--a traditional board game--or
dominoes, or cards. Women would begin to prepare the evening's meal of
rice, to be served with deliciously spiced stews and sauces. After dinner,
women would gather to socialize. Sometimes they took leisurely strolls
through the streets, each one cloaked discreetly from head to toe in a
red-and-white shiromani, looking a bit like walking pillowcases. On moonless
evenings men would walk out on the rocky promontories to fish close to
shore or take outrigger dugout canoes to catch larger fish in deeper water.
A large variety of sea life existed near the town and fishermen would catch
everything from rock lobsters to kingfish weighing hundreds of pounds.
They even caught the coelacanth, a fish once thought by scientists to have
been extinct for millions of years until a South African ichthyologist
was brought to Domoni to examine it. Now, in a small restaurant near the
ocean in Domoni, you can see a preserved specimen on the dining room wall.
Major social
and religious rituals punctuated the rounds of daily life with festive
meals, dancing, and other activities. Major wedding ceremonies, for example,
could take a full week of daily activities to complete. There were feasts,
men’s and women’s dances, entertainment, and the transfer of gifts, including
showering the bride with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. Participants
would come from near and far. One fascinating ritual which used to be part
of these festivities was the dance of the bulls. During one of the days
of the marriage ceremony, men would gather in one of the main squares of
the town while two or more bulls would be released in a nearby street to
charge into the square. The men would attempt to dance up to a bull and
touch it without getting gored or otherwise hurt. It was quite a spectacle
and many people would gather to watch the event from doorways and rooftops,
shouting encouragement and advice to their favorite dancers. The women
would explode in ululation whenever some daring man successfully touched
or leapt over a bull with courage and grace. |
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The month
of Ramadan, when people fasted from dawn to dusk, was also a time for major
rituals. After the evening's special fast-breaking meal people would gather
in one of the town squares to watch boxing matches. There, by the light
of the moon, pairs of combatants would spar in a no-holds barred format,
encouraged by loud drumming. The evening’s festivities would begin with
young boys matching up and swinging fists. An elder male or two would act
as referee, separating the boys if they became entangled in each other’s
extremities, if the swinging became too wild, or if one of the pair was
dazed or hurt. As the evening progressed, older men would step forward
as combatants, sometimes representing different parts of the town, or even
different towns. Spectators would cheer for combatants from their neighborhoods.
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| With more
powerful combatants, harder blows were dealt, and the crowd would roar--over
the sound of the drumming--with each blow landed. There was never any winner
declared unless someone was knocked down and clearly defeated. Spectators
simply enjoyed the entertainment, going home at the end of the event feeling
well represented by 'their' boxers.
Many changes
have occurred in the Comoros since the 1960s. Three of the islands are
now a politically independent country while one, Mayotte, remains attached
to France. Mayotte has benefited from French aid, developing its identity
as a tourist destination with a coral reef often acclaimed as one of the
finest in the world. The other three islands have relied more on international
aid to develop their infrastructures. Roads have been paved, electrical
generating plants constructed, and transportation modernized. Old hotels
were refurbished, new ones built and the Comoros became a major resort
spot for a while, especially for South Africans. But political turmoil
has affected life in the Comoros. Several coups, the takeover of the government
by European mercenaries, and the assassination of a President have deterred
foreign investment and interfered with the maintenance of a solid infrastructure.
In addition, an increase in population--due to high birth rates, decreased
out-migration, and new immigrants from Madagascar and East Africa--has
placed enormous pressure on the limited resources of the islands. In spite
of these problems the future of the Comoros is promising. At present, there
is a semblance of political stability and people show creativity and industriousness
in meeting the challenges to achieving a good living. Over the years, we
have returned several times to the islands, have brought our children there
with us, and our children have visited on their own. Who knows, the lure
of the moon over the Indian Ocean, the fragrance of the air after a rainstorm,
the thrill of dancing at weddings, or just the fine cuisine and the friendly
people might still entice us into retiring there. |
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