Day 24, Bagamoyo

The end of the program is nearing, after which my six-week internship begins. We are now on Zanzibar island, but first I will record some memories from the last place, Bagamoyo.

Bagamoyo is a fishing town on the coast. We visited a fish market and interviewed a fisher, after which we made posters depicting the value chain of the fishing industry. It was interesting to see how many side jobs there are surrounding the catching of fish. At the market there were people washing, cutting and frying fish, people selling sauce to eat with the fish and small restaurants selling ugali and rice. Most people buying fish from the auction and selling it on were women! They actually make quite a profit, more than the fishers who are not allowed to sell directly to customers themselves.

The fisherman (Shiffa) we interviewed was our age. He told us he hated fishing, but there were no good jobs for him, even though he completed secondary school. The water scared him - a few years ago his collegue drowned right in front of his eyes. We had written down a lot of questions and prompts, about climate change and about private investors, but we soon realised this was not on Shiffa's mind at all. He was just trying to get by, day by day, facing challenges without time to think about deeper origins and power structures. We asked about the controversial new 'special economic zone' harbour in construction, giving big trade ships tax reliefs and free passes on environmental regulations. We expected Shiffa to dislike it, say it was bad for local fishing, but instead he said he looked forward to it, as it might offer him an escape into a different, better job.

Our conversation with Shiffa made my hyperaware again of the opportunities I have and he doesn't. He starts work at 6AM on a boat and in the afternoon he also works as a tuktuk driver. I complain when I have to get up before 8:30. With my university degree it will be relatively easy for me to find a well-paying, safe job - while Shiffa goes to work with fear every day.

After our adventures in Bagamoyo we took a 4hour boat trip to Zanzibar, on a small fishing boat. To get on the boat we had to wade through water, waist-deep, carrying our small bags on our head.