The first Seychelles Week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, came to an end last Saturday with a traditional Ngalawa boat race.
The week was organised by Seychelles’ honorary consul Maryvone Pool, who is also our appointed tourism ambassador in Tanzania, in collaboration with the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB).
A crowd of some 1,500 local people had gathered for an afternoon of fun at Msasani Minazini Beach, where sounds of top African tracks from Clouds FM radio echoed around the open grounds. The musical group Zez and dancers who had flown in from Seychelles also performed live and added some real Creole ambiance to the event.
Capital Television of Tanzania was present to cover this very exciting last day and capture the thrills as 15 traditional dhows were flagged off to start the race out of Msasani Bay.
The sail of each boat proudly bore the logo of private sponsors, including Air Seychelles, the STB, Bon Voyage, Winglink, Delfina Promotions, Capital Television, Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel, Vodacom, Zantel, ComAir, British Airways, Computer Connections and Precision Air.
While the boats raced each other, the public had a chance to buy crafts from Seychelles such as bags, pareos and intriguingly shaped coco de mer sculptures.
At the end of the race, cash prizes were presented to the winners by Ms Pool, Sharon Rosalie of the STB and representatives of the sponsors.
A raffle draw was also held to cap off the successful week, and the first prize of a holiday to the Seychelles Islands was sponsored by Precision Air and Kenya Airways via Nairobi. The second prize was another air ticket sponsored by Air Seychelles and Com Air.
The curtain was brought down on the event with a vote of thanks by Ms Pool and Ms Rosalie, after which members of the public joined Zez on stage for some farewell sega dancing.
Courtesy The Seychelles Nation
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