Zanzibar G6 ESP

Grade six took an exciting trip to the beautiful island of Zanzibar. We explored four parts of the island by going on the following day trips: Fumba Bay, Jozani Forest, Stonetown and Slavery sites.

Fumba Bay is a place where people explore the sea and look at organisms. Grade six went snorkeling and saw many beautiful creatures such as clams, lobsters, sea cucumbers, jelly fish, sergeant fish and starfish. Many other amazing life forms were also seen. All trips saw dolphins, too. Next, we ate a delicious seafood buffet. We also tried many of Zanzibar’s tasty, tropical fruits for dessert. After, we continued to explore the bay by looking at the mangrove lagoon.

Jozani is a forest with beautiful organisms. In Jozani we looked at the resources of the forest. We looked at many trees and animals. Trees can be used for making buildings, food, medicine, dhows, instruments and furniture. After we looked at the animals, we went back and had lunch at the banda. Next, we looked at the red colobus monkeys. Then we went to the mangrove forest. In the mangroves we learned that the mangroves grow in salt water. The mangroves are useful because they keep the ground from washing away and they give the fish a habitat. We learned that these trees are so important that if you cut down one mangrove tree than you have to plant one hundred mangroves to make up for it.

Another fascinating day trip we took on Zanzibar was beach/Stonetown day. We went to the hotel’s beach and collected the trash on the beach. We did it to help the environment and the organisms that live in the ecosystem. Next, we collected natural objects from the beach. We used shells, sticks, leaves, stones and sand to make a sculpture like the artist Andy Goldsworthy style of art. We left the beach and went to study the amazing traditional songs of Taarab style. Then we stopped for a snack of pizza and ice cream. Then we learned about the amazing doors of Zanzibar. In the doors we lookedfor lines of symmetry, tessellations polygons and patterns.

On Zanzibar a long time ago there were slaves. African people were taken from their homes and they were sold. Before they were sold, they were kept in caves or chambers. Grade six went to visit these sights. The chambers were very small and there were lots of people kept in them. The cave was dark, smelly, slippery, and scary. We learned that the people were treated badly. They were chained together, given little food and they were beaten if they did not follow directions. In Stonetown, we visited a market where the slaves used to be sold, but now it’s a church.

Grade Six had lots of fun and learned a lot. In Zanzibar there are loads of things to do. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We hope next year’s generation has as much fun as we did!

Written by:
Brian Akwera, Ahmed Awadh, Jakobo Gimeno
Sami Jaber, Kasimir Nykter, Krish Rajani