Africa & India 2006:8 - Johannesburg to Comoros Islands

Sunday, February 19, 2006

It was an easy start this morning. There was fast but expensive internet in the business centre, so we both got caught up before breakfast at the adjoining Spur restaurant.

At breakfast we discussed the hopelessness of Sub Saharan Africa. AIDS is definitely a major problem - the shortening life expectancies have made it next to impossible for an African to get a mortgage or life insurance. AIDS babies are being born to AIDS parents, worsening the cycle. A very matter of fact article in a newspaper in Zimbabwe quoted an official in the public works department, who was blaming frequent clogging of the sewer system on the over 20 newborn babies found in it each week.

Another major factor that ensures this part of the world will stay impoverished is greed. Africans in many parts of the continent have told me that the root problem in Africa is that once someone gets into a position of power, they make sure no one else gets anything. High government corruption is normal. Very little in the economy gets past the powers to be, including foreign aid payments or goods sent as aid for the poor.

The NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) such as charities and missionaries accomplish very little. They are noted for driving their new four-wheel drive vehicles between the best hotels and the best restaurants - little of what is collected reaches the poor. The only organization that seems to reach the people is the Peace Corps. These young volunteers actually live with villagers while teaching sanitation and basic health care.

Last night I asked reception in the hotel to find the number of Yemenia Airlines so I could confirm the flight was going, but they said it would have to be done in the business centre, which was closed. This morning I asked the attendant in the business centre, but received a blank look. I suggested he call information for the phone number, then call the airline. He was back shortly saying the airline had no listing, so I went to use the phone in the room, quickly got the number from airport information and was relieved to find the flight was scheduled to go on time.

We took the hotel shuttle to the airport, found Yemenia check in, and while waiting for it to open talked with a young woman who installs and trains staff to use computer systems in South African Embassies around the world. My efforts to find a hotel in Comoros were fruitless - the only one I could find is closed for renovations! She suggested we join her when we arrive, to get the name of a hotel from the people the new embassy sends to pick her up.

The Airbus 310-300 boarded only a few minutes late. Only about 10% of the seats were filled, so legroom and moving around were not concerns. A Muslim prayer preceded the safety announcements. Apparently they pick up a lot of people in Moroni going to Yemen. The 3-½ hour flight passed very comfortably, and we landed ½ hour ahead of schedule. The flight crew were very casual, including about safely features. We flew through some turbulence but no one was required to do up seat belts, service items were left on open tray tables during landing and passengers were out of their seats opening overhead bins while the plane was taxiing to the terminal. Perhaps the prayer was in lieu of safety procedures!

On the immigration form it was necessary to show where we are staying, a bit difficult, as we did not know. A fellow who spoke a little English wrote the name of a hotel on the form and we were passed through after paying $US 20 each for a visa. We met up with the South African embassy people, and they recommended the same hotel as the fellow put on the form - it turned out to the only reasonable option! It is where they are staying as well. They were also kind enough to arrange a taxi at a fair price - others had been quoting twice the amount.

It was dark, and the half hour drive from the airport was on a narrow, rough paved road with no painted lines. The drivers don't waste any time in spite of poor visibility. The Royal Itsandra Hotel turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Our ground floor room faces the ocean with lawn between the sea and us. We sat on the patio to have a cold bottle of white wine before going to bed. In spite of it being evening, the heat and humidity were intense - fortunately the rooms are air-conditioned.

Monday, February 20, 2006

We slept late in our king sized bed this morning, partly because I didn't adjust my clock for the one-hour time difference. We were up in time for a swim in the warm ocean under grey skies, before enjoying breakfast on the patio. There is a beautiful cove with golden sand in front of the hotel.

The hotel arranged a car and driver for us, so we headed for downtown Moroni. The first stop was the Air Astral office to pick up our pre-paid tickets out of here. They were very efficient and we were soon weaving through narrow streets headed for a bank, where I changed money. Not even the hotel will take credit cards, and no one knows anything about dollars - only euros or Comoros Francs. This is the opposite of Africa, where euros were unfamiliar and therefore of little use. It was interesting that the US dollar had fallen 5% against the Comoros Franc since we left home -- that is getting pretty bad!

The city is filthy dirty, and extreme poverty is evident everywhere. This is one of the most impoverished places I have been. Very few tourists come here, and few people have work. The roads are rough and full of potholes, electricity and telephone are unreliable and with few exceptions buildings show lack of maintenance. It would not be the place to be a paint salesman! Gas costs $US 1.50 per litre. Surprisingly, crime is very low.

We drove slowly up a twisting street lined with vendors on each side. This is called "The Petit Marche". It was teeming with people on foot; cars crawled along as the encroachment of the vendors' stands had reduced the street to the width of one vehicle. We also drove around "The Grande Marche", a large covered market with many stalls surrounding it. It too seemed very busy, but we did not see a single stall selling anything of interest to a tourist.

At the island parliament building we were at first refused admission, but a fellow in rich robes and cap noticed, asked our business, and then ordered that we be given a tour. I've no idea who he was. The main parliament hall is quite expensively finished, apparently a gift from the Peoples Republic of China. This is where the island government meets for three months of the year.

English is rare in Comoros. Even in the hotel only two people had rudimentary English. Our driver spoke French, but did so slowly and clearly, enabling us to understand some of what he said. He was also patient with our efforts in French, and quick to grasp what we were trying to say.

Back at the hotel we were going to go for a swim, but a storm could be seen approaching. It soon blocked out the point of land on which Moroni sits, and the azure sea in front of us gradually changed to black as the storm approached. The power went off, the palms swayed and sheets of rain lashed the windows. A poor lone fisherman in an outrigger canoe paddled past in front of us, disappearing between white-capped waves as he worked his way home. Later in the afternoon we braved the storm waves to swim after the worst was over. Dinner was a two bottle of wine affair on the patio, with BBQ lobster done perfectly.

Comoros is a group of four islands in the Indian Ocean off the north coast of Mozambique. The islands were ceded to France in 1843. In 1974 there was a vote to see if the islanders wanted independence. Only 374 sq. km. Mayotte voted to stay with France.

Since independence there have been 19 coups or attempted coups. We arrived at Hahaia Airport serving the capital, Moroni, located on 1,146 sq. km. (442 sq.mi.) Ngazidja Island, the largest of the three. Mwali and Nzwani are the other two islands. The population of Ngazidja is 200,000, largely descended from Arabs and Africans. From 1570 until 1843 twelve sultans ruled the island, with a principal sultan settling disputes. A long struggle between the sultans of the towns of Bambao and Itsandra led to the ceding of Ngazidja to France, who renamed it Grande Comoro.

In 1999 military chief Col. Azali seized power, and in 2001 voters approved a new constitution allowing for presidential elections in 2002. Each island archipelago elected its own president under a union president and the islands reverted back to their pre-colonial names. With an area of 2,170 sq. km. Comoros is about 12 times the size of Washington, DC, USA or a bit smaller than Luxembourg. The highest point in the country is the active volcano Le Karthala at 2,360 meters (7,741 ft), situated on Moroni. Since 1857 there have been over a dozen eruptions with lava flows, the most recent in 1977.

The population of 671,000 is 98% Sunni Muslim and 2% Catholic. Male life expectancy is 60 years and female 64 years. The literacy rate varies greatly between men (64%) and women (49%) due to the Muslim beliefs. In spite of the Sunni sect being more fundamental Muslims, they do not seem overly strict here. Covering the head is not required of women, and a fairly casual attitude is taken to dress and religious requirements. Even the call to prayer over loudspeakers was jazzed up a little, with a bit of background music and a duet at one point!