Letter from Amanda in Zanzibar
Shah Alam, August 2006
This letter arrived from our dear friend Amanda who, at our recommendation, traveled from KL all the way to Zanzibar for the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF 2006):
"Stone Town, Zanzibar, 23 July 2006
"Dear Robert and Hootoksi,
"Sorry for this deluge of messages, but I was thinking of Rob's comment that I wouldn't get enough of Africa. Well, I can say that when it doesn't make me cry or scream, it definitely makes me laugh:
"I've found two real, bonafide, excellent coffee houses at opposite ends of Stone Town: Zanzibar Coffee House and Msumbi.
"I've been promiscuously bouncing between the two of them like the profligate caffeine addict that I am. Today I went to Msumbi for my afternoon coffee, since I was between films at Africa House, which is nearby. I ordered my usual French press and parked myself at one of the outdoor tables. As I was waiting, I looked up from my book to see a familiar face: it was the waitress from Zanzibar Coffee House. Good grief! What was she doing in that neighborhood? She greeted me, and I mumbled, Oh, dear, you've caught me at your competition!"
"She assured me all was well, bade me enjoy my coffee, and walked on. Emmy, the Msumbi waitress, came out a few minutes later with the Bodum and my cup; the press makes enough for two cups. I poured the first cup, stirred in a bit of milk and sugar, and confirmed that life was in fact quite splendid. I'd taken a couple of blissful sips when Emmy reappeared, telling me that she must take the Bodum -- another customer had come, wanting filter coffee, and they have only the one French press. I thought she might be joking. She shrugged laconically as she whisked away with the remaining half of my coffee. Mind you, half the coffee did not translate to half the price at bill-paying time, so when Emmy called out ”See you again!" as I was leaving, I smiled back through gritted teeth and thought, not bloody likely.
"I was walking back to Africa House, thinking, Honestly! It's like going to a restaurant and the waiter taking half of your meal away because the restaurant has only one plate, and another customer has appeared. And why is this new customer deserving of a full dinner, when I was allowed only half of mine? I was mid-rant when I started to laugh. I remembered the ZCH waitress, "Enjoy your coffee!" Perhaps I've stayed here a bit too long, because now I wonder: did she put a curse on Msumbi as she walked away?
"There's a character in Salman Rushdie's novel "Shalimar the Clown", who is known as the potato witch of Astrakhan. Have I run across the coffee witch of Zanzibar?
"So I arrived just before 2:00 at Africa House, where I was eager to see the heavily-promoted documentary, "Mo and Me", about the life of famous African photojournalist Mohammad "Mo" Amin. I could see the lady at the ticket desk shrugging as I walked down the corridor. I've come to know that shrug very well. Several people were gathered around the table. "But many people want to see this film!" "The festival has promoted this film!" \"But haven't you got another disk?" "Maybe you could try another projector... but why not?" "Will you get another disk and show it later?" Shrug, shrug, shrug. As we were all walking out, I asked a French woman if she, by any chance, had managed to find Amin's photos, ostensibly on display in the House of Wonders Museum. "Oh, yes, eventually!" she said. "They put them out on the second floor balcony, but it's difficult, because the balcony is so narrow, your nose is pressed up against the photographs. And the rain, too -- they've warped a little bit."
"At 5:15 there's a Swiss-made documentary about the destruction of the Afghan Buddhas. I just have to wait and see whether or not the ticket-taker shrugs. Insha Allah!
"Cheers…
Amanda"