By Moinafatima Soilihi Himidi
Comoros or Perfume Islands is where I belong.
Comoros, derived from the Arabic word “qamar” which means moon, is a sovereign archipelago formed by three volcanic islands totalling 719 square miles (1,862 square kilometres), lying between Africa and Madagascar.
The capital city, Moroni, is in Ngazidja, which has an active volcano. The climate is tropical and humid. Wildlife is rich in rare species, including coelacanths (type of fish), sea turtles, and lemurs.
Population
According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the population of Comoros in 2017 is estimated at 817, 324 people. This is an increase of 2.42 % (19 273 people) compared to population of 798, 051 the year before.
Languages
The country has three official languages: the mother tongue is known as Comorian language or shikomori; it sounds like, but is not related to Swahili. People in each island has its own way of speaking. Arabic is spoken by half of the population and formal education is given in the French language.
Religion
Research has shown that “The islands were colonised by Africans in the eighth century but the presence of Islam is recorded as early as the eleventh century with the arrival of Muslim Arabs”. And due to that, all the population is Muslim. The proof is, there is one church in the entire country which has been built by the French people during the colonisation area.
Food
The Comorian gastronomy is mix and pretty much a variety. The main dish is rice along with stew or sauce but that’s only for dinner or lunch. During breakfast time, the custom obliges us to drink hot ginger tea with traditional bread or the famous French bread. People do eat other local food such as cassava, banana, sweet potato and all those can be cooked in so many different ways. Special meals such as traditional cakes, traditional meals are cooked during Eid and wedding occasions.
Ethnicity
One of the largest ethnic groups on the various islands of Comoros remain the Shirazi people. Minorities include Malagasy and Indian (mostly Ismaili) as well as the smaller ethnic subgroups including the Chinese, French, Dutch, British and Portuguese.
Trade
Vanilla, cloves, copra, and ylang ylang, which gave the Comoros the name “Perfume Islands,” account for most of the exports to France, Germany, and the United States. However, Comoros imports construction materials, food, and petroleum. “As the country had been colonised by France, the country provides the largest amount of aid, followed by the European Union and the World Bank.” (Chanfi, Ahmed A)
Marriage
One of the biggest feast in Comoros is wedding. The elder of the family either men or women must do the big wedding which is known as “ANDA”. The wedding mostly starts on a Sunday and ends on a Sunday as well. Along that week, both, the family of the groom and bride will have fun together, eat among them and of course, each day has a precise ceremony that people must go dancing while giving money to the singers.
Etiquette
Like in any culture, one must respect and greet one’s elders regardless of their social status. A woman may not go out without a head veil. Moreover, the wife must cook for the family every day. One thing that really amazed me is that we do respect and value foreigners, guests rather than looking after our own people Hence, no one should worry when he or she decides to go to Comoros and visit the country.
Besides all that, Comoros is a country worth going for a holiday, the beaches are extremely amazing with smooth sand, light blue sea and a lot of palm trees surround the area. One thing that really gets to the heart of all tourists who come across is how peaceful and beautiful the country is. The two tourists, I talked to when I was in Comoros back in 2012 stated that “the beaches are not very far from the capital city and every beach has its own beauty that no one could describe”.
Beside those two, most tourists always say, “we like when the sun goes down because there is always a good smell around the beach side and that’s when the view of the country gets better”.
Of course, there are a lot to say when it comes to a country. But as the Asian proverb by Lisa See says, “Seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times.” ***