Introduction to Mafia Island

Mafia Island, Tanzania, lies off the mouth of the Rufiji River in Southern Tanzania. It is one of the least developed parts of an undeveloped country, yet it has been, and continues to be, part of important historical processes. Although its spectacular marine life is becoming increasingly well known, especially since the setting up of the Mafia Island Marine Park, little other information is widely available. Using search engines on the worldwide web tends to bring up mainly sites which represent the island as a tourist paradise: some of them also give inaccurate or misleading information.

Mafia's infrastructure is poor: it has electricity only in the district capital and in Utende, the main tourist area. There are few houses which have running water. Travel to the island is either by small aircraft from Dar es Salaam, at a cost which is beyond the reach of most islanders, or by sailing boat to Kisiju, the nearest point on the mainland, and thence by lorry or bus to Dar es Salaam. This journey can be both lengthy, precarious and uncomfortable but it is the one which most islanders are forced to use. The few roads on the island are in poor condition and there is a paucity of vehicles, which means local people rely primarily on bicycles or walking. Each village now has a primary school, the first secondary school was established in 1994, and since then another half dozen have been opened. The Island has a small hospital in the District Capital Kilindoni, and this has been refurbished in recent years.

The vast majority of Mafia's population is extremely poor. The major cash crop, coconuts, has a declining price on both world and local markets (see Economy). The island, like much of the rest of coastal Tanzania, has suffered from drought for the last three years. While fishing has become increasingly important over the last couple of decades, it is restricted in the south of the island within the boundaries of the Marine Park (see Ecology page).

Mafia has no newspapers, bookshops or libraries, and people are primarily dependent upon radio for information about the world beyond the East Coast of Africa. However, modern telecommunications are beginning to be available. A few years ago, the first satellite dishes appeared in a few public places, enabling TV reception. Very recently a mobile telecommunication network has been introduced, although its cost is far beyond the reach of most islanders except a handful of government servants. But in 2004, the first two internet cafes, utilising satellite technology were set up, one in the district capital Kilindoni, and the other in one of the hotels in Utende. This, the beginning of what will probably be an expanding process, opens up new possibilities for at least some local residents not only to communicate by email, but also to use the web as a source of information. It is appropriate that whatever information can be found about their own island should be available to them.

Mafia archipelago consists of one large island (394 km²) and several smaller ones. Some of these are inhabited, such as Chole Island (2 km²), with a population of 800. Chole Bay, Mafia's protected deep-water anchorage and original harbour, is studded with islands, sandbanks and beaches. The main town is Kilindoni. The stretch of water between the deltas of the Rufiji River and the island is called Mafia Channel. There are popular rumours of pygmy hippo on the island but there are no confirmed sightings.

History[edit]

Mafia Island's history goes back to the 8th century. The island once played a major role in ancient trade between the people of the Far East and East Africa. It was a regular stop for Arab boats. On the tiny island of Chole Mjini, just offshore in Chole Bay, once stood a settlement that constituted one of the most important towns controlling trade from the silver mines of Eastern Zimbabwe, which reached the town via the old ports of Kilwa and Michangani.

In the mid-1820s, the town of Kua on Juani Island was attacked by Sakalava cannibals arriving from Madagascar with 80 canoes, who ate many of the locals and took the rest into slavery.^{[ citation needed ]}

Under a treaty of 1890, Germany took control of Mafia and constructed the buildings still evident on Chole. Germany paid Sultan Sayyid Ali bin Said al-Said of Oman M 4 million for both the island and part of the mainland coast. In January 1915, Mafia was taken by British troops as a base for the air and sea assault on the light cruiser Königsberg.

The name "Mafia" derives from the Swahili mahali pa afya, meaning "a healthy dwelling-place".

In 1995 Mafia Island had financial help from the WWF to make a natural marine wildlife centre. There are two tourist resorts on the island as well.

Tanzania's first multi-user marine park at Mafia Island was established following management recommendations and data from surveys conducted by the Society for Environmental Exploration.

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