Paa Tanzania – issue 106

Creatives of Kibera

Precision Air Services Plc

Diamond Plaza

PO Box 70770, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tel: +255 (0)22 219 1000

Fax: +255 (0)22 286 0725

www.precisionairtz.com

Marketing and Corporate Affairs

Manager: Hillary Mremi

Email: hmremi@precisionairtz.com

Paa Tanzania Magazine is published for Precision Air by:

Land & Marine Publications (Tanzania) Ltd.

4th floor, Josam House

Block A, along Coca Cola Road Mikocheni Area, Dar es Salaam

Tel: +255 686 118 816 www.landmarine.com

ADVERTISING:

Catherine O’Callaghan

Tel: +44 (0)7944 212063 (WhatsApp)

Email: paa-tz@landmarine.org

Godfrey S. Urassa

Tel: +255 (0)686 118 816 (WhatsApp)

Email: godfreyurassa@landmarine.com

EDITOR: Mark Edwards

Email: markedwards@landmarine.com

Head office: Land & Marine Publications Ltd.

6 The Square, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3SL UK

Tel: +44 (0)1206 752902

Email: publishing@landmarine.com

The contents and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor, or any other organisation associated with this publication. While every care is taken to ensure accuracy in preparing the magazine, the Publisher and Precision Air assume no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies or omissions. All submitted material is accepted on the understanding that the material can be edited, amended or abridged for publication.

©2023 Land & Marine Publications (Tanzania) Ltd.

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Greetings!

I would like to take a moment to welcome you on-board your Precision Air flight today.

In light of the tragedy that struck our flight PW 494, we are praying that the light of God’s face shines to all of us in the darkness of our grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and we deeply appreciate your continued faith and support. We look forward to an exciting 2023 focusing on working further on the many initiatives to deliver the best products and services and an outstanding customer experience to you all.

Our newly launched Precision Training Center has continued to produce quality graduates from various aviation courses whereby, to date a total of 349 trainees have been trained at the center with five intake cabin crew classes and several third-party classes. We are proud to learn that most of our candidates have been offered opportunities in Precision Air and other operators.

We are committed to continue providing excellent services that are customer focused, reliable, safe and competitive. We have added new routes to our network by resuming flights to Hahaya and Anjouan as well increasing frequencies to our 13 destinations. Our network connects well with major airlines such KLM, Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, Air France, Etihad and many more for beyond destinations.

We have invested more on our On Time Performance and customer service. Our aim is that you are always happy with our services, so please let us know if your recent experience has been anything short of excellent by emailing customer-relations@precisionairtz.com

Once again, thank you for your continued patronage and trust in Precision Air Services. It is our sincere hope you enjoy your flight and you will choose us to serve you again soon. Be blessed.

You Are Why We Fly.

Patrick Mwanri Managing Director and CEO Precision Air Services Plc

Come with us to Comoros

Precision Air has reintroduced its flights to Comoros, one of the smallest and most beautiful island nations in the world. Our twice-weekly flights – every Wednesday and Saturday –will get you to this largely undiscovered Indian Ocean gem. Unique to a Tanzanian airline, Precision Air not only connects its passengers to the largest island, Grande Comore, but also Anjouan, considered the most beautiful of the Comoros – quite an accolade as all three offer white sand beaches, clear seas, endemic wildlife and dramatic volcanic landscapes. Here’s a quick guide to some of Anjouan’s attractions.

1. Cultural riches

Anjouan, the archipelago’s more populated island, is a blend of Arab, African and French influences. Walk its capital Mutsamudu to see historical citadels and the medina.

2. Heavenly scents

Among the archipelago, Anjouan has the most ylang ylang plantations. The delicate yellow flower is a sweet-smelling staple of some of the

Book for a book

As the saying goes, travel broadens the mind, but book a flight with Precision Air and it won’t be just your understanding of the world that benefits. Every time you buy a ticket, you also helping provide the best

world’s most famous perfumes, such as Chanel No 5.

3. Ntingui mountain

The island’s highest peak at 1,595 metres is a challenging hike but the panoramic views from the top make it worthwhile.

4. Col de Patsy

An enchantingly beautiful valley with the similarly attractive Tatringa Falls close by.

5. Domoni

The island’s historic second largest city

education for our children with TZS 2,000 from your purchase going to buy books for high school students in the country. Precision Air understands, like you, that education is the key to life. Fly more, learn more!

was a vibrant Indian Ocean trading hub dating back to the 12th century. Here, you’ll also find the impressive mausoleum to former president Abdallah, the father of independence in the Comoros.

Tap and go

Booking your flight online with Precision Air is easy, affordable and convenient. Visit precisionair.tz.com

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The best mountain hideaways

Sometimes, you just need to get it away from it all… that’s why Paa has selected its favourite secluded stays in mountain retreats. From a luxury coffee lodge in the foothills of Mount Meru to a property located right next to a volcano we have chosen some wondrous havens with rooms –and views – to die for.

Arusha Coffee Lodge

Arusha, Northern Tanzania

Exclusive escape: Tucked away in the gently rolling foothills of Mount Meru that looms over Arusha, this 30-room property offers a perfect haven for relaxation whether you are readying for or recovering from a wildlife adventure or just really love coffee.

Unique selling point: The lodge is situated on one of the largest working coffee plantations in Tanzania. The rooms nestled among the evergreen coffee fields here and tours of the estate are available to guests –especially exciting during the July to December harvest period – and you

are never far from the aroma of the coffee with the farm’s beans making it to your breakfast coffee pot each morning.

Facilities: Arusha National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater are day-trip close, but if you want to hunker down and recharge amid the hotel’s lush surroundings, you’ll find the treatments at the onsite Peaberries Spa will bring welcome feelings of wellness.

Accommodation: The plantation suites and rooms are modern yet homely retreats among the coffee trees with rainfall showers and a

private outside terrace with a log fire. Find out more: elewanacollection. com/arusha-coffee-lodge.

Coffee beans from Tanzania

Mountain Hideaways

Sable Mountain Lodge

Selous Game Reserve

Exclusive escape: This beautiful, thatched lodge is set in the Beho Beho Hills on the North Western boundary of Selous Game Reserve, giving a fantastic vantage point with amazing potential for wildlife spotting. Its tree house viewing area neighbours a water hole that attracts plenty of animals, including elephants.

Unique selling point: Sequestered among mountain forest, this lodge offers walking safari options from its front door as well as game drives in the nearby Selous Game Reserve and boat safaris on Lake Tagalala.

Facilities: The lodge’s freshwater pool provides a welcome dip after a dusty day out on safari while The Landrover’s Bar offers more refreshment and wondrous views over the treetops.

Accommodation: There are eight rustic stone cottages and five tented bandas, two of which are slightly larger honeymoon tents. The tents benefit from lovely verandas and are well spaced apart. If you are travelling in a large group or with a family, go for the two-bedroom thatched villa with fantastic views over the forest from the rooftop.

The Highlands Serengeti

Exclusive escape: This awardwinning eight-room camp occupies the highest vantage point within the mountain forest that encircles Olmoti Volcano, offering sublime, panoramic vistas across the Serengeti. The camp feels remote, but the world-renowned Ngorongoro Crater and its UNESCO World Heritage Site conservation area lie 40 km to the south for day-long game drives to spot lions, elephants and giraffes, with a midday picnic break under a shady tree.

Unique selling point: The eyecatching eight domed suites are made of canvas and glass and have a striking, otherworldly quality. The design is a modern twist on traditional Maasai bomas with the floor-to-ceiling glass panels giving guests incredible views of the surrounding lush slopes.

Facilities: The Olmoti Volcano is reachable on a direct hike from the camp while the Empakaai Crater is also close enough for a half-day visit with the chance to see the thousands of pink flamingos that congregate around its soda lake. The lodge itself offers plenty of creature comforts between safaris with a library with its indoor fireplace that’s a popular spot for guests to gather and share stories over pre-dinner drinks.

Rooms: Among the eight suites there is one family tent with room for kids and one special honeymoon tent with a hot tub. Each suite has a kingsized bed facing floor-to-ceiling windows and a deck that curves around the tent. En-suite bathrooms have hot running water, showers and flushing toilets. At night, woodburning stoves keep guests cosy.  For more information: asiliaafrica. com/camps-lodges/the-highlands

Find out more: selousgamereserve.net

Kaliwa Lodge

Kilimanjaro National Park

Exclusive Escape: Of course, we couldn’t put together a mountain retreat feature without including one in Kilimanjaro. Kaliwa Lodge sits at 1,300 metres above sea level among mountain rainforest and just minutes from the Kilimanjaro National Park’s Machame entrance gate, the start and finish point of most ascents of Africa’s highest peak.

Exclusive escape: The hotel’s communal terrace – known as ‘The Deck’ – has a case for offering the most incredible view in the world. You look out over the treetops of the densely forested Weru Weru River Valley to see Mount Kilimanjaro's snow-covered in all its glory. It makes for the perfect sun salutations at yoga retreats, which have become very popular at Kaliwa.

Facilities: Many guests are looking for a well-deserved rest after an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro and with its cosy bungalows shrouded by towering eucalyptus trees, stands of banana and cascades of fuchsia-hued bougainvillea, Kaliwa provides a tranquil haven. Catch up on sleep to a chorus of cicada and the laughter of bush babies. Your morning alarm clock is the cry of the hornbill and the chattering of monkeys. If you do want to venture out, there are plenty of walks from the lodge’s front door, including a very scenic path to a waterfall in the Weru Weru river. There is also an excellent restaurant with a menu packed with fresh ingredients picked from the lodge’s gardens.

Accommodation: All the cottages offer a patio and seating area with

views of the verdant gardens. There is also a family suite with a private terrace and the single rooms are deliberately placed next to each other so solo climbers can bond before their shared adventure to ‘the roof of Africa’.

For more information: kaliwalodge.com

Exclusive escape: Even Hollywood screen legends need some ‘me’ time and this elegant sprawling resort located at close to 2,000 metres in the town Nanyuki on the slopes of Mount Kenya was once the East African retreat of US film actor William Holden. The Oscar winner would

Fairmont

Mount Kenya Safari Club Mount Kenya

invite many of his famous friends to stay with former club members including singer Bing Crosby and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The 100-acre club still exudes classic Hollywood glamour with the original building housing most of the facilities and tastefully furnished rooms. The star of the show is still Mount Kenya, though, which looms over the resort and is a stunning backdrop especially in the morning when the rising sun makes a silhouette of its peaks.

Unique selling point: When you order a drink at the club’s laidback bar, Zebar, the waiter has to cross hemispheres to take your order as the world’s equator bisects the room.

Facilities: There’s no shortage of exclusive experiences to be had here, among them horse riding, guided bird walks and a private dining experience on the River Likii, afternoon tea on the manicured grounds, a game of golf at the on-site course and dining at the excellent Tusks restaurant. The club also has a new health and fitness centre.

Accommodation: Most of the 120 rooms are located in the original colonial-style building. You’ll also find more spacious suites here and in the more modern William Holden Cottages, which are massive and come with their own private lawn area.

Find out more: www.fairmont.com

Red-billed Hornbill Tanzania, Africa

Sunrise Mount Kenya

Dating danger signs

The

First dates with their promise of new love can be quite intoxicating, leaving you liable to forgive flaws that would, in your more sensible moments, be a huge turn-off. Who cares that your date’s breath smells like they gargle with garlic or they spend the entire evening talking about their ex, they could still be Mr/Miss Right, right? Wrong. What was a ‘quirk’ on a first meeting will soon become an annoying habit once the honeymoon period wears off. Here is Paa’s guide to the warning signs that tell you straight away it is time to ditch that date and move on to someone who deserves you.

red flags that warn you that first date should be the last

They are late for the date and don’t apologise or explain.

Sometimes however well you plan, life just gets in the way. So, if your date is late because they got stuck in traffic or their boss gave them a last-minute assignment just as they were about to leave the office, then you can cut them some slack, especially if they text message to apologise and update you with their progress. If, however, they waltz into the restaurant 30 minutes after the table was booked wearing an expression that says you should be grateful, they even arrived, then you should be seeing more red flags than among supporters at an Etincelles FC home game.

They insist on paying the bill

On a first date always split the bill – even if your dining companion ate an entire lobster and then worked their way through the restaurant’s range of cocktails. While it may seem gallant or caring for your date to take care of paying, insisting they do despite your protestations may leave you feeling they are trying to control you and make you feel indebted to them. Someone who respects your wish to go 50/50 is far more suited to the equality a lasting relationship requires. Tip your waiter, of course, but if your date stands their ground on paying for the meal, leave them with a tip: “If you want more second dates, stop this kind of behaviour.”

Talking about their ex

If your date cannot stop circling back to bad mouthing their former partner, this is not a good sign. Chances are they have not gotten over this person and it is also likely that in another restaurant not too far away their ex is being just as critical about them. A first date should be all about learning something new in someone you are romantically interested in, not a time to dwell on the past. Thank you, next.

They are on their phone the whole time.

“No, it’s OK, you continue with your call. I’m going to visit the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Talking about people you don’t know.

Barack Obama once told me that name-dropping is not big or clever. While your date droning on about all the famous people, they know can get tiring fast, talking non-stop about people you’ve never heard of is even worse. Who really is interested in how much fun ‘Mike from accounts’ is in their office or that their neighbour is having with their husband’s boss. If this gossip goes on (and on), then give them something new to talk about and walk out the door.

They are given a lift to the date by their mother.

If your date loves their mother then that is a box ticked, but if they still depend on them cross that tick out – in red! There are only two reasons why their mother is driving them –your date is fully grown and still lives with their mother, or they are a teenager. Either way, avoid!

They are rude to the waiter

They may be charming towards you, but your date’s behaviour towards the restaurant’s waiting staff will give you a truer indication of their qualities or lack of them. Snapping their fingers when they want service, asking the waiter to refill their water glass from the bottle on the table and never saying ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ should lose them any chance of a second date with you. You can, though, take some comfort in thinking what the waiting staff are seasoning their meal with before they bring it to the table.

They act or look nothing like their online dating personal data

So, you chose your dining partner because of their film star looks in the photo gallery of their dating app profile. When they turn up, they do look like a film star, unfortunately that film is ‘Frankenstein’. What to do? Have a long digital photography chat about the filters they use on their photos or make your screen exit?

They don’t respect your boundaries.

Love at first sight is a romantic ideal to many and being showered with compliments and attention on a first date sounds good. Perhaps too good to be true. If your date showers you with gifts, compliments and physical affection on the first meeting, it can be a manipulative move intended to lull you into a false sense of security. Such love-bombing is the calling card of the narcissist, none of whom make ideal long-term partners. If they are talking wedding bells, you should be hearing alarm bells.

They look to the right…a lot

This is a subliminal one, but if you notice your date looking up and to the right it could be a cause for concern. Why? Well, there have been studies that show people tend to look in that direction when they are creating a memory – in other words, when they are lying. So, if your date says you look wonderful this evening while gazing off to the right, you may start to have your doubts and then wonder about what other lies they have been telling you. It’s always worth checking whether there are giant TV screens over your left shoulder showing the big match before you make your judgement.

Fashion week showcases the creatives of Kibera

Kenyan fashion designer David Avido has created a name for himself with the handcrafted Ankara fabric bomber jackets, shorts and shirts of his Lookslike Avido brand gracing catwalks across Europe and even getting the attention of megastar Beyonce, who included the start-up in her Black Business Directory in 2020. For all his global success, Avido has never forgotten his roots. He grew up in Kibera, a sprawling informal settlement in Kenya’s capital Nairobi and one of the largest slums in the world. It is an area of poverty, health risks and high crime, yet it is also, as Avido reveals, a creative community. As his brand has grown, he has sought to harness and encourage that surrounding ingenuity and craftsmanship. The Lookslike Avido studio is still based in Kibera – or ‘Kibra’ as locals refer to it – with 20 per cent of all sales invested in the community and its founder teaching sewing skills to single mothers and handmaking school uniforms for poor but promising pupils here.

Talented community

Avido’s biggest initiative to champion Kibra creatives took placelate lastb year with the launch of Kibera Fashion Week. The inaugural event of what is planned to be an annual celebration, showcased the talents of local designers, graffiti artists, hairdressers, models, musicians

and even welders, whose spraying sparks as they worked provided unique illumination for a night-time catwalk show along the rail tracks that cut across Kibera. Lookslike Avido designs took a back seat with Avido instead hosting other Kibra creatives and giving them their time to shine. With the events open to the public, hundreds of people arrived to take in the spectacle.

Sharing skills

Avido sees the events as a way to “celebrate the creativity of our community and own our richness”. “Kibra is home to creatives and talents. The event not only put Kibera in the limelight, but we also celebrated our dynamic nature, our creativity and native cultures highlighting how wonderful things can arise from differences when diverse talents from communities come together.

“Lookslike Avido didn’t showcase any of its work. Instead, we coached the artists in achieving better quality in stitching and their designs. We didn’t charge them any amount to showcase their work but instead motivated them by paying them to create and express their work and how they feel about Kibera culture. The event was open to the public to experience.

“Creativity is not about competition but about creating collaborations that lift and motivate other creatives. We all have to eat!”

5day trips from Dar es Salaam

Tanzania’s largest city has a vibrancy quite unlike anywhere else in the country, but if you need a break from its non-stop energy, there are plenty of options to disconnect within easy reach. We suggest five of the best day trips to give your brain a break from Bongo's bustle.

1Pugu Hills

Just an hour’s drive east will take you from the car-clogged streets of Dar to the oxygen rich forest of the Pugu Hills. The evergreen woodland of the Pugu Hills Forest Reserve and the neighbouring Kazimzumbwi forest is part of what is considered the oldest forest in the world and a longstanding place of spiritual significance to the indigenous Zaramo people who call this part of the Tanzanian coast home.

The Zaramo believe the hills here contain their deities and have placed shrines in many of the naturally formed caves here. Other cave residents include colonies of horseshoe bats, which create quite a spectacle

when they leave the cave en masse at dusk to feed. There are three walking and mountain bike trails – including one recently opened in honour of UK primatologist Jane Goodall, who has done much to preserve the natural beauty here through her Roots and Shoots initiative.

The trails take in the Msimbazi River that runs from its source here to the Indian Ocean as well as the reserve’s abundant and unique flora and fauna. Wildlife here includes more than 80 species of bird and with the forest sharing a boundary with the Selous Game Reserve giraffes, hippos, cheetahs, elephants and leopards are occasional visitors. You can follow one trail to the highest point in the Pugu

Hills, which, on a clear day, rewards the hiker with spectacular views over Dar and the ocean. The forest’s proximity to the city makes it ideal for a day trip, but if you want to stay longer, the Pugu Hills Nature Center has a small lodge with four grass-thatched cottages on poles and a camp site. Alternatively, there are a number of eco-minded travel companies that offer birding and cycling trips into the forest with overnight camping stays. Distance from Dar: 22km.

Need to know: The entry fees into the reserve cost approximately US$2 for Tanzanians and US$30 for foreigners. Permits are available at the Department of Natural Resources or the Kisarawe Forest Department.

Maasai giraffes Selous National Park, Tanzania

2Saadani National Park

‘Beach and Bush’ holiday packages are a popular way of combining an inland safari adventure with some time to wind-down on the coast, usually a picturesque spot on the Zanzibar archipelago. However, Saadani National Park, as the only wildlife sanctuary in East Africa boasting an Indian Ocean beachfront, offers an all-in-one experience where your sunbathing on the sand could be interrupted by an elephant wandering by or lions playing in the surf. At three hours’ drive north from Dar, it is possible to make a day trip of it and organise a game drive to go in search of the park’s more than 30 large mammals, including elephant, leopard, giraffe, lions, waterbuck, buffalo and zebra. Off the coast there are opportunities to see schools of bottle-nosed dolphins and in October and November humpback whales can be seen in the Zanzibar channel and Madeta Beach becomes a nesting place for sea turtles. If you would like to extend your stay there is a choice of lodges in the park with the extra time freeing up the chance to go on a cruise on the Wami River where you’ll see crocodiles and hippos basking on its banks.

Distance from Dar: 230km.

Need to know: Entrance to the game reserve is $20 for 24 hours.

3Bagamoyo

You don’t have to fly or ferry to Zanzibar to soak up some Swahili culture if you are in Dar es Salaam. It takes just over an hour by car to get to the historic town Unesco World Heritage Site of Bagamoyo. The sleepy pace of

life here now – the busiest it gets is at the daily fish market – belies the town’s crucial role in centuries of East African history, but intimations of its heyday are still to be found in the ancient architecture that remains. Just south-east of the town are the Kaloe Ruins, the remains of a 13th century mosque marking the time when Arab traders first established themselves in the region. Central Bagamoyo, or Mji Mkongwe (Stone Town) as it’s known locally, was developed as the end point of the trade caravan route from Lake Tanganyika and wealthy Arab traders built grand houses that lined the narrow streets and survive to this day. Among the goods sold were humans as slaves – a dark chapter of history here, but Bagamoyo was the home of much hope as a way station for European missionaries travelling inland and who did much

to offer shelter and support for the enslaved. Bagamoyo’s strategic importance continued into the years of German occupation in the late 19th century when the town was the first headquarters of German East Africa. Buildings from this time such as the Old Boma (fort) still dominate the town. Walking the old town will give visitors a flavour of the melting pot of cultures that have contributed to the town’s storied history. All this and one of Tanzania’s most beautiful beaches. Bagamoyo is definitely worth a day trip.

Distance from Dar: 62km.

A dhow is all it takes to get you to the virtually deserted Sinda Island. Then you can relax with a picnic on its immaculate sand

On

Primatologist Jane Goodall set up the Pugu Hills Forest Reserve

Saadani sunset Where sea and safari combine

Need to know: Bagamoyo still has a reputation as a town that aims to preserve Tanzanian traditions. The Bagamoyo Arts and Cultural Institute – the only state-run arts college in East Africa – is focused on supporting indigenous art and dance and its concert hall is the venue for occasional performances that visitors to the town would do well to check out.

4Sinda Island

Tourism has hit the Zanzibar archipelago in a big way so finding unspoilt island getaways off the coast of Tanzania is becoming increasingly difficult. However, the exotic Sinda Island fits the bill. At just eight km from the south coast of Dar es Salaam, a dhow or cruise boat is all it takes to get you to this virtually deserted island. From there you can relax with

a picnic on its immaculate sand or strap on a snorkel and explore the coral reefs that halo Sinda and which attract a host of marine life, including dolphins. In contrast to other beaches, this sand island is not swallowed up at high tide so you can swim all day long.

Distance from Dar: 8km Need to know: A small marine park fee applies.

5

slides that vary from gentle rides for youngsters to stomach-sinking plunges such as the gigantic Mtundu and Korofi slides that will test even the most hardened thrill seekers. There is also plenty of cafes and bars so you can make a day of it.

Distance from Dar: 18km

Need to know: Make sure you take you card or phone with you as Wet ’N’ Wild runs on a Cashless Service.

Kunduchi Wet ‘N’ Wild

If your kids just want to be kids and have fun and you also know some adults that wouldn’t mind being kids again, heading to water park Wet ‘N’ Wild will keep them all happy. This entertainment and leisure complex just under half and hour’s drive north of the city is the biggest of its kind in East and Central Africa. It is home to nine swimming pools as well as 38 water

Fort

The German fort in Bagamoyo's Stone Town

Tranquil beauty

Moored dhows at Bagamoyo

River cruise

The Wami River

The pioneer behind Precision Air

If there is one person more than any other to thank for your flight today, it is Michael N Shirima, who, in 1993, had the vision to launch Precision Air as Tanzania’s first private airline. His life has been marked by many other stellar achievements, among them being part of the task force to set up the national carrier Air Tanzania, being on the board of many leading domestic businesses and setting up an orphanage, Cornel Ngaleku Children Centre, in his hometown of Rombo in the Kilimanjaro Region. Not surprising then that there has been much demand for him to write a memoir and this year he answered that call with the release of On My Father's Wings: An Entrepreneurial Journey of Finding Humility, Resiliency, and a Lasting Legacy. Paa editor Mark Edwards talks to Mr Shirima about the writing process, how it felt to look back on his life and his hopes for Precision Air’s future.

What prompted you to write a memoir?

I have a penchant for recording personal events but never thought of translating that to writing a book. After a long persistent push by family and some peer pressure, I yielded to the long, arduous task of writing the book primarily, in my view, for posterity.

How did you find going back over your life to write the book? Did you gain a new understanding of certain events from

looking back on them at a distance?

I was reminded of very sad moments, many mistakes made but also others of joyful success. In the total sum however I found peace with myself. One of what I consider a big mistake was my unequivocal trust in people, who took advantage by abusing it and letting me down miserably.

What has been your proudest achievement with Precision Air so far?

I am very happy and proud that the airline has survived for almost thirty years now. There is a saying by some airline pundits that each day an airline survives is a success and I ride along with that. In other words, the business is uniquely difficult.

Judging by the title of the book, your father was a huge influence on you. How did he inspire the man you have become today?

My father was a prominent village businessman, owning two shops and a carpentry studio. He was also trained and employed by the colonial government at the time as a pipeline mechanic. On the side he took some British administrators on hunting expeditions. Indeed, he was a man with many irons in the fire. By the time he died at the age of 42 in a road accident he had achieved so much. In hindsight it amazes me that someone who had no formal education make so much of themselves.

What were the biggest challenges you faced setting up a private airline in Africa and how did you overcome them?

There were so many challenges ranging from weak trust from clients to availability of essential experts, pilots, engineers and others. There was also misunderstanding by doubtful government officials thus delaying the issue of permits.

The worst was the late discovery through external audit that we were required to pay withholding tax on foreign leased equipment including aircraft. Such tax would be impossible to pay and survive for an airline. Fortunately, I single-handedly petitioned the government to the level of the President and eventually the law was changed in Parliament and secured us remission for whatever had accrued. That took three years which prevented getting loans from banks in case the government

The founder and current chairman of Precision Air, Michael N Shirima, looks back on the highs and lows of his pioneering career in Tanzanian aviation in his new memoir.

(Top) Taking delivery of Air Tanzania Corporation Aircraft at the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada in Downsview, Ontario 1978.

(Above) Triza and I on our wedding day, Moshi, November 1974.

imposed collection, which would have meant an end to the airline.

There’s a quote in the book: “If you start slowly from the beginning, there is only one direction you can go – up”. Was that optimism there when you started Precision Air with just one aircraft in 1993? Normally it is difficult for me to answer questions along the lines of: “Where do you see yourself in the future or in so many years”, as I do not think about it lest I rush, stumble and fall. I let growth happen naturally but remaining vigilant to grab opportunities as they arise and that automatically brings about growth. But that is not to say future plans are not made. They are made based on what exists at the present.

There is a lot of talk in the book about how a life well lived should leave a

legacy. What would you like to be remembered for?

For love of faith, family, friends and integrity.

Have you got the writing bug? Will there be more books?

Depends on how successful this first one will be. Otherwise, why not?

What kind of reader do you think will get the most out of this memoir?

Almost anybody who likes reading books. I believe that because of the first comment made by my publisher when evaluating the manuscript that, “If James Bryce is correct when he says, ‘the worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it’ then Michael Shirima’s On My Father’s Wings is worthy indeed.”

This book looks back to Precision Air’s

past, but what of the airline’s future. What do you hope to see in the coming years?

Without the damage made to the airline soon after handing over management to a third party, we would be miles ahead by now. That, unfortunately, set us back on our development plans but we should recover and continue because we have a lot of goodwill around us most of all loyal staff prepared to make sacrifices.

'I am very happy and proud that the airline has survived for almost 30 years... each day an airline survives is a success.

(Top) With H.E. Amani A. Karume, President of Zanzibar during inauguration of the arrival of a new aircraft named “Zanzibar”.

(Top) Welcoming H.E. Jakaya M. Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania at the official opening of Cornel Ngaleku Children Centre.

(Above) Launching a scholarship programme for training pilots and engineers in Toulouse, France. (Right) Receiving the first ATR 42 aircraft from at Kilimanjaro International Airport, May 1996.

I’m a dreamer…’ and I refuse to give up on my dreams

Swahili Fashion Week is Africa’s biggest annual fashion event. Its 15th edition was held in Dar es Salaam in December and as well as showcasing established fashion designers from Swahilispeaking countries, it provided a platform for up-and-coming young designers with its Emerging Talent awards. Among the nominees for the award was Dar-based David Magige. Here the 25-year-old reveals how he hopes making the shortlist will propel his fashion ambitions.

When did your interest in fashion begin?

I was raised in the Tabata ward of Dar es Salaam. Fashion has been my interest ever since I was a young boy. I remember playing dress-up with my friends using kanga cloth. Once I had finished my secondary education, I got a place at the vocational college Veta Chang'ombe where I studied sewing skills.

My father bought me a sewing machine while I was at Veta, but, unfortunately, I was unable to continue my studies there because I could not afford the fees.

Even though I was now at home, each morning I would carry my sewing machine outside my house, and I started to get customers who wanted me to repair their clothes. I am someone with big dreams, so I accepted the sewing work knowing that I was building my future. That spirit keeps me going.

I still work from home today creating my designs. I create the clothes from scratch and do all of the sewing myself. In time I hope to have a studio or a dedicated work space.

How would you describe the clothes that you design? Is there a signature

look that you would say is yours? Every creation I make is special to me and I always enjoy the process of making them. It is a good feeling to see my customers enjoying wearing David Magige designs.

Where do you get inspiration for the clothes you design?

I am a fashion designer who wants to feed my customers’ needs so I’m always travelling deep inside my brain for the inspiration to create beautiful clothes. I am full of ideas, and I feel they need to be shared with the rest of the world. My inspirations rage from my natural environment – I love to use flowers and birds in my designs – to telling stories about the problems and successes of the society I live in.

Is fashion design a side hustle or is it your full-time work?

I dedicate all my time to making my fashion business a success. I am looking forward to being in a position where I can make a good living from designing clothes.

You have been shortlisted for the best emerging designer at this year’s Swahili Fashion Awards. How

important is that recognition and how do you hope it will affect your business?

I am using social media to learn new skills. The fashion business is changing, and I have to move with it. My plan is to study more about the business side of fashion. I want to take my skills far and reach a couture level. By learning more and always moving forward I hope I will attract more clients and sponsors.

Catwalk

(Opposite page) A model wears a David Magige design at Swahili Fashion Week

Images by David Magige

Bathe in beauty

The bathroom should be the ultimate sanctuary in a home, a place to dissolve the day’s stresses with a soothing soak and enjoy some well deserved ‘me’ time. With this in mind, here are some opulent design ideas to help you create your own personal mini spa.

Spa aesthetic

After a stressful past couple of years, wellness has become the new buzz word and bathrooms have evolved to become relaxing places of refuge where we can attend to our physical and mental wellbeing.

To create a bathroom space that is focused purely on wellness, self-care, and relaxation you need a sumptuous bathtub to stretch out in with the water filled with body-soothing salts and scented with essential oils. This cylindrical Symphony bathtub with gold-plated brass tubes has a clean look perfect for any luxury bathroom.

Bring on the botanicals

The natural world is a tonic to mind and body so why not bring the outside in when creating your perfect bathroom. Find room for large-scale plants, rockeries and mini-gardens to blur the lines between your inner-and outer-life. Make sure you flood the room with natural light and decorate with earthy colours such as sandy beige and sage greens for the full biophilic effect.

The bathware and furniture ideas are all from collections provided by Maison Valentina, renowned the world over for its handcrafted design solutions for creating luxury bathrooms. For more information, visit @maisonvalentinaa on Instagram or its website at maisonvalentina.net

To create a bathroom space that is focused purely on wellness you need a sumptuous bathtub

Darian bathtub

A modern gold bathroom design

Koi bathtub

These are the best cinnamon rolls you’ll ever taste

Sweet, soft and super easy, these cinnamon rolls from YouTube star and Paa cookery columnist Monalisa Rwechungura are the perfect sweet treat for a get-together with friends and family.

If you love gooey cinnamon buns, this recipe is for you. A cinnamon roll is a sweet roll that is especially popular in Northern Europe and North America. It is easy to see why as they are soft, gooey, and easy to make –perfect for a get-together with friends and family.

I make this cinnamon roll recipe at least

once every month for brunch. It’s super easy, and the homemade cinnamon rolls are so much better than any you’d get at the store.

Soft and gooey all the way through, they’re jam-packed with brown sugar and cinnamon. A big slather of vanilla glaze adds the perfect sweet finishing touch. Let’s get to baking!'

Cooking

1. In a clean bowl mix the flour, one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of salt and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast. Mix and then set aside.

2. In another clean bowl whisk together the milk and the melted butter with one egg and one teaspoon of vanilla.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and knead until a dough forms.

4. Knead the dough for around eight to 10 minutes. Then shape the dough into a ball, coat it with oil and place it in an oiled bowl.

5. Cover the dough and let it rise for 90 minutes.

6. Once the 90 minutes is up, punch the dough to release air bubbles that may have formed in the rising.

7. Then lightly knead dough for between one and two minutes.

8. Roll the dough, shaping it into a rectangle sheet of approximately 1cm thickness.

9. Brush the dough with the melted unsalted butter.

10. Mix the sugar with a tablespoon of cinnamon.

11. Sprinkle the mixture onto the dough, coating it evenly.

12. Roll the dough into a cylinder shape.

13. Slice into rolls of about 1cm in diameter.

14. Take a baking dish and grease it with unsalted butter.

15. Place the cut cinnamon rolls into the sheet, leaving a small amount of space between each one for proofing.

16. Cover the rolls and let them rise

by Chef Monalisa Rwechungura

Ingredients

• 360g all-purpose flour

• 1.5 teaspoon of yeast

• 100g of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 300 ml milk

• 30g melted unsalted butter

• Two eggs

• 60g powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

To keep up with Monalisa’s latest recipes and lifestyle tips, visit her Instagram page @dikobymonalisa

for 30 more minutes. Preheat oven to 180C.

17. Brush the rolls with egg wash and bake them for 30 minutes.

18. In a clean bowl mix the powdered sugar with three tablespoons of milk and stir until a smooth glaze is formed.

19. Pour the glaze on the cinnamon rolls as soon as they are fresh from the oven.

20. Serve warm.

‘I don’t want to showcase in Paris… I want Paris to come to Africa

At the top of Jane Jaquin’s 2021 bucket list was to launch her own fashion brand. The following year Jane Jaquin Atelier was born with her designs recently showcased at this year’s Swahili Fashion Week in Dar es Salaam. Born in Réunion island off the East African coast and now dividing her time between France and Mayotte in the Comoros, Jane shares her fashion journey with Ingrid Kim.

Tell us about how you came to show your designs at this year’s Swahili Fashion Week?

I used to work in Paris for a fashion brand and I was missing it. In Mayotte there are no brands that work with local manufactures so I had the choice to become a fashion project manager in a place when I can get a job or launch my own brand. I decided to go with the latter. I had some designs which I had been working on and I remembered back to being in Dar in 2021 at Swahili Fashion Week and telling my friend, who was sitting next to me in the audience. “I will showcase here”. She replied: “Inshallah”.

I started to put my designs together and I contacted Mustafa Hussanali, the event organizer, and asked whether applications for international designers are still open. They were, I applied, and I was selected. It was a challenge for me to get my first collection together in such a short period. You have to organize your studio; the availability of

materials and you have to organise you time and machines and everything. It has taken over my life for the past four months.

Do you like to challenge yourself?

I do. I write a bucket list every December 31. I don’t share it with anyone, but last year I put to launch my own fashion brand. It has been an ambition of mine for many years and this last year I worked hard to realise it.

The collection you exhibited at SFW was called ‘Nya’. What is the story behind the name?

Nya means hope in Swahili. I live with hope this is my motto. I lost my mother when I was 10. I have hope to meet her again and I need hope to start this fashion brand. My designs are for women like me, women who are powerful, women who go to work and who need to look beautiful and comfortable. This is the woman I have in mind when I design. I want her to feel confident

in my clothes, be feminine but also classic and intelligent. I combine a French and Swahili sense of elegance.

How do you like Tanzania? In Zanzibar and on the mainland they call me ‘Cappuccino’ because of my colouring and mixed heritage. My mother is a mzungu and my father is black from Réunion Island. I feel both.

I’m white and black. That why I use traditional fabrics such as kanga and kitenge. It is popular in East Africa. But I want my collection to also be international. I wanted top team my collection showcase at SFW with music by Zily, who is a friend of mine and one of the biggest artists in Mayotte.

Jane Jaquin

Unfortunately, I was not able to use the music due to TV credits so I downloaded some music which fitted my collection. I was really happy with it in the end.

What are your long-term goals?

I want to conquer the world! I also want to promote Mayotte. I brought a young model, Raïchane, from the island for the Dar es Salaam show. Most people don’t know where Mayotte is. She told me I want to be fashion model, so I offered her the experience of being a model on an international stage. I’m not dreaming to showcase in Paris or New York because we don’t have the same vision of fashion. I think I don’t fit there. I want to showcase my work in a place that sees my potential rather than having to prove myself.

I’m dreaming about Lagos, South Africa and SFW, which is growing. As an African girl, it is amazing to see fashion on such a big stage. I am showing a new generation of my

islanders that you can do whatever you want to do. The sky is the limit. I have the motivation; I have the vision and I know I can do it. I hope this opens doors, for young designers, just for them to realise they can dream big and reach their goals.

How do you think people in Mayotte will react to your Swahili Fashion Week success?

All my relatives and friends are very proud. People are already starting to buy my outfits and I am really grateful.

Can people order your clothes online?

Yes, for now my business is online. In time I would like to have some physical shops in Réunion, and Paris. At the moment it is best to place orders on my Instagram page @janejaquin.

With my background as a marketing manager, I am well aware of the importance of social media in developing my brand. I would also like to have pop- up store so I can interact with my customers. Meeting my clients is important for me as I am not only designer, I am also a professional fashion project manager so I need to understand the market. Meeting my clients and understanding what they need will help me in the studio to create clothes that reflect the expectations of the market. That’s why

I need to have a pop-up store to make that connection with amazing women.

Can you tell me about the signature style of your clothes?

For me it is important to use colour. My mother left instructions for her funeral that no-one should wear black because she said it was a colour for sadness. So, when she passed away in France, everyone wore bright colours to celebrate her life and give praise that she now had relief from the cancer. I kept that in mind.

In Paris during the winter, everyone wears black, but colour inspires me. Here in East Africa, we print Kanga in mixed colours as part of our Swahili heritage and I want the younger generation to continue Africa’s love of colours. I also love wax print fabric for my designs.

How do you see the future of fashion in Africa?

The fashion industry in Africa is finally gaining in confidence. Our materials and techniques have been taken from us by the West, but now we are taking back our legacy. But, for that to happen we have a lot of work to do together. As we say in Swahili: “Nya Moja udza lulu”.

Swahili Fashion Week is a big part of that progression. The event has been going for 15 years so I congratulate them. It is an important platform for designers across East Africa as well as countries like Italy and the US.

To see more of Jane’s work and to order from her collection, visit janejaquinatelier. afrikrea.com or @janejaquin.atelier on Instagram

Ingrid Kim runs her own Tanzaniabased investment consultancy at consult-Ingrid.com and is on Instagram @ingridakimrussianjournalist

Jane’s designs on the Swahili Fashion Week catwalk

Paa Puzzles

Test your brain power with our fun puzzles and games!

Maze Challenge

Find your way out of the maze

Search the Seas

Words can be found in any direction (including diagonals) and can overlap each other. Use the word bank below

Sudoku

Word Bank

12. FLORES

13. NORTH

14. JAPAN

15. WHITE

16. TASMAN

17. BLACK

18. INDIAN

19. RED

20. SOUTHERN

21. WEDDELL

22. LAPTEV

23. ARABIAN

24. CELTIC

25. IONIAN

26. MAWSON

27. MARMARA

28. PACIFIC

29. LABRADOR

30. ATLANTIC

31. NORWEGIAN

32. BERLING

Comoros: your next island adventure

With Precision Air recently adding Comoros to its network of destinations, Ingrid Kim takes a trip to the Indian Ocean archipelago and finds an island paradise full of adventure and natural beauty.

Comoros, an archipelago off the east coast of Africa, is off the usual tourist trail, but its rich depth of culture and wildlife reward the intrepid traveller.

I certainly didn’t plan on island hopping in Comoros when I first arrived in East Africa. The islands fly under the radar of most visitors to the region and there was little information available in advance. However, a spontaneous decision to visit this Indian Ocean paradise was well rewarded.

As I would soon discover, what

makes the Comoros such a splendid place to visit is the fact that it is not yet recognized as a tourist destination. Having the opportunity to explore such a remote and wonderful part of Africa was an amazing privilege.

The Comoro Islands or Comoros form an archipelago of four volcanic islands off the southern coast of Tanzania and about halfway between Mozambique and Madagascar. Three of the islands – Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan – form the Union of the Comoros while the fourth,

Mayotte, is a sovereign country belonging to France.

Complicated culture

Situated from above, these four islands look like a sprinkling of stepping stones leading the way to East Africa. Their geographic location has created a complex cultural identity that has been formed over centuries, initially by seafaring Polynesians, Malays and Indonesians and then by Africans, Arabs and Malagasy from Madagascar. Since it gained

Spotted Leopards live in Saadani National Park

independence from France in 1975, the Union of the Comoros has struggled to find its feet, something which has only increased its allure among the most adventurous travellers.

Relative isolation has preserved Comorian culture, landscapes and wildlife. The capital of Grande Comore, Moroni, is small seaside port dominated by its spectacular Badjanani Mosque. The name Moroni means ‘in the heart of the fire’ is in reference to the immense Mount Karthala volcano that rises 2,361 metres above the town.

Preferring to get a feel for the capital and its people, I based myself at the Golden Tulip Grande Comore Moroni Resort and Spa, a charming four-star surrounded by turquoise waters and dramatic cliffs. The service was amazingly attentive yet staff still left their guests plenty of time to enjoy the peacefulness of the setting.

The hotel is located within easy reach of Moroni, yet each room is surrounded by greenery rooms and has breathtaking views of the ocean.

Hike the volcano

Mount Karthala may loom over Moroni, but getting there is quite a challenging walk – something I found out to my cost on my first day, when I had to abandon hopes of getting to the top of the volcano. The next day I arranged for a local guide to take me most of the way by car. This time

I made it to the summit, the highest point on the island, and it was worth it with amazing views over Moroni to be had. The active volcano – the last eruption was in 2007 in case you’re concerned – has a crater more than one km in diameter.

Beautiful beaches

We then headed to Mitsamiouli in the north of Grande Comore. There are

lots of lovely unspoilt beaches here, but my guide picked the beautiful bay of Mwemboiboini, a small fishing village, to stop off at. The stretch of soft sand is fringed by palms and has a lookout point that to gaze out across the ocean.

My last stop on Grande Сomore was to the small port town of Iconi. Here you can trace the Islamic heritage of the islands. Narrow streets squeeze between archways with ornate buildings at the town’s prosperity in its trading heyday.

Returning to Moroni in the evening, I decided to check out the capital’s nightlife. The city’s cool crowd head to Le Coelacanthe, a hotel and

It was raining and the two-hour boat ride to Moheli was a bit rocky , but it made me feel like a true adventurer

Old Port Fishing boats in Moroni

Bay beauty Beachside accommodation in Moroni and (inset) Mount Karthala

restaurant that has a lively bar and club. Comorians really know how to have a good time and I was made very welcome.

The next morning I decided to check out the tiny island of Moheli. It was raining and the two-hour boat crossing was a bit rocky, but it did make me feel like a true adventurer. You can catch a ride on fishing boats to Domoni on the northern tip of Moheli.

Eco resort

As for a place to stay on the island, I’d heard of eco resort Laka Lodge, which offers snorkelling in the

coral reefs in the protected Moheli National Park. Here aquatic life includes a myriad of colourful fish, turtles and even dolphins. Moheli feels like natural hideaway disconnected from the world. A stay here is to immerse yourself in nature and feel like a solid soul of the earth.

The next morning I took a boat trip to get a spectacular view of the tiny islets dotted in the marine park. Afterwards, I went to Aytsamia, on the eastern tip of the island, which is a protected nesting site for green sea turtles.

The night trip gave the opportunity to see the turtles lay their eggs in the

Special place (clockwise from top) Women wearing the 'Comorian Mask', a sunscreen paste of sandalwood and coral; one of the archipelago's many beaches and the endemic Karthala scops-owl

sand. The process takes time but it is fascinating to see how the turtles use their fins to dig sand pits for the eggs before covering them and heading back to the ocean.

Fly with us

Precision Air now flies every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday between Dar es Salaam and Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport in Morni, Grande Comore.

About Ingrid

For more details on Ingrid Kim’s work attracting foreign investment in East Africa, visit @dhowconsulting on Instagram or the website consult-ingrid.com

Artist passing on painting skills

Lembulisi Gwalugano Ayubu Mwakatobe is a self-taught artist who works under the name ‘Gano’. The Dar es Salaam resident’s energetic watercolour and pastel works deal with serious subjects yet are offset by humour and have been exhibited across East Africa and into Europe. Ingrid Kim meets the 49-year-old and discovers he also shares his skills as an art teacher to young Tanzanians.

As a self-taught artist who rose from very little to have his work exhibited at such prestigious institutions in his hometown of Dar es Salaam as the Goethe Institute and Nafasi Arts Space as well as international shows in locations as far flung as Scandinavia, Lembulisi Gwalugano Ayubu Mwakatobe has much to teach budding Tanzanian artists about where their talent can take them.

Mwakatobe is better known by his artistic alias ‘Gano’, with which he signs all of his imaginative, energetic paintings, which incorporate elements of cartoons and street art. He uses a variety of painting disciplines and techniques – from acrylics, watercolour, pastels, charcoal, tempera to papercrafts – and there is often an abstract depiction of the human figure in his work with subjects including musicians, market traders and everyday Dar citizens. He says his young students can recognise the characters within his work and he helps them to channel their own creativity. It can be life changing.

“I work with school children as well as young artists who are street boys and girls and sometimes homeless,” he says.

“I show them art as career of my life, I run a mentoring programme for them on colours and understanding art.”

Art spoke to Gano at a young age. He is totally self-taught, building on a passion for drawing that began in school. “From childhood it was plain for all to see that I loved drawing. Once I started school it become serious for me. I went to a Catholic-run nursery school there was time for drawing and that set me off.”

30-year career

Gano has come a long way since those times. He has carved a more than 30-year career in art that has seen his work exhibited across East Africa in Tanzanian, Kenya and Uganda as well as Zimbabwe and in 2020 he was part of the Wasemaje art show, which was organised by the Danish, Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish embassies in Dar. As a result of his involvement, he was invited to Finland last year for a summer

camp, which included workshops and the opportunity to spread the word on African art.

Most recently he was one of the invited artists at a four-day art expo held at the Indian High Commission in Dar. “That was fantastic,” he enthuses. “It was hosted by an Indian artist and it gave myself and other artists a chance to showcase Tanzanian talent. There were a number of diplomats from other countries there and I deeply appreciated the opportunity.

“There are challenges to being an artist here, but this gave me a chance to make connections and meet new art collectors, buyers and art developers.”

’Teaching next generation'

Over the years he has learned the importance of diversification in making a living for himself as an artist. As well as gallery walls, you can also find his work illustrating the pages of books and even on T-shirts and other merchandise.

He also has a role in the development of art in his home country in his role as Head of Fine Arts and Crafts Constituency for the Tanzania Cultural Trust Fund. While he is selftaught, he recognises the importance of colleges in bringing through new artists if they allow those students to think for themselves. One of his most favourite works – now sold out – is of a panicky running figure made up entirely of books.

“I gained my knowledge of art

Abstract

A piece from Gano in 2021

through myself,” he says. “We have colleges here which teach art, but they need more investment in training and materials. There is still room for that knowledge to grow.”

For more information on Gano’s latest work and his upcoming exhibitions, visit his Instagram page @wazopevu.Gano or email him at kakagano@gmail.com

The rules

As we waited for our Covid tests, the usual suspects presented themselves: the scaredy-cat, the chatty, brave one and the pragmatic one. My three kids.

My three, beautiful children.

As the lady did the test, she told me that she wanted to keep the chatty one, the one that I sometimes feel has swallowed a parrot. She said everyone needed a child like that in their house. I countered, saying it was the pragmatist that was most important.

She disagreed. She said that the joy and street-smart that she saw in the one she’d chosen was, by far, the most important.

As she continued her job, being as gentle and kind as possible with the scaredy-cat, I observed my children, the

three parts of my personality, if you will. What was I neglecting and what did I need to nurture? What did I think was important and what was I not seeing the value in?

I had to ask myself, where was the joy in showing up and doing what was necessary all the time?

And by attempting to be carefree, was I trying to turn a cat into a dog by denying the essence of who I thought I was?

What does balance look like?

Like my asymmetric hair cut? Long and feminine on one side, and short and sexy on the other? A bit of both?

Or by trying to get both, was I getting nothing of either? I never felt sexy or feminine enough. Did I need to pick a side and own it?

My young pragmatist doesn’t ever think of wearing more jewellery or carrying a handbag just for show. She knows who she is. The same goes for the girly girl I have.

Who am I? Confused? Finding myself? Reinventing myself? Exploring myself?

As I spend more time with family, I keenly observe the ones that haven’t

Sona Parmar Clinical Nutritionist

Paa has a new columnist. Sona Parmar is a Nairobi-based clinical nutritionist certified by the Nutrition Therapy Council. In each issue the mum-of-three will take a wry look at the human condition inspired by events in her own life.

To find out more about her work, visit nutritionbysona.com and instagram. com/inspirationbysona

changed over the years. Despite their natural evolution, they are true to their essence. The hard wiring doesn’t change.

So, if my DNA is set and everyone else can see it, why, with all this apparent selfawareness, can I not?

And that’s when I realised that it wasn’t about balance, rather about integration.

I could be classic, quirky and practical all in one joyful snowball. (My superpower is how cold I am).

It was about choosing a side, black or white. It was about inclusiveness and idiosyncrasies.

In the words of Sadhguru, “all the rules are my rules.”

Indeed they are.

Where was the joy in showing up and doing what was necessary all the time?

Paa Royal Benefits

Benefits that will make you feel like royalty

Precision Air is always looking to give its customers an exclusive and memorable service experience; and the Paa Royal benefits programme is part of that mission. The membership categories* are as follows:

Jade Member benefits

Upon enrolment, members will be given their unique Paa Royal number, which they must always show whenever they buy tickets as well as during check-in at the airport. After flying three times or more, members will be given a Jade membership card. With the card, they will be recognised as members of the Paa Royal Programme.

Other benefits of Jade membership:

• Priority membership baggage tags to ensure tagged bags will be handled with special care and delivered first on the conveyor belt at the passenger’s arrival destination

• An opportunity to get a free ticket within the Precision Air’s network after accumulating enough points in their account.

*Please note that, in each membership category, if a member is unable to maintain the required number of flights in a year, he or she will be downgraded to their tier level achieved in that current year.

Silver Member benefits

After attaining Silver membership level, the member will be issued with a Silver membership card which he (or she) must show at all Precision Air point of sales in order to receive the recognition that he deserves. Should a member book online by logging into Paa Royal Pages, he will automatically receive points earned to his account.

Members will be entitled to special treatment and priority treatment whenever they travel.

Other benefits of Silver membership:

• Free 5 kg baggage every time member travels on a PW operated flight

• Priority membership baggage tags to ensure tagged bags will be handled with special care and delivered first on the conveyor belt at member’s arrival destination

• Opportunity to obtain a free ticket within the Precision Air network after accumulating enough points in your account

• Priority telephone reservation in those times when you want to make your reservation and cannot visit our office or travel agent. Booking is a call away through our Paa Royal helpdesk line.

Gold Member benefits

After attaining the Gold membership, members will begin to experience royal and exclusive treatment whenever they fly. Members will be opened up to a new world of opportunities and experiences and, of course, receive more rewards. Should a member book online by logging into Paa Royal Pages, he (or she) would automatically receive points earned to his account.

Other benefits of Gold:

• Free 10 kg baggage every time member travels on a PW operated flight

• Priority membership baggage tags to ensure tagged bags will be handled with special care and delivered first on the conveyor belt at member’s arrival destination

• Opportunity to obtain a free ticket within the Precision Air network after accumulating enough points in your account

• Priority telephone reservation at times when you want to make your reservation and cannot visit our office or travel agent. Booking is a call away through our Paa Royal helpdesk line

• Priority waitlist/airport standby each time you want to travel and your selected flight is full.

Tanzanite Member benefits

When members reach Tanzanite member they attain ultimate royalty. We will always strive to give these royal members an exclusive and memorable flight experience. At this level, members will already be used to royal treatment; royalty will be their way of life.

Other benefits of Tanzanite:

• Free 15 kg excess baggage every time the member travels on a PW-operated flight

• Opportunity to obtain a free ticket within the Precision Air network after accumulating enough points in your account

• Confirmation on any flight if a member is prepared to pay Y class fare, regardless of the flight booking status

• Priority waitlist/airport standby whenever you want to travel and your selected flight is full

• Priority telephone reservation at times when you want to make your reservation and cannot visit our office or travel agent. Booking is a call away through our Paa Royal helpdesk line.

• Priority membership baggage tags to ensure tagged bags will be handled with special care and delivered first on the conveyor belt at member’s destination.

• Silver,Gold and Tanzanite members also get discounts of up to 20 per cent when visiting GSM shopping malls Msasani and Pugu, Southern Sun Hotel, Akemi restaurant, East Point Restaurant and the Colosseum hotel and sports club - all in Dar es Salaam.

For more details, email paaroyal@precisionairtz.com or call +255684202022

Your nearest Precision Air office anywhere in the world

TANZANIA

DAR ES SALAAM HEAD OFFICE

Diamond Plaza, 1st Floor, Plot no 162 / 38, Mirambo Street / Samora Ave, Dar es Salaam

Tel: +255 (0)22 219 1000

Contact Centre:

+255 (0)787 888 409 / 408 / 417

Email: pwreservations@precisionairtz.com

DAR ES SALAAM SALES OFFICE

NIC HDQ Building, Samora Ave / Pamba Road, PO Box 70770, Dar es Salaam

Tel: +255 (0)22 213 0800 / 212 1718

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Email: salesdar@precisionairtz.com

E-COMMERCE

(For users of VISA and MasterCard)

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Dar es Salaam

Tel: +255 (0)686 177 458 /

(0)689 669 446

Fax: +255 (0)22 211 3036

Email: pwreservations@precisionairtz.com

ARUSHA

Ngorongoro Tourism Center

First Floor

Goliondoi & Makongoro Road

P.O. Box 1636

Arusha - Tanzania

Tel: +255 27 254 5489 / 254 5503

Email: pw-arksales@precisionairtz.com

BUKOBA

Bukoba Office-GSA, Bukoba Machinery and General

Supplier, Bukoba Centre

Kawawa Road

Tel: +255 (0) 28 222 0545 / 222 0204

Mob: +255 (0) 713 316 806 / (0) 787 616 806

Email: bukobamachinery55@yahoo.com

DODOMA

Mtendeni street, Dodoma

Tel: +255 787 845 200 / 754 972 173

MOSHI

KNCU Building, Ground Floor, Old Moshi Road

Tel: +255 784 686 418

+255 (0)272 753495 / 753498

Mob: +255 (0)787 800820

Email: sales@acobtravel.com

info@acobtravel.com

MTWARA

Tanu Road, Posta Building, PO Box 1066, Mtwara

Tel: +255 (0)23 233 4116

Mob: +255 (0)787 818 442 / 767 818 442

Email: pw-mwzgsa@precisionairtz.com

MWANZA

Along Kenyatta Road, Plot no 002, Mwanza

Tel: +255 (0)28 250 0819 / 250 0204

Fax/Tel: +255 (0)28 250 1054

Mob: +255 (0)784 402042

Sales Office Mobile: +255 (0)784 968427

ZANZIBAR

Zanzibar Airport

Tel: +255 (0)24 223 4521

Fax: +255 (0)24 223 4520

Email: pwznz@precisionairtz.com

KENYA

NAIROBI

Barclays Plaza, 7th Floor, Loita Street PO Box 50990-00100, Nairobi

Tel: +254 (0)20 327 4282 / 4290 / 4297

Mob: +254 (0)724 76 0736 /

+254 (0)736 046 595

Airport: +254 (0) 733 934 795 / 731 530 000

Email: pw-nbo@kenya-airways.com

SOUTH AFRICA

OR Tambo International, International Departures Terminal A, AVIAREPS Counter

Johannesburg, South Africa

Tel: +27 11 783 6415

UGANDA

Pan Africa House, Plot no.3 Kimathi Avenue

P.O. Box 5619 Kampala

Tel: +256-790 381 431 (24hr

Emergency)

Mob: +256 784(704) 329793

Email: precisionair.eva@utb.co.ug

AUSTRIA

Argentinierstrasse 2/4

A-1040 Vienna, Austria

Tel: +43 1 585 3630

Fax: +43 1 558 536 3088

AUSTRALIA

Suite 1302, 109 Pitt Street

Sydney, Australia

Email: helpdesk@apg-ga.com.au

BELGIUM

Park Hill, J.E Mommaertslaan 16B 1831 Diegem, Belgium

Tel: +32 (0)2 712 0584

Fax: +32 (0)2 725 8392

Mobile: +32 (0)47 770 9971

FINLAND

Precision Air C/o Aviareps

PL 10 00750 Helsinki, Finland

Finland

Tel: +46 8 55569162

Email: PWres.scan@aviareps.com

FRANCE

Precision Air, 11 rue Auber

75009 Paris, France

Mob: +33 (0)6 21 824 908

Reservation: +33 (0)1 534 35397

Fax: +33 (0)1 5343 7919

GERMANY

MUNICH OFFICE

Josephspitalstrasse 15

80331 Munich

Germany

Tel: +49 (0)895 525 3373

Fax: +49 (0)895 450 6842

FRANKFURT OFFICE

Kaiserstrasse 77

60329 Frankfurt / Main

Germany

Tel: +49 (0)69 770 673 010

Fax: +49 (0)69 770 673 018

GREECE

7 Stadiou Street Athens

10562 Greece

Tel: +30 (0)210 9341 500 / 501

Fax: +30 (0)210 934 1620

Email:

precisionairsales@tal-aviation.gr

IRELAND

Precision Air GSA

APG Ireland

27 Lower Ormond Quay

Dublin, Ireland

Reservations: +353 (0)1 804 5100

Email: info@apg-ga.ie

NETHERLANDS

Beechavenue 104

1119 PP Schiphol, Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0)20 520 0280

Fax: +31 (0)2 6 23 0151

SPAIN

Bravo Murillo 101, Planta 6

Oficina 3, 28020 Madrid, Spain

Tel: +34 (0)91 458 5560

Fax: +34 (0)91 344 1726

Email:

Precisionair.spain@aviareps.com

SWEDEN

Aviareps, Riddargatan 17 11457 Stockholm

Sweden

Tel: +46 (0)8 55569162

Email: PWres.scan@aviareps.com

SWITZERLAND

Badenerstrasse 15, 8004 Zurich

Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)44 286 99 60

Fax: +41 (0)44 286 99 00

Email: Precisionair-Switzerland@ aviareps.com

TURKEY

Discover The World -Turkey

Nef22 E Blok 13. Kat No:194

Atakoy/ İstanbul 34156 TURKEY

Tel: +90 212 806 11 87

Email: info@discover-tk.com

USA and CANADA

AirlinePros

420 Lexington Ave Suite 358-360

New York, NY. 10170

Tel: +1 877 496 9887

Email:

reservations@precisionairlines.us Precisionair_tanzania@airlinerpos.ca

UNITED KINGDOM

APG Global

Highbridge House, 581 Bath Road

Longford, West Drayton

Middlesex, UB7 0EW

Reservations: +44 (0)844 482 2313

Email: info@precisionair.co.uk

OVERALL INTERNATIONAL MARKETS CONTACT

LILIAN MUSYOKA

Tel: +254 (0)786800640

+254 (0)20 3274297 / 82 / 90

Email: imusyoka@precisionairtz.com

lilian.musyoka@kenya-airways.com

Safety and well-being on board

PASSENGER SAFETY

Precision Air takes passenger safety very seriously. Aviation safety isn’t just the pilot’s or the cabin crew’s job – it takes all of us. It is easy for our natural sense of caution to be dulled in our modern environment, where things don’t go wrong very often. Whether in the air or on the ground, your life and the lives of your family members could some day be saved if you make it a point, in every situation, to create a mental plan of action in case of emergency. Here are some important tips to help you enjoy your travel experience with Precision Air – in flight and around the airport.

EXIT ROW SEAT

A passenger who is allocated an emergency exit seat:

A. Must be both willing and physically able to open the exit doors in an emergency

B. Must completely understand the printed emergency evacuation techniques

C. Must be 16 years old and above.

PAY ATTENTION TO PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING

Although the information seems repetitious, the locations of the closest emergency exits may be different depending on the aircraft that you fly on and the seat you are in.

CARRY ON BAGGAGE

There are strict rules about what you can bring on board an aircraft. Because:

A. Not all aircraft have space to store your carry-on baggage.

B. In an accident, baggage in the aisles makes it harder to get out of the aircraft quickly.

Carry-on bags must be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please confirm with Precision Air rules before your travel to avoid delays.

*Remember: All carry-on baggage must be left behind in an evacuation.

SAFETY ONBOARD

Boarding and leaving an aircraft requires your full attention. As you move to and from the aircraft, you may be in a busy area with many other passengers and cargo, moving vehicles, other aircraft, slippery walkways and/or stairs.

RESPECT YOUR CREW AND FELLOW PASSENGERS

Everyone has the right to safe and secure travel. That is why Precision Air employees and the aviation authority will not tolerate any behaviour that interferes with the flight or puts the safety of passengers and crew at risk.

SEATBELTS

Seatbelts must be fastened during take-off, landing, during turbulence and any time the crew deem it necessary. Keeping the belt on when you are seated provides that extra protection you might need in case of emergency. If you are responsible for an infant or a child, you must first ensure that your own seatbelt is properly fastened, then secure the child and, if it is an infant, secure the child’s or the infant’s restraints. Important note: There are a number of events involving air turbulence that highlight the importance of keeping seatbelts fastened throughout the flight. Though rare, in-flight turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to both passengers and crew.

Fly with a face mask

For the your own safety and the safety of your fellow passengers and crew, we ask you to wear a face mask during the entirety of your flight today. Thank you!

You Are Why We Fly

It’s a good idea to keep your seatbelt fastened even when the seatbelt signs are not on.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND PREGNANCIES

If you have a medical condition and may need assistance during your travel, kindly ask the Precision Air offices or agents about procedures before your flight. If you are pregnant, you will need to fill a Precision Air medical form, to be signed by your doctor, to confirm that you are OK for travel. For further details, kindly ask while booking your ticket from our sales offices and/or customer services.

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Use of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, MP4 players, iPads, etc are not allowed during take-off, landing, taxiing, descent and climb.

Precision Air prohibits the use of some electronic devices during flight because they emit signals that can interfere with the aircraft's instrumentation. Some of the items prohibited include cellphones, radios, remote-controlled games/toys, laser pointers, iPads or tablets that transmits frequencies, portable printers, walkie-talkies, scanners and laptops. These items need to be stowed away for these phases of the flight to avoid injuries in case of an emergency.