Makunduchi

Makunduchi holds Mwaka Kogwa each July, a four-day festival marking the Shirazi new year, brought from Persia and kept on Zanzibar long after it faded elsewhere. Its central act is a ritual fight in which men from two sides of the village beat each other with banana stems, working off the year's grievances so that the new one starts clean; a hut is then burned and its smoke read for the year ahead. Women sing verses at the fighters, and the village feeds all comers.

What you'll find

• The banana stem fight - the ritual settling of the year's grievances between village sides.
• The burning hut - a shelter set alight and its smoke read for the coming year.
• The women's songs - verses sung to and about the men during the fight.
• The open feasting - visitors fed by households as a matter of custom.

When to go

The festival falls in July, usually around the third week, and lasts four days. Outside it the village is quiet with little to see. Dates shift and should be confirmed locally.

Things to know

There is nothing here outside the festival days. It is a village event, not a show, and photographing people needs asking. Accommodation nearby is limited and fills for the festival.

Nearby

Kizimkazi is west, and Jambiani is north.

Key facts