The Hindu : International / India & World : Kalam offers Zanzibar help in healthcare

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

International

International - India & World

Kalam offers Zanzibar help in healthcare

By Vinay Kumar

ZANZIBAR, SEPT. 12 . It was the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's day out today to the nearby archipelago of Zanzibar, comprising mainly the isles of Zanzibar and Pemba, just 20 minutes by a special aircraft from Dar-es-Salaam.

Arriving at the Zanzibar International Airport this afternoon, on the second day of his four-day visit to Tanzania, Mr. Kalam was in for a pleasant surprise. Traditional 21-gun salute, inspection of guard of honour apart, there were cultural troupes at the airport dancing to the rhythmic beats of their traditional music instruments. The President, escorted by his Zanzibar counterpart, Amani Abeid Karume, wended their way through the folk dancers.

A cordial and informal atmosphere prevailed right through the luncheon hosted by the Zanzibar President, where Mr. Kalam's speech was distributed among the delegates and the media. The two leaders had discussions lasting for nearly an hour on a variety of issues, including the possibility of India's assistance in strengthening Zanzibar's healthcare system, education and small-scale industry. Cooperation in tourism and fisheries also came up during the talks.

Visits museum

The President's six-hour visit to Zanzibar included a tour of the National Museum, also known as Beit-el-Ajaib or the House of Wonders. He was received at the museum by the Education Minister, Harun Ali Suleiman, who happens to be of Indian origin, the only one in Zanzibar's Ministerial Council.

It was Mr. Kalam's 50-minute interaction with the Indian community at Hotel Bwawni here that gladdened the hearts of the persons of Indian origin who had gathered in fairly large numbers to greet him.

Indian touch

He was presented a traditional cap and when he rose to address the Indian community and greeted them in the local dialect "how are you," the entire hall erupted in cheers and applause. The setting had an Indian touch with shehnai notes wafting through the air and colourful balloons swinging from the ceiling. The Indian community in Zanzibar is about 7,000-strong and controls the business and trade.

In his brief address, he stressed upon friendly ties with Zanzibar whose President had visited New Delhi in March this year. Mr. Kalam offered to answer four or five questions, particularly from youth. And the scientist in him would have clearly enjoyed it, when a youngster asked him why the Moon is smaller than the Earth and another one came up with a query on the magnetic field. The keen teacher that he is, he answered them fully and patiently. To a query, Mr. Kalam offered India's help in setting up operation theatres in hospitals and visits by Indian doctors to train the doctors and carry out specialised treatment such as cardiac care and surgery. Mr. Kalam said that the health infrastructure in Zanzibar needed to be upgraded.

He also suggested that Zanzibar give serious thought to developing fisheries as a thriving industry and offered assistance in setting up small-scale garment manufacturing units, on the lines of those in Punjab.

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