Family man
The eldest in a struggling family of five,
Mohamad Ali Mohamad left rural Tanzania
for Zanzibar to make a life and a reputation
for himself in the hotel industryA
t the age of 20, after years
of struggle growing up in a
poor family in the Dodoma
region of Tanzania, I decided
that it was time for me to leave
home to go make a life for myself
elsewhere.
At the time my parents had sep
arated from each other and I had
to help take care of my younger
brother and three sisters. I used
to sell things around the village,
like food, in order to make some
extra money because my family
was very poor and as the eldest
of five kids I felt it my duty to
help out. Eventually I managed
to save enough money for a bus
that took me from my village to
Dar es Salaam, and then got onto
a boat to Zanzibar.
At the time I knew no one in
Zanzibar, but I was committed
to fighting for a better life for
myself. Once I got there I got ajob at a hotel in Kiwengwa, where
I worked as a kitchen steward.
The hours were long but I per
severed. As the years progressed,
my bosses noticed my potential
and I was promoted to working
in the restaurant as a waiter, then
promoted again to working as
a barman. I really enjoyed my
job, especially meeting different
people from places I have nev
er been to. That is the best part
of working in the hotel industry- you learn so much about the
world from other people.
MY OWN HOTEL
At the moment I am operations
manager at Zanzibar Hotel, where
I hope one day to be promoted
to being a manager. But my ul
timate dream is to own and run
a hotel of my own. I am deter
mined to make my dream cometrue because I will be able to look
after my family. My brother also
moved to Stone Town and he is
also working in the hotel indus
try, while my three sisters live in
Dar es Salaam. I visit them once
a year when I take my annual
vacation from work.
I am a very simple man. When
I am not working, I am always
at my place relaxing because I
work hard. My working hours are
from 8am to 9pm. And although
Stone Town is a safe place, I also
understand that some people are
poor. One night when getting
off adaladala[a public bus] I
was pickpocketed by a group
of guys who took some money
and my cellphone. Besides a few
scratches I was not hurt. I hope to
one day have my own family, but
right now I am content helping
my siblings out where I can.
Interview byNeo MaditlaALL RIGHTS RESERVEDALL RIGHTS RESERVED90