Streets come alive in the holy month of Ramadan

Dar es Salaam. During the Month of Ramadhan (or Ramzan, as it is called by Indian-Muslims), when dusk falls, Aggrey Street awakens to a veer of delectable aromas during the breaking of the fast with a feast known as iftar.

The majority of families prepare traditional delicacies at their homes and take them to Qiblatain Masjid, the principal mosque in the area, to pray and eat in its courtyard that extends from Swahili Street to Sikukuu Street.

“The lane from Swahili to Sikukuu is closed down after sunset during the Month of Ramadan,” said 34-year old Sharif Hamadi, a street vendor, who sells fruit salad. “I sell fruit salad for Sh700 per glass and I get many customers during this month.”

“A communal gathering such as this during the Holy Month doesn’t see what ethnicity, race or religion you are from, you only witness a gathering of people full of love.”

“For instance, recently I had people from Zambia and the DRC, who were fascinated to be part of the community during iftar,” Hamadi added. He and his fellow vendors gathered to set up their food cart at 4pm and end their day at 10pm, when the crowd gradually leaves after Tarawih prayers, a type of prayers only prayed during Ramadan from 9pm to 10pm.

Michael David, a banker from Standard Chartered Bank, visits Aggrey Street during the Month of Ramadan every year.

He said: “I come here during this Holy Month of Ramadan for food. There are all types of food. It amazes me every day. Today, I am here for Chapatis, but my favourite is sugarcane juice. I noticed that this street gets livelier and the number of people definitely doubles.”

As a witness, Michael said he noticed that Ramadan was the month of not only feasting, but also of giving back to the needy. “I’ve seen in this neighbourhood that a lot of people give necessities to the needy and that itself creates a discipline that inspires me,” he added.

Many others, who come from a distant place to pray, swarm the narrow lanes to feast. As such as 73-year old Mohammed Seif, who hails from Kongowe. “I run my business around this area. So, it is convenient to pray and break my fast at this street rather than elsewhere. This is a ritual for me every year during Ramadan, as far as I can recall, I have been coming to this mosque since it was constructed in the 1960s,” he said.

As the call to prayer (Azaan) echoed the street, donors gave out water, dates, milk and kachori (fried spicy mashed potatoes) to about 500 men, who started placing their prayer mats inside the mosque and outside Aggrey Street.

Abdulbasit Omar Said had been staying opposite the mosque since his childhood. As he offered The Citizen reporter some dates to break the fast, he said, “Fasting is cleansing your body from all the toxins and cleansing your mind from all negative thoughts.”

“Ramadan is a time for prayer and fasting. It is a time to forgive others, a time to ask for forgiveness, a time to get blessings and it is a time to start a new phase in one’s life,” Mr Said said.

He said the mosque was usually full on other days as well, but in Ramadan, the ground floor and first floor were full, the narrow lanes and street get crowded with people, who come for prayers from all walks of life, the youth, the disabled, the elderly and the needy.

The choice of food available for iftar is unlimited - from roasted bananas to full meals. A group of women seated in a straight line sold snacks ranging from Sh100-Sh300 in plastic basins. One among them was 52-year old Mama Zainab Mwenyemvua.

“I sell chapatti maji (flat sweetened chappati), mandazi, kachori and cutlets. I bring these snacks for my fellow Muslims, who observe the fast during the day. I am happy, when I see such unity among believers that I don’t get to witness on a normal days,” she said. Mama Zainab hails from Kinondoni and stays up to 8pm outside Qiblatain Mosque.

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