Our Workshops
Discover the secrets of Zanzibar’s spices and natural beauty treatments, and create your own souvenirs in our inspiring workshops! Enjoy our heart-felt hospitality, learn something new, and create your own souvenirs that are a world away from mass production and directly benefiting the local community. All workshops can easily be combined with a Spice Tour, as they are taking place in the Kidichi area, conveniently close to the spice plantations. Transfers from and to Stone Town (ca. 20 minutes) are included.
Create your own Zanzibari Beauty Products
Let us introduce you to the art of traditional Zanzibari beauty treatments at our Mrembo Spa! Following time-honored recipes that have been passed down through many generations of Zanzibari women, we use fresh flowers, herbs and spices that are organically grown on our own plantation. We will produce our own coconut oil and make a coconut and spice scrub whilst listening to the history of henna as well as Taarab music.
Table Linen, Cushion Covers and Clothes in your own Batik Design
Here’s a wonderful opportunity to create your own batik fabric on a small scale. At Mussa’s workshop you craft, cut and dye authentic designs under the supervision of Mussa and his assistants. You have a choice to make your own batik fabric for table cloths, napkins, pillow covers, bed spreads or a tailor-made shirt, skirt or dress. There is a tailor on site who will take your measurements and deliver the next day. If you are leaving Zanzibar earlier, we can mail it home to you. Enjoy being part of the process, and bring home unique clothes, table linen or bedspreads you will use with pride!
Spice Blending
Do you love spices and would like to learn more about them? In this workshop, you will get a better understanding of their qualities and how they can be used for cooking, beauty and herbal medicine. You will hand-grind them in pestles and mortars, and invent your own favourite blend of the wonderfully warming spices from the Zanzibar archipelago.
Zanzibari Cooking (Pilau)
Pilau (spice rice) is a festive dish, well-known and much loved in the Zanzibar archipelago. In this workshop, you will learn to prepare it, using many of Zanzibar’s fresh and aromatic spices – and of course you will get to eat it afterwards You’ll take home the recipe and can then treat your friends and family to this beautiful and fragrant dish.
Soap Making
Learn how to make your own soap from coconut oil combined with your favourite scent. The renowned artist and teacher Hamad of the Cultural Arts Centre will introduce you to his soap making world. You will learn how it’s done and take home your self- made, wonderfully fragrant Zanzibari soap!
Incense “UDI” Workshop
The burning of sweet gums, resins, woods, and plants has taken hundreds of beautiful, diverse cultural forms, many of which are still in use today. This workshop shows you how the local incense is made from scratch. We will cook the “makapi” pieces of wood on an open fire together with all the ingredients to make your own loose incense. Just like in making perfume, a base, middle and top note are required, and you will learn about the history and uses of udi in Zanzibari homes.
Lessons in Music, Dancing & Tingatinga Painting
Get an introduction to the intricacies of the distinctive Tingatinga painting style, and create your very own piece of art with the guidance of an experienced arts teacher. Or learn how to play simple rhythms or melodies on the instruments used in Swahili music, and how to move your body to African drums! We can arrange for you lessons in traditional dancing, drumming and playing a range of other instruments used in Swahili Taarab music, like the qanun, the oud, the nay, tablas and more. For these lessons we are cooperating with the Dhow Countries Music Academy (www.zanzibarmusic.org), and your fee goes to support the invaluable work they are doing by teaching and promoting Zanzibari music.