00:00 Zanzibar, an island group off the east coast of Africa.
00:05 For centuries, spices have brought this Tanzanian archipelago wealth and global renown.
00:10 But residents here are not resting on their laurels.
00:13 All across the islands, entrepreneurs are finding new and creative ways to use the iconic crops.
00:19 Growing up in Zanzibar, spices are always a part of our life.
00:25 Spices are part of our tradition, part of our culture, part of our economy.
00:34 From black pepper to vanilla, nutmeg and more, spices came here via the Indian Ocean trade routes
00:41 from as far away as Indonesia and beyond, eventually taking root in Zanzibar's fertile tropical soil.
00:48 More than 150 years, spices, the product that made Zanzibar known to the world.
00:56 There are a lot of cloves here, a lot of cinnamon.
01:00 I love this. It's very sweet.
01:03 Cloves in particular made the islands rich, but the spice boom also had its dark side.
01:09 Under the Sultanate of Oman, Zanzibar became the centre of East Africa's slave trade
01:15 and vast strata of pristine forests were being cut down to make way for clove plantations.
01:20 It's a legacy of environmental damage that continues to this day.
01:25 Many farmers were growing spices in old ways, but later on, the farmers started to use chemical fertilizers
01:33 to harvest more and more so they can sell a lot of products and get more money.
01:38 We decided to do things in a different way.
01:42 But Zanzibar's spice industry is changing.
01:46 Ali and his company source their spices from farming corporates from across the archipelago
01:51 and train growers in organic farming practices.
01:55 The spices are harvested, dried and then used whole or in powder form.
02:00 And in the hands of Ali's customers, they are sometimes transformed into something entirely different.
02:07 So this is the clove soap.
02:09 We started off with oils, we were mixing them, they've been put in a mould,
02:14 they've been cut, stamped and packaged.
02:18 Cloves have both antifungal and antibacterial properties
02:24 and through this cosmetic brand, they're sold in Zanzibar and beyond.
02:29 Back at Stone Town's central market, Zanzibar's spices continue to be sold
02:34 much the same way as they have been for generations.
02:38 For our company, it's just the beginning.
02:40 Spices are the heritage and traditions of Zanzibar, but it can also be our future.
02:47 (upbeat music)
02:49 (upbeat music)
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