In Stone Town, Zanzibar, there is a place that only wakes at sunset. I went there every night.
Forodhani Gardens is a documentary photography project on the night market at Forodhani Gardens, in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Stone Town is the historic and oldest part of Zanzibar — a labyrinth of narrow alleys, carved doors and architecture that blends Arab, Indian and African influences. By day, Forodhani Gardens is calm, ideal for quiet walks by the sea.
At sunset, everything changes.
Young men dive into the sea, tourists look for the best spots to watch the spectacle, and the square fills with chefs, tables covered in local food, gas lamps and the smell of open-air cooking. Pizzas, kebabs, octopus skewers, squid, prawns, fried breadfruit, samosas and freshly pressed sugarcane juice — a fusion of cultures and flavours that makes this night market a singular experience in Zanzibar.
What brought me here every night was not the food or the spectacle. It was the way locals and tourists from all over the world came together in this space, sharing the same moment without needing to share the same language.
Forodhani Gardens is a documentary photography project on the night market at Forodhani Gardens, in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Stone Town is the historic and oldest part of Zanzibar — a labyrinth of narrow alleys, carved doors and architecture that blends Arab, Indian and African influences. By day, Forodhani Gardens is calm, ideal for quiet walks by the sea.
At sunset, everything changes.
Young men dive into the sea, tourists look for the best spots to watch the spectacle, and the square fills with chefs, tables covered in local food, gas lamps and the smell of open-air cooking. Pizzas, kebabs, octopus skewers, squid, prawns, fried breadfruit, samosas and freshly pressed sugarcane juice — a fusion of cultures and flavours that makes this night market a singular experience in Zanzibar.
What brought me here every night was not the food or the spectacle. It was the way locals and tourists from all over the world came together in this space, sharing the same moment without needing to share the same language.
