An Original Fishing Technique

Strange things have been known to happen on the island of Zanzibar.

On the picturesque sea front in Zanzibar, (opposite the imposing House of Wonders) there was about to enfold an event that might only be termed “kinky.” From a distance under the shade of a generous umbrella-shaped tree, I was taking in the beautiful scenery of fishing vessels with their sails hugging the gentle wind and heading towards the  multi-coloured sunset in the calm blue ocean. One couldn’t help noticing the lazy ships in the harbour pregnant with goods and off-loading their cargo from distant and exotic lands, when I was attracted to a small but curious crowd gathered close to the thick wall that held back the spring tides of the warm Indian Ocean.  There was no doubt in my mind that something interesting was going on.  Crowds usually serve as a magnet, so I walked towards the amused but noisy and curious crowd. 

Apparently, they were watching a huge monster octopus that was perched against the wall some four or five feet below the level of the ocean.  There were shouts of “poiza” (octopus) ringing through the crowd. This was not a common sight so it attracted a large curious and inquisitive crowd each one jockeying for the best position to take in the scenery. 

One of the onlookers was obviously a drunken individual who meandered his way to the front of the excited crowd. Before anybody could have predicted, he tore off his soiled shirt, removed his tired shoes and to the horror of the speculating crowd began his suicidal but deliberate descent down the steps towards the puzzled octopus. There was absolute silence.  It was a silence of concern.  Everybody thought that such blatant insanity would reap its own reward. Nobody moved.  Many held their breath in awe of what was going to happen to this misguided individual.

The crowd waited in anticipation.  Suddenly, the octopus leaped on the drunken man’s chest and wound its tentacles around him as though it had met its long lost friend.  This was the end of the misguided man thought everybody, and there was a cautious moan that went through the crowd as the desperate information was being relayed to those behind who could not see first hand what was happening. The man remained immobile for about ten seconds before realizing that he had become the target of the amorous octopus. It seemed that he had lost all feeling because he was obviously stoned before undertaking this perilous journey.  Was the octopus going to make a meal out of him?

To everybody’s consternation, the expressionless man forced his way up the slippery steps one deliberate but shaky step after another, with the confused octopus still clinging on to him in a tight and warm embrace.  Before the crowd knew it, the man staggered out of the warm water.  The relieved crowd quickly moved away to give him space.  As soon as he was on firm ground, he suddenly revealed energy that came as a surprise to everybody.  He began ripping off the tentacles one after the other. It sounded like an angry child ripping up paper. This left dark red marks where they the tentacles had clung to his skinny chest.  He finally had the octopus ripped off his chest much to the jubilation of the relieved crowd. The octopus was still alive and proceeded to walk towards the steps.   The man quickly grabbed a thick walking stick from one of the spectators and proceeded to hit the confused octopus in an attempt at preventing it from returning to the ocean.  It took several hard and deliberate knocks to have it subdued. The crowd was beside itself.  A loud ovation followed and the man smiled for the first time as though he had performed a winning feat in the Olympics.

In Zanzibar, the octopus is a delicacy particularly among the Africans, so the drunken man held an auction and sold what was left of the octopus to the highest bidder.

After that close encounter, he needed a drink very badly.

He could now afford it!