Dubai – The Comoros Islands are a small archipelago located in Southeast Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. Comoros was colonized by the French and only gained its independence in 1975. The country is primarily Islamic, has around 870,000 inhabitants, and the official languages are French, Arabic, and Comorian. ANBA was in the Comoros Islands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. There, it was possible to get an idea of this, which is the only Arab country below the equator and with a tropical climate.
The economy of the Comoros Islands is based on the sale of spices such as vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, and ylang-ylang, the fragrant flower used in perfumes from world-famous French perfumery brands such as Chanel and Dior. The pavilion’s press officer, Samir Mohammed, guaranteed the ylang-ylang from Comoros is the best in the world, and big perfume houses import the country’s flowers. You can smell the flower and spices in the pavilion.
Comorian artist Napalo was in the pavilion and showed some of his works for this story. One of them is called “The Peanut Seller” and is on permanent exhibition at the pavilion. Other paintings by him are on sale for around USD 800.
The country is made up of four islands. The main one is called Ngazidja, or Grande Comore, which houses the capital, Moroni. In the pavilion, there is a mockup of a project for a new resort to be built on the island by an Egyptian company.
In addition to vanilla and ylang-ylang, another symbol of the country is the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish considered extinct and only found in the island’s region. The Comoros national football team is known as the Coelacanths. In addition to this fish, the archipelago has a unique ecosystem with marine plants, animals, and corals and is also a popular diving spot. The pavilion displays ocean images and sculptures of marine animals made from recycled plastic materials.
There are also wooden handicrafts on display, mannequins with typical clothes, and a small shop where visitors can buy vanilla, arts, and other products, such as cosmetics made from moringa, a flower in the region with healing properties.
At the end of the visit, there is a reference to the biggest active volcano in the world, the Khartala, which is close to the capital, Moroni. It stands 2.361 meters high. The Comoros pavilion is located in the Sustainability District.
There are daily flights to Comoros from three African airports, Nairobi (Kenya), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). To enter the country, visitors need to pay EUR 16 for the visa upon entry.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
