Bizarre ritual in Zanzibar. Why did the locals throw themselves into the ocean, with a painting by Klaus Iohannis in their hands

A bizarre ritual ended the visit of President Klaus Iohannis to Zanzibar. A group of locals, carrying pictures of the president and the First Lady, called out their names, after which they jumped into the water.

Meanwhile, the Iohannis arrived in Cape Verde, an archipelago in the west of the continent, visited for the first time by a Romanian president.

On Sunday, before leaving Zanzibar, the president and the first lady were awaited by a group of locals who wanted to show them a ritual specific to the place.

In Swahili, the language used in Tanzania and Zanzibar, people hated them”hakuna matata”, meaning a beautiful life.

The first visit of a Romanian president to the Republic of Cape Verde

But they didn’t stop there. Several young people holding portraits of President Iohannis or the first lady plunged into the ocean with them.

It is the ultimate gesture by which they wanted to show their joy at being visited.

It happened just before the guests boarded the ferryboat that would take them back to the African continent.

The next stop on the president and first lady’s tour of Africa is the Republic of Cape Verde, an archipelago located in the west of the continent.

Theoretically, Romania has had diplomatic relations with this country since 1975, but in practice it has never been visited by a Romanian head of state.

Iohannis offered the president of Cape Verde the highest decoration of the Romanian state

In Praia, the capital of the country, Iohannis presented the President of the country with the Star of Romania, the highest decoration of the Romanian state. And he in turn received a decoration from his African counterpart.

Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania: ”This exchange of decorations is usual between presidents when there are good and very good relations between the two states. We consider you a close state, we have an old tradition together, we consider you friends and we believe that together we can build a lot“.

Klaus Iohannis also received the key to the city from the mayor of the capital, in a sumptuous ceremony. The president will also meet with citizens of the Republic of Cape Verde who studied in Romania, and on Tuesday, on the tenth day of the tour, he will arrive in Senegal, the last country he visits in Africa.