This book is about a 28-year-old disciplined gentleman called Ludba, a dreamer from an Island called Zanzibar, who dreams of becoming successful and famous. An Island called Zanzibar, is a beautiful Island where there are many attractive and enjoyable places to visit, things to see, and history to learn. He is ambitious, and talented but he struggles with how he can live his dreams and achieve his goals. He loves his family deeply, drawing strength from their support. In his journey to find his way to succession, he comes across and meets a beautiful young lady called Ringariye, whose life background story is going to make a change to his career and life as a whole.
This book is about a 28-year-old disciplined gentleman called Ludba, a dreamer from an Island called Zanzibar, who dreams of becoming successful and famous. An Island called Zanzibar, is a beautiful Island where there are many attractive and enjoyable places to visit, things to see, and history to learn. He is ambitious, and talented but he struggles with how he can live his dreams and achieve his goals. He loves his family deeply, drawing strength from their support. In his journey to find his way to succession, he comes across and meets a beautiful young lady called Ringariye, whose life background story is going to make a change to his career and life as a whole.
Once upon a time, nestled in the azure embrace of the Indian Ocean lies the enchanting island of Zanzibar, a paradise like no other. As the gentle breeze whispers through the palm trees, it carries with it the tantalizing scent of spices that have enchanted travelers for centuries. There was a guy named Ludba Halim, a 28-year-old handsome guy who had a dream of living a great life and becoming famous like other famous people from the island, such as football players like Feisal Salum Feytoto, Mudathir Yahaya, Entrepreneurs like Bakharesa, Bopar, Artists musicians like Bi kidude and Makame Faki. Since he was young at age of 16 Ludba used to picture himself on T.V having interviews, podcasting and shows, he really enjoyed watching and listening to people and wished one day he could become like one of them, he believed that becoming famous can bring a lot of changes and become successful in his life, with a heart full of ambition and a relentless drive, Ludba yearned to carve his own path to success, determined to leave a mark on the world. But beneath his outward determination lay a restless soul, constantly seeking that one opportunity to propel him towards his dreams. Whether it was through entrepreneurship, creative pursuits, or venturing into the unknown, Ludba was always on the lookout for the chance to shine. At the moment he was just a local designer that kept him on his journey to his success of living a good life and become like one of the famous people, and so his story began.
One day he was on his way home around 5:30 pm coming back from a football match at MAO Zedong Stadium, the famous football pitch in town area in Zanzibar, where many big football matches are being played. Habib spoke to Ludba with an excited tone with a smile on his face âYow, have you heard about the audition?â, Habib is Ludbaâs childhood best friend since 2009, Habib likes to play football and believes in talent. When Ludba moved to a place called Kikwajuni in 2009 he met Habib, it was when he became friends with Habib since then, these two are always there for each other, they were so close and became more like brothers, people from the streets call them âPwagu and Pwaguziâ those names are from a story that is being told by the elders, a story of two brothers that were unseparated and thatâs how those two were, Habib and Ludba. âNo man which audition?â Ludba replied, âthe one that everybody is talking about man, itâs all about showing your talent, sharing your ideas and many more! I think I might sign up for thisâ with hope and excitement Habib said, Ludba laughs out loud and makes a joke on Habib âMan you are joking, what talent are you going to show? You got none my brother, you think your football skills are going to amaze the judges, who do you think you are, RONALDINHO? HAHAHAâ he kept on laughing at him, these two joke around all the time even when itâs something serious. âOkay you will see, you think I only have one talent, have you forgotten that I play Qanun, HUH!?â Habib replied while looking at Ludbaâs face with a funny face, trying to get back at him with his jokes. Habib was taking lessons at DCMA (Dhow Country Music Association) an institution where people go to learn and play music, it is where many of the Zanzibarian Famous International Musician came from, like Bi kidude and Siti Amina, these two were the Queens of Taarab Music, may their souls rest in peace. They continued joking around until they got home, âSee you tomorrow dream chaser!â Habib said to Ludba, âSee you tomorrow brotherâ Ludba replied back to Habib. âA dream Chaserâ, thatâs what Ludba calls himself, since he had many dreams and ready to take action of them, he once had a dream of becoming a big entrepreneur and have his own Branded Company called âFLYBOY BRANDâ where he could produce his own accessories like t-shirts, caps and many more, big dreams.
âYou should try something else brother, you got talent and ambition, I know you will come up with something good, I believe in you, you have never let me down just keep on pushingâ, Ludbaâs brother Dula was on the phone trying to encourage Ludba. Dula always believed in Ludba, he knows how much he wants to be out there to be seen and live a great sustainable life, he believes in his creativity and he is a hardworking guy. âAlright I will keep on trying but I donât think I have got much energy left for this, since I have tried a lot of things and yet nothing happened, itâs like I am still stuck in the âwho am I and what I am capable of doing, but no pressureâ mdogo mdogo tutafikaâ (in Swahili: slowly will get there)â Ludba said to Dula.
The next day, at 7:30 am at his motherâs Workshop. Ludba is currently working at his motherâs Workshop âKITENGE WORKSHOPâ, it is in Stone Town area a place called Malindi. In Zanzibar Island the Stone Town area lies about 100 of workshops or more, they represent different cultural things, many of them represent Zanzibarian culture, dresses made from Kanga and Kitenge, bags made from coconut tree branches called âMkoba wa Ukiliâ itâs a very impressing bag that does not go out of fashion since in the 80âs, art crafts and drawings of the stone town streets, beautiful beaches and people, that shows the beauty of the Island and its history. Ludba was trying to design and make a stylish dress for a fashion show event that he was given a chance to present his work there. Suddenly out of nowhere a beautiful lady walks in, âHello, I am here to see Ludhaâ the beautiful lady in Hijjab said, Ludba sighs! Tiredly, and answers âSorry lady, itâs Ludba with a B Not Hâ, âSorry my badâ the lady quickly replied. âCome in how can I help you MissâŚ.?â Ludba said to the lady while starring at her, âMiss Ringariyeâ the lady answered calmly. Ludba posed and started thinking, guessing, is it a real name or she just made it up, Ludba replied ironically âRingariye you say, is that your real name or your Instagram name, never mind how can I help you?â. Ringariye with an angry face answered, knowing that Ludba didnât believe her, âI am here for the outfits that you were supposed to submit them yesterday for todayâs event, I hope they are ready LUDHA!â said his name out loud. Ludba looked at her in such a way that he wishes she wouldnât have make fun of his name, because one thing that he hates the most is someone making fun of his name, âItâs LUDBA L.U.D.B.A miss RingaâŚâŚ whatever!â spelled out his name with anger to Ringariye, and continued âthe outfits are ready but I wasnât told that you were coming to collect them, but itâs okay here they areâ. Ringariye rolled her eyes and replied âThank you, donât be late for the event, Byeâ. Ludba didnât like her reaction and didnât reply back to her, he kept quiet and look for something else to keep him busy ignoring her. Ringariye left without paying attention if Ludba replied back to her or not.
Later on, the Audition that Habib signed and was about to participate, it was the same day of the event that Ludba was attending, they both couldnât make it to each otherâs event, how sad was it to miss your best friendâs big and special event. Habib was so excited, he was going to show his talent and win the audition, since he was the greatest Qanun player from his class. âHey, where are you? Am about to go, I am showing off my talent, I will be playing the Qanun tonightâ Habibâs on the phone exciting telling Ludba, âSorry brother I have an event at Ngome Kongwe at the moment, you do what you got to do, good luck manâ Ludba calmly replying back to Habib knowing that Habib might get upset but he had no choice, âOkay bro good luck to you tooâ Habib replied back with positive energy, they both understood that everyone was where they should be and how important it was for them. Many International events that are happening in Zanzibar are held at Ngome Kongwe, it is also known as The Old Fort, it is located at Stone Town the Capital of Zanzibar, on the main seafront adjacent to another landmark building of the city, the House of Wonders (BAIT-AL-AJAIB) and facing the Forodhani Gardens, it is the oldest building and a major visitor attraction of Stone Town, it has a great history and many things to tell, but thatâs another story for another time. So, after the event finished, Ludba was introduced to an old lady, her name is Asha Said the owner of a Modeling house in Zanzibar called âD Fashion with Modelsâ, Asha was age of 50 with a good taste of fashion, she designed many latest fashion clothes for many events to different people, she dresses the famous musicians from SITI AND THE BAND, the live musical band that is doing really great in the Island and well known internationally from their performance, their music and from its historical band name that came from the Queen of Taarab herself Bi Siti.
Asha and Ludba had a conversation on modeling and designing, Ludba badly wanted to know how Asha became successful and famous from her work. He didnât want to lose that one opportunity he had, standing and having a conversation with Asha, Ludba took a chance with confidence and asked Asha, âAm I ever going to be like you Asha?â, Asha sighs! And chuckled with a smile on her face, putting her hand on Ludbaâs shoulder and answered in a very polite way âlike me? Who am I, matter of fact who are you, and why are you trying to be like me, of course you cannot be like me because I am Asha and you are you, be yourself my child do not try to be someone elseâ, Ludba faced down nodding his head slowly, realizing that the key to become successful is within himself and not trying to do or become like someone else because every human being has his/her own path to reach his/her goals. He left that night with a positive mindset and kept on remembering the conversation he had with Asha, he was feeling very lucky, and the night kept on favoring him with surprising moments to come.
On his way back home he stopped at LUKMANâs restaurant to buy some food, as he was so hungry and tired, he could eat two plates of Pizza by himself, they only served bites and drinks from the event that he came from. The restaurant place was calm at that time, it is the most lovable place that people love to go eat, itâs food is delicious, with different dishes, Swahili food like Biriani, Pilau, Ugali with chicken roast, sea food, fresh fruit drinks and fruits, everyone on the Island loves to go eat there whether if itâs individual, family or friends, if itâs having dinner, lunch or breakfast, LUKMAN is the best place. âCan I have Chicken Boko Boko please?â Ludba ordered a tasty dish that it is usually cooked most in Ramadhan times, while he was on the waiting line he saw Ringariye at the table, drinking juice chilling all by herself, he was happy to see her but he was also thinking things might get hasty like at the Workshop earlier. He wasnât sure if it would be a good idea and okay to go and say âhiâ to her. In a quiet voice talking to himself âshould I say hi and leave or should I just leave and act like I didnât see her, this is so weird!â. Slowly walking towards her, he decided to say âhiâ. âMiss Ringariye I didnât see you at the eventâ Ludba nervously called her name first and forgetting to say âhiâ to her and rushed to ask her why she wasnât at the event. Ringariye looked at him with an angry expression and tried to ignore him, but she couldnât because she wasnât that type of a person, instead she answered with lower energy, for him to just go away, âthatâs none of your business, my where about is none of your concern Tailor, and besides arenât you supposed to say hi first or something before calling someoneâs name and start asking questions?â, Ludba chuckled with a smile on his face nervously knowing that he messed up, he tries to laugh to show her that itâs nothing, then he replied, âOkay I didnât mean to be rude, I was just asking, I think we have got off on the wrong foot, you donât have to be hasty like that, I am sorry, let me start over. Hi my name is Ludba I am a designer from Kitenge Workshop, I would kindly like us to be friends and I apologize for earlier today, can I company you or buy you some food?â, Ringariye gave him the thinking face and acted like she was about to say something harsh to him, then she replied âokay I am Ringariye, thank you but no thank you I am good, but you can join me, sit down and please I donât want you to have any ideas that will make me regret letting you sit here with meâ, Ludba replied quickly and sat down âokay I wonâtâ.
They started talking and bonding, they kept talking and had a great friendly conversation, Ludba joked much about the situation earlier and started to make Ringariye feel comfortable and started laughing. Ringariye liked Ludba, she kept listening to his jokes, asked him how the event went, Ludba told her everything and how he was introduced to Asha Said, how excited he was. In the end of their conversation they exchanged numbers and gave each other their social media accounts. Ludba walks her out of the restaurant trying to be friendly and a gentleman, âso I am taking a boda boda way back home, what about you?â Ringariye asked Ludba, he replied âI will just walk, it is not that far, I am living nearby donât worry, you be safeâ, âthank you I willâ she replied with a smile. âhow much is it going to be, I would kindly like to pay since you didnât want me to buy you anything, I insist, let me pay the guy, where are you heading?â Ludba confidently asked âthatâs so kind of you, thank you I am heading home Mbweni, how much would it be?â she asked the boda boda guy, âfive thousandâ he answered. Ludba without hesitating paid the guy and said goodbye to Ringariye, he walked back home talking to himself all the way home, âtonight was my luckiest night, I am going to sleep like a baby, I canât wait to text herâ. Walking with one hand in his pocket with a big smile on his face, walking with confidence humming a love a song âmmmmmh mmmmhh just the way you areâ.
Set on the island of Zanzibar, "The Unknown Famous" is the story of 28-year-old Ludba, who has dreamed his whole life of becoming famous and wants to change his life for the better. Many others have succeeded before him, so why not him? He is always on the lookout for any opportunity that could be his big break, but for the time being, he is a local fashion designer. Lately, Ludba has felt the fatigue of all his hard work, but he has great friends who encourage him to do his best. When he has a rocky meeting with a woman named Ringariye, Ludba's life forever changes.
Another character that shows up throughout the story is the famous designer Asha, who gives wise advice to Ludba and Ringariye as they both pursue their dreams and in their building romance. A common theme throughout "The Unknown Famous" is the faith and resilience needed to follow your dreams, and that happiness can be found even if those dreams change. The culture of Zanzibar was also a very interesting aspect of the story and was not a place I had read about much before. I loved learning about the beautiful island and that they host one of the biggest African music festivals in eastern Africa. This story will encourage western readers to search for other African writers, as increasing the diversity of their reading choices.
Abdul Halim Hafidh crafts an interesting story that gets you thinking about the value of hard work and trusting in your faith and yourself. While the story has potential, it needs some editing work to correct spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as cleaning up run-on sentences and reformatting the dialogue. I have assumed that English is not the author's first language, but I still commend his effort in crafting this story and see the value in the story's message.