By Lorena Leonardi

Carried by the wind and in a long embrace of the ocean, kitesurfers came to the island of Zanzibar to take part in a sporting event and send the most countercultural message there is: a message of peace and brotherhood, of unity between people of different cultural, religious and national origins. 33 professional kitesurfers took part in the regatta in Kiwengwa, in the north of Zanzibar, on August 24, for the second edition of the “Zanzibar CUP KUSI 2024”. The word “Kusi” refers to the seasonal winds that blow strongly in this region of the Tanzanian archipelago, east of the East African coast, and allow the practice of this sport, which was recently included in the Olympic programme.

A highlight at the Zanzibar Cup 2024

The “breeze” of brotherhood

“Wind is the fuel for kitesurfing,” Stefano Conte, an Italian pediatric surgeon who lives in Zanzibar, has worked for years as a volunteer in Africa and organized the regatta, explained to Vatican media. “You can’t compete without at least 10 knots. Fortunately, on Saturday the wind was blowing at almost 20 knots,” although it was also the “breeze” of brotherhood felt by the participants of eight different nationalities, united by their passion for the same sport and their mutual respect.

Happy with little

“The young people not only had fun, but also experienced an atmosphere of friendship and peace,” continued Dr Conte, “offering in their own small way a ‘good example'” for a world that too often sails in opposite directions: that of war, violent disputes over territory, economic interests and greed. These are all choices “that lead nowhere” and “our African brothers and sisters” showed us how to live well even with “a handful of rice, some fish, the sun and the sea”. We do not need all these “traps” that are “considered indispensable” especially in the Western world and in some media reports, when in reality they only contribute to a great deception.

A highlight at the Zanzibar Cup 2024

United in humanity

The Italian athlete Jacopo Cantini from Follonica took first place in the international competition. He recently opened a kitesurfing school in Watamu, Kenya. Ahead of the next edition of the kitesurfing regatta, scheduled for February 2025, Stefano Conte is composing a theme song for the Zanzibar Cup, which he hopes will be performed by a famous singer. The idea is to continue the sporting event and bring together people from Africa and the world in a sign of brotherhood and unity, a human embrace and catching the wind of peace that the world so much needs.