The son of an Emirati who spent thirty years in Africa after leaving the Emirates in the 1940s has unveiled his father’s extraordinary story. Jumaa Ali Al Marashda, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 96, led a life marked by challenges and adventures akin to a Hollywood thriller. His son, Humaid Jumaa, shared the narrative of his father’s resilience and determination.
Born Before the UAE’s Formation
Jumaa, originally from Sharjah’s Kalba city, grew up an orphan, living with his grandfather, and began working in fishing at the age of 18. During his youth, the Emirates had yet to unite, roads were unpaved, and modern amenities were nonexistent. Life was tough, relying heavily on fishing and agriculture.
Seeking better opportunities, many citizens traveled abroad for trade. In 1942, at the onset of World War II, Jumaa left Kalba on foot for Ras Al Khaimah, hoping to expand his livelihood beyond the region.
Adventures at Sea
Jumaa’s first journey involved transporting coal and firewood to neighboring areas on a cargo ship. Later, he embarked on a perilous mission to deliver barrels of oil to India, where a powerful storm forced them to jettison half their cargo.
Upon reaching Karachi in Pakistan, they unloaded during the storm season. “They had to compensate for the losses incurred due to the delay at sea and the loss of about half of their cargo, so they turned to other trade,” Humaid recounted.
In Mumbai, the ship’s captain decided to head to Bangalore for red clay bricks, which they then transported to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The 40-day journey through calm seas saw them suffering from hunger and thirst due to depleted supplies.
After unloading in Dar es Salaam, another storm wrecked their ship on the return trip to India, leaving only three survivors, including Jumaa, who washed ashore in Zanzibar.
Life in Africa
Stranded in Zanzibar without a passport, Jumaa adapted to his new environment by learning the local language and building friendships. He worked in various fields and eventually moved to Madagascar, where he settled in Magenka, near Antananarivo.
In Madagascar, he traded and mastered both French and Zanzibari Swahili. “Even in his later years, my father’s memory remained strong. I would give him sentences and ask him to say them in Swahili, and he could count to one hundred in French and remember many things,” Humaid shared. Jumaa married a local woman and had a son named Ali.
Return to the Emirates
For years, Jumaa followed UAE news via British radio and tried to correspond with his only sister in the UAE, but his letters went unanswered. In the late 1960s, as Sharjah began developing administratively, one of his letters finally reached his sister.
“She did her best with the help of others to obtain a passport for him and his son from the authorities so he could travel back,” Humaid said.
Jumaa and his son journeyed from Madagascar to Djibouti, then to Yemen, where they were detained for 40 days due to passport issues. Eventually, they traveled to Bahrain and then to Sharjah, completing his return after 34 years. A few days after his return, he witnessed the raising of the UAE flag.
