Y - Issue 216 - April 17, 2012 - Y-oman.com

fraught with challenges. “At the customs in the airport, I was asked how much money I had: I told them I had
70 shillings and they said, no, you are only allowed to carry 30 shillings… I had to give the remainder to my taxi
driver!” The monetary issues dealt with, he nevertheless was still filled with trepidation when sitting in the plane.
“The fear was still in my mind as to whether I would be allowed to leave or not,” he remarks.
Having left his homeland, the moot issue also was of finding a means of living: “After arriving in Kenya and
collecting my money, I thought I would remain in the city of Mombasa and get a job. Meanwhile, I would see
how things were developing in Zanzibar.” However, he was once more alarmed upon hearing that Arab Zanzibar
refugees in Kenya were to be arrested and sent back to Zanzibar by ship. The fear spread and everyone
feverishly communicated with each other: Where shall we go Where shall we hide “I phoned a friend of mine
in Uganda and within an hour, it was fixed that we would take the train at ten at night to go to Uganda,” he
reminisces about that fugitive existence. However, President Kenyatta of Kenya meanwhile denied permission
for Zanzibari officials to arrest the asylum seekers in Kenya, emphasising that they would only be able to do so
if evidence was shown of the crimes they had committed. “While undeniably relived, I realised that I could no
longer stay on in East Africa though; I would have to leave it,” Saud states.
Saud’s journey then took him to Cairo, where his family was based and his children were studying in schools.
“I cannot express how much joy I got upon meeting them; they had been extremely worried as very little news
about the situation was filtering in,” he says. Yet, he was also very much aware of the cataclysmic changes that
had upended his life. “Everything was taken away, my money belonged to the state. It was very sad… I didn’t
have any idea if and when I would come back to Zanzibar again,” he says, shaking his head, the uncertainties
of that moment reflected upon his face again.
Life then took him to Libya, where he stayed for seven years.
Following the ascension of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin
Said to the throne in 1970, an Omani delegation visited
Libya to introduce Oman to the rest of the world. “For us,
His Majesty’s ascension to the throne was a huge piece of
news and we started thinking that we could now return to
the country of our ancestors,” he says. Everyone rushed
to meet the delegation, who in turn were surprised to see
so many people of Omani origin in Libya. They invited
them to return to Oman on behalf of His Majesty, who had
welcomed all Omanis residing abroad to return and usher
the country into the Renaissance.
As he pauses, the momentum of his stories having taken
him through different eras and phases of his life, he
returns to his present reality. “I am very grateful
to Almighty, having landed in the country of
my ancestors and, of course, His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos bin Said who in turn
welcomed us back into the fold,” he
says, his face visibly at peace.
Whether encountering Saud al
Busaidi in person or through
the pages of his book, you
realise that the title of the
book is so very apt: he
indeed is a gentleman in
every sense of the word
and his book is as much a
valuable historical record
and document as it is of a
rich, inspirational life that
we are privileged to learn
so much about.
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