MAR / 13 - 19/ 201 5 36 STRAIGHT TALK You were born in Tanzania - how was life growing up?The most inspiring thing back then was waking up each morning and gazing at the splendor that is the snow- capped Mt Kilimanjaro. Growing up in Moshi, life was simple, unrushed and above all, felt so reassuring. T o- day , almost 60 years on, those friendships stay on. How- ever , some people have also migrated across the world. A preview of yo ur CV reveals in 19 76, you were app oint- ed the Secretary General of the World Federaon, being viewed as the protégé to the late Mulla Asgharali Jaf- fer. Wha t qualies do you feel you inherited from him or share with him?As a renowned leader, the late Mulla Asghar had two ex- ceponal qualies; passion to serve humanity and never being afraid to think out of the box. The second quality of not always accepng the status quo did not endear him with many, as he moved them out of their comfort zones. This is what made him so interesng to work with and made me realise one must always strive to be innovave in addressing challenges of the day. Dr Walji, notable impressions you have lethus far – among many others – are the Mulla Asghar Memorial Library and Resource Centre and the Instute of Islamic Learning in the Metropolix in Toronto and Dallas respec- vely. How important is it to preserve history, faith and culture?History , culture and faith values make us what we are as individuals as much as the sociees we belong to. It gives us a sense of belonging. It is all the more important, as the world has become a global village, to retain our cul- tural idenes. I would rather see the world as a ‘salad bowl’ than a ‘melng pot.’ Each culture has something dierent to oer, just as a salad bowl presents a variety of nutrious foods, each with a unique taste, colour and quality. A great example is the East African Asian com- munity. We are a unique blend of ethnicies and faiths, and have lived together peacefully for over a century- and-a-half , yet retained our individual idenes. Geng straight into it; having various scholarly cerca- ons, how did you make the switch from a nutrionist to a producer?Actually , my track began as a writer and a journalist; this brought me to the eld of complementary medicine and nutrion. As an educator in the eld of nutrion, I re - alised the power of a visual medium, thus began produc- ing short videos. I was always fascinated by the accounts of the migraon of our elders form India, such as Alidina Visram amongst others, to the shores of Eastern Africa. I began exploring the idea of producing a fully-edged documentary to capture thenarrave, thus, producing a lm on that. On that note, tell us more about the documentary, ‘The Khojas: The Journey of Faith.’ It is a two-hour documentary that I was able to direct and produce, as I aempted to highlight the evoluon of the Khoja community over the past 650 years – that, along with the emergence of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri community during the last 150 years. In common with the many Indian migrants, this documentary portrays how a small community of such migrants to Africa with meager means scaered in dierent locaons all over eastern Africa were able to organise themselves as structured communies. By the pooling of energies and resources, they have been able to prosper to the place they are today. We have had premieres in USA, Canada, India, Pakistan and East Africa. I must acknowledge that the screening in Nairobi was extremely inspiring and humbling. Amongst the mixed audience were civic, religious and business leaders represenng a cross-secon of the Nairobi so- ciety. I heard many a comment praising its inclusivity as well as mirroring the path of other communies too. Those are heart-warming comments, music to every pro- ducer’s ears… They were very encouraging. It provides me with the opmism to embark on the second documentary that chronicles the journey and development of the Asian community of East Africa in close collaboraon with the Asian African Heritage Trust (AAHT). And we wish you well on that. Dr Walji, what was amongst the most memorable moments you experi- enced as you lmed this producon? Having shot the lm in to diverse locaons across four connents, I must acknowledge the incredible warmth I received. Elders were so forthcoming and excited that their story was being told. At the same me, the impact on the young ones who watched this narrave has been phenomenal. To answer your queson, I recall a touch- ing comment where a young man said, “A s I watched you saunter towards me barefoot on the beach while speak- ing to me in your signature relax ed, yet thoughul tone, the profound nature of your lm began to sink in. As I watched the damp sand erupt out of the gap between your rst and second toes, I began to understand who we were and truly appreciate how we got to where we are. More importantly I began to understand who I am. I felt a profound connecon with my forefathers and the need to connue their legacy going forward.” I feel blessed to have been able to bridge that gap between generaons. Dr Walji, your work goes beyond just the documentary. You have authored 26 books on naturopathic medicine He is an accomplished educator, historian, author, leader and scienst in the eld of nu - trion. The highly educated gentleman who is a humble, relatable and character friendly was recently in the country to launch his documentary, ‘The Khojas: The Journey of Faith.’ Aer his visit, we caught up with the erudite individual, an author of 26 books, on maers pertaining to the documentary, his collecon of medicinal books as well as faith agenda. And not shying away from contro- versy , Dr Walji takes maers by the scrus as he addresses several issues with authority. Over to the revered scholar: By Hussein Jiva THROUGH THE EYES OF
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