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UAE: How Emirati who left in the 1940s found his way back to Emirates after 30 years
Son details untold story of his father’s journey that was filled with challenges and adventures straight out of a Hollywood thriller
Jumaa Ali Al Marashda. — Supplied photos
The son of an Emirati — who spent three decades in Africa after leaving the Emirates in the 1940s — has revealed the untold story of his father’s resilience. Jumaa Ali Al Marashda, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 96, lived a life filled with challenges and adventures straight out of a Hollywood thriller.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Humaid Jumaa narrated his father’s life story as revealed to him by the man himself. "My father always missed the Emirates and reminisced about his childhood during the days he spent there. Upon his return, he always told us about the place he lived in and his desire to take us on a trip.”
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Born before the UAE
Jumaa from Sharjah’s Kalba city grew up an orphan, living with his grandfather, and started working in fishing at the age of 18.
When he left, the unification of the Emirates was still a distant dream, the roads were unpaved, there were no cars or hospitals, and homes were made of mud. Life at that time was difficult in a region that relied solely on fishing and agriculture.
Means of livelihood were scarce, which drove many citizens to travel outside the country on long sea trips for trade to enhance their income.
At the beginning of World War II, specifically in 1942, Jumaa left Kalba on foot towards Ras Al Khaimah, in an era when there were no modern roads or vehicles, ambitious to expand his livelihood beyond the borders of the region.
Journey by sea
His first journey was on a cargo ship where his mission was to transport a shipment of coal and firewood to neighbouring areas, then return to Ras Al Khaimah.
In a later journey, his companions and him were tasked with transporting a shipment of barrels of oil to India. During this journey, they faced a powerful storm that forced them to throw half of their cargo overboard to avoid danger.
Upon reaching the city of Karachi in Pakistan, they unloaded their entire cargo during the storm season.
Humaid said, "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.”
In Mumbai, the ship's captain decided to head to the city of Mangalore, which was famous for its trade in brick or red clay. They successfully loaded a shipment of red bricks and began their journey to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
Life in Africa
The journey took 40 days in the open sea due to calm winds, during which the sailors suffered from hunger and thirst due to depleted supplies.
After unloading the brick shipment in Dar es Salaam, on their way back to India, they faced misfortune again when a storm wrecked the ship.
Only three people survived, including Jumaa, who were washed ashore on the coast of Zanzibar in Africa.
Upon arriving in Zanzibar, he had no passport to allow him to move freely or going back to his homeland, so he decided to work in various fields. He learned the language of the locals and built strong friendships, which helped him adapt to life there.
After a period of working and trading, he moved to Madagascar where he settled in the city of Magenka near the capital Antananarivo.
In Madagascar, he started trading and worked in various professions, mastering the French language and Zanzibari Swahili.
Hamid shared, "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."
Jumaa married a local woman and had a son named Ali.
Coming back home
For years, he followed the news of his country through the British radio until one day he heard the name of the city of Kalba. He had a single sister living in the UAE, and during those long years, he tried to correspond with her but sent letters that went unanswered, only to later learn that his messages never reached her.
By the end of the 1960s, the foundation of the union was being formed, and Sharjah had begun to develop administratively. One of Jumaa's letters finally reached his sister.
"When she got the letter, 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 then travelled by air with his only son from Madagascar to Djibouti, and from there to Yemen, where he was detained for 40 days as his passport was not recognised.
He eventually travelled to Bahrain, from where he took his last plane to Sharjah to go home after 34 years. A few days after his return, he witnessed the raising of the flag of the UAE.
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