First vice president of Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, who led the Tanzanian delegation, made sure to mention all of this on the country's National Day. "Kilimanjaro and its parks are icons for the development of tourism in Tanzania. Zanzibar is similar from a cultural point of view, the venue of many international festivals, especially its music festival which is attended by numerous international artists. This is why I invite you all to participate in these events, and you are all invited to visit the Tanzanian pavilion. I hope that Expo 2015 is a great success," said the vice president. However, Zanzibar also means spices, because when we think about Tanzania, "we cannot fail to mention the islands, given their potential in agricultural development and their spice industry. Zanzibar, which is also known as Spice Island, has great potential to grow its own spices," he continued. This is the theme, along with food, of Tanzania's presence in the World of Spices Cluster at Expo 2015. The colonial Arab period brought with it a rich cultural baggage, a key element of which is the vast variety of spices and recipes, from saffron to cardamom, from vanilla to cinnamon. The Tanzania pavilion at Expo offers visitors the chance to learn about the country. This may be one of the poorest nations in the world, but it is recording steady growth thanks to its political and social stability and the help of continuous foreign investment and development aid granted by international organisations, governments and individuals. Seif Sharif Hamad thanked the Italian government for "the support given to our delegation, giving it the chance to take part in this day." Hamad then focussed on the theme of Expo, stressing: "it is a special event because the theme is key for all the peoples of the world. This is why I want to emphasise and focus on topics such as food waste and malnutrition, which have a strong impact on developing countries." He said the issues would be addressed in a forum to "share solutions and stimulate creativity and promote innovation to come to lasting solutions sustainable over time." Finally, he urged Italy to take part in the trade fairs held in Tanzania, "especially the industrial development exhibition that takes place every year in late July and the one on agricultural products, held during the first week of August". Tanzania also has to deal with instability in a number of neighbouring countries. The Commissioner General of Expo, Bruno Antonio Pasquino, speaking at the official flag raising ceremony and after the national anthems, thanked Tanzania for "accepting 60,000 refugees from Burundi, a laudable political decision that deserves recognition". (AGI)