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83 ANTIGONE MEDA Our sub-groups | DANIR 2023

the guests who visit the island, but they also actively making the island world-famous for its uniqueness
work to take care of the marine nature reserve that as a destination as well as what we do for the marine
was established when the Dan Olofsson family life and the social life on Mafia,” says Antigone about
bought the island. After years of indiscriminate what she will be doing in five years.
dynamite fishing, which has destroyed many of the
coral reefs in the region, they now have a chance to Like many of us, Antigone loves the sea and
everything one can do there: diving, swimming,
“ I’m in many ways more of an artist fishing, paddling, or just walking along the beach,
and designer than a hotel worker.” enjoying the sunset and the sound of the waves,
which makes her job at Thanda perfect for her. And
– Antigone Meda add to that her creative streak, not only when she
and her team create unforgettable experiences for
the guests, but also when she works on building the
island’s brand and spreading it around the world.

The fact that creativity is an important quality
on a desert island is an old truth that still holds true
today. And Antigone, whom her colleagues call the
‘Mother of the Island’, truly is the right person to
take care of and lead the island and the employees
on the journey towards being a uniquely sustainable
place for guests, employees, and the marine life in
the ocean around it.

recover and once again become the productive and
invaluable part of the ecosystem they once were.

“Our solar power plant is the largest in Tanzania
and it takes our concept and spirit one step closer to
being an operator that truly takes responsibility for
our impact on the Earth,” says Antigone proudly as
she talks about their sustainability work.

In addition to conservation work and ecological
sustainability work, Antigone and Thanda Island also
work towards economic and social sustainability
on Mafia Island where many of the employees live.
They have initiated projects to help the population
with their own cultivation, and they are also in the
process of starting the Star for Life programme at
the island’s schools.

“Every day on the island is like a blank page, and
there are endless possibilities for us to fill it with
what we want. And it’s the great variation in my
work that makes me enjoy it so much here, and I’ll
stay here for a long time and continue to work on