Saumu Hamisi, a singer whose stage name is Ummy Doll, said people said a lot when they heard she was keeping the insects. “Some said I was mad but cockroaches earn me money so I don’t care about people’s opinions,” she told BBC.
Hamisi, who has a song dubbed Sina, said cockroaches are tasty. “It is one of my favourite meals. You can eat them raw, you can cook them with coconut or accompanied with with ugali or rice,” she said. The beauty said cockroaches are just like any other food, and they taste like chicken or fried fish. The musician said she opted to keep the insects after running into losses when rearing chicken and ducks.
However, Hamisi pointed out that the roaches she keeps are different from those found in houses. “I bought these from an institute located in Morogoro. They do not have diseases in their bodies and I ensure they stay in a clean environment,” she said. She warned people from consuming cockroaches they find in their homes.
Hamisi also divulged that the optimum conditions for keeping the insects include darkness, heat and enough food. “They grow fast and reproduce quickly,” she said. She admitted that her family and neighbours were stunned when they learned she was keeping roaches. “The neighbours and family members were initially shocked but they are now used to it,” she said, adding that the Chinese, a few Tanzanians and those rearing chicken purchase the roaches from her.