Farewell to Dr Flower

It is with great sadness that we have to let you know about the passing of a wonderful friend and colleague, Dr Flower Msuya on Sunday 3 August.

She was an incredible person and world-renowned seaweed researcher. She pioneered the start of seaweed farming in southern Tanzania in the mid-90s and founded the Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative, which worked with hundreds of women to improve their livelihoods through growing the red carrageenan-producing seaweeds.

We’ve worked closely with Dr Flower since 2017, through the GlobalSeaweedSTAR project and various other initiatives. Our trips to Tanzania to see her were always a highlight in our calendars, particularly when they involved participating in the Tanzanian Seaweed Day – always held in late August to coincide with Dr Flower’s birthday! She was also so kind and hospitable, organising trips for us to visit the farmers and producers of seaweed soaps, biscuits, juices and shampoo! She was also highly regarded by all who met and worked with her, from the seaweed farmers to the teams at FAO, UNIDO and WWF.

Her immense knowledge and passion for seaweed in Tanzania and globally will be sadly missed by all.