Life in Africa Thirteen

I bought this old photo on a visit to Zanzibar. It shows how big some of those elephants were.

I have no idea when this photo was taken and there was a ready market for ivory. I remember at home on the piano there were ivory keys and we had a knife & fork set with ivory handles.

The conservator in me nowadays deplores the killing of African animals but sometimes, I guess, realism has to apply.

It is common to see children carrying water throughout the third world. This girl is at Kisimiri village [probably my next blog]. 

There are many issues to consider when a water project is proposed and there are the urban myths about people involved.

The first you hear is the men do not carry water so they don't worry if there is a water project or not. Then, it is better to carry out projects with women because they are more honest.

Both statements are untrue in my experience. People are people wherever they may be. You look for the people you want to work with and use strategies.

When the community pulls together, it is called a harambee and we witnessed the value of such an occasion for the new church at Momella.

Here people are bringing corrugated iron, but other things including money are brought.

It is a celebration day and there is usually food and entertainment.

A little orphanage started up on the road to Ngarenanyuki which called itself Good Hope. Some orphanages are able to source funding while others struggle. We were not sure how or why this one evolved but the people seemed committed and we were able to find some small one of help for them.

Passing through the Arusha national Park on our way to the Ngarenanyuki area, giraffe were a common sight and we often tried to get close to them. Beautiful animals and the emblem of Tanzania it was always a thrill to see them. Somehow our day seemed more successful when we saw them.

The Momella lakes are like an oasis during the dry seasons, but actually the water is not very useful because of the salts.
We passed this way seldom, preferring the the road via Little Serengeti.
Sometimes there we large flocks of flamingo showing white/pink in the sun..

Still with the Momella Lakes, but I like this because of that sharp peak which can be seen throughout the wider Ngarenanyuki area. It can also be seen from the main Arusha/Nairobi road.
I asked many times what the peak was called but I found nobody who knew a name for it. I can't believe it hasn't been named!

Several times we visited 'family' in the Pare Mountains and this small lake is on the way to Ugweno.
The road was tortuous and when wet quite slippery. On the main Moshi - Same road there is Mwanga village. From there the road climbs up the mountain.
The higher the elevation, the more rainfall and mist, so the vegetation becomes more lush.

One of the reasons we travelled to Ugweno was for a Confirmation ceremony similar to this one at Makumita. This too was a special ceremony.

The expense of these ceremonies cannot be justified 'but everyone does it'. The expense is not a church thing, rather the outfits are the expensive thing and the food put on by families is no less expensive. It is a highlight in the young person's life and it has become a competition for some.

The meal venue was our house and prepared by friends of those involved. My offer of the use of the kitchen was declined in favour of the traditional fire.

Many people had access to the house and it rained causing mud to be trampled throughout. However nothing was misplaced and a big cleanup the next day left the place looking like the event had never occurred. 


Turkeys were not all that common, and this one was at the Bishop's house when we were setting up the rainwater harvesting. Actually it attacked Mags and but her on the elbow!
There were a bunch od young turkeys at the Rotterdam bar at Usa River and someone had painted them, probably with aerosol paint. They looked quite funny.

Then the headmaster of Makumira Secondary School, who lived behind out house, bought some. Rowdy things, and not attractive.

Kilimanjaro is, after all, the tallest mountain in all Africa and like most visitors we tried to photograph it when the opportunity arose. This photo from the Usa River Post Office, captures the umbrellas of a new bar that suddenly sprung up. But there is Kilimanjaro in the background.

 We had great assistance in our environmental programme in Manyata and Uraki primary schools.
Mr. Kitomari had a small farm off the road into Manyata primary school and has planted a lot of trees there. He even named his little girl after mags, which was nice.
He came as a 'guide' to Lily's house, assuring us that rain was to go around us. Not so the road became tricky/slippery and the trip out was exciting/frightening for my passengers!

I started with Zanzibar so will finish with Paje Ndame beach at low tide. The sea goes out a long way at low tide, which gives local women the opportunity to grow and harvest seaweed.
The boats are dugouts, large ones, I think made from mango trees.

Zanzibar should be high on the bucket list if you haven't visited there!