Life in Africa Fourteen

One of the better picture of Mt Kilimanjaro taken from the road Leguruke - Ngarenanyuki road.

After all she is the tallest mountain in Africa and she does not lift her skirts (of clouds) very often.

Mt.Meru from the Arusha National Park. On occasion there is a dusting of snow on top. We have planted trees right around the base of the mountain and at Makumira and Sanawari we lived on the lower slopes.

At Makumira we noticed that in the evening cooler air came down off the mountain.

Also thunder/rain was always preceded with sudden wind.

 We had the opportunity to visit the Uluguru Mountains by Morogoro. If you enlarge this picture you will see that it is farmed very intensively for vegetables. Terraces have been built and water schemes installed to produce vegetables for the Dar es Salaam market.

There are always adventures and we went on a road where we were advised not to go, and the military descended upon us to turn us away.

It rained while we were there, so holed up with our mates and some bevvies we made some promises we would never keep!

This rock bluff is somewhat behind our house at Makumira and has been quarried by the Makumira Secondary School. (not sure what the dark strip is?) Rock quarrying is a blight on the Tanzania landscape and is a cheap form of house/building foundation.

In this case it caused land movement resulting in damage to a building we had constructed.
Rock quarrying has left huge holes in the land and damage to the environment. Concrete foundations are a more expensive alternative. In this case, I petitioned the village government to put a stop to the quarrying, but that was like doing the proverbial against the wind! The Headmaster had his reasons and will reap his harvest.

 I did not expect to see primary inter-school sports competitions because of the problems with transport and the cost of running the events, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Of course it is difficult because pupils walk to the regional school where the event is to be held, then winners go in to district competitions and then there are national competitions.
We took the time one afternoon to cheer on the Makumira students 'at home'.

I'm not sure if this girl was a local or not, but she was a clear winner!
Poor kid lined up for a 800m metre race and was off at the sound of 'go!' but it was a miss-start and they were called back but she didn't hear, so continued around the 400m course. So per penalty for that was four strokes of the cane! Sure enough!
She still won by a long way when the race finally was run!
The course was really just a flat paddock and the kids ran in bare feet.

Mzee Obedi had the job chunga ng'ombe of herding the Makumira farm dairy cows. That is he walked behind them as they browsed throughout the day. There were no fences so his job was that of a safety person. Not uncommon, in fact very young kids do this job throughout Africa.
Obedi helped me as a witness when the bus hit me.
I greeted him almost daily and helped him transport materials to his home on occasion.

It became a trend to use Maasai as night guards because of their perceived bravery and reliability. The Makumira Secondary School employed Moses, from Monduli, probably the first Maasai guard in the area. As I have said people are people and there is a danger in generalizing (bravery and reliability) and all Maasai being tall and lean. Well this is Moses' mother, she was short as was Moses. She was a serene woman and happy with her particular lot. The baby is that of her daughter. Moses had a good sense of humor and curiosity.

 From time to time I was given a goat as recognition of the progamme I had brought to the people.
On of the goats drought funza, a little jigger-maggot that bores into you skin. I have already written about those fellows!
I found that keeping a goat as zero grazed, was difficult because goats like to browse - just pick at food as they travel along. It is depressing to collect food and present it to the animal, and all it does is sniff it and reject it.

 This is generally how goats end up. This one is ceremonial and sort of substitutes for a cake. More often the meat becomes nyama choma - grilled over coals and found in restaurants and bars.
Of course goats eat trees and tree seedlings, causing environmental damage. But owning them is seen as wealth.

I'm not sure which Acacia this is, growing in a remote area, but the bush was yellow with the flower. Bees were working the flowers and the noise was very audible.
It would be hoped that these trees are not destined to be felled for charcoal production.

Traditional bee hives hanging in a Baobab tree.
Baobabs are iconic in Africa and a favorite tree. Bees feeding on flowers such as the golden Acacia produce good amounts of honey.
Honey is not actually used on toast, more likely it is made into an alcoholic drink. But it is recognized and being a health product.
People are being encouraged to utilize honey for all its good uses.


 The Deputy Headmaster at Makumira was Mwl Mashoya (3rd from left beside Mbise in the green cap) who is a member of the Chugga tribe.
He took us to his home place at Lukani on the lower slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. His family greeted us warmly and we visited a local primary school. They would have like the same assistance as the primary schools we worked with received but that was not possible under the structure were were working.
Mashoya was friendly with Mbise so we knew and his wife quite well and we were pleased when he became Headmaster at Ngarenanyuki Secondary School. There he managed to receive assistance for the school from Germany and seemed to us to be quite successful. For reasons that we were unable to fathom, he was replaced and found work at an international school.

Mashoya wanted me to take a photo of his parents. In the villages there is much respect for the elderly and this pair were modest and returned the respect.
The trip to Lukani was a long one and on the way we saw the huge meeting place where the Maasai congregate for special ceremony.
It was really good to have a guide who know the history and the meaning of what we saw.

Kisimiri

As it turned out we were quite active in the Kisimiri area. It all started with the Primary School and I will deal with them later.

 We were approached by the sub-village chairman, who happened to belong to the Pentecostal church, first for assistance with a tree nursery and that extended to a village water project. Of course we were working under the umbrella of the Lutheran Diocese but the Bishop believed were were there to work with all Tanzanian groups and I was happy with that mandate.

Each group we worked with had differences to others, and we embraced that. The Lutheran church group were always keen to make sure we were fed before we did any work.

There was a water tank there built to store water when they were building the new, concrete block church. The new church was 'a work in progress' as are most churches relying on parishioners to front up with the required funds.

The site of the church made it difficult for us to bring water to it.

It is fair to say all the folk in Kisimiri looked after us well, and perhaps it is wrong to single out individuals. But these women at the Lutheran church helped keep the group together and kept us well fed.

They are wearing project T-shirts. We had a stencil made and produced the T-shirts as a promotional activity.

There is plenty of Whistling Torn Acacia in the area and it was used to keep stock out of the tree nursery and to provide shade. Likewise for trees out-planted.

Whistling Thorn Acacia  has galls that ants live in creating the hole to cause whistling when the wind blows. The spines a tough and sharp and sometimes girls use them to pierce their ears.

Otherwise the tree is not useful other than to provide browsing for goats.

Planted trees with shelters at the Kisimiri Lutheran Church. The old church is surrounded by block work of the new church being built as funds are available.

This is the water trough built I guess by the expat settler/farmers and that darkish gulley in the center of Mt Meru is the stream that passes the Kisimiri school. Michael wanted us to take water from there for the village which is considerably higher up the hill from the school - the idea came too late for our projects.
This trough is at the botton of a line that starts way up the mountain, at Kisimiri Juu (Juu means 'up/upper'). The rumor was that bang (cannabis)  is grown there and it is a dangerous place to go.

Water was coming to the trough, but it was damaged (causing the furrow) and was intermittent.

We had a cursory inspection of the line and found that it was rusted galvanized iron pipe and in places was in need of repair.
Of course we were asked to look into upgrading the line and I promised that I would try to source the funds.

The kids knew me from school, but felt freer to interact with me on their home turf. The girl on my knee is Matindi who was the daughter of a medical officer. I took the kids for a ride in my truck and Matindi in particular enjoyed it as she was preschool and had never been in a vehicle before.
These kids were showing me how they used string to make shapes.

We were told that whenever Matindi heard my vehicle approaching, she would rush inside to 'paka mafuta'  put on oil - over her dusty feet, legs and face to be ready for a ride.
She would also expect to be carried wherever we went!
In the vehicle she would stand on the seat and laugh in her deep voice.

The man behind is the Mtendaje.

Much later I found Matindi studying at Olkung'wado Primary School, no longer using her name from her home.
Her shoes show the dust that is endemic of the area, but she was quiet and shy in the school environment.

I wonder how she progresses and one day, maybe she will see this and smile. Good luck to her.

 The Pentecostal people set up their nursery right beside the church and worked hard on the project.
Michael, the sub-village chairman led these people well and they were enthusiastic to change landscape for the better.
The cans and other materials we provided by the project but all the work was carried out by the village people.

Under the shade of a Schinus molle, Mpilipili, the Pentecostal group sit with me for a photograph.
For us there seemed to be no animosity between religious groups although the Meru crisis was there in the background.

Parked up at the Lutheran church, there is that pointy mountain again.

We saved a lot of project funds by transporting materials for the water project ourselves.

Funding eventuated for the water project and we climbed on foot up four hours to the chanzo, start of the old water project at Kisimiri Juu. 
The people were friendly and we had no problems at all, their patches were well tended and there is many years of viable seed remaining in the soils. Water flows into concrete box which serves both Losinoni and Kisimiri. Someone blocks off the Kisimiri side with a plastic bag, which is a reason the Kisimiri side has irregular water. That was a village problem to be sorted among the locals.
We used the fundi from Makumira, well further up the hill, but he had a relative who lived at Mwakeny. The galvanized pipe was resurrected and improved where necessary which brought water to the trough, which needed repair.

  We involved as many as people as possible in the process and held a seminar/talk with the village people including the village authority.
We investing in the village, our policy was to supply the materials and any expertise and the village people were to carry out the manual work. Relationships within villages, I supposed would sort out the the water blockage problem with Losinoni, which it seemed to do.

The trench well under way to lay the polythene pipe. Work stalled for a time and our fundi complained at a lack of village workers. This, I discovered was because one village leader had a prposed tap outlet closer to his house than the other. For half a roll of pipe, work was restored when the distance became equal.

Bricks were brought in to repair the water trough and also for inspection boxed where air pressure was let into the line.
There was little fear of goods being misappropriated as everyone knew what was taking place.

The fundi rightly was the first to turn the water on. The standpipe was supported by a pole, pity there was no saw available to shorten it, but it served the purpose.

Over quite a period of time this man helped out with many water projects and he was always keen to be sure that everything was technically correct.

 Micheal's wife was also pleased to have the water near her house. The pressure was good as well!
It may not be realized by many that the water pipe did not go to each house. The standpipe was set up in communal areas and still had to be carried back to the houses. While the project was in progress, our first port of call as at their house and I remember well and am grateful for the sweet tea and turned-over fried eggs that were prepared for us!

Small children still carry water in small containers and as they grow, the container gets bigger. As you see with this little girl, there was not much we can do about the dust, at least in the short term.
If our project progressed to the extent that areas were re-vegetated, then maybe the dust would be reduced.





 

 The team of people who carried out the manual work - of course they will be remembered.
The whole project depends on that fragile galvanized iron pipe from Kisimiri Juu! The pipe is indeed fragile because such pipe cannot last forever, so someone needs to take up the challenge of finding a way to establish a new pipeline.

Looking down towards the greater Ngarenanyuki area, Kisimiri is actually quite high. And from the Lutheran church there, looking at the gully [probably formed by the stream the water project takes the water from] there is evidence of a dam that has obviously bust.
This dam would have been of great service to a large area and I wonder if the dam burst through natural misadventure, of by the departing farmers. It would be possible to reinstate it.

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!

Life in Africa Twelve

At Sanawari there was a young lad, Bazili, who was a good friend of Olotu, so he spent some time with us. We were impressed with this young fellow, obviously intelligent and always polite. His mother had a small vege stall at the bottom of the Sanawari road and so we bought most of our vege supplied from her.

We visited their home not long before we left Sanawari and Bazili presented me with a plant. It was obvious that there was no wealth in the family, but Bazili has done well in life and he is a refreshing character.

On our first trip to Dar es Salaam circa 1995 the road 'had its moments' and was in a bad state. This picture is of part of the road heading out of Dar towards Chilinzi. During our time in Tanzania the roads were upgraded and to a high standard. I think of the road into Monduli was worse, you had to negotiate potholes so could not drive any faster than 20kph but after a recent upgrade it became a standard modern road.

 On another trip to Dar es Salaam we saw big red crosses on houses alongside the main road. We were told that these houses were to demolished to make way for the road upgrade.
I read in the newspaper and people told me that the owners had no right to be there - they were squatters. I have no idea if this is true, but at the time I felt empathy with those displaced people.

The wrecked houses seemed to be a mess and I am not sure if people were able to salvage materials or belongings.
It is easy to be glib and shrug one's shoulders - 'you can't make an omelet  without breaking an egg'. But this is people we are talking about!
I wonder how those people fare today?

With friends we were able to take a trip to Pangani. The turn-off is about opposite where we turned off to Amani. The trip through to the coast is quite long and through farmland - an interesting trip and I'm not really sure if it is the only way to get there. I think not.
There is a very good ferry to get there and we felt we were in good hands.

We slept in this 'motel' which was a very pleasant place to stay. Right on the waterfront and of course there were none of the cooler easterly winds we have in New Zealand.
Well built and comfortable with woven mats on the floor.
We were a privileged to be able to stay here - which was through contacts we had - so I won't divulge who the owners are.

The tide goes out a long way at the beach at Pangani, but there is not much sea life there. Mainly a sandy sandy beach, so there are no rock pools but I like to see what life there is and there was not much probably due to over fishing.

Crabs in the toilet? Well this was no health issue, but it was an interesting thing to occur!
This happened in our house at Makumira, and the crab appeared in the toilet bowl.
I did not know there are fresh water crabs - crayfish yes - but not crabs. There was a creek below the house fed by a spring, so there was no opportunity for the water to become polluted. There is an artificial pond built some years ago are reservoir to pump water up the hill into a tank reservoir. I have found crabs in that pond. The only was the crab got into the toilet bowl was (probably during wet weather) to crawl into the inspection pit of the toilet outlet and swim on up!

Drying prepared sisal at Dolly Sisal Estate.There was a creek crossing at the track passed through just beyond this point and the water seemed clean. I have written about Dolly Estate previously but as I write this, I remember that around Usa River (somewhere) there was a plantation and perhaps a factory that made safety matches. Long since gone.
Everything has its day and although it is sad when enterprises do not continue, that's the way of progress.

 Rashidi was one of our night guards. He was Maasai from Monduli Juu. Sometimes you have success with people you employ and other times they do not turn out to be so useful.
Rashidi's problem was that he would turn up to work drunk, especially after payday or when I gave him time off to go home. There was a local woman we called, 'I Am Free' [because she espoused the fact to us more than once] and Rashidi paid many a visit in her direction - during working hours.
He was unable to read or write, but he regularly asked for paper and pencil and showed me his 'writings' which were just scribbles and he could not say what it all meant. When he signed his payslip, each time the squiggle was different.
I gave him his marching orders when I found him unconscious with booze when someone knocked on the gate for medical assistance.

 I have previously written about Paulina and her family but came across this picture. The story is a sad one, but not uncommon in much of Africa. The girl in the blue skirt is Martguerita, who is Paulina's sisters child but is part of the family. Sylvester is the father and he was a farm worker who also turned up for work with the effects of alcohol.
The two boys were 'urchins' and in England would have made Artful Dodgers! Still they were good boys.

I am against the use of charcoal yet I am aware there is no alternative. What I do believe is that there should be commercial, man made forests grown sustainably for charcoal production.
Wood in Tanzania is being used seven times faster than it is growing, which is why I have been keep to see more plantings there.
This is an are that has been cleared to produce charcoal for the Arusha market.

There are several ways of making charcoal, but basically the process is to cook the wood so the moisture is expelled and it turns black.
This method covers the burning wood with soil and the fire is extinguished when it is guessed the wood has been cooked.
It takes two bags of wood to make one bag of charcoal - that is the conversion rate of wood to charcoal is 50%.
It would help if there were government initiatives to compel charcoal manufacturers to replant areas they have harvested - mind though some areas are converted into housing and farming.

Bags of charcoal ready to be collected for transport to Arusha [or to other large centers] the youths pack the bags fairly and certainly fill the bags. You usually find the bigger pieces on the top which looks better from a selling point of view.
The creation of charcoal is a significant employer and that extends to all the downstream activities. I would never ban the production of charcoal but I would set it on a more formal basis.