Stone Town

The heart of the island of Zanzibar is the historic district of Stone Town, known for its narrow alleys, beautifully carved doors, aromatic spices, and now filled with small shops geared to the many visiting tourists. We stayed at a nice place near to the harbor called the Abuso Inn. After our busy afternoon and evening on Friday, we followed a nice breakfast on Saturday morning by walking all through Stone Town. We were told that it would be impossible to get lost in the narrow alleyways, because eventually one always finds one’s way to the sea on one side, or Creek Road on the other. Kuno, Mave, Shireen and I spent hours being tourists, snapping pictures and moving from one small shop to another.

Coconuts

We learned so much about coconuts on our trip to Zanzibar, primarily in Brejuu. As noted, it seemed we drove through forests of towering coconut palms. We wondered, of course, how one gets the coconuts down, only to have that demonstrated while at the Palm Beach Inn. Then we learned of all the things that are done with coconuts. The husks can be used to make rope for thatching roofs, after a coconut has been softened by being buried in the sea for a month. The huge fronds can be used to make fences. The delicious meat of the coconut can be ground and used for sauces in cooking and used to make a coconut oil that can be used for many things. The coconut shells can be used to make necklaces and other jewelry. And there is another piece that can be used as a broom! Kuno has enjoyed picking up fallen coconuts at Kunduchi and trying to open them.

East Coast of Zanzibar

After getting off the ferry in Zanzibar we boarded a bus to take us to the Palm Beach Inn in Brejuu, on the opposite side of the island, the East Coast. We had a very knowledgeable guide, who spoke a charming English, from the organization Sahiba Sisters whom we met with in the evening. Our reason for traveling to Brejuu was to meet with the owner of the Palm Beach Inn, a woman who has been involved in Zanzibari politics for decades. For the last 20 years she has run this inn geared toward coverseas guests, but also very pointedly employing local women and men. We saw women harvesting seaweed from the ocean, producing a variety of goods from coconuts, weaving baskets, painting henna ‘tatoos’ and more. The drive to Brejuu was on a narrow but lovely road that had little traffic save for the occasional heavily laden small truck. We drove through the Jozoni and Paje forests where the red colobus monkey, found only in Zanzibar, lives. We saw forests of coconut palms and banana trees.

Ferry to Zanzibar

Our trip to Zanzibar (Unguja in Kiswahili) began at 6:30 Friday morning when our bus arrived to pick us up for the two hour (rush hour traffic) drive to the city center to get our Azam ferry to Zanzibar. We arrived a little early and so had time to run to the nearest bank/ATM and stock up on Tanzania Shillings. There was some free food and drink in the waiting area but we passed; instead we bought more roasted cashews. The trip took about two hours and the boat moves at quite a clip making for the bumpy ride, especially on the way back we are told. Inside we were greeted with a version of MTV and then a movie. We had nice views of Dar on the way out and then mostly only ocean. Things became more interesting once we came in view of land again – the island of Zanzibar.

There were a couple hundred people traveling with us and of course lots of baggage, if not boxes of goods - no doubt for sale. Our fellow travelers were a combination of Tanzanians and tourists, though these days many tourists fly straight to Zanzibar from other high end Tanzanian sites and skip Dar altogether. Sitting right across the aisle from me was a family of five Maasai in their purple, red and blue shukas, arm and leg bangles, elaborate earrings and white plastic or tire sandals. I so wanted to take a picture, but couldn’t without asking and was too embarrassed to ask. Most of the Maasai we see are tall and skinny and stand very straight. The boys and men carry sticks and often have knives – and cell phones - dangling from belts around their waists. One of them today had a Michael Jackson belt and a Liverpool wristband. As we disembarked, in the throng of many, I did manage to surreptitiously snap a picture.

Tanzania Gender Networking Programme

Today we left the hotel again to go to the Mabibo neighborhood to visit the offices of the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme. This group, that has now spawned a Gender Training Institute, has been at the forefront of the women's movement in Tanzania for more than a decade. They have 25 employees and sponsor a biannual Women's Festival, publish many documents, including a voter's manifesto, have a library and internet cafe, do advocacy on a number of issues, work with government agencies etc. We were informed of all of the activities of the TGNP by the Executive Director; afterwards we joined in progress a regular Wednesday afternoon session outside. This one was about schoolgirl pregnancy. It was well attended and members of the audience had lots to contribute to the discussion.

Swimming in the Indian Ocean

The weather here is very consistent at the moment; the high is around 81-85 every day and the low about 67-70 every night. It might be a little cloudier, sunnier, windier or more or less humid on a given day, but that is the extent of the variation. The last two days have been a bit cloudy and quite windy by the end of the day. It has also been very high tide by the end of the day and so when we finally break from the workshop at 5, Mave and Kuno are eager to hit the beach, which is our backyard. Last week they were walking out to sand bars and this week they are riding the waves. Indeed, the waves are so strong that they would be pulled down the shore and have to run back and recenter themselves. Aili's son Max (and her husband) are away the first few days of this week so Mave and Kuno have had to entertain themselves all day, mostly hanging out in the lobby or the room with their electronics.

Mwenge and Kariakoo Markets

Today was a day off and some of us decided to hit a couple of markets. First we to Mwenge Market which is not so far away; it is a craft market and has many things that people would like to take home as gifts. We bought some sandals, cloth bags and artwork. Then we went into the City Centre to the Kariakoo Market. This is a market that sprawls through market buildings, shops and city streets. It is where ordinary Tanzanians in the city center would do their shopping. It is not so much that we thought we would find things to buy there as it was it an opportunity to see the city center and look around. Mave and Kuno were a little overwhelmed; they worried, among other things, that we might get lost in the market.

Machingas

Another ever presence are the mostly young men who venture into traffic to sell their wares at car windows. We learned that they are called ‘machingas’ which is the Swahili version of ‘marching guys.’ We were also informed that with them and most of the roadside sellers one must reduce the stated price by half, perhaps even more if one is a Mzungu. On our bus to Mikumi people bought air time in this way, roasted cashews and peanuts, cassava or potato chips, soft drinks, newspapers, baskets and fruit. We also found many sellers with stands on the side of the road, especially nearer to Mikumi, with many different baskets, with an eye to the tourists going to the national park. Also sugar cane and coconuts, of course.

Mikumi National Park

Well, we had two quite amazing game drives – in our own vehicles but with a guide – at Mikumi National Park, one on Friday evening and the other early Saturday morning. On Friday evening we had the surprise of our lives as we came within feet of two pairs of lions. Remarkably, they did not seem too bothered by us. We were all quite enthralled as we watched them from the open windows of our bus. They were definitely the highlight of the Friday evening drive, though we also spotted a leopard languishing in a tree. On Saturday we enjoyed a four hour game drive and saw a large number of animals: two different kinds of small antelope, many giraffe, small herds of elephant, larger herds of buffalo and wildebeest, baboons, and a couple of hippos enjoying a bath. We saw many, many different birds large and small. Mikumi is Tanzania’s fourth largest national park and it was well worth the trip. Many of our participants had never been to a game park so it was especially fun for them.

Traveling to Mikumi

So, on Friday morning after breakfast we left for our overnight in the Mikumi National Park. It was very nice to get out of the hotel and see some of the countryside. Our first stop was Mlimani City again so that people could stock up on money from the ATMs; given time constraints we decided to hold off on shopping until the return. As we travelled we saw commerce all around us, inside Dar and beyond. Lot of fruits and vegetables for sale and for transport to other centers in large baskets or sacks: tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, pineapples, also huge sacks of charcoal, lots of flowers and plants in individual containers lined the road as well. We also saw lots of handmade furniture, doors and other wood products, including plain old firewood. And of course the ever present bars and cafes. And also many Maasai brightly clad in brilliant red and blue and purple shukas.

We took the Morogoro Road out of Dar; it was full of heavily laden trucks and busses. The road was mostly in very good shape; no potholes and shoulders on both sides. We moved into the Coast Region and passed through the town of Kabaha; many other villages and then a large town called Chalinze which is the home town of the current president of Tanzania. At Chalinze we found the junction with the Arusha Road, though we continued on the Morogoro Road. We passed a sisal plantation; before synthetic materials for rope were available, sisal was one of Tanzania’s primary exports for the making of rope. Then we found ourselves surrounded by the Uluguru Mountains, a mountain range, we were told, that extends all the way to Kilimanjaro. The Uluguru meant that we were close to Morogoro, a bustling town where we had a buffet lunch at a local hotel. After lunch Kuno got a cola popsicle from a bus station vendor. Once past Morogoro the road became the Iringa Road which leads past Iringa to Zambia.

We arrived at Mikumi National Park in time for an early evening game drive and by about 7:30 pm found ourselves checking in to the Hotel Genesis in the town of Mikumi (which we did not see). The accommodation and food were fine, if not basic. Power seemed to be supplied by a generator and we realized that it was turned off during the night. It was turned back on again around 6 in the morning as we heard the faint sound of the call to prayer.

Food in Tanzania

We are eating very well here at the Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort; indeed that is one reason that we chose this place over others. Lots of fresh fruit in the morning: papaya, mango, pineapple and watermelon; masala tea (my favorite morning drink in East Africa - though this one is not quite strong enough), fresh maandazi (the ubiquitous fried dough otherwise known as vetkoekies in southern Africa) and various hot and cold breakfast foods. For lunch there is a buffet every ay that includes one long table of Tanzanian dishes. So we have had cabbage in peanut sauce, cassava leaves in coconut milk, plantains, ugali (pap) or rice or chapatis, every kind of chicken, fish and beef, as well as salads and more fruit and cakes for dessert. At the workshop we have two tea breaks a day, and then Mave and Kuno usually want something from the snack menu in the evening, after working up an appetite on the beach or in the pool. So on the patio under the cool ocean breeze, we can order samosas, masala chips and more.

This Time for Africa!

One song was particularly popular at the Opening Reception on Monday night and the refrain seemed to be: this time for Africa! A couple of days later we realized that this is the song by Shakira and Freshly Ground that was played at the Opening Ceremony of the World Cup in South Africa - and the official song of the 2010 World Cup. A new continental anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRDgVGHB6eM&feature=player_embedded.

Opening Reception

Monday began our first day of the workshop with introduction of participants and introduction to the material in the morning. We are 18 junior African scholars from around the continent and four US based graduate students as well as the four directors. In the afternoon we had our first excursion - to the Mlimani City mall, to stock up on provisions, and to the University of Dar es Salaam for the Opening Reception. The reception was held at the Vice-Chancellor's house, though he is not around. There was a DJ and lots of dancing. Also drinks and snacks offered around. We have a bus to transport us here and there and get to see lots of the city from the large windows; Dar es Salaam is such a busy and interesting place! There is so much activity at all hours of the day or night. Our bus is even air conditioned so we move in great comfort. The weather is warm and somewhat humid but not nearly as warm as earlier in the year.

Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort

We arrived in Dar on Sunday evening around 7:30 pm and were greeted by Happiness and a driver from the Gender Centre who drove us to the hotel. Helena and I had visited here in March and picked this hotel, on the advice of others, from a group of possibilities. Online reviews were not that good but our first 24 hours have been just fine. We had a choice of rooms and they put in an extra bed for us which was very nice. Kuno immediately went out exploring in the dark with Aili's son Max. This morning we launched the workshop and the kids tried out the Water Park. They were not at all impressed by the Water Park - but they were thoroughly taken with the Indian Ocean and the hotel pool. Kuno collected lots of shells and best of all a hermit crab. The ocean water was as clear as could be, as warm as could be and took them out to a sand bar. Kuno has found another place that he does not want to leave.