AFRICAN DIRT

          It was an overcast sky above as we left town late one morning last weekend.  I was rid­ing in the back of the old Land Rover in the high set seat, exposed to the wind and sun, and enjoying the views as we ventured out toward the bomas of Kisongo.  The steep and verdant slopes at the base of Meru were showing below the extensive cloud cover, but the face and peak of the mountain were not exposed this day.  The dirt track was a selected stretch of road that ran throughout the rural villages, and the ground was quite damp in sections from the recent rains, exhibiting rich dark browns with vibrant greens showing through at the surface in the surrounding area and throughout the hills in the distance.  It was not a hot and dusty day, so the drivers had to acclimate themselves to some slightly muddier segments and few sections of loose, dry dirt track.  We drove around for awhile to find a suitable location to watch from the roadside.  We first turned onto a dirt road where other spectators were standing and waiting next to their vehicles, but soon after, word spread to us and them that the section of road where we were was cancelled from being part of the course.  We then followed the lead of others and left that area to relocate our viewing point.  We got back to the tarmac and crossed over the road to the petrol station for a refill on diesel before backtracking to a different turn off.  After the fill up and only a short distance further, we found the stretch of road where the rally cars were lining up and preparing for their start.  With three minute intervals between each consecutive car’s starting times, we watched a few rev up and speed off before deciding to relocate again and post up nearer to the finish.  We turned around and headed back down the main road and found another turn off that took us to the right spot.  With a nice view of the lush surroundings and the few final turns and straight away before the finish line, we decided to reside there and wait in the company of the other spectators.  There were several other cars parked and people hanging out chatting and anticipating the first car to reach that portion of track.  In the meantime, we enjoyed a bit of meandering close by, taking pictures of the captivating scenery as a few guys on dirt bikes were thrashing around for fun, entertaining themselves and the young, smiling bystanders.  Amidst a pleasant display of goats and donkeys, kids and motorcycles, and lush hills in the distance, the pending arrival of the rally cars was soon to come.  We all were contently waiting for the sound of the first racecar engine to fade into range from over the near, small hill and down the track, offering the first moment of the event's exhilaration and ending our anticipation.  With many local onlookers, plenty of them children, the setting seemed to me an interesting juxtaposition of the quiet, rural African life and the exciting and modern thrill of a rally car racing through one’s neighborhood.  It was a fulfilling day with the new experience and excitement of loud, customized engines of rally cars speeding by in a serene, rural setting with bomas scattered throughout under the thick clouds in the East African sky over Kisongo.  

 

Original Photos by E.Motta & J.Ward

Summary of Report - Prevention Efforts in Ilkiding’a

        September 28th, 2011, Eugenia Njau and Karim Athuman Muhsin finished up a week’s worth of fieldwork giving bovine vaccinations in Ilkiding’a Ward, Arumeru District, Arusha, Tanzania. Both employed by the Arusha District Council (ADC), under the Tanzania Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, their task was to venture home to home offering government rationed vaccines to prevent the spread of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) among cattle. The bomas are scattered throughout the foothills of Mt. Meru’s southern slopes with mostly footpaths connecting one another and some spectacular views of the city from the high clearings. Here there seems to be a strong sense of community and connections between families, for many have resided here for generations.  With the help of a few elders escorting the two veterinary workers to neighboring bomas that kept cows, the attempt was to reach every boma and record the name of the plot owner, how many cows they own, and whether or not they accepted the vaccine for CBPP. Even though this airborne disease, also known as, ‘lung plague’, has once again become fairly prevalent in this region of the continent, it is still refused by many livestock owners due to lack of education or understanding of the vaccine in question. There is also a reasonable amount of doubt among some that the medicine is in fact healthy for the animal and for those that consume its milk or meat after treatment. Given that these communities are steeped in tradition of a relatively basic means of subsistence, along with some illiteracy and a lack of trust in modern medicine, it’s not hard to understand why people are hesitant to allow injections to be given to their animals which they value for their livelihoods. Although it’s understandable, it is however a hindrance to the efforts of eradicating this disease that was once thought to be under control throughout the continent, but since the ‘80s and 90’s has sprung up again in African countries, in some places where there was no more presence of CBPP for over 25 years. Of the approximately 650 cattle belonging to approximately 250 residences in Ilkiding’a, their data shows that only 31 residents refused the injection, totaling a sum of 85 cattle that did not receive the vaccine.  However, this does represent progress, and thanks to the availability of this vaccine, which was provided as aid from the European Union (EU), Karim and Eugenia, under the ADC, are working hard to provide and encourage these preventative measures to help quell this disease city-wide, which is an essential step in helping to reach total eradication country-wide and throughout the contintent.

With the antidote combined in a small bottle with a white powder bolus and mixed with a diluent of 100ml (cc), efforts are made to give injections during the dryer months.  This amount is sufficient to treat about 100 cattle with a recommended dose of about 1ml (cc) per cow, but it has proven less effective to give vaccinations during the rainy season when the infectious disease is more prevalent and many cows are in need of treatment rather than vaccination.  

Cows Get Sick Too...

A Week Away

During mid September, beginning with a comfortable ride in a dark blue Mercedes across the border and into the city, in the company of a few good people, and a guest house room provided by a new friend, a Nairobi week was underway.  Located just off Ngong road near Prestige Center, the quaint little guest house/bed & breakfast offered a few channels of mostly horrendous programming, a few friendly and at times awkward interactions with staff, and early morning greetings of clanking hammers and power tools, yet it was a suitable place to lay my head.  Having shared a room the first two nights with a fellow traveler from Kentucky who was awaiting his pending departure to Cape Town, the remainder of my week consisted of a few lazy mornings and daily walks to the nearby shopping centers where I would usually grab a bite, some coffee, and a quick fix for the common cyberspace craving.  Nearby the guest house at ‘The Spot’, a local dive bar where I spent a couple evenings watching football and playing pool, a few local connections were made.  Because my friend who set us up with the guest house was a regular at the bar, I was able to use his name as an icebreaker with those that were mutual friends of his.  People were overall welcoming there and it was a fun place to pass time in the evening.  

The club scene is something that is almost inevitable to experience in Nairobi.  In Westlands the scene is big from Thursday through the weekend.  With several clubs in the three or four block radius, there is a bustling and perhaps a bit dicey atmosphere when walking between locations, especially at the end of the night.  Street children coming up to you at 4 in the morning asking for money for food does not illicit the most reassuring feeling of a secure area.  Instead of giving money I gave a couple samosas to the two kids that approached me.  I will say, however, that I was impressed by the number and quality of clubs in this neighborhood.  The music and vibe overall is something that is not commonplace in the ‘Ville, and of course the demographics are a bit different.  Sailor’s Pub, located in a different part of the city in Woodlands Lane, was very crowded the night we attended.  It was the only 3-story club I’ve been to and each level was supporting a different musical vibe.  When enough was enough for the nightlife, we also passed some time going to the cinema.  No matter the setting, there can always be some enjoyment in the theaters. We expanded our imaginations with stories of aliens in the 'Wild West', a deadly outbreak derived from a pig and a bat, and silly, yet endearing interpretations of the not so common love affair.  Outside of these common complexes that offer modern shops, restaurants, entertainment, and amenities, the streets remain busy and at times somewhat hectic with foot traffic and vehicles.  Nearby the Makumart in Prestige Center, a proper supermarket that would rival a small Wal-Mart, there also resides a local market where prices for produce are more reasonable and the whole experience of buying food is but a distant relative of the Nakumart shopping experience.

There was comfort in this trip, and the time away from Arusha in a different part of East Africa proved to me once again that anywhere I go, there are people to meet (such as Makmende) and it’s all about feeling content and excitable.  Where ever you go, there you are, and chance, attitude, and effort can help to create a new experience to enjoy.  I may have to revisit Kenyan’s urban hub, but as it was, I also felt comfort in the anticipation of returning to Arusha.  After a pleasant shuttle ride back, an easy border crossing, and a perfect sunset, Arusha looked lively from the window of the bus as we arrived in town at night.  Interestingly though, after settling in a bit, a different feeling of adaptation was occurring and Arusha had a different sense of familiarity to me after one week away in Nairobi.  Some things seemed the same, but certain subtleties of behavior and environment seemed to stand out to me.  Perhaps my awareness was slightly altered, but here I am again with new eyes at the beginning of each day in a unique town that still has life as any other.       

A Toast to "Travel Muggs"

At Sanawari Traffic light just after dark, a young, wandering, sandal wearing, slender and tall man with only twenty thousand in hand disembarked from the small motorbike with a brief interaction and no exchange with the driver.  As the waiting traffic sat there anxiously amidst the evening's bustling activity, the young man from Cape Town advanced about two car lengths and walked around to the driver’s side of one, timing it so as to avoid the other bikes maneuvering between the delayed vehicles.  With no bag upon his shoulder and no other items clenched under his arms, he proceeded to exchange words with the driver of the car in what appeared to be the form of requests and negotiations as he pointed up the road, seemingly suggesting his destination.  From the small bike to a small white car, we saw him enter the vehicle just before it drove off.  Taking a left at the green arrow, we assumed it would be the last we saw of him as we joked of him being a bagless hitchhiker whose logistics we didn’t quite understand.   Shortly thereafter, only about two-hundred meters further up the road, we take a right to continue to the house far up the hill through the neighborhood.  To our astonishment, we see him walking as we turn off the Tarmac onto the dirt road.  We share another harmless laugh as our account of the wandering bagless hitchhiker seems to be coming truer.  As the humor momentarily resides, the reality sets in as we consider that maybe we should offer what we can.  I lean out the door and ask if we can take him somewhere.  He quickly accepts and tells us that it would help if he can just get a lift up the road.  He boards the Land Rover and squeezes himself up against the mountain bike taking up most of the space in the backseat.  We continue up the road assuming he will tell us his intended destination, but instead he reveals to us that he is still searching.  A place to stay for the night is all he wants, and the cheaper the better.  He affirms our initially facetious declaration of the bagless hitchhiker by telling us that he is traversing East Africa by foot.  Having gone through Ethiopia and making his way through Arusha, he admits that he is traveling light and is letting chance take him where it may.  Carrying only his dedication to his cause and twenty thousand shillings, his relatively aimless path coincided with our own as we reached out to him.  He explains quite honestly that even after being mugged in Dar he has not been deterred from his journey.  We offer a bit of consolation and briefly introduce ourselves as we consider how to aid in his search.  I mention the Safari Lodge just before we both realize his price range as he informs us of the mere twenty thousand.  A small local lodge is mentioned and we soon arrive there just up the road.  The price is checked and confirmed at fifteen thousand, and our fellow traveler exclaims that it is three quarters of his total.  We understand but assume it is his only bet.  We offer what we can, which at the moment is only a small sum of sixty-five hundred, nonetheless, a definite contribution.  As he disembarks from the uncomfortable seat scrunched up next to bicycle, he humbly thanks us for the help and graciously accepts our small offer.  As we continue home, we look back and notice that he doesn’t enter the gate of the lodge.  Instead, he backtracks down the hill with the hopes of finding a room or a suitable place to lay his head for the night.  We chuckle with awe and a bit of confusion at the fact that he clearly appears to be floating along with chance.  He exhibits a content and optimistic demeanor as he walks out of sight to reveal to himself the unforeseen closure to his evening.  Soon after, we jokingly coin a term to reference him and the manner in which he is traveling, which to others may seem to be careless, naïve, and dangerous, but for him, the experience is humbling and is exposing some type of truth or insight for which he clearly has some hunger.  Life is being exposed to him as he wants it to be, and his decisions are his own.
     The next day I receive a call from my friend.  He tells me that he has just witnessed the same man in town while driving.  He passes him walking near the clock tower in the late afternoon, unfortunately with a limp.  With an apparent injury to his right foot or leg, he remains in town at the moment.  Perhaps the quest for shelter the previous night did not provide the most comforting results, yet his story continues.  With appreciation for the crossing of our paths, we offer a compassionate toast to the bagless traveler.    Here’s to “Travel Muggs”, a man who we hope will find what he is seeking, and to whatever is seeking him, we hope that it brings with it only the best of intentions, for he may be asking for trouble unknowingly.  The wandering man from Cape Town continues on to an unknown end of which we can only imagine.

       

Insightful Messages Come in Many Forms

Baraka Nyingi, Break Fast for Eid

The fast has ended! For so many in the area the holy month of Ramadan is second nature.  With no food or drink during daylight hours daily life still continues, though many things slow down during the month, especially on the coast and in more concentrated Muslim communities.  People still have to endure the daily grind though, and all must maintain their livelihoods.  When seeing the hardworking laborers around the area it's hard to imagine that many of them observe the holy month while working long days without any daily sustenance, sometimes in intense heat and without even any water until sundown.  Yesterday we went to Fatuma's brother's home for lunch to break the fast with some delicious pilau, kuku, veggies and fruits, and some sodas.  His home is a small place in Arusha town off one of the main roads, a very lively local setting in which I felt honored to be a part of on such a major holiday.  I was welcomed graciously and I enjoyed my day with everyone.  My participation in conversation was limited however, and at times I think Fatuma thought I was uncomfortable or bored, but that wasn't the case at all.  I was just really full from the food and felt a bit slow, and only when Swahili was being spoken could I contribute, but a lot of the conversation was spoken in Fatuma's fascinating and unfamiliar native Iraqw language called, Waasi, one of over 100 other languages spoken in the country besides Kiswahili and English.  It seems interesting but true to say at this point that Swahili is a familiar language to me.  It's only been 3 weeks since I've been back in TZ, but a lot of my knowledge of the language has resurfaced and I feel that I'm actually understanding more than I did two years ago when my studies of the language were supposedly more fresh in my mind.  That is to say, however, that I also do not understand a great deal just as expected.  If I keep practicing on top of the required daily usage for minor interactions and transactions, I shall inevitably improve without any doubt, but like any language, local style and pronunciation is what I'll have to pick up on in order to have effective communication and a keen understanding.  Overall, the pleasant day at Fatuma's brother's home brought upon smiles and a full tummy.  I feel lucky to be connected with people that grant me such opportunities to experience even more of the varying local cultures and the welcoming nature they present.  Eid Mubarak!!

  

Engagement Party

Sunday was a relaxing day of celebration in honor of my hosts' wedding engagement.  We had a nice pleasant barbecue with amazing food and drinks and many great people.  The location was at a friend Lupo's house in Ema and Fatma's neighborhood of Ilboru.  People here seem to go all out when it comes to barbecues and the sense of community is fantastic.  The wedding is not until the end of October but this celebration is to honor the pending union to come.  Ema and Fatma both looked wonderful this day, and seeing Ema with a collar and his shirt-tail tucked in made me feel a bit under-dressed, but of course it didn't matter.  Twas a pleasant day with a full belly alongside good folks.  Blessed

Fi Do and Lavosti chowin' down

Bwana Harusi "looking so nice" (as Aziz would say)

Old church in the neighborhood (built in 1904)

Kentaro and Laura soaking in sunlight

Nina njaa sana

Beautiful Bibi Harusi, Fatuma

United African Alliance Community Center

Last Saturday was a day well spent at the UAACC, a thriving community center outside of Arusha in Usa.  Mama C (pictured below) welcomed Laura and I that day as we collaborated making impromptu music and rhythms.  I'll be returning for a few days this week to collaborate more and possibly do some recording in the studio.  There is talk of the possibility to play at Sauti ya Busara in Zanzibar and my guitar playing has been welcomed too.  If it's feasible, I completely welcome this opportunity to perform at one of Africa's well-known music and arts festival.  I look forward to returning to the center tomorrow where the energy and vibe is ideal.  It's also very familiar and comforting to see so much artistic creation and expression around and I'm excited to see what comes of my time spent there in the coming days and beyond.