“I shall continuo to insist our sovereign countries work to achieve the United States of Africa”
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, from a translating of his inaugural speech as Chair of the African Union 2 Feb 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
To be a stranger in my home
Early in the morning, I left Arusha town. Heading toward the west of town the western of the town through the main road to the popular visited Tanzania’s attractions such as the eighth wonder of the world Ngorongoro Crater, the endless plain and a magnificent annual animal migration , Serengeti National Park and beautiful parts of the Rift Valley to mention only a few examples of Tanzania’s natural splendour..
After twenty kilometers of pedaling with little traffic highway, I turned left heading towards the south and. On this dusty and rough road I welcomed the solitude of the area as my mind was too occupied with what my eyes were seeing the beautiful savannah plains dotted with several hills and scattered maasai bomas (maasai huts, built with the combinations of mud and cow dung and grasses in the top, usually built in a circular form). After almost twenty minutes of cycling, I found myself relaxing while the slow wind blew from east to west and cooled my body and the hectic urban melee was now replaced by the beautiful songs of the birds.
About ten kilometers from the main road I met three Maasai men in the flooded valley as they were having a shower and washing their shuka (the piece of cloth like a bed cover usually red color for man, blue for women and black for certain age group)
I sat down with them and we talked and exchanged life experiences and they explained to me how they dwell in this dry savannah plains with their herds of cows, goats and sheep and donkeys which are usually used by their women to help them carry water and other domestic tasks. The moment I had with these men gave me a chance to learn and experience different things which I had never thought about before. It becomes clear in my mind that these people are very strong, deep individuals unique and very adaptable yet they still can appreciate their unique of life and after 30 minutes of conversation, I then left them.
I then continued cycling after 5 km turned off left following the location of certain village which appeared in my old map by the name Leviseki it should be remembered that the maasai are nomadic pastoralists but nowadays due to conflict with the farming community groups and some government policy the Maasai have tried to establish permanent villages. Since my map was about 10 years old it indicated that Levisike village was alongside the road on which I was on. This was contrary to the fact and as I was cycling there from the rough road I then turned off left to the less used road. After a few 3 km from where I turned off, I found Leviseki primary school with a few boma (huts)and I continued cycling towards the north-east and there climbed the hills until I found the shade somewhere under an acacia tree. It was now 1:00pm. since I was exhausted and hungry I enjoyed my bananas then I drank enough water to regain my energy back.
After the siesta, I experienced a sense of loneliness because since I left the men at the valley I hadn’t met anyone else. I got on my bicycle and continued to cycle but as I went further the road seemed to disappear I then discovered some motorcycle tires tracks that I followed and this then led me to some maasai boma (huts), roughly not more than 10 in all. People were standing outside of their huts and they were looking at very curiously. The tires tracks got lost in the grasses so I remained without any sense of direction. I went back to the nearby huts and as I approached the children ran and shut themselves inside of their huts. I found a woman washing the milk pots. and called to her in Maasai language Yeyo? (Mother?) She replied to me Owe! (Yes!), I said to her again Takwenya? (How are you?) Iko (I’m fine) women replied so I continued to ask her if there is a way back to town. Now the Ki- Swahili language is the language that connects more than 120+ ethnic groups and was declared the official language after independence under President Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere. The language is now spreading to Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and some parts of DRC, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique and Ki-Swahili usage to have the opportunity of becoming the connection of East Africa Community in the future.
She wondered where I had come from and said that I should go back to town and then she proposed I should go back the way I came. I told her I don’t want to go back that way but I wanted to find the way back to town. She left the huts and told me to wait and after a few minutes, she came back with a boy approximately 15-17yrs old. She then informed me that the boy would show me the way back. I said to here ashanaleyi (thank you very much) so we left with the boy then after 10minutes of walking I tried to ask the boy how far the road was andto my surprise, the boy answered me in the Maasai language.
I then found out the boy did not speak any Ki-Swahili at all... It was during this short walk that the boy explained to me what I could not understand while he pointed to a certain route which soon discovered was commonly used by animals and it was here that the boy turned back. I got on my bicycle cycling for a short time before the way disappeared in the grasses again. I start walking just checking to see if I can find it again and after 1hr of walking without success I decide to sit under a Balanait tree to refresh myself and lose the panic of being lost and as I sat there for some time.
I soon realized I was on the beaten track whereby even the application of lonely planet could not work even in this situation. Now as I was half awake I heard the voices of the people talking I then woke up and observed the scene around me but I didn’t see anyone so I decided to follow the sounds. I was hearing but as I was approaching there it stopped so I couldn’t hear the sounds anymore. I kept on searching in the bushes then I saw a woman with the baby on her back and the bundle of firewood on her head walking. I walked towards her she accelerated her speed. I just decided to get on my bicycle and cycle towards her. I was amazed to see the woman threw away her bundle of firewood and ran away from me screaming. I reached the place where she had thrown away her bundle of firewood I stopped and watched her still running. She ran until somewhere away from me then she stopped. After a short while, three other women came from bushes and joined her.
I wondered to myself is it really me? Do I look that unfamiliar? The women stopped there for the while discussing something. I started to think if I cannot find the way back to town then I would have to overnight somewhere in the area.
I walked up to the boma (huts) it was about 10-15 huts as I was approaching the Manyata (is a maasai village or the group of huts) I saw two men walking on the path. I got on my bicycle cycling towards them. I greeted them asked them if I could get back to town on the main road. They said yes but it will take me about 45min of cycling and the name of this village is Moita Kiloriti I also passed another village Moita Kipoko before reaching the high way.
I reached town around 6:15 pm. This experience made me wonder how deep into personal reality one can go? Relatively few kilometers from the place of many people where I feel familiar I was stranger and lost. I have been always keen to balance external would, perceptions and experience. Tanzania and Africa for me it is home to this diversity. This diversity can be a challenge to leave with but with little effort the reward is great benefty of ability to hold many perceptions at the same time. This can be useful especial when one need to develop personal perceptions. It was a little adventure but turn to be a key to a great understanding. Explore this amazing world.
After twenty kilometers of pedaling with little traffic highway, I turned left heading towards the south and. On this dusty and rough road I welcomed the solitude of the area as my mind was too occupied with what my eyes were seeing the beautiful savannah plains dotted with several hills and scattered maasai bomas (maasai huts, built with the combinations of mud and cow dung and grasses in the top, usually built in a circular form). After almost twenty minutes of cycling, I found myself relaxing while the slow wind blew from east to west and cooled my body and the hectic urban melee was now replaced by the beautiful songs of the birds.
About ten kilometers from the main road I met three Maasai men in the flooded valley as they were having a shower and washing their shuka (the piece of cloth like a bed cover usually red color for man, blue for women and black for certain age group)
I sat down with them and we talked and exchanged life experiences and they explained to me how they dwell in this dry savannah plains with their herds of cows, goats and sheep and donkeys which are usually used by their women to help them carry water and other domestic tasks. The moment I had with these men gave me a chance to learn and experience different things which I had never thought about before. It becomes clear in my mind that these people are very strong, deep individuals unique and very adaptable yet they still can appreciate their unique of life and after 30 minutes of conversation, I then left them.
I then continued cycling after 5 km turned off left following the location of certain village which appeared in my old map by the name Leviseki it should be remembered that the maasai are nomadic pastoralists but nowadays due to conflict with the farming community groups and some government policy the Maasai have tried to establish permanent villages. Since my map was about 10 years old it indicated that Levisike village was alongside the road on which I was on. This was contrary to the fact and as I was cycling there from the rough road I then turned off left to the less used road. After a few 3 km from where I turned off, I found Leviseki primary school with a few boma (huts)and I continued cycling towards the north-east and there climbed the hills until I found the shade somewhere under an acacia tree. It was now 1:00pm. since I was exhausted and hungry I enjoyed my bananas then I drank enough water to regain my energy back.
After the siesta, I experienced a sense of loneliness because since I left the men at the valley I hadn’t met anyone else. I got on my bicycle and continued to cycle but as I went further the road seemed to disappear I then discovered some motorcycle tires tracks that I followed and this then led me to some maasai boma (huts), roughly not more than 10 in all. People were standing outside of their huts and they were looking at very curiously. The tires tracks got lost in the grasses so I remained without any sense of direction. I went back to the nearby huts and as I approached the children ran and shut themselves inside of their huts. I found a woman washing the milk pots. and called to her in Maasai language Yeyo? (Mother?) She replied to me Owe! (Yes!), I said to her again Takwenya? (How are you?) Iko (I’m fine) women replied so I continued to ask her if there is a way back to town. Now the Ki- Swahili language is the language that connects more than 120+ ethnic groups and was declared the official language after independence under President Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere. The language is now spreading to Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and some parts of DRC, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique and Ki-Swahili usage to have the opportunity of becoming the connection of East Africa Community in the future.
She wondered where I had come from and said that I should go back to town and then she proposed I should go back the way I came. I told her I don’t want to go back that way but I wanted to find the way back to town. She left the huts and told me to wait and after a few minutes, she came back with a boy approximately 15-17yrs old. She then informed me that the boy would show me the way back. I said to here ashanaleyi (thank you very much) so we left with the boy then after 10minutes of walking I tried to ask the boy how far the road was andto my surprise, the boy answered me in the Maasai language.
I then found out the boy did not speak any Ki-Swahili at all... It was during this short walk that the boy explained to me what I could not understand while he pointed to a certain route which soon discovered was commonly used by animals and it was here that the boy turned back. I got on my bicycle cycling for a short time before the way disappeared in the grasses again. I start walking just checking to see if I can find it again and after 1hr of walking without success I decide to sit under a Balanait tree to refresh myself and lose the panic of being lost and as I sat there for some time.
I soon realized I was on the beaten track whereby even the application of lonely planet could not work even in this situation. Now as I was half awake I heard the voices of the people talking I then woke up and observed the scene around me but I didn’t see anyone so I decided to follow the sounds. I was hearing but as I was approaching there it stopped so I couldn’t hear the sounds anymore. I kept on searching in the bushes then I saw a woman with the baby on her back and the bundle of firewood on her head walking. I walked towards her she accelerated her speed. I just decided to get on my bicycle and cycle towards her. I was amazed to see the woman threw away her bundle of firewood and ran away from me screaming. I reached the place where she had thrown away her bundle of firewood I stopped and watched her still running. She ran until somewhere away from me then she stopped. After a short while, three other women came from bushes and joined her.
I wondered to myself is it really me? Do I look that unfamiliar? The women stopped there for the while discussing something. I started to think if I cannot find the way back to town then I would have to overnight somewhere in the area.
I walked up to the boma (huts) it was about 10-15 huts as I was approaching the Manyata (is a maasai village or the group of huts) I saw two men walking on the path. I got on my bicycle cycling towards them. I greeted them asked them if I could get back to town on the main road. They said yes but it will take me about 45min of cycling and the name of this village is Moita Kiloriti I also passed another village Moita Kipoko before reaching the high way.
I reached town around 6:15 pm. This experience made me wonder how deep into personal reality one can go? Relatively few kilometers from the place of many people where I feel familiar I was stranger and lost. I have been always keen to balance external would, perceptions and experience. Tanzania and Africa for me it is home to this diversity. This diversity can be a challenge to leave with but with little effort the reward is great benefty of ability to hold many perceptions at the same time. This can be useful especial when one need to develop personal perceptions. It was a little adventure but turn to be a key to a great understanding. Explore this amazing world.
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