Zanzibar-Uguja rural Experience

This lady was in the field doing baseline survey for a couple of days! A van would take us there everyday to and fro where on the way we could see beautiful scenery, greenish which is rare to find in hot regions, you know when I saw lots of banana trees I thought am in Kilimanjaro or Arusha!!, this brought me back home!! Now I asked myself a question, if people are growing banana why are they very expensive in the market?. To me it was so pleasurable and exciting field work as people were so welcoming and cheerful which made our five days look shorter!

Development in rural setting
I could not imagine the way people have built up a developmental will, sitting together, identifying their problems, and finding solutions using their limited resources and where necessary supplemented by development partners, of which we could see the outcomes like school buildings, water projects, and agricultural projects. This is encouraging as parents are so willing to send their children to school as well willing to participate in developmental projects. This is contrary to what many of us think, that people in rural areas do not value education. The major dilemma to them is limited resources and lack of skills to run small enterprises to assist in paying school fees.

With regard to cultural set up I was actually so excited with women turn up in the discussion in some of the villages as three quarter of participants women were. These women were from different groups where some of them have set up self financed micro credit institutions in Tanzania known as SACCOS, many of them have started small businesses as they can now access loans conveniently.

I other villages along the beach the experience was as different since women are not allowed to establish/run business. They are strictly forbidden by their husbands as they are afraid it will expose their women to other men, they can only go to shamba/farm but not in a place where customers are coming in and out. Women are lamenting on this as it is denying them countless opportunities. One of them said look, all the restaurants you see are run by women from mainland, our men think doing business is prostitution! While they have not been able to fully provide for the family and sending children to school. The world is changing, education and other social services have become expensive to the extent that the effort of both parties (women & men) is important.

Attention-grabbing story in the Island

In the story when you come across the word FUNDI it stands for WITCH DOCTORS!

"Interacting with people is one way of getting to know their ways of life”!
In the process of interacting many times I hear the word fundi, fundi,! Then one day I was told for u to leave peaceful and have your issues run smoothly here you have to consult fundi. Mhh! I was curious to know more so I kept on listening and asking. Then I was told the most vital thing, if I've come with my Husband or fiancé/boyfriend I should go immediately to see the Fundi so as to tie him before I cry crocodile tears! I asked, why should I see fundi and tie him? .They told me seriously If i don't!, just in one week he will be taken away from me. I asked why and how? I was told its normal and it has become a culture for women to go to fundi for that purpose (tying men) since everyday women are searching for new one especially who seems to be in a good position financially. I thought they were kidding!!! I couldn't believe.

It was not until one Saturday when a woman of Mainland origin came to the house where I was staying with my friends crying, saying her husband has been missing since Friday and his mobile phone was off, not even his friends or relatives knew his whereabouts. It was so bad! She was real in bad shape! Can u imagine they married some couple of months ago? Gosh! I remembered the story about fundi, fundi, fundi.. The woman said people were advising her to consult fundi, telling her that she should learn how to live in the Island and keep in mind the saying which says" WHEN YOU GO TO ROME DO AS ROMANS DO" but she couldn't because she doesn't believe in those stuffs.

Sunday night the woman gave us very awful and heartbreaking news that her husband went to Shamba (this is the place where big tourist hotels and beaches are located, like 40km from town) to marry another woman!!!!! That Friday the guy had converted to Islamic and their marriage took place in the Mosque. (The man was strongly tied eeeh!)

I am still researching on this issue to know how marriage/courtships/ relationships survive for those who do not consult fundi. After my research I will get back to you.

African Women and the modernizing world.

In the process of modernization things have changed and there are ongoing changes. We are happy for the changes that yield good fruits. Leaving aside the way of dressing there are other things if they are not well thought-out will wipe out the identity and beauty of an African woman.

Now it is so depressing to see fellow African women changing their skin colour so that they may look like mzungu! You know, when God created people with variety of colours it was a brilliant idea. I think to God we are like flowers in a garden! We should really appreciate this. Just tell me, WHO WOULD WANT TO SEE ONLY ONE FLOWER COLOUR IN HIS/HER GARDEN? Can you imagine how would it look like? Or imagine your house surrounded by one type of flower!

There has been a fashion of changing skin colour using chemicals especially for young African women with the notion of looking for “beauty”. Sad enough those chemicals have proven several health side effects. Is beauty real a matter of light colour? or mzungu colour? I always ask myself this question and I come to a conclusion that everyone looks good/beautiful in his/her own natural colour.

Do you know that African women are very beautiful with the natural black/dark skin and big bodies? That’s what makes African women unique! Be proud of your colour! Be proud of yourselves!

If u do not value yourself who else will? I beseech fellow African women, to keep safe and save from harm your skin colour.