Two Weeks in Photos

My week started trying to understand Tanzanian Land Law and assist my former employer with boundaries on athe land where a classroom is to be built. The photos show the only beacon marker I found and that was at torchlight. The map is my clumsy way of trying to locate the beacon on Google maps.

Land in Tanzania is all leased from the government and there is no private ownership. It is usually a 99 year lease. Churches have acquired significant land over the years and just like in Rugby, if you don’t use it you lose it.

This is the office building in Musoma where I work.

I finally learned about time here. The standard clock is fine if you have a clock. In the villages, the sun is the clock so as people arrange things it is all down to the sun. 7am European time is 1 o’clock swahili time. So 3pm is 9 o’clock. Time is not exact so if people go to town from the villages they talk about a 10am appointment being at 3 o’clock. The Biblical parallel of Jesus breathing his last at the ninth hour makes sense now.

Thursday and Friday of that week was a trip to Bunda looking at boundaries for the college, the new building site and speaking to the builder to discuss the location of the building and future plans. I am not a conceptual person when it comes to these things so they were very patient with me as we looked at the plans and why the new classroom was being sited where it will go.

BGSS prouce garden

Our dinner and lodgings

From BBC we went to Bunda Girls Secondary School a few minutes away. I have been involved in this construction since BGSS started in 2013. I spent time with the Principal going through plans ad what is needed to complete the school subject to funds being available. Again not being a reader of plans it took some time for me to “get it.” At least this provides a bit of a plan for the future. I couldn’t leave without being shown their magnificant garden which grows fruit and vegetables.

It was then back to BBC to speak to graduating external studies studets and that took three hours, covering a range of topics, but focussed a lot on supporting oneself as a village pastor in poor communities. Inevitably it means having some income or provision for supporting oneself by means of agriculture. The bishop expects churches to provide a minimum of 60,000 TZS monthly but many pastors do not even receive this. So farming, animal husbandry and chickens and in some cases women have skills such as hair braiding which may provide small amounts of income.

I swapped my chair and invited one of the women who had experience in Church and Community Based Process establishing village banks (not to be confused with westrn bans) that lend to each other to establish and grow businesses. The women in this meeting were really switched on and engaged.

Then as dusk approached it was off to look for beacons. After giving up in the dark we went to the home of an Australian who has been in Australia since COVID and the picture tells what her cook prepared for us. 8pm for dinner and a long day.

Shalom Primary School commenced in 2017 and building has continued despite COVID. The buildings there are magnificent. We met the principal Beatrice and Juliana the deputy and site engineer as they are currently completing a classroom block and looked at the site of the Administration building due to start in August. Discussed need for staff accommodation and number of family units to be built. (Staff accommodation is an accepted condition over here for teachers). Also went and looked at the new Multipurpose Hall and kitchen. The kitchen is unused as no one want to use wood and charcoal and estroy this magnificant building. We discussed options including solar. Can we cook using electric solar powered stoves? Let me know if that is possible.

The MP Hall

The plans

The kitchen

Afterwards we went and met the principal of the building company and discussed the future breiefly and asked for bills of quantity for the remaining buidings at BGSS and to see if 2023 might see its completion.

The engineer Mpandi, me, Kulwa the owner and Arthur the development officer.

Then back to Musoma for a video meeting with a Disability provider across the lake which I had visited twice before to discuss the former disability program here in Mara and if it could be resurrected. A two hour meeting had interest shown as I shared photos of the buildings here and the Manager in Karagwe was interested to come and see for himslef after receiving a formal request on how this diocese proposed a disabilit program.

It ws then off to English Bible study where three Swahili speaking girls from the hostel and one male who comes regularly and speaks English turned up. It was a good session with the man interpreting for the girls. An hour turned into two and we left in darkness.

Baptism of a 4yo

Parents of 4yo

English Bible study

Sunday at the English congregation was a baptism service for two kids of a couple. The four year old looked pensive as the water flowed over his head. Note the baptismal font. Very kitsch.

Tilapia at a restaurant

Tilapia at home.

For the foodies life goes on foodwise. Real coffee to start the day, tilapia once or twice a week and the plate above is roasted tilapia and vegetables at home. Beans, greens, plantains and casserole beef and chicken are staples for people with reasonable incomes.

As always the work day starts with a morning prayer time in the cathedral attended by between 50-80 people. The first photo below is girls walking back to the sewing centre with a staff member from the diocese in a yellow dress.

After our meeting with the disability team across the lake we left Tuesday to visit a local disability centre about twenty minutes south. We spoke to the dean of the vocational college which is what this disability centre has become and Gabriel an orthpaedic specialist who makes all sorts of interesting prosthetics as the photo shows.

The photo of the stained teeth above is as a result of minerlaisation of the water in Mwanza. Apparently this is quite common amongst people living there.

After we were finished our meeting we swung by a new church school being constructed so Arthur could check on painting. The only teacher of this new school saw me waiting and asked me to come and greet her class of ten which is what the school opened with. They spoke fantatstic English and sang me a song. Very impressive.

Wednesday I have been doing a Zoom meeting on retirement for the last six weeks. Last week this week with a group from Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania and Qld. It has been interesting and thought provoking.

Thursday was my second strategic planning workshop. My aim is to have a draft of sorts by the time I leave in last September so getting input from a broad group is essential. This and the group next week are in English.

Friday was a rush getting things on the go done prior to leaving for Bunda where a groundbreaking service was being held for the new classroom at BBC. Rose is the cashier at a school and I saw her in the former auditor’s room as I wwent hunting some documents. She was doing some analysis of expenditure on a book I have never seen before. If any accounting people recognise I would like to know when last used in Australia. It does highlight how manual all things here are. I assume a PC program could spit that out in no time. But alas no computers. Or programs.

Groundbreaking serive at BBC

Rose and her incredible spreadsheet. Now I know why t is called a spreadsheet

So to Saturday which was a big day at BBC and me as invited guest and speaker for the students’ graduation. That will need to wait.

Two Wedding Receptions and Marriage Customs in Tanzania

Last week I wrote about the wedding I attended on a Saturday morning. I was invited, along with Bishop to the reception which was a fascinating insight in the customs and practices amongs locals. It also highlighted that marriage here is a community event, not just involving the couple, their families and friends.

The bride’s family comes from Mwanza, the second largest city in TAnzania and about four hours south of Musoma. The first reception was there. After all the formalities atthe church they and the wedding party drove south for the first reception. This was attended by people from that city and surrounds as well as the families of both the bride and groom.

The second reception was Sunday night at a large hall near the outskirts of the centre of twon here at a building used by the University. While the road to get there was atrocious, the setting was astounding with fairy lights outside and the hall decked out beautifully with a long archway and fairy lights.

Due to start at 7pm, Bishop who knows the best man kept in contact with him to get an idea of when we should arrive (unlike turning up on Saturday as the first to arrive for a 9am wedding which didn’t get going till 10am. So we arrived at 8.30pm, the hall comfortbluy full awaiting the arrival of the married couple. We were asked where we would like to sit, so took a table on the upper level near the front.

Marriage is a Community Event

This receptiod had easily 200 plus people at it. As I was to learn the next morning from the best man, the event in Mwanza on Saturday evening was even bigger.

All people at this reception contributed to be there. Typically an invitation has an suggested amount per person/couple which could only cover perhaps catering costs and hall hire. However a committee is formed by friends and in this case the committee looked to be over forty people.

This wedding was arranged at six weeks notice, which is when the groom, a pastor in the church here approached his bishop (my host in Tanzania) asking permission and also seeking approval to marry in Mwanza at te bride’s family church. He was advised as an Anglican minister he was obligated to marry in his denominational church and the bishop offered to conduct the service.

The church service the day before had me pondering why the bride had not taken communion and the reason was that she had not been confrmed in the Anglican Church although baptised in it (all my Sydney Anglican friends should realise this is how the Anglican world still operates outside our very low diocese).

So the committee of many is formed and they organise everything including invitations and payment for the celebrations above what the groom had been able to raise when he asked his bride to marry him. Everything inlcudes hiring the venues for receptions, catering, drinks, table decorations and other decorations and the MC.

Now the MC was a very strong lady on crutches who seemed to have a secret code with the music man because she only had a give a signal and music stopped and the next agenda item started.

So once seated the guests of honour arrived though the long archway. I wasn’t sure who the first few small groups were but then the best man and maid of honour (who were married I later discovered) arrived then the bride and groom to much loud applause, cheering and ululating, amongst the music playing.

First group entry

Best man and Bridesmaid

Bridal couple

Unlike Western weddings the dancing starts straight away. Once the bridal couple were stood at the front, a mosh pit like crowd gathered around and the dancing started with cheers, and greetings from all those agthered around. I lost sight of them at various times. After some ten minutes without any indication, the sound stopped and all except the bridal party sat down.

Moshpit

Cake cutting

Cake to bride’s family

The cake is then cut and speeches begin but from the groom and bride. The symbolic wedding cake after cutting is distributed as gifts to various groups being thanked by the happy couple. For good measure there are a half dozen cakes the size of the top tier presented to various groups.

The first group which gets the whole cake is the parents of the bride then groom sitting strategically to the both sides and opposite each other. This is a thank you to both. The bride presents to the groom’s family and groom does likewise showing respect and gratitude. Then special groups which included my table with the bishop is given a cake followed by others. The first group was the organising committee of over forty people who were gifted about three cakes and a long speech given by the groom to thank them for their work.

Toast from Org Committee

Cork popped

The clean up

Speeches and toasts continue as many groups represented by names, as I understood it of civil society actors which may include interest societies or economic empowerment groups come one by one bearing gifts. None are wrapped so essentially women carrying laundry basins, electric jugs out of their packing box and gifts of cash represented by an envelope are gifted after singing, dancing and a speech to the bride and groom. All gifts are announced including cash deposited into their accounts. 1.2M TZS is the largest financial gift (about AU$750) by one group and over here that is more than a months salary for a someone in a high paying job in Dar Es Salaam the capital society. People are very generous.

After about thirty groups have made their way forward in what was like two hours it was time for the toasts. Now the bride and groom have stood throughout, had a brief seat when up they get with the best man and matron of honour. A bottle of red fizzy wine is shaken (three actually), corks popped and floor covered in red as glasses are filled for the bridal party. Then one by one every guest comes forward, starting again with the family tables, with glasses, bottles of water or drink and each individually toasts each in the bridal party and eachother as they are seated! (For the mathemeticians at 200 guests that is 4,000 individual toasts). At the end each of the two family tables are greeted as the bride and groom go and toast each family member.

Toasting the couple

Next you ask? Photographs. One by one each group comes and poses with the bridal couple for a formal photo and eventually it is time to eat. It has gone past midnight. Eat and run, We left about 12.45 and next morning I learned that the Best man left with other guests at 2am and the bridal couple were there till 5am helping with the clean up. A big weekend for me but even bigger for the married couple. It is easy to see how wedding feasts in days gone by went for days as ths started at 7pm and essentially ended for guests at 2am.

A comment on the splendour of this event. Women looked a million dollars from the dresses they wore. Almost royal if you like. As I learned from others later in the week for weddings some people who can barely afford to live do what they must to get the funds needed not only to go and gift the couple something but also to dress up. The men, well there was a variety like those in their best suits and some who dressed much more casually.

The bride and groom barely sat the whole night.

Marriage in Tanzania

As my week progressed I learned much more about marraige in this culture. As noted it is a community event and many who came may not have known either the bride or groom very well if at all! But there are connections through family members, tribal groups and sociel groups with which family members may be associated. It was a festival atmosphere and I admit somewhat uncomfortable to see such a flamboyant display of wealth. Yet I was reminded that these are not rich people. These are people outto celebrate with the happy couple and displaying generosity beyond anything we would see in a western culture where gifts are measured. As one work colleague said to me I might see the same person who looked a million dollars on the night, looking abjectly poor during the week. This was generosity displayed, celebrating an event to honour people. It may be an event that some people may experience only once in their lives.

Marriage however is also complex. On Friday as I was visiting a school with a different hat on, the deputy head it emerges is amrrying in December. As I asked about her husband to be it emerges that in tribal terms they are seen as already married as the “bride price” or dowry has been paid and witnessed and in this case documented. However as Christians they will not formalise thei =r marriage until the church ceremony. The third option is the civil ceremony by the government. All are legal in Tanzania. The church recognises only the church wedding for Christians and accepts the other two for those not Christian when they marry. In Uganda I rememebr atthe cathedral, multiple weddings are held on a day when maybe 50 couples will be married in one ceremony to assist couples meet the obligations of church law.

Finally a bit about pregnancy. Each morning at the cathedral as we end we greet each other one by one in a well organised semil cirlce where the last greeted follows the last handshake. One obviously pregnant woman I greeted and asked when is the baby due. She took great offence and told me she would tell me later. In this culture pregnancy is seen but not talked about by anyone. So my question was offensive to her, but a few days later she did tell me and explain the reasons for her offence. No baby showers, baby namings or anything baby related with even her friends. Culturally taboo.