Do you ever wake up in the morning and all of a sudden, something makes sense that didn't before? Julia and I have discussed this and I'm not sure if we're the only ones. My brain has this weird way of processing things while I sleep, which comes in handy for memorizing lines, studying for tests, etc.
This morning I woke up and had maybe five revelations about different aspects of music theory. Teaching these kids guitar and theory has really got me learning it all again. I've been mulling things over in my brain and suddenly things are starting to fall into place like a puzzle. I'm starting to really understand (again) how scales fit together, how everything connects on the guitar, and exactly what goes into building a chord and how chords fit into scales. I understood the basics, but now more and more things are becoming clear every day. It's really neat.
In other news, a Norwegian drama group will be here working with us for the next two weeks. I have mixed feelings about it, but they're really nice and I think we'll have a good time. I'm pretty sure I'll actually be performing with Haba na Haba at the 20th anniversary celebration! I think I'm playing a warrior or something like that. This week is already moving at a better pace than last week and I'm starting to take care of business back home for next semester.
My feelings about returning home in three weeks are definitely mixed. I miss my friends, family, and Julia (dear God I miss her) a lot and I get really excited when I think about seeing them again, but I have a feeling I'll miss all of this more than I realize now. I really think I've found something that combines my passions in a way that makes a substantial difference. This is both exciting and scary. Because now I need to do something about it. And I'm not exactly sure what that is yet.
Anyway, I better run. My guitar students are here.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
A truly blessed Thanksgiving
Last week seemed like an eternity for some reason, but things went pretty well. The workshops went better than I had hoped and I think they really enjoyed the exercises we did.
I think my favorite was the "characterization" workshop on Thursday, which happened to be Thanksgiving. I started by talking for awhile about different Acting Theory like objective, actions, given circumstances, and overcoming obstacles. I was worried these concepts would be too foreign and not necessarily applicable to the kind of work they do. But I was wrong. They embraced the ideas and asked questions, eager to understand better. I was really touched by their desire to learn new things.
At the end of the workshop, I had them perform monologues and performed one myself to show them the format. They had never heard of a monologue before. The work they did was beautiful. Some had memorized parts from skits they perform in the slums, but others had written pieces themselves. They were extremely brave and took direction well and seeing their work improve was incredibly satisfying.
At the end, I asked them to reflect on what they had learned, what was helpful and what wasn't. They actually really enjoyed the monologue exercise and claimed it helped them go deeper into the characters than they did before. To conclude the workshop, I explained the holiday Thanksgiving and what it represents in our culture. They usually pray in a circle after rehearsals, so I volunteered to offer the prayer as a closing to my week of workshops. We stood together in a circle with arms linked and I gave thanks to God for my new friends and the opportunity to learn together in order to make a difference.
That evening, I went back into Nairobi and joined some of the other students from the program doing their IDS in the city. We cooked a simple meal of macaroni and cheese, rolls, maize on the cob, and mixed vegetables. As we shared the food around a small coffee table in our humble little apartment, we went around and talked about those things for which we are thankful. Let me tell you, we had a lot to say. While I missed my family and friends terribly, I thanked God for the unique gathering and realized that this experience truly epitomized the holiday.
I think my favorite was the "characterization" workshop on Thursday, which happened to be Thanksgiving. I started by talking for awhile about different Acting Theory like objective, actions, given circumstances, and overcoming obstacles. I was worried these concepts would be too foreign and not necessarily applicable to the kind of work they do. But I was wrong. They embraced the ideas and asked questions, eager to understand better. I was really touched by their desire to learn new things.
At the end of the workshop, I had them perform monologues and performed one myself to show them the format. They had never heard of a monologue before. The work they did was beautiful. Some had memorized parts from skits they perform in the slums, but others had written pieces themselves. They were extremely brave and took direction well and seeing their work improve was incredibly satisfying.
At the end, I asked them to reflect on what they had learned, what was helpful and what wasn't. They actually really enjoyed the monologue exercise and claimed it helped them go deeper into the characters than they did before. To conclude the workshop, I explained the holiday Thanksgiving and what it represents in our culture. They usually pray in a circle after rehearsals, so I volunteered to offer the prayer as a closing to my week of workshops. We stood together in a circle with arms linked and I gave thanks to God for my new friends and the opportunity to learn together in order to make a difference.
That evening, I went back into Nairobi and joined some of the other students from the program doing their IDS in the city. We cooked a simple meal of macaroni and cheese, rolls, maize on the cob, and mixed vegetables. As we shared the food around a small coffee table in our humble little apartment, we went around and talked about those things for which we are thankful. Let me tell you, we had a lot to say. While I missed my family and friends terribly, I thanked God for the unique gathering and realized that this experience truly epitomized the holiday.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Some brief observations
So, it turns out Lulu and Jack weren't even playing pool when they were arrested. Lulu was waiting on the next game and police officers swarmed into the room cocking fully automatic weapons and making everyone lie flat on their stomachs. As I said before, they thought Jack was too young so they kicked him and slapped him around and made him go home. They did the same to the others before forcing them into the back of a truck in chains.
According to Jack, none of them were actually involved in any gang activity. Most of them were high school students. Most members of Mungiki aren't in school because they make money by "taxing" basic commodities like electricity. They also charge to use the few toilets that exist in Mathare and demand money for "security", claiming they protect the community. If you don't pay these things, they either steal your stuff or kill you.
Today I was in the heart of Mathare for the first time. It's very similar to Kibera, only it has a small dirty stream running through it. I went to visit my friend Alphonse at his house.
I could have built it myself. It was made of tin and wood and certainly leaks when it rains (which is all the time now). He told me he lives in this little room with just one friend. When I asked about his family, he said most kids move out of their home as soon as they can. He explained that sometimes five people will be living in one tiny room...two parents and multiple kids. The only thing separating the kids from the parents' bed is a hanging sheet. Therefore, the kids can hear everything their parents do in bed and "it can be uncomfortable", he says. Yeah, I would say so.
I wish I could go into more detail here about life in the slums, but I don't have time and I'm not sure I could adequately describe it if I tried.
Today the drama group performed for several hundred school kids who were extremely excited to see them. I videoed the whole performance this time and I'm hoping to put together a promotional video when I get home. Tomorrow, they're planning on holding a concert for peace in the middle of Mathare. I'm really interested to see how that turns out and I'm learning more and more every day.
More to come soon, I hope...
According to Jack, none of them were actually involved in any gang activity. Most of them were high school students. Most members of Mungiki aren't in school because they make money by "taxing" basic commodities like electricity. They also charge to use the few toilets that exist in Mathare and demand money for "security", claiming they protect the community. If you don't pay these things, they either steal your stuff or kill you.
Today I was in the heart of Mathare for the first time. It's very similar to Kibera, only it has a small dirty stream running through it. I went to visit my friend Alphonse at his house.
I could have built it myself. It was made of tin and wood and certainly leaks when it rains (which is all the time now). He told me he lives in this little room with just one friend. When I asked about his family, he said most kids move out of their home as soon as they can. He explained that sometimes five people will be living in one tiny room...two parents and multiple kids. The only thing separating the kids from the parents' bed is a hanging sheet. Therefore, the kids can hear everything their parents do in bed and "it can be uncomfortable", he says. Yeah, I would say so.
I wish I could go into more detail here about life in the slums, but I don't have time and I'm not sure I could adequately describe it if I tried.
Today the drama group performed for several hundred school kids who were extremely excited to see them. I videoed the whole performance this time and I'm hoping to put together a promotional video when I get home. Tomorrow, they're planning on holding a concert for peace in the middle of Mathare. I'm really interested to see how that turns out and I'm learning more and more every day.
More to come soon, I hope...
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Life in the Mathare area
I'm giving guitar lessons to two kids named Jack and Lulu. Jack is 13 and Lulu is 16. They remind me a lot of myself when I was that age and learning guitar. They do things like try and play a scale too fast because they just want to learn it or play the same thing over and over, determined to get it right. Both of them are really smart, motivated, and eager to learn. They're also incredibly nice and easy-going kids.
On Friday, after the lesson, Lulu was arrested for playing pool at 2:00 in the afternoon for money. They decided Jack was too young to arrest, so they just kicked him around and sent him home. They locked Lulu away in a cell, claimed he was part of a gang called Mungiki, and demanded 200,000 Kenyan shillings as bail.
Two weeks ago, there was some pretty intense violence between two gangs in a nearby slum called Mathare. The gangs call themselves Mungiki and Taliban. Several people were killed and hundreds of homes were burned.
Now, security is extremely tight with a 7:00 p.m. curfew and many people have told me that police are arresting people (especially kids) with no real reason. They blame people for being involved with gangs based solely on their ethnicity or "tribe" or the fact that they're young.
There is no reason Lulu should have been arrested and definitely nothing that should make someone think he's part of a gang. I myself have played pool for money several times in Kenya and no one even had a second thought about it. When I mentioned that to George (the Haba na Haba director), he pointed out that I was probably in a little more upscale area. "That's life in the slums," he said. George himself is an incredible and inspirational guy making a huge difference in community development and working harder than most people I know. His girlfriend is THE web designer for Kenya Airways and another huge East African corporation. They live together in a tiny apartment that's decent, but in a really dirty and impoverished area.
The myth that people living in slums are lazy or unmotivated is completely and totally wrong. I've noticed that many people living in these areas are employed and extremely hard workers. About 90% of Nairobi's population lives on less than 20% of the land area. Every day, I see business men in suits get off of matatus and walk down muddy alleys to tin structures they've built themselves as homes.
Why should they have to live like this? Why does an incredibly intelligent young woman who recently graduated from college and is the primary web designer for Kenya Airways live in a tiny apartment with nothing for streets but giant mud holes filled with dirty water? Why does a brilliant, knowledge-thirsty 16 year-old get beaten and thrown in jail indefinitely with a 200,000 Ksh bail for shooting pool at 2 in the afternoon for a little extra money? Why are people in Kibera forced to consume their own shit because the only place for waste is their own water supply?
I'm sorry. I know this is not constructive and isn't helping anything. I'm just so sick and tired of the smartest, most motivated people I've ever met (now my friends) not being given a chance in life. These people could try harder than anyone you or I know and nothing would happen.
And what really gets me is they're still out helping people.
Saturday morning, I took a bus to Mathare for a feeding program that MYSA had coordinated. When I got off, I had to make my way through a huge crowd for several blocks before I finally squeezed my way up to the gate. These were all the people whose homes had been burned or who were simply too scared to return to their houses at the risk of the wrong person thinking they were part of a gang simply because they're Kikuyu or Luo.
Once inside, I climbed up and looked over the fence. The "line" stretched as far as I could see in every direction. For the next three hours, I stood inside this small compound behind a fifteen-foot wide gate with five thousand people on the other side, waiting to get in. The MYSA guys would open a little door and let twenty people or so in at a time. Every now and then, one of the guys trying to control the crowd would get an elbow in the face or get pushed around and have to force the door shut for a few minutes.
One of the hardest parts of the day was the moment the bags ran out and I had to watch the look on people's faces when they were handed only a bar of soap and a bag of sugar, then eventually, nothing. These people had been standing in pouring rain for four hours. The hardest were the mothers holding infants and the old women on crutches.
Overall, though, the day was a success and several thousand people got essential and basic food supplies. It just blows me away how these guys spend their Saturdays taking risks just to feed their own neighbors.
After the feeding program, I went with the drama group (most of whom had helped with the food as well) to a juvenille home for a performance. Again, I remembered why I was drawn to this program and how powerful music and drama can be. I watched these kids gather in their courtyard and saw the visible change on their faces once the performances started. A lot of the kids in the audience were about the same age as the MYSA kids and they got a kick out of seeing them dance, play the drums, and do acrobatics.
The drama section was definitely the biggest hit, though. They always start their performance by gathering in a circle, singing, and going into the center in pairs to do a little dance where they grind their butts together. It's hilarious and the kids always love it. Their favorite part was when one of the MYSA guys went into the crowd, grabbed one of the administrators, and made her dance with him in the middle of the circle. Then they performed their skit, drawing everyone in with humor, then delivering a powerful message about protecting yourself from HIV/AIDS.
Those few hours gave the kids an exciting and fun activity in the midst of an otherwise dull day. In a way, I saw it give them hope. And maybe just ten of those kids will use a condom if they decide to have sex. Maybe they'll tell a few of their friends to do the same. Once they're released from the home, maybe a few of them will even get involved with MYSA and spend their time educating communities instead of abusing drugs, committing crimes, or becoming prostitutes.
I am really glad I chose this as my IDS. The past week has definitely had ups and downs, as I'm sure the remaining three will. But the work these people are doing is inspirational and breathtaking to watch. I feel lucky to get to work with such an incredible group of people in an area with such a vibrant, kind, and resilient community.
On Friday, after the lesson, Lulu was arrested for playing pool at 2:00 in the afternoon for money. They decided Jack was too young to arrest, so they just kicked him around and sent him home. They locked Lulu away in a cell, claimed he was part of a gang called Mungiki, and demanded 200,000 Kenyan shillings as bail.
Two weeks ago, there was some pretty intense violence between two gangs in a nearby slum called Mathare. The gangs call themselves Mungiki and Taliban. Several people were killed and hundreds of homes were burned.
Now, security is extremely tight with a 7:00 p.m. curfew and many people have told me that police are arresting people (especially kids) with no real reason. They blame people for being involved with gangs based solely on their ethnicity or "tribe" or the fact that they're young.
There is no reason Lulu should have been arrested and definitely nothing that should make someone think he's part of a gang. I myself have played pool for money several times in Kenya and no one even had a second thought about it. When I mentioned that to George (the Haba na Haba director), he pointed out that I was probably in a little more upscale area. "That's life in the slums," he said. George himself is an incredible and inspirational guy making a huge difference in community development and working harder than most people I know. His girlfriend is THE web designer for Kenya Airways and another huge East African corporation. They live together in a tiny apartment that's decent, but in a really dirty and impoverished area.
The myth that people living in slums are lazy or unmotivated is completely and totally wrong. I've noticed that many people living in these areas are employed and extremely hard workers. About 90% of Nairobi's population lives on less than 20% of the land area. Every day, I see business men in suits get off of matatus and walk down muddy alleys to tin structures they've built themselves as homes.
Why should they have to live like this? Why does an incredibly intelligent young woman who recently graduated from college and is the primary web designer for Kenya Airways live in a tiny apartment with nothing for streets but giant mud holes filled with dirty water? Why does a brilliant, knowledge-thirsty 16 year-old get beaten and thrown in jail indefinitely with a 200,000 Ksh bail for shooting pool at 2 in the afternoon for a little extra money? Why are people in Kibera forced to consume their own shit because the only place for waste is their own water supply?
I'm sorry. I know this is not constructive and isn't helping anything. I'm just so sick and tired of the smartest, most motivated people I've ever met (now my friends) not being given a chance in life. These people could try harder than anyone you or I know and nothing would happen.
And what really gets me is they're still out helping people.
Saturday morning, I took a bus to Mathare for a feeding program that MYSA had coordinated. When I got off, I had to make my way through a huge crowd for several blocks before I finally squeezed my way up to the gate. These were all the people whose homes had been burned or who were simply too scared to return to their houses at the risk of the wrong person thinking they were part of a gang simply because they're Kikuyu or Luo.
Once inside, I climbed up and looked over the fence. The "line" stretched as far as I could see in every direction. For the next three hours, I stood inside this small compound behind a fifteen-foot wide gate with five thousand people on the other side, waiting to get in. The MYSA guys would open a little door and let twenty people or so in at a time. Every now and then, one of the guys trying to control the crowd would get an elbow in the face or get pushed around and have to force the door shut for a few minutes.
One of the hardest parts of the day was the moment the bags ran out and I had to watch the look on people's faces when they were handed only a bar of soap and a bag of sugar, then eventually, nothing. These people had been standing in pouring rain for four hours. The hardest were the mothers holding infants and the old women on crutches.
Overall, though, the day was a success and several thousand people got essential and basic food supplies. It just blows me away how these guys spend their Saturdays taking risks just to feed their own neighbors.
After the feeding program, I went with the drama group (most of whom had helped with the food as well) to a juvenille home for a performance. Again, I remembered why I was drawn to this program and how powerful music and drama can be. I watched these kids gather in their courtyard and saw the visible change on their faces once the performances started. A lot of the kids in the audience were about the same age as the MYSA kids and they got a kick out of seeing them dance, play the drums, and do acrobatics.
The drama section was definitely the biggest hit, though. They always start their performance by gathering in a circle, singing, and going into the center in pairs to do a little dance where they grind their butts together. It's hilarious and the kids always love it. Their favorite part was when one of the MYSA guys went into the crowd, grabbed one of the administrators, and made her dance with him in the middle of the circle. Then they performed their skit, drawing everyone in with humor, then delivering a powerful message about protecting yourself from HIV/AIDS.
Those few hours gave the kids an exciting and fun activity in the midst of an otherwise dull day. In a way, I saw it give them hope. And maybe just ten of those kids will use a condom if they decide to have sex. Maybe they'll tell a few of their friends to do the same. Once they're released from the home, maybe a few of them will even get involved with MYSA and spend their time educating communities instead of abusing drugs, committing crimes, or becoming prostitutes.
I am really glad I chose this as my IDS. The past week has definitely had ups and downs, as I'm sure the remaining three will. But the work these people are doing is inspirational and breathtaking to watch. I feel lucky to get to work with such an incredible group of people in an area with such a vibrant, kind, and resilient community.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
My Independent Study Project
I realized that my previous plan to play catch-up is probably not feasable at this point. I've moved away from the compound and am staying in one of the Nairobi slums for the next three and a half weeks. My internet access comes from the office of the place I'm working and is limited, especially since people have to use it for other business.
Anyway, I'm currently working with Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) with their performing arts-based HIV/AIDS education program. They go into 16 Nairobi slums and perform skits about HIV/AIDS, women's rights, drug use, and child abuse. I am currently teaching two guitar players how to read music as well as scales and other helpful theory exercises. I am starting general lessons for anyone interested on Monday.
Next week, I am leading two-hour workshops everyday about drama. I'm pretty nervous about that because I'm definitely not qualified for that kind of instruction, but I figure I'll just show them everything I know. The schedule is as follows:
Mon- Warm-ups
Tues- Voice
Wed- Characterization
Thurs- Script Writing
Fri- Script Writing
The idea of the script writing workshops are to brainstorm as a group and come up with a new skit they can use in their repertoire. These four weeks promise to be amazing. The kids are so energetic and optimistic, which is a relief in a field of study which is full of jaded, pessimistic humanitarians.
I hope to have time to copy some journal entries about previous experiences during these next four weeks, but I don't know what kind of time I will have. If nothing else, I can post them when I return to the compound or even when I go home in December. Also, you can shoot me an e-mail anytime (lrwhalen@wustl.edu) and I will try to answer any questions.
Love you all! Hope everything is well.
Reynolds
Anyway, I'm currently working with Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) with their performing arts-based HIV/AIDS education program. They go into 16 Nairobi slums and perform skits about HIV/AIDS, women's rights, drug use, and child abuse. I am currently teaching two guitar players how to read music as well as scales and other helpful theory exercises. I am starting general lessons for anyone interested on Monday.
Next week, I am leading two-hour workshops everyday about drama. I'm pretty nervous about that because I'm definitely not qualified for that kind of instruction, but I figure I'll just show them everything I know. The schedule is as follows:
Mon- Warm-ups
Tues- Voice
Wed- Characterization
Thurs- Script Writing
Fri- Script Writing
The idea of the script writing workshops are to brainstorm as a group and come up with a new skit they can use in their repertoire. These four weeks promise to be amazing. The kids are so energetic and optimistic, which is a relief in a field of study which is full of jaded, pessimistic humanitarians.
I hope to have time to copy some journal entries about previous experiences during these next four weeks, but I don't know what kind of time I will have. If nothing else, I can post them when I return to the compound or even when I go home in December. Also, you can shoot me an e-mail anytime (lrwhalen@wustl.edu) and I will try to answer any questions.
Love you all! Hope everything is well.
Reynolds
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The Hadzabe
From September 16-23 we lived and learned about the Hadzabe of Tanzania, some of the last remaining hunter/gatherers in the world.
9/18-----12:09 p.m.
“The bugs here are nuts. I’ve been bitten by at least one hundred tsetse flies and swarmed by gnats. There’s virtually no way to escape.
Today (this morning) we foraged with the Hadzabe. We dug for roots with sharpened sticks, picked and ate berries, harvested and ate honey, learned how to start a fire with sticks, then roasted and ate the roots. This morning, I woke up on the top of a giant boulder heap as the sun was just beginning to rise in the direction I was facing. It was literally the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. I pulled the drawstring tight on my sleeping bag and sat in my cocoon for half an hour as the sun came up behind an acacia tree. Great plains of baobab trees stretch as far as the eye can see.
Some fascinating things about the Hadzabe: the government comes and takes their children to put them in schools. They live in groups of three to five families and move when there’s no more food in the area. From the readings, we know there is no system of governance or power structures. They just respect older people more. If someone tries to take a position of authority, they are discouraged by the rest of the group. Their social organization is very fluid because one family just decides to move and others (whoever feels like it) join them. It’s unbelievable that they’ve been living this way for hundreds of thousands of years. They buy/trade for tobacco, tools, and metals. This creates a partnership between themselves and the pastoralists who have been forced to share the lands.
I saw some interesting “nature” things today. There’s a type of acacia tree that has little red nut-type things on it. Inside the nuts are a bunch of little ants. When the nut is disturbed, the ants swarm out on the trespasser. This keeps giraffes and other animals from eating the acacia.
The Hadzabe live in a symbiotic relationship with a honey bird that eats bees. Unfortunately, the bird can’t get into the hive by itself. So when it finds a beehive, it cries out and the Hadzabe follow the sound of the bird. When they arrive, they open the beehive and let the bird eat the bees. Then they eat the honey and some of the eggs, leaving just enough for the hive to regenerate so they don’t deplete the resources. I love how these people don’t try to separate themselves from other creatures, but rely on them and co-exist naturally with them.”
9/19----1:44 p.m.
“This morning, we split into five groups and went hunting with the Hadza security guys from our camp. Our dude killed a guinea fowl in the first twenty minutes, which was the only kill of the day for all the groups. We tracked animals for four hours and saw dik-dik (mini deer), kudu, guinea fowl, impala, and bush babies. After he shot the guinea fowl, our hunter beat its head against a rock to kill it then strapped it to his waist by its head with a strip off a nearby branch. It was strange to realize that the bow, arrows, and axe he carried were very possibly his only possessions. It is too ridiculously hot up on this rock to write more now, so I have to stop.”
So, a brief reflection on events I didn’t mention here...
The Hadzabe use poisoned arrows for bigger game. To test the poison, they cut their legs and let the blood run down a few inches. When they touch the poison to the blood, it turns black and starts heading back into the wound. If they don’t wipe it off quick enough, they die. Pretty intense, huh?
Everywhere we went in Tanzania, we rode in huge lorry trucks that were open air. It was really cool for seeing everything, but also exposed us to the infestation of tsetse flies. After the last journal entry above, we climbed a huge baobab tree using sharpened sticks as footholds on the way up. We also made arrows and shot them with the Hadzabe.
The activities on the trip were incredible, but I also learned a TON. The government is attempting to change the way the Hadzabe live by encroaching on their lands and encouraging agriculture. This has caused an interesting change in culture and the beginnings of a transition to "modernism." This raises all sorts of fascinating questions and issues that I simply can’t write about here because of the magnitude and complexity of the problems. I think the best way for me to portray these things is by answering questions, so bring it on!
9/18-----12:09 p.m.
“The bugs here are nuts. I’ve been bitten by at least one hundred tsetse flies and swarmed by gnats. There’s virtually no way to escape.
Today (this morning) we foraged with the Hadzabe. We dug for roots with sharpened sticks, picked and ate berries, harvested and ate honey, learned how to start a fire with sticks, then roasted and ate the roots. This morning, I woke up on the top of a giant boulder heap as the sun was just beginning to rise in the direction I was facing. It was literally the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. I pulled the drawstring tight on my sleeping bag and sat in my cocoon for half an hour as the sun came up behind an acacia tree. Great plains of baobab trees stretch as far as the eye can see.
Some fascinating things about the Hadzabe: the government comes and takes their children to put them in schools. They live in groups of three to five families and move when there’s no more food in the area. From the readings, we know there is no system of governance or power structures. They just respect older people more. If someone tries to take a position of authority, they are discouraged by the rest of the group. Their social organization is very fluid because one family just decides to move and others (whoever feels like it) join them. It’s unbelievable that they’ve been living this way for hundreds of thousands of years. They buy/trade for tobacco, tools, and metals. This creates a partnership between themselves and the pastoralists who have been forced to share the lands.
I saw some interesting “nature” things today. There’s a type of acacia tree that has little red nut-type things on it. Inside the nuts are a bunch of little ants. When the nut is disturbed, the ants swarm out on the trespasser. This keeps giraffes and other animals from eating the acacia.
The Hadzabe live in a symbiotic relationship with a honey bird that eats bees. Unfortunately, the bird can’t get into the hive by itself. So when it finds a beehive, it cries out and the Hadzabe follow the sound of the bird. When they arrive, they open the beehive and let the bird eat the bees. Then they eat the honey and some of the eggs, leaving just enough for the hive to regenerate so they don’t deplete the resources. I love how these people don’t try to separate themselves from other creatures, but rely on them and co-exist naturally with them.”
9/19----1:44 p.m.
“This morning, we split into five groups and went hunting with the Hadza security guys from our camp. Our dude killed a guinea fowl in the first twenty minutes, which was the only kill of the day for all the groups. We tracked animals for four hours and saw dik-dik (mini deer), kudu, guinea fowl, impala, and bush babies. After he shot the guinea fowl, our hunter beat its head against a rock to kill it then strapped it to his waist by its head with a strip off a nearby branch. It was strange to realize that the bow, arrows, and axe he carried were very possibly his only possessions. It is too ridiculously hot up on this rock to write more now, so I have to stop.”
So, a brief reflection on events I didn’t mention here...
The Hadzabe use poisoned arrows for bigger game. To test the poison, they cut their legs and let the blood run down a few inches. When they touch the poison to the blood, it turns black and starts heading back into the wound. If they don’t wipe it off quick enough, they die. Pretty intense, huh?
Everywhere we went in Tanzania, we rode in huge lorry trucks that were open air. It was really cool for seeing everything, but also exposed us to the infestation of tsetse flies. After the last journal entry above, we climbed a huge baobab tree using sharpened sticks as footholds on the way up. We also made arrows and shot them with the Hadzabe.
The activities on the trip were incredible, but I also learned a TON. The government is attempting to change the way the Hadzabe live by encroaching on their lands and encouraging agriculture. This has caused an interesting change in culture and the beginnings of a transition to "modernism." This raises all sorts of fascinating questions and issues that I simply can’t write about here because of the magnitude and complexity of the problems. I think the best way for me to portray these things is by answering questions, so bring it on!
An apology
So, I realize it’s been about a month since I updated my blog. So much has happened that I just get overwhelmed when considering the prospect of writing intelligently about it...so I’m just going to write unintelligently about it. I think the best way to get caught up is to copy straight from the journals I’ve been writing and maybe add a few things as I go. To make things more organized, I’ll do several separate posts and see what happens. Here we go...
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