Random Thoughts (in no particular order)

Trip to a Market:

This past Wednesday, all of the CCS volunteers had a field trip. We visited a number of different sites. It was all very touristy, though interesting. The highlight for me was visiting the Kisombo Market, an open air market. It was amazing. The place had the feel of a Jackson Pollock painting come to life. The smells, the sounds, the colors were like nothing I have ever seen. The market was divided up into rickety wood stands. Everything was sold there: baskets and baskets of different types of beans, fruits, vegetables, brilliant fabrics, shoes, fish. At the back of the market, they were grinding corn into corn flower, which will be used to make Ugali, a staple of the Tanzanian diet (a stiff porridge like substance that takes on the flavor of whatever sauce with which it is served). The women were all wearing brilliantly colorful wraps and head coverings. Some were traditional tops, while some wore American t-shirts (eg. I saw one woman wearing a shirt Daring Me to Stay Off Drugs and another was wearing a Cleveland Indians Jersey). The place was just a kaleidoscope of color and activity.

Existential Considerations:

My mom, when she was deep in her studies for her masters in marriage and family therapy, related to us that there is a theory that says that human beings are generally preoccupied with one of four areas of concern: fear of death, fear of being alone, free choice and the meaning of life (the existential). Clearly, for me, I have always been preoccupied with the existential. I remember that even as a kid, I was always thinking about the existential crap shoot that is life—I was a very cheerful child. Lest you think that I was overly morbid, upon hearing that humans only use a small percent of their brains, I was also obsessed with obtaining super powers through the use of the rest of my brain. It’s a wonder I was not more popular. Nonetheless, it is impossible to not consider existential matters living here in Tanzania. The wealth disparity, the education disparity, the lack of real opportunity for change are inescapable. In contrast, I look at my children and see that they’re only limited by their own imaginations. It’s impossible to not think about the unfairness of the world.

However, on the other hand, there’s an openness and gentleness to the Tanzanian people that seems to belie their circumstances. Starting with our safari, we were struck by the friendliness of the Tanzanian people. They greet us with genuine warmth and openness. As you drive by, people wave to you—yelling out Mzunga. When we walk by, kids grab our hands, adults shake our hands. Can you imagine that in LA or NY? As Melissa said, they seem to live in desperate poverty, but not in desperation. While there is nothing noble about poverty, it is clear that poverty is a relative concept—resulting from a comparison of the haves with the have-nots. Here the vast majority are have-nots, thus rendering the comparison less obvious than it is in, say, Los Angeles or New York. Does the lack of material things, the lack of materialism generally, explain their openness? Maybe without the compulsion to compete or amass property that is endemic in the West, humans have a greater capacity for warmth and contentment. I don’t know, but I hope that when we return to our “real” lives, we can retain some of that openness. However, that said, conspicuous consumption can be fun.

Mzunga Pricing:

We were warned that when purchasing things there would be two prices, one for Tanzanians and one for Mzungas. We were told that we should endeavor to the get the local prices. Indeed, getting local pricing seems to be a proxy for how well you’re assimilating into Tanzanian society. It recently occurred to me that this was a ridiculous way of thinking about this. As a matter of fairness, shouldn’t those with more, pay more? My good friend, Kirk, is a tax law professor at UCLA law school and we frequently discuss tax issues (much to our wives’ dismay and boredom). There is a theoretical approach to taxation, known as an endowment tax, which posits that people should pay taxes based not on their incomes, but rather on their native abilities to earn. Clearly, with all due deference to Kirk, this is an example of an academic theory with virtually no application in real life. However, in thinking about this Mzunga pricing issue, it occurred to me that this was kind of an endowment tax. As a reasonably well-educated American from an affluent background, my earning capacity is great, therefore, maybe I should pay more. Separate and apart from arcane tax theory, there is the reality that you find yourself getting into an intense negotiation and then, when you take a moment, you realize that you’re negotiating over the equivalent of $1.23. What’s the point?

Matumaini Orphanage:

In one of my prior posts, I talked about this orphanage. From time to time, I will walk there with my kids and other volunteers. As the pictures from the prior blog show, the orphanage is in dire straits. It too looks like a crack house. The kids are dressed in tattered and filthy clothes. One or more of the kids often has some injury or open cut. Some of the kids may have AIDS and many are HIV positive. The kids are responsible for walking a 1/4 to 1/2 mile to collect water and are responsible for doing their own laundry, all of which they do with a smile on their beautiful faces. Yet, for reasons that are not clear to me, visiting there is simply uplifting. Seeing the joy on the kids’ faces when we arrive, playing soccer with them, watching my daughters play hand games with the kids, watching the kids run into Maya’s and Emma’s arms, feeling them grab my hands—it is simply inexplicably moving and inspiring.

Coke Is It, Really

One of the first things that we noticed upon arriving in Africa was that every store front sign is essentially split screen with one side advertising Coca Cola and the other side stating the name of the store. These signs are ubiquitous. In one five minute interval, Emma counted 40. You even see these signs used for such non-commercial enterprises as hospitals and even some churches. My speculation is that Coke gives away the signs for free for the sake of spreading its brand. Odd and slightly disturbing.




Julius Nyerere (known as the “Teacher”):

He was the first president of Tanzania. I have only learned a bit about him, but he seems to have been an extraordinary man. If you consider Tanzania’s neighbors, such as Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, you can’t help but wonder how Tanzania became this oasis of peace. This is particularly extraordinary when you consider that Tanzania is made up of over 120 tribes and is relatively evenly split between Christians and Muslims, both recipes for internal strife, if not outright civil war. It seems that everyone agrees that Nyerere is to be credited with this stunning achievement. I have not yet been given a completely persuasive answer as to what Nyerere did, but here are a few factors:

1. He managed to effectuate a reasonably peaceful transition from British control to independence.
2. Based on the African values of community and family, and influenced both by Marx and the Chinese, he advocated communalism, which placed the vast majority of Tanzanians on reasonably equal footing with one another.
3. He adopted Swahili as the national language, which was a unifying force among the 120 tribes.
4. He made sure to appoint ministers from the various tribes in his government to communicate that no tribe was being preferred over another.
5. A couple of years after independence, he managed the delicate combination of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, resulting in the country of Tanzania. Among the many challenges was that Zanzibar was almost completely Muslim, while Tanganyika was primarily Christian.

Clearly, this is just the tip of the iceberg and I want to learn more about this amazing figure, who is really universally revered in Tanzania.