A Slight Delay

Well, as you can tell by this post, I did not go to Mwanza and Tarime this morning.  Although the plan was originally to be on the 5:30 am bus and head out of the city today, due to a delay in the delivery of our marketing products (t-shirts, posters and brochures) we will not be leaving until tomorrow (or maybe Wednesday as there has already been some talk of more delays).  I finally appreciate a little better what I bring to the table for this NGO.  My legal skills are being put to good use, but it is my marketing skills (which I didn’t even know I had) that are really being tested.  On Friday, when the man from the printers showed up with samples of his work, it became apparent quite quickly that there was no design yet for the t-shirts or the posters and even the brochure which I had designed in its entirety was not finished since no one had bothered to mention that in translating it some things were simply left out because of an inability to find a Kiswahili translation and so there were big blank sections here and there that needed to be filled.  So I kicked it into high gear and managed to design a t-shirt, a poster and fix the brochure all while the poor printing guy waited.  We had to use pictures of our staff in the brochure and in the poster.  That made for a nice little humoristic interlude to an otherwise quite frenzied day (skipped lunch to keep working).  Apparently no one but Emmanuel knows how to use Microsoft Publisher and he is in South Africa at a human rights training seminar so I offered and was immediately taken up on that offer to be the creator of the marketing tools that we intend to use in our campaign.  I just hope that they appeal to people.  I’m excited and a little nervous to see the final product.  They should be delivered today, however, as Enok explained to me, there is European time and there is Tanzanian time.  Guess which one is usually later? J

The good news is that since I haven’t left yet, I am able to update you on my weekend, which, as usual, was spectacular.  As I indicated on Thursday, the plan was to go to Bagamoyo on Saturday.  Bagamoyo is not quite how I imagined it.  It is a very sleepy town which comes across rather deserted.  There aren’t a lot of people around but the ones we did come across seemed friendly enough.  The guidebooks talk of risk of muggings but there really is no sense of that while you’re there.  Another guidebook actually says that this claim was made based on one occurrence over 10 years ago and that there hasn’t been any confirmation of problems since but that it is better to be safe than sorry.  Although it is indeed better to be safe than sorry, we did not get a guide as it is a small town and very walkable and it did not appear that the guides would add to our experience.  We had no problems at all and as I said, people were friendly and there were children everywhere that would come over and say hello.  It’s actually the complete opposite of what was described and did not come across as dangerous at all (except for having to dodge the mopeds and motorcycles that drive recklessly around town).

Some of the children we met that asked us
take their picture, then when we showed
it to them, they were very fightened by it

rows and rows of palm trees surround the Mission grounds

We started at the Holy Ghost Mission which was the first Catholic Mission in East Africa.  It houses the oldest Catholic Church in East Africa.  Although the mission was originally built to help former slave children, it is also a memorial to David Livingston.  The mission grounds now also houses a museum that depicts the history of Bagamoyo, including the history of slavery, German colonialism and German influence in general and the history of the Mission itself and the effect of the Mission on helping end the slave trade.  Leading up to the Mission you pass under a long row of mango trees that shade you from the afternoon sun and make for a delightful walk towards town.  The streets are very narrow (hence the motorcycles) and it is much easier to walk than to drive around.  It’s worth repeating how deserted it feels in Bagamoyo.  Again, you are only about an hour outside the city, yet you feel as if you are worlds away.  Partly because there were no tourists but also because, quite depressingly really, many of the old colonial buildings have fallen into disrepair leaving the impression of it being an abandoned ghost town. 

Apron worn by Ngaribas (circumcisers)

Olaf reading an old East African Newspaper
in German

Even the market, which we had hoped might be a little more lively was exceptionally quiet and uneventful.  Granted, we got to the fish market rather late and they had probably already started packing up for the day, but even the Old Market that houses some of the local artists was quiet as can be (I think we were the only ones there to have a look).  It was nice though because we got to meet one of the artists who explained a lot about his mediums of choice and how he put his work together.  He was extremely well-spoken and much to our surprise had actually studied Art in Germany for a short while.  It is quite impressive how many Tanzanians leave Tanzania for their studies but ultimately return to their homeland. 

The artist with his work

All in all, Bagamoyo is definitely worth the day trip (although it took us almost 2 hours to get back- good ol’ Dar traffic) and was a welcome break from the city.  I would highly recommend it for it’s historical value as well as for its shear beauty.  Although quiet and deserted, the history flows through it and envelops you while you are there.  There are supposedly also some beautiful beaches although we did not end up going since we ran out of time.  Beach access is mostly available through the resorts and the resort we were going to use to gain access was, to put it likely, in bad shape (it looked like a tornado had hit it) and so we changed our plans and spent more time in the town itself which turns out to have been the better choice anyhow.

On Sunday we had a wonderful bruch/lunch at the Kempinski Hotel.  A definite must if you have something to celebrate (or just the urge to live gluttonously for a day).  The brunch is a three hour event (it would be wrong to call it anything less) and is truly magnificent with a buffet that puts all other buffets to shame.  Along with the free-flowing sparkling wine they had breakfast food, lunch dishes, salads, fish (including huuuuuge crab-legs and divine octopus), meat, chicken, fruits and anything else your heart could desire.  Most notably (for me at least) was the dessert selection which included yummy banana bread, chocolate rice crispy treats, cotton candy, tiramisu, apple crumble, marshmallows and a chocolate fountain.  Does it get any better?  I think not.  Having denied myself breakfast and certain cookies in preparation, I was in rare form and may have actually eaten my weight in delicious goodies.  Do not get me wrong, the irony of having such a feast in such a poor country is absolutely not lost on me and I have wondered what they do with the left-over food as there was plenty.  This is certainly not something to make a habit of but given my extreme penchant for food, something like this definitely helps me get re-centered and re-focused on the task at hand.  Thinking that I might not eat properly (at least not on the approximately 40 hours total I will be spending on buses) for the next week, this certainly increased my motivation to chow-down. 

After that, I hate to admit it, but I went in to a total food coma only to be aroused from it to continue the fun at Q Bar to watch the Liverpool v. Chelsea football match with my football buddies.  Shout-out to Sule and Gershom J  We had a great time since Liverpool won which is good because Sule and Gershom are both Man U fans and beating Chelsea is inherently good for Man U’s standing.  Interestingly, Q Bar is known for the availability of company for money.  Although I didn’t see many women of the night, as we were leaving (at the end of the match) it was becoming a little more conspicuous that the female population of the bar had grown.  I might be alone here but I find it slightly hilarious that the hooker bar in town is called Q Bar. J 

In keeping my hopes up that we are leaving for Mwanza and Tarime tomorrow, do not expect another update until next week.  Wish me luck…again J