Local Experiences in East Africa
These Maasai didn’t dance, they wobbled and jumped – so the kids did too!
Interesting fact learned from this week’s Cool Saturday Maasai guests: A lion will not kill a woman or child. In fact Benedict shared the story of when a lion protected his brother who was lost in the bush for over two weeks. During the day the lion would sit at a distance from the boy; in the night it would move closer, chasing away any animals threaten him. (read more to learn more interesting facts).
Read MoreIf you can get a job with a monthly salary, you can do whatever you want all day.
I heard a saying early on, “If you can get a job with a monthly salary, you can do whatever you want all day.”
Read MoreHe’s Only Four Years Old and Washing!
Tanzanian children learn early on to help in the home.
Read MoreAn Elder Gets the Head, Naturally!
In Maasai culture meat consumption is the norm, and the best part, the head, is saved for an elder.
Read MoreIf you can’t afford tea, just burn the sugar!
Drinking tea is a normal part of the current Tanzania tradition.
Watu wa Mtwara [People of Mtwara]
Read MoreA Seattle Seahawks fan, in Mtwara, Tanzania?
Last week one of our carvers arrived at the ADEA office donning a baseball cap with the logo of my hometown football team, the Seattle Seahawks. It was great to see a fellow fan… or was he?
Read MoreWhy can’t you wait your turn?
Soon after I arrived in Mtwara I went to buy bread. I waited patiently for the man in front of me to finish his business, and then I stepped forward to make my order. Just then…
Read MoreThere are bees in the honey
One of the great pleasures of living in a less developed corner of the world is the connection and relationship to nature. I sense this when I discover that there are bees in my honey.
Read MoreI’ll Buy All Your Bananas If You Can Find Mexico
In the hall in font of my office hangs a brightly colored world map. I often refer to it, to help my team understand where I come from or where I am going, or when I dream about cooler places when I become weary of the heat or dust. A normal part of my day is a visit from the banana seller.
Read MoreThe Place Where Buses Come To Die
I moved to Mtwara, Tanzania in 2003 to co-found the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization or non-profit) ADEA (the center for African Development through Economics and the Arts). ADEA is located in Mtwara in the southeastern corner of the country on the Indian Ocean coast with the Mozambique boarder just to the south. Back then, Mtwara was known as the Wild West of Tanzania,
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