Welcome back, it’s been some time since my last post. The MSU-GPA group has been busy as ever. Up until Friday, between our exams and studies Chris and I’ve attended a Tanzanian wedding. More recently we’ve recently arrived in the ever busy, developing  city of Dar es Salaam and have spent the a day checking out 13^th century  ruins on the coast, touring the city, and relaxing poolside  enjoying the view of the Indian ocean.

Sadly to say I have no photos of the wedding. However many of the ceremonies and customs were similar to those back home. It was this experience that allured me to the true meaning of “African Time” the infamous term two of my friends from Nigeria introduced me to years earlier, but I never understood exactly what they meant until last Saturday when Chris and I went to celebrate Holy Matrimony Tanzanian style!

We were invited to a family friend of Chris’s who informed me and him that he arranged us to be picked up around two to arrive at the ceremony which would start around 3p.m. We met our escort  for the wedding around 2:30 and arrived on scene roughly 3:00 p.m.  as planned. The set up was in the midst of the Village Chris’s Family friend grew up in. The wedding took place in a structure which included cinder block walls with window squares and a large tarp covering the area over head. The structure was packed an hour after we arrived and the ceremony didn’t begin for another forty-five minutes after that. Though uncomfortably squeezed in our seats Chris and I tried to decipher the preacher and Co.’s words with little to no avail. We sat for the next hour making out the few verbs we knew and listening to the brass band playing outside the church.

Once the ceremony finally began; first thing first the bride and groom signed the marriage papers then afterwards approached the alter. Despite the past three weeks of exposure to Swahili this next stage of the wedding was not understood by me or my friend. After an another hour or so of deciphering  the same 20 verbs, the bride and groom said their I do’s and the entire church met in the courtyard to greet, congratulate and give gifts to the newly-weds. I was pretty disappointed leaving the wedding. I was happy to experience it but expecting a bit more to the eye. It was earlier this day our host mother explained to us: “the Tanzanian receptions ARE the wedding”. Despite this I would not understand until we finally arrived.

After photographs with the newly-wed’s family and friends at a nearby hotel around 7:00 we left for the reception. Arriving by 8:00 with each step I understood the meaning behind Mama Mganga’s words. The reception took place in a beautifully decorated large tent with smaller adjacent tents containing small refreshments. Unfortunately for me and Chris African time was in play here too; we enjoyed the small snack still looking forward to dinner and awaited the arrival of the bride and groom. Quite some time later they arrived and the reception was the jump off everyone had told us it was going to be. The reception was initiated by the arrival of the bride and groom; announced by an M.C who also introduced the Newly-weds family. Dancing immediately followed which included anyone willing. I pulled my friend up and we learned the Tanzanian version of the Hustle.

Multiple customs and traditions followed the beginning of the reception such as the cutting of the ceremonial slaughtered goats (and Cake.) The reception truly was the wedding.

                Our next excursion took us to a family of the Chaga Tribe. We left campus and after a short and bumpy trip to the base area of Mt. Kilimanjaro we arrived on Chaga land. We were then introduced to two chaga farmers who would serve as our guides as we toured a few valleys and waterfalls. After meeting our guides we departed for a close by river to see our first waterfall. Our guides escorted us to the bottom of the small valley to a river that flowed from Kilimanjaro to a small but scenic waterfall   Check it out:

Afterwards we ascended the valley following a small path to a narrow ledge which led us to a waist high cave the Chaga themselves carved out which I understood to be possibly centuries ago. In this small cave our guide gave a brief presentation on the history of the Chaga people in Swahili. I wasn’t able to make out as much as I would’ve liked to, But Here is what I made out:

About  200 years ago at the base of mount Kilimanjaro the Maasai came to take the cattle of the Chaga. The Maasai traditionally believe all cattle was given to them by God and is rightfully theirs; that all people were given a role in life and theirs was to heard and protect cattle. Hence the cattle raids, and so the Chaga dug caves to protect their women, children and animals while men and young men fought the Maasai. Though we know that the Chaga did dig these caves we have yet to figure out how; with what tools they did so.



Mwalimu(teacher) Bwana Kisanji

 We sat in the small cave, cramped, occasionally adjusting ourselves until the presentation came to a close. As we finished climbing the remainder of the small valley we looked towards our next destination: lunch.

 Our ride took us even closer to the base of Kilimanjaro to a Chaga farm where we would eat lunch, learn how to process coffee, harvest honey and bananas, as well as taste the naturally grown coffee of the Chaga. The farm seemed small but the beautiful household combined with the use of huts made from mud, thatch, and dried banana leaves for the roof represented a combination of tradition and new age, a combination that would be present throughout our exposure to the Chaga.

After we finished we were brought around the back of the farm where we harvested ripe coffee beans we’d later pour into a grinder to separate the shell from the actual bean. After the beans were separated and dried they are ready to be roasted. The guides took us to the back of the farm to a hut where the roasting takes place. On an open fire a thick seemingly cast iron bowl was held over open fire. The Ivory colored beans were then poured in roasted, and stirred until they turned the dark savory color we’re all familiar with. We then crushed the beans and they were ready for our cups. It was after the course of about three cups of fresh brewed coffee the group was…blitzed to start the harvest of the banana trees.

To our dismay (and probably to the safety of the farm at this point) we were not given machetes and only watched as our guides showed us all how it’s done. After harvesting the bananas the remainder of the tree was fed to the cows. Here's a pics from that:

During the final section of our visit with the Chaga we were to travel down a much larger valley to a scenic river and small water fall. After ten minutes of walking a path that took us through steep declines and lush vegetation, and after three Disney songs we arrived at the base of the valley to rest and enjoy the sights, as I hope you will:

After our ascension back to the farm we were allowed to purchase coffee which I will be smuggling back to the U.S ($15 a brick-natural and high quality stuff you couldn’t get from Starbucks) we prepared for departure and returned to campus about 7p.m. for dinner and “Kazi nyumbani”…Homework.

Jk btw…I’m keeping the coffee.

Harvesting honey from stingerless bees

Bakin' Beans



dried beans