Zanzibar

For those of you who are unaware, I am now on holiday in Zanzibar. I flew from Arusha to Stone Town but my flight was delayed so I arrived very late. Had just enough time to buy some tandoori chicken from a sort of street vendor type set up (delicious) and head organize a ride to Paje, the area I am in now. The 8 am shuttle departure meant yet another early morning for me but based on me waking up inexplicably at 6 am every morning for the past month or so, I guess it didn't really matter.

I'm staying in a little beach hut of sorts quite near the water...unless the tide is out that is - in this area - the South East coast of Zanzibar, the tide goes WAY out. This is one reason it is slightly less touristy than the north. I had a day of wandering around, drinking coffee, getting badly sunburned and trying to get my dives organized. They too involve 6 am wake-up calls so I guess it's early to bed, early to rise for me. I had a rather tasty coconut milk and octopus veggie rice stir fry type thing for lunch. Tonight I have placed an order for tuna...I'm a little skeptical because of my experience in Mozambique where every night the catch of the day was Barracuda but it always seemed like a different fish. Oh well.

Tomorrow I'm not too sure what I'll do. Perhaps inquire after one of the overpriced tours you can do. After all, when discussing how Zanzibar would be much more expensive than Karatu, a colleague of mine from Tanzania (who I spent 2 weeks living with) said 'yes, it will but Alison, please make sure you have fun.' Wise wo

Filming

I arrived in Karatu on the 8th of December after a drive through Serengeti and Ngorogoro National Parks. We saw a lion, 3 lionesses and a myriad of other animals - elephants, giraffes, zebras and so on. I feel like I already wrote about this but I can't remember.

I'm here in Karatu, where we have another office in Tanzania - we being CPAR. Anyway, I'm here to visit projects but also to facilitate or get in the way of filming. CPAR has decided to use some public engagement funds to film farmers in Tanzania to highlight the achievements, impact, results of our 5 year food security program funded by DFATD - the agency formerly known as CIDA.

We have been spending our days meeting with farmers at their homes, on their land and asking them to share their stories, on film. It's an interesting process but what's more, it's a real honour and privilege to meet with people in this way. Usually when you travel somewhere, you're lucky to catch a glimpse of 'real' life but through this work, I can interact first hand (okay 2nd hand through translation) with a variety of people and hear stories of their lives. I think often about what I would do if someone knocked on my door and asked me to go on film and share my story. It's not quite the same because CPAR staff have been working alongside Tanzanian farmers for nearly 5 years and been in the community for longer but you know what I mean (maybe).

I tried to add 5 photos...luckily for you, the only one that loaded is the photo of me. Oy! Here I am hanging out on a hilltop (also the farmer we were filming's farm) while the shoot is going on.

The impact is great and real, and I hope these small films capture that. I won't say too much more about it...gotta generate some hype for the big event that will launch these films but so far, it's been an experience. Here are some photos to keep you reading.

Village Eats

A lot of the food I have been eating is prepared in restaurants (with menus and some choice) and other sort of what I would hesitate to call restaurants but don't want to just call food houses (with no menu but a few options - variations on a theme of rice, maize based product, beef or beef). However, from time to time, I am fortunate to be invited to eat with some of the project participants with whom we have spent the morning, afternoon or day.

In Uganda, my field visit was arranged in such a way that a large meal was prepared for us all - all CPAR staff, as well as all farmers who gathered to share their stories. I am trying to remember all of the food that was prepared - millet bread (kind of sour, not my fave), some beef stew, some cooked greens - both in groundnut sauce (peanut sauce) - delicious, and not in groundnut sauce (also good), rice and black beans, sweet potato and possible more. Oh yeah some sort of weird gravy and something something or other - kind of bitter and oily. Wasn't a fan. BUT the beans and rice, I don't know how but beans are so good here - and by here I mean Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania - anywhere I've had beans and rice. Oh I also tried some fortified porridge made from millet flour, soya bean flour, a little sugar, an egg, cassava flour (maybe, I forget) - that is intended to boost the nutrition status of well everyone but especially kids and pregnant women. All in all the meal was good.

In Malawi, we were invited by one of the open defecation free villages we visited to stay for lunch. We had to go to another field visit first but upon our return we were welcomed with a meal of nsima (coked maize meal - called ugali in Uganda and Tanzania, papa in Lesotho and so on), boiled eggs in tomato and a cooked leafy green - of the Swiss chard variety perhaps. A simple yet delicious and satisfying meal.

In Tanzania, I was invited to the home of 2 of my colleagues for a delicious dinner. We were given a number of chickens by a farming groups so they insisted I come and enjoy one of them. We had chicken, pilaf (in this case rice with ginger, garlic, cinnamon and who knows what else delicious),  spaghetti, avocado, cooked greens. Yeah, it was all fantastic. These meals are almost always the best, even if often a little short on vegetables.

I have many more food tales to tell but will post this for now while I have the chance. I've been having a lot of boiled eggs, ugali, bananas (fried or regular) and well, not nearly enough vegetables of late.

Generosity

On my field visits and meetings with the people CPAR works with, I have experienced a great deal of kindness and generosity. In Jarso Ethiopia, a group of farmers working in a beekeeping collective gave me not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 jars of their honey. This, you understand, is their livelihood. The group sells honey to residents of their village (if they can afford it), in town or to a cooperative who can access more customers. They gave me 4 jars. Since the group can’t yet produce enough honey to meet local demand, they were definitely giving away money in the bank so to speak. I tried to offer to pay but I’m pretty sure you all know, you can’t pay for a gift. I was touched, moved and felt very unworthy.

In Guba, (electricity-free rural Ethiopia) we were checking out a bamboo tree nursery sight run by the church. It was a holy day (every day is a holy day in Ethiopia), in this case, the Trinity if I recall correctly, so there was a group of parishioners gathered sharing a meal. They called over to us to join…not wanting to but knowing I had no choice, we accepted. They served my colleagues and I (there were only 3 of us) a full plate of injera and cooked goat…or sheep. As well we were offered cups full of local home brew made from sorghum and also a shot of homemade vodka. (I declined both beverages knowing full well 1 would have made me sick because of the water used and the other would have knocked me over – I did have a nip of the vodka at my colleague’s insistence and it was surprisingly good). But I digress. The portion they gave us was what at least 10 men were sharing (the men and women were sitting separately so I couldn’t be sure what the women had). Aklilu, one of my colleagues said, ‘You have to eat, even if you don’t like it.’ Feeling overwhelmed be the gesture (and admittedly by the smell of the meat) I replied honestly, ‘It’s not about not liking, it’s about not needing.” We had just come from our breakfast where we were all satisfied. We had a few mouthfuls and insisted on sharing the rest.

Many of the women and children who we met with - the men were sitting off to the right

This past Friday, on our field visit in Lilongwe District, Malawi, I was completely overwhelmed. We were meeting with a group of farmers but many more people turned up. I’d say there were about 40 women and men and 30 or so small children looking on. At the end of our visit, during which farmers explained some of their challenges, we (me, my colleagues, the group village headmen, the government extension worker) were served cold fanta and coke, and packages of biscuits. The group had just explained that they could not afford certain small materials – plastic tube and small pieces of metal – to complete their improved storage facility. I took the package of biscuits and tried to open it but my hands were shaking uncontrollably and I was fighting back tears. I leaned to my colleague Steven and asked, ‘Can I share these? We don’t need them, I don’t want to offend but…” I was relieved when he said, “yes, you can share.” My hands were still shaking, there wasn’t enough for everyone – I broke the biscuits in half and handed them out to the kids. Others gave me their biscuits to share too when I ran out.

I don’t want to be one of those foreigners who goes around giving people stuff. In fact I’m not. I refuse cold heartedly to give to beggars, to give to children who ask for candy and so on but I could not sit there with 70+ people watching, and eat biscuits. I don’t know who purchased the gift but this time it was too much. I drank the Fanta and we went on our way. Joseph, the Program Manager told me, “You did a good thing.” But I honestly don’t think I could have done anything else.

Nyama Choma

That, I think, is what the 'street meat' in Uganda is called. The skewered meat is anyway. It is apparently goat although I had a guy offer me beef and then offer our driver the same skewer as goat so I really can't say.

On the drive from Kampala to Lira, about 5-6 hours, we passed many a town where roadside vendors tried to sell us nyama choma (meat on a stick), roasted maize (corn on the cob), roasted cassava or cool drinks. We stopped at a couple places to buy bananas and pineapples but for a while it looked as though my travelling companions were not interested in this street meat.

Then we stopped. There was a slight flurry of activity as street vendors approached the car offering nyama choma, cassava, soda and water. I hesitated and then relented and said yes to 1 skewer and 1 cassava tuber. Boy am I ever glad I did. It was delicious. If it was goat, it was great goat. Cassava is so good, although so so so dry. You have to eat it with a liquid or you'll choke. Paul, the driver, said, "We only ever stop here for food." Knowing the answer more or less, but wanting to be sure, I asked, "Why?" "Because it's the best," he replied. Obviously.

While in Uganda, I also took advantage of the high level of availability of fish sourced from Lake Victoria. There's a problem with tilapia and Nile perch taking over everything in the lake but at this time, that was not my concern. I had the 'whole fish' twice at the hotel in Lira switching up the side from rice one night, to chapati the other. The first night in Lira, Uganda, I went for the club sandwich. I confirmed that it involved chicken - my error was not confirming what would stand in for the bacon or lettuce - the neon pink vienna 'sausage' as it turns out - a rather unappealing meat product of questionable origins I had previously encountered at breakfast and in South Africa - and a fried egg. The fish was outstanding by comparison. It was definitely delicious. I think I did a reasonable job de-boning it and not eating the eyeballs too.

You Are What You Eat

I'm not sure I've ever really understood that adage and frankly, it better not be true. Right now, I'd be carrots and cider. Okay, I guess that's not so bad.

I'm here in Malawi and now that I've sorted out my currency challenges (I was unknowingly sold expired Kwacha by our finance guy in the Toronto office who had them left over from a previous trip) I am able to purchase some food. As a treat, I bought myself a yogourt and a bag of carrots from trusty Shoprite - a South African grocery chain that brings me joy just to enter. It's where I shopped in SA and of course, in Lesotho. Anyway, they also sell booze so I am enjoying my all time favourite cider that no cider I have ever tasted elsewhere can even touch, Savanna Dry. Longtime blog readers probably know too much about my love of Savanna Dry.

What may be more interesting to you, is to know what else I've been eating. Definitely not carrots and definitely not yogourt. As you know, my trip started off with a bang when I got sick in Ethiopia - a very common occurrence among anyone not from there. It could have been any number of things - my first meal in country was tibs and injera - beef cubes cooked, served with the traditional flat bread of Ethiopia. Tasty but my stomach is not built to work through that much meat. For breakfast at the hotel in Addis Ababa I had fried eggs and white toast. I suspect I ALWAYS complain about the amount of refined, white flour based products I consume when in Africa - this trip is no different.

Once I was in the field, the breakfasts got less breakfast like for me anyway. I think I had spaghetti the day I got sick - that day was kind of a blur...getting sick was a blessing in disguise because it meant I could readily opt out of tibs (which can be goat or sheep too and both of those are not good in Ethiopia - not for me anyway). I had a lot of bread with peanut butter (an absolute luxury item my colleagues gave up for me) and some eggs. I learned quickly to ask for the eggs with no butter and please, go easy on the oil. I tell you, people here use too much oil. Full stop.

Once I was feeling slightly better, I could take on shiro. Yes shiro! My favourite Ethiopian dish to have in the field. Not all shiro is created equally (the stuff in Toronto for example, really sucks if I compare). The shiro in Guba - our most remote area of operation - is the best! You can get two types, shiro or shiro tegabino (spelling improvised). Tegabino is a thicker shiro, way less goopy, almost a paste but it is so good. I like it best with raw garlic and raw green chili peppers (served on injera of course). I am consistently mocked for ordering shiro at every meal - 'just go for tibs this time Alison'...'no thanks, shiro please'. This trip involved more eggs, which I quickly got sick of. Oh shiro is made of ground chickpeas so it's nutritious and delicious. I did have a chance in 1 town we stopped in to have yogourt but I didn't risk it - pretty sure it was made locally...like around the corner. My colleagues ate it gladly, adding berbere, a common spicy spice, to it, even though it was breakfast time.

Because this entry could go on and on, I think I'll break up my food entries by country. I would like to note that it is odd to describe and complain about food when you're travelling around checking in on food security programming for people who are often lucky to have enough food at all. So I often feel like a bit of a jerk and I also don't always get a real idea of the every day for people because my everyday usually involves 3 meals (and when I know it might only involve 2, I usually overeat on the first to push on).

Best Shirt I've Seen...

and the award goes to...

"Ringette! The fastest game on ice."
True story. Saw that one as worn by a young teenage boy walking around Lira town. It said something like 'I support London ringette' on the back. I also saw 2 Toronto Maple Leafs shirts. Obviously I was more excited by the ringette one.

There are a lot of clothes sold her by the roadside that I suspect can be traced back to certain clothing donation centres. We give away, throw away, donate, get rid of, a lot of clothes that are in perfectly fine condition. Enterprising folks have made a business out of reselling such clothes here in Uganda, and other countries I'm sure too. I read an article about it once, I think my sister sent it to me.

I'm not going to comment on it other than to say I smiled a big smile when I read the ringette shirt. And no, I did not stop the person wearing it to ask for a photo. Sorry.

Oh Yeah, That Whole LRA Thing Is Real

CPAR Uganda has three offices in northern Uganda – one in Lira, where I am, one in Loro and one in Pader. Although you cannot tell to look at it, the region has suffered from conflict based slightly further north. Despite these three locations not being directly involved in conflict with the now infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, the impacts of such a conflict are real.

Lira is situated some 100 kms south of Gulu. Some of you may have heard of Gulu either for their Gulu Walks - where children would walk from their homes to the centre of town to sleep at night and then back again in the morning to carry on with their lives in an attempt to avoid capture or worse. Or perhaps you’ve heard of Gulu from the mass hysteria created by a now long forgotten American NGO a few years back. Or perhaps you have not heard of Gulu, have not heard of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and are unfamiliar with the instability that previously plagued this region. To be honest, I don’t know a ton about it anymore either. I followed the conflict many years ago when it was at its height but as it has long died down (recent headlines claim Kony wants to surrender) my knowledge of the situation is limited.

The point however, is that I was brought face to face with the reality of this conflict on a walk around town Sunday afternoon. I went out to buy water and sample some street food. I bought a chapatti, rolled and fried on a hot cast iron round pan at the side of the road. Greasy but delicious. I carried on to buy water and a Stoney’s Ginger Beer at a ‘supermarket’ where the sales person threw in a pack of gum for free after I’d said I didn’t need to buy any gum. I guess he thought I needed it anyway (the kindness of strangers might make it into its own blog post).  While walking back to the hotel, I ran into the Farmers First project officer, Boniface.

Boniface acted as my guide, translator and answerer of my hundreds of questions on Saturday when I conducted my field monitoring visits. He is a friendly young man with a degree in agriculture. He said he is happy working for CPAR Uganda as he gets to be in the field with farmers working on agriculture rather than sitting at a desk (hmmm maybe we have something in common). I was happy to see a familiar face strolling down the street in a town I have only known for 2 days. I accompanied him on a short errand and then he walked me back to my hotel. On the way, forgetting myself a little, I asked him some questions to get to know him better. I was asking him if he ever took the bicycles that are found everywhere, available as a taxi of sorts, carrying passengers on a padded rack on the back (ladies are to ride side saddle). He said he had his own bike that he can ride. Joking, I asked if he used it to shuttle people around on the weekends to make extra money. He said that mostly the 3 kids he looks after use it to get to and from school. 3 kids! “Are they your kids,” I asked as Boniface looks quite young, too young to have 3 kids. Well no, they are orphans. They were my brothers but he, well he and his wife were killed in the war.

Oh right, the war. Boniface took care of these children when he was still in school himself. Things have gotten easier for him and the 3 children ranging in age from about 9-14 (estimation based on their grades). Boniface is hoping things will get easier still as another family member is graduating from teachers college soon and will hopefully be able to help out at home. Boniface pays the school fees for these 3 (education is supposed to be free but books, uniforms and any number of additional costs associated with school – food contribution, sports days, chalk, supplies – all add up) and looks after them in general. The pain, although subtle, was visible on Boniface’s face as he spoke.

There were no shortage of photos of Boniface to choose from as he stood faithfully by my side throughout the day to ensure I understood what was going on.

These conversations and accidental idiotic moves on my part serve as gentle reminders of the greater reality and contexts in which people are living and CPAR is working. These stories do not make it into my reports to donors, nor do they generally make it to my office mates, and even not to my friends or family (unless you read this blog J). Yet they do leave their mark and I am grateful for the times my questions or comments are met with honest answers that remind me of where I am and offer a glimpse into the real lives of those around me. [this also serves as a reminder of how the media, social media, our short-term memories and irresponsible groups – see unnamed NGO above – can cheapen an event/war/disaster that has genuine and lasting negative impact on the lives of many.]

You can read more about the current state of affairs and a little background on the LRA here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25027616

Quick First Impressions

Well I have arrived safely in Kampala, Uganda, after an hour or so plus delay leaving Addis. Other than the delay and showing up at the wrong terminal to check in (the driver assumed I'd be flying 'international' and I assumed flying out of Ethiopia counted as international as well - Africa, after all, is not 1 country). It wasn't a big deal as I was early and again in the end, the flight was late. As in Canada and many other parts of the world, everything at the airport is ridiculously overpriced. I had some Ethiopian Birr left so I enjoyed a last macchiato before my flight.

Anyway, I arrived in Entebbe, a city about 32km from Kampala and was greeted by a young driver, dressed in a smart hugo boss suit. The stature of Ugandans, compared to the generally smaller Ethiopians, is what I noticed first. Then I noticed all the police by the side of the road, wearing white uniforms so easy to see. Then I noticed them pulling us over - for speeding it turns out (they claimed to have clocked the speed with a radar gun I never saw, but it's possible - note, I have since seen a radar gun). It turns out, it took a bribe to get out of the situation - no ticket was ever issued despite us being right next to the police station. I wasn't sure what the protocol was in this situation. I did not pay the bribe, I stayed in the car. I had only about $2 worth of Ugandan Shillings on me anyway. The young driver had to get a money transfer via SMS to pay them off. I have since learned this is both common and uncommon. The bribe is significantly cheaper than ticket but the Country Manger here swears she would never pay a bribe and insist on an official ticket. Hard to know what approach to take.

There are lots of businesses here that are the same brand as in South Africa - MTN mobile network, Spur restaurant, Stoney's Ginger Beer, Standard Bank. There is also a lot more upbeat music and dancing than in Ethiopia. Uganda reminds me a great deal of Ghana actually - the trees bearing tropical fruit, the dirty/dusty roads, the heat, the landscape. I saw a family of baboons again but still not fast enough with the camera. The land in Uganda is quite fertile and there is a mixture of prosperity and poverty that is quite evident - especially in Kampala, the capital city.

Oy, I called this quick first impressions. Okay there you go. The BEST part about Uganda (a country whose anti-gay movement/laws are up there with Russia's - both are on my 'boycott' list of sorts) is the presence of Nissan 1400s - the make of mine and Tara's beloved Notorious BIG Le Roux.

Notorious look-a-like

Lira Town

Mandatory Dancing

A very very very warm welcome

Farming group in a field of early stage sunflower - grown as a cash crop for oil

Sorry I couldn't reorganize the photos. Also, the reporter that came along on the field visit took my camera to take photos for me...so I'm in A LOT of them. This will not be good for CPAR fundraising but I guess is good for my memory.

If Ethiopia Knows, Everyone Knows

Thanks to BBC if not to other news outlets, yes, people in Ethiopia know about Toronto's mayoral challenges. It was one of the first questions I was asked about by my colleagues. I said that people were wondering if word had made it this far and mostly hoping that the news had not travelled this far afield. However, as my colleauge Aklilu said 'If Ethiopia knows, everyone knows.' I guess I'll see if it's on the minds of people in Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania as well. Pretty embarrassing and a disgrace even. At least it proves their are idiotic people in power everywhere.