Tanzania has a multi-ethnic and multi-racial population that practices
\n a wide variety of traditions and customs. In Mikindani, the influence
\n of Shirazi Arabs from Persia and traders from the Indian subcontinent
\n combined with the movement and mixture of different ethnic African groups
\n have complemented each other to form a rich cultural heritage. This is
\n something that is not always evident as people go about their daily tasks
\n with invidious alacrity, but on joyous or sorrowful occasions such as
\n weddings and funerals one realises how deep and fascinating the culture
\n here actually is.<\/p>\n
One of the most significant differences to European culture is how the
\n concept of extended families and kinship works to benefit the people of
\n Mikindani. It is common to find people living with and depending upon
\n distant relations (“this is my brother’s wife’s uncle
\n etc.), and kin ties through ones parents or by marriage appear to define
\n one's rights, obligations, and opportunities. For example, educated
\n members of the extended family are frequently held responsible for the
\n education and welfare of younger siblings. This concept is a source of
\n strength for the people of Mikindani, and provides a sense of belonging
\n and togetherness that is lacking in our own society.<\/p>\n
It is often the case that, in the face of a limited presence of science
\n and technology, an individual person in Africa cannot achieve much without
\n enlisting the support and efforts of others. In most aspects of Mikindani
\n life, the role of men and women is vastly different. There is a clear
\n and ingrained streak of gender inequality, which has dampened the potential,
\n but definitely not the spirits, of the younger women here. Despite this,
\n women remain by far the more jovial and animated members of the community,
\n going about things with a grace, good humour, vigour and vitality that
\n says much about the way in which they share their tasks.<\/p>\n
At home, the women work so smoothly and quietly that when you are around,
\n you sometimes wonder how water had arrived, the fire was started, or how
\n the food materialised. Regardless of religion, it is rare to see men and
\n women walking together, and almost non-existent to see a couple holding
\n hands or making displays of affection.<\/p>\n
Walking around the dusty back streets of Mikindani, it is possible to
\n see groups of old men playing bao, women plaiting each others hair and
\n younger girls skipping with a piece of twine. It is, however, the talking,
\n shouting and singing that catches my attention. A typical Swahili conversation
\n begins with multiple greetings followed by general banter; often these
\n discourses are held purely for enjoyment rather than purpose. Here, talk,
\n as pure entertainment is the equivalent of the Western vices of television
\n and games consoles.<\/p>\n
In Swahili society, much of the knowledge is shared and passed down to
\n descendants encoded in stories, poetry and songs. This is the literature,
\n art, law and science of Mikindani; the libraries and museums are in peoples’
\n heads. The Swahili language has proven to be a unifying factor in Tanzania,
\n uniting more than one hundred different ethnic groups and forging a common
\n identity. There is, however, a second language spoken in Mikindani –
\n the tribal dialect of Kimakonde. The Makonde people represent one of the
\n five largest ethnic groups in Tanzania, with a population of around one
\n million. The tribe originated in Northern Mozambique, from where people
\n migrated to the higher lands of the Makonde plateau (120km inland from
\n Mikindani).<\/p>\n
Many people in Mikindani still use Makonde, and the Makonde culture remains
\n an enormous influence upon the traditions, customs and lifestyles of much
\n of the local population. It is, however, their excellent woodcarvings
\n for which the Makonde are internationally renowned. The skill is passed
\n through the generations from father to son and some carvings provide an
\n insight into the culture of the artists. Inland, many Makonde still practice
\n their traditional religion even though they have been in contact with
\n Muslim traders for hundreds of years. Their religion centres around the
\n veneration of their ancestors, which ties in with the family tree carvings
\n that depict the older generation on the bottom symbolically supporting
\n later generations.<\/p>\n
Today, the culture of Mikindani is changing faster than ever. Western
\n influences upon such things as fashion and music are increasingly obvious.
\n In particular, many young men are frustrated, it seems, with the limitations
\n of their grandparents’ culture. The poverty trap and the phenomenon
\n of Americanisation have hit each other head on. Younger children whose
\n parents can barely even afford to buy them a pair of flip-flops draw global
\n brands such as the Nike tick on the walls and doors of houses. Despite
\n this, there is still a strong bond between the people and their cultural
\n heritage; hopefully, as living standards improve and development takes
\n place, that will always remain the same<\/p>\n
The UK charity Trade Aid was founded in 1996 by a group of people headed
\n by Brian Currie, a Salisbury businessman. The aim of the charity it to
\n create sustainable employment in a village called Mikindani, a deprived
\n and desperately poor part of Tanzania. The first phase of the project
\n is complete – the renovation of a badly decayed but very beautiful
\n German fort, situated on the side of a hill and overlooking the spectacular
\n Mikindani Lagoon. The Boma, as it is called is now open as a 6 bedroom,
\n country-house hotel. All the staff are Tanzanian nationals and most are
\n local people from Mikindani and Mtwara, the local town. All of the rooms
\n have been lovingly decorated and fitted out by local craftsmen. It’s
\n an easy flight down to the south of Tanzania from Dar es Salaam, and the
\n Beetle can vouch for the hospitality and effort that has gone into creating
\n and running the Boma.<\/p>\n