Af-riikka

Football in Pemba. , originally uploaded by rockriikka . Urheilulajeista suurin ja kaunein myös Sansibarilla on - tietenkin – jalkapallo. Suosiosta kertovat jotakin jo lajille annetut moninaiset nimet swahiliksi: löytyy englannista väännetty soka , kirjaimellinen käännös mpira wa miguu (jalkapallo), sekä kabumbu , gozi tai kandimu (jotain hyotya noista mun swahilin tunneistakin!). Otsikon futarilla on täällä tosin ihan toinen merkitys kuin suomen kielessä, sillä se tarkoittaa (kuten epäilemättä myös arabiaksi) ramadan-paaston rikkovaa ruokaa auringonlaskun jälkeen. Tämän reilun puolentoista kuukauden aikana, mitä olen Stone Townissa asunut, olen koettanut enemmän tai vähemmän aktiivisesti saada käsiini naisten jalkapallojoukkuetta. Olen kuitenkin useista lähteistä kuullut, että täällä on sellainen – omin silmin en vain ole vielä kyseistä ilmiötä nähnyt. Viime viikolla olin jo niin kovin lähellä, kun astelin Mnazi Mmojan (tarkoittaa suomeksi yhtä kookospalmua) jalkapallokentille. Minul...

Behind a fence at the Paradise Beach Resort , originally uploaded by rockriikka . I’ve been reading quite a lot of Edward Said ’s (1935-2003) texts lately. He is/was a brilliant writer, I have to say. Said was the one who raised the issue of representation of other cultures and criticised the present (then year 1978) academic scholarship, implementing the power theories of Frantz Fanon, Gramsci or Michel Foucault. Although Orientalism is The Book he is known for, he has written so much more – I especially enjoyed browsing and reading “Reflections on Exile and Other Essays” (2002), anthology of some of his writings. Said’s essays covered topics such as “Representing the Colonized”, “History, Literature and Geography”, an essay for honouring a famous Egyptian bellydancer – and lastly, one of my favourites: “Jungle Calling”, a praise of Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan on the movie screen compared to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ books. Quote: “Weissmuller’s African jungle was never filmed on location...

Meeting place of cultures Almost all the introductions to Zanzibar begin with a phrase: “Zanzibar has for centuries been at the crossroads of many cultures”. And yes, thanks to the monsoon wind blowing to and from favourable directions, flourishing trade did develop in Zanzibar and brought with it loads of immigrants, traders and seafarers from around the world. It is a mix made of all these influences and genes that construct Zanzibari people of today. Besides Zanzibaris, other Swahili-speaking peoples along the East African coast have also been multicultural by essence. The rich history can be seen in several cultural traits, such as language (Kiswahili has loan words from several languages: Bantu languages, Arabic, Portuguese, English, Hindi, Gujarati…), music (the most popular local music, taarab is a mixture of Arab, African and Indian influences) or food (Swahili food has a lot of Indian style spices, but they blend into a delicious mix of their own - I will have to do a posting...

No niin, festariraporttia kyseltiin jo. Vietin lopulta vajaat kolme päivää (ja yötä : )) Bagamoyon taidefestareilla. Tarjonta ulottui monipuolisesti perinteisestä ngomasta (tanssia, lyömäsoittimia, huiluja, laulua) teatteriin ja pantomiimiin. Joukossa oli myös reggaeta (Suomessakin viime kesänä kiertänyt Jhikoman asuu Bagamoyossa) ja hip hopia (mm. alimmaisessa kuvassa oleva Professor Jay, jonka biisin ”Hapo vipi hapo sawa” varmaan jokainen Tansaniassa viime aikoina oleillut on kuullut useaan kertaan). Tamanvuotisen teeman mukaisesti – ”ART AND CULTURE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION" (taide ja kulttuuri talouskasvun puolesta ja köyhyyden lievittamiseen) lauluissa oli poliittista väriä: pari artistia keskittyi kokonaan HIV/AIDS-sanomaan, kun taas joissakin saarnattiin korruptiota vastaan. Esitysten taso oli varsin ailahtelevaa, sillä mukana oli niin ammattilaisia kuin aloittelijoitakin, ja niin aikuisia, lapsia kuin kehitysvammaisiakin. Ihmisten reaktiot esityksiin ol...

Here is finally some photos of my lovely bui-bui. It has been getting hotter lately, so I haven't really felt like wearing an extra layer every day. But it is an interesting social experience to compare people's reactions when I'm wearing it and not wearing it. When not wearing it, I'm being treated as any white person: "Jambo jambo honey, how are you?". When I am wearing my bui-bui, I get comments such as "Umependeza sana" (=I like you very much - this I get also without a bui-bui, but the amount of comments increases from half a dozen of umependezas to maybe two dozen...), "Are you a Muslim?", "Congratulations!", and a lot of salaam aleikums ...plus many approving smiles and comments especially from women, something that doesn't really happen without wearing a bui-bui. Some closer details, with a perfume bottle I also got today - from a shopkeeper who also spoke a bit of Swedish, had been living in Malmo many years ago. My...

Tahaan valiin kuulumisia suomeksi, tosin ilman skandeja (koettakaa kestaa...). Ramadan loppui varsin riehakkaasti, ja juhlinta jatkui todellakin nelja paivaa. Sansibarin puoliautonominen asema tuli taas esille, kun Sansibarin presidentti Amani Abeid Karume (ensimmaisen, hyvin autoritaarisen presidentti Abeid Amani Karumen poika, kappas vain) julisti maanantain juhlapaivaksi ja siis yleiseksi vapaapaivaksi - mutta vain Sansibarilla. Vaikka manner-Tansaniassa vietetaankin seka kristittyjen etta muslimien juhlapyhia (molempia on suunnilleen yhta paljon), oli maanantai siella tavallinen tyopaiva. Ramadanin viimeinen viikko oli muutenkin hektista aikaa, kun ihmiset parveilivat iltamarkkinoilla etsimassa itselleen ja lapsilleen uutta, mahdollisimman kiiltavaa paallepantavaa juhlaa varten. Itsekin loysin lopulta paljettien seasta hameen, jota kehtaa ehka pitaa paalla Suomessakin. Lisaksi mukaan tarttui pari huivia, joista toinen vivahtaa vahvasti vaaleanpunaiseen (vaikka itse kutsuisin sita e...

I bought myself a bui-bui on Sunday, after a long search. I’ve been going to the market, looking for the perfect (but still affordable - the price ranges between 10 and 50 euros) bui-bui , and finally I found the one . It is really beautiful, I must say. Now, what they call bui-bui in Zanzibar, is not technically a bui-bui anymore. Bui-bui (meaning also ‘spider’ in Swahili) used to be one big black cloth wrapped around ones body and held with both hands – thus not very comfortable for moving around. Based on my observations, about 95 % of the women in Stone Town don’t wear this old-fashion bui-bui anymore, but the new, modern one, familiar for those who’ve been to Arab countries where it is known as abaya . It is either a long, black dress or a long, jacket-like cloth that you wear on top of your clothes. The one I got is an open one ( bui-bui wazi), with some cream-coloured embroideries and glitter – all in all very feminine, I would say. I didn’t really understand why they want...

This post will probably be more interesting for those who want to study or do research in Zanzibar - or those who just want to read about different bureaucratic procedures! So, (people seem to start their sentences here very often with a "so"), this week I have finally started activelly doing something for my Master's thesis. I started my Swahili lessons at Taasisi (The Institute for Swahili and Foreign Languages) - every morning from Monday to Friday, 8-12 am. I can tell you, four hours of Swahili is quite intense! But I can feel progress already, so I guess it's worth it. It's also not very cheap: 4 $ per hour, which adds up to 80 $ per week, and I'm intending to do a whole month in order to get a proper certificate and everything. Plus the obligatory residence permit, 100 $. I wonder what they are going to do with all those five (5) photos that were required for the permit? Good thing in getting the permit is that I don't have to worry about extending m...

Wow, October is already here, and as for the Muslim months, there is still some 9-10 days of Ramadan left. The Ministry of Tourism from the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government (it is the official name!) has distributed announcements of Ramadan and all the restrictions involved in it in hotels - I tried to attach a picture of the paper here, but unfortunately Blogger failed to import the photo...anyway, it is being reminded time and time again that especially during this month - the holiest month for the Muslims - it is advisable not to wear short skirts or sleeveless shirts, to smoke on the street or kiss on the street. I decided to dedicate this post, and some of the next ones as well, to dressing and all the connotations involved in it. Dress code I wouldn’t want to turn into a dressing police, but I can’t help my eyes attaching to some of these many, many tourists in Zanzibar: despite mentions in every single guide book, and probably in every single hotel, people just don’t care about...

Olen nyt viettänyt viikon Ungujalla, jota yleisesti Sansibariksi kutsutaan (vaikka virallisesti Sansibar sisältää sekä Ungujan, Pemban että lukuisia pienempiä saaria). Ensimmäisenä iltana olin sokaistunut ja jokseenkin lumoutunut Stone Townin hienoista liikkeistä, hotelleista ja ravintoloista – ja yleensä valoista, niitä ei Pemballa juurikaan ollut. Seuraavat pari päivää kuluivat käytännön järjestelyissä (asunto, tiedustelut kieli –ja tanssikursseista sekä tutkimusluvan hakeminen) ja tutustumisessa paikkoihin. Asun siis täällä Saksan kunniakonsulin talon vierashuoneessa (suomalais-saksalainen yhteistyö toimii jälleen, kiitos Anna-Riitan : )), seinän takana majoittuu lisäksi kaksi kansainvälisen koulun opettajatarta. Toinen heistä, amerikkalainen Ashley pyysi minut mukaan ”grillibileisiin jonkun tyypin luo, joka on töissä valtiovarainministeriössä – kaikki Sansibarin ex-patit on siellä!”. Pakkohan sinne oli siis mennä. Puitteet olivat kovin siirtomaahenkiset: valtava valkoinen talo (var...

On the Indian Ocean. Center of Chake Chake, dala-dala passing on the right. I have an advice for tourists wanting to travel to Pemba : don’t come here during the Ramadan, unless you’re not staying in a full-board accommodation in a beach resort. Or if you don’t mind either fasting through the day together with the Muslims (me, I just can’t survive a whole day without drinking), eat bread and jam in your hotel room or having lunch in fairly expensive places, if there are any open in the town you’re staying in. It is my fourth and last day in Chake Chake (and sixth day of the Ramadan), the main town of Pemba, which has been described as “the liveliest” of the three biggest towns on this smallish island, some 30 miles off the Tanzanian coast. I didn’t quite find it as such the first time we came here with the work camp group for shopping at the market, but now I can say that yes, it is somewhat lively compared to other towns (more like villages) of Pemba . Market, traffic (public mi...

After spending five days only in the biggest city of Tanzania I can't really make any justifiable comparisons between East and West Africa after two days. But there are things that I have just noticed by watching. I am actually quite surprised how much many things do remind me of West Africa. Of course the histories, cultures and languages are totally different, but still there are some things which can be categorized as so very essentially African. Let's start with similarities, then: God. He/She/Them is the most important thing for most people in Africa, it seems. Dar es Salaam is a nice mixture of religions, actually: mosques, churches and Hindu temples all over. But Jesus rules in visibility, at least: at one gas station all the workers had red shirts with a text: Jesus (heart / loves) me! I didn't know that Jesus sponsors oil business, too...and I'm sure car accidents can be prevented with the best bumper sticker I've seen so far: "This vehicle is protect...

A Tanzanian newspaper, The Guardian had a bizarre headline today: the Prime Minister suggested that "we must change and teach our children the Chinese language up to university level due to the fact that development has shifted to China". The article continued with promises "to provide the schools with electricity to enable students and teachers to improve their education performance". Don't you just love this bureaucratic language use? A lot has been written about the Chinese invasion in Africa recently. And now the development comes from there, if we listen to the Tanzanian Prime Minister! Actually, the phenomenon is not new at all. Though I was a bit surprised too to read in dusty Tanganyika Standard newspapers from 1964 (been working in the library of the Dar es Salaam university) that China, together with East Germany, were the only countries Zanzibar accepted to receive development aid from. Ideology was the main reason: Zanzibari Revolutionary Government ...

Bye-bye! , originally uploaded by rockriikka . Sorry that I haven't had time to write properly about the success of Young Africa project this year. As Finnish-speaking readers can see, I'm already off to Africa again, this time to Tanzania. Last few days were a bit hectic: moving stuff from my apartment, writing research plans for my Master's thesis, meeting people for good-byes and finally, trying to wrap up Young Africa 2007. We had some pretty intense 12 days there, in July/August - I'm sure Nthabi, Reason, Hamma and Collin can confirm that. Missing luggage, good shows, fun, fighting, sleepless nights, free champagne and many unforgettable encounters with people. I had a one-day-break in the middle of the tour, when I escaped to my friend's wedding (which was nice, thank you Saana!), but otherwise I was basicly on the run and stressing on minor issues too much. I know I should just take it easy, but it is difficult when one is trying to be perfect :) I...

Tosiaan, enpa ole tainnut mainita kirjoituksissani, etta olen taas lahdossa Afrikkaan, blogin nimen mukaisesti. Matka-aikatauluni on suunnilleen seuraava: ensin Tansanian epavirallisessa paakaupungissa, Darissa viikon verran: sitten Pemballa ensin kaksi viikkoa tyoleirilla ja kaksi viikkoa muuten vaan, sitten Ungujalle (jota Sansibariksi yleisesti kutsutaan) ainakin puoleksitoista kuukaudeksi. Marraskuun lopulla, jos olen saanut tarpeeksi aikaiseksi graduni suhteen, lahtisin viela lomailemaan Kenian puolelle (Mombasaan ja Lamulle) ennen paluuta Suomeen viikko ennen joulua. Tanaan saavuin 22 tunnin matkustuksen (Helsinki - Lontoo - Doha - Dar Es Salaam) Julius Nyerere -lentokentalle, jossa minua odotti perati kaksi vastaanottajaa. Toisen, Tansaniassa tyoleireja jarjestavan UVIKIUTAn edustajasta en edes tiennyt mitaan, mutta siella seisoi odottajien eturivissa mies nimilapun kanssa. Olin kuitenkin sopinut jo kyydista Tuulin kanssa, joten jouduin sopimaan tapaamisesta tyoleiri-ihmisen ka...

Osallistuin tänään Helsingin Juhlaviikkojen ohjelmaan muutoinkin kuin edustusvaimona avajaisiin kaupungintalolla: Ojos de Brujo Espanjasta esiintyi täydelle Huvilateltalle. Täytyy sanoa, että tunsin oloni todella kummalliseksi astuessani sisään portista: pitkästä aikaa tuli nuori olo, sillä minulla ei ollut korkokenkiä eikä pikkumekkoa päälläni, kuten useimmilla muilla vierailla tuntui olevan. Nimenomaan vierailla - vaikutti siltä, etteivät ihan kaikki välttämättä olleet ostaneet itse lippuaan. Tai jotenkin en ollut ainakaan odottanut Ojos de Brujon fanijoukon koostuvan keski-ikäisistä pukumiehistä viinilasi kädessä... No mutta, toivottavasti nekin, jotka eivät tienneet mitä tulevat katsomaan viihtyivät! Omalta kohdaltani keikka oli yksi kesän kohokohtia. Kun keikan alkamisesta kuulutettiin sanoin "Huvilateltan ohjelma jatkuu tuossa tuokiossa" ja ihmiset istuivat tyynesti penkeillään, olin vielä hieman skeptinen illan suhteen. Mutta yllätyin. En edes muista milloin olisin v...

It's time for a diary post this time. I'll save the recounts for Young Africa 2007 & Nthabi for another time, but meanwhile you can have a peak on what was going on from my photos. A big thank you for everyone who came to see Nthabi, Reason and DJ Hamma perform! But now I'm having a sort of a holiday. Though writing at the same time the final report of Young Africa for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, trying to collect my thoughts for the research plan of my Master's thesis and revising my Swahili ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/swahili/ is quite helpful, easy language for anyone who has read a bit of Swahili!). I arrived here, Eastern Finland on Saturday. We spent the evening at the summer cabin of my family, had a sauna, swam in the cold lake, experimented by grilling some rye bread with garlic on a pan (muurikka)... On Sunday I didn't do that much really, just started with the research plan and rented the movie " The Queen ", which was quite nice. On Mond...

In case someone has been wondering why I have been away, complaining that I'm tired or busy or have just had an empty look in my eyes lately - there's actually a reason for it. I've been organising and promoting the tour for a South African hip hop artist Nthabi during the last two months or so. The visit is part of a developmental project called Young Africa which is organised by the Cultural Association Etnokult, mainly known for the yearly Faces Etnofestival in Billnäs. Besides the concert fees, Young Africa is mainly funded by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The purpose of the project is basicly to update the image people have on Africa in general - it's not a mere "jungle or zoo", as Nthabi rhymes in her song "Home". More and more people actually live in cities, not everyone is inalphabet or walking around bare-breasted. Especially the youth in African cities are using the Internet, watching Popstars and listening to Ameri...

Palasin eilen Helsinkiin elämäni rankimmalta festarikokemukselta. Tanskan suurin sanomalehti Berlingske Tidene otsikoi juuri ennen Roskilde-festivaalin alkua ironisesti: "Mene Roskildeen - hanki ilmainen mutakylpy!"Kolmessa Kaisassa siideriä jäisillä mansikoilla siemaillessani ne masentavimmat epätoivon hetket puoleensääreen ulottuvasta mudasta, jatkuvasta sateesta ja märistä vaatteista alkoivat jo häipyä mielestä. Flickrin Roskilde-kuvista (itse en ottanut onneksi digikameraani mukaan, koska siinä ei välttämättä olisi enää mitään ruostumattomia osia) voi saada jonkinlaisen käsityksen olosuhteista. Vähintään kaksi kolmesta toteutui jokaisena festaripäivänä: a) sataa b) tuulee c) on kylmä. Villapaita ja nahkatakki olivat vakiovarusteitani, joiden kanssakin hytisin viluissani. Mutta hei - ei siellä pelkästään kamalaa ollut. Ruoka oli suhteellisen edullista, ja etenkin falafelit & valkosipulileivät hyviä. Yksi ravintolatoimipiste oli varsin ohjelmallinen: ihmisten poltelles...