Af-riikka

What is this country I came back to last Monday? I expected idyllic winter scenery with glittering snow and fresh air - instead I got weary looking people, black ground and darkness everywhere. It didn't take very long for me to start missing the colours, smells, sounds and people of Tanzania (or Benin too, still). Somehow the lowest point was reached when I was on a train from Helsinki to Varkaus, feeling a bit sick in a fast Pendolino train which was wobbling strangely and listening to a shaven 18-year-old boy in his army suit, talking on his cell phone about cruise boats, drinking and general Christmas stuff with a very strong Eastern Finnish accent. I started to feel very anxious and wanted to get away, quickly - it was just too much Finland for me. Today it was better already. I made one portion of gingerbread ('pipari') dough for tomorrow and went for this Winter Solstice thing that they organise at the old channel in Varkaus. Loads of candles, cool ice sculptures, pr...

According to the original plan at this moment I would already be in Finland – but as explained in the previous post, my homecoming got delayed by one day. So right now I am at the Grand Regency hotel in Doha , Qatar , watching Arabic and Western music videos from a huge widescreen TV in my air-conditioned, fairly elegant room. Apparently being late for your flight and getting a new one which has an overnight transit instead of a night flight was a good thing after all! I arrived from Dar to Doha after 9pm, asked around at the airport, was first being told that I should just sleep in the quiet rooms at the airport, but after checking them and stating that they are full I gave another try at the transit desk, and yes! Qatar Airways offers this night, which at the moment is like the best gift ever, although it also feels very surreal being in this five-star hotel after staying in all those crappy, cheap guesthouses in Tanzania . Room here would ordinarily cost 1400 QR, which is about ...

Right now I should be sitting on board of Qatar Airways flight, going to Doha and on to Vienna & Helsinki. But I am not - instead I am at a shopping mall 'Slipway' in Dar es Salaam, trying to spend another extra night here in Tanzania. What happened? I got to the airport - a bit late, I have to admit, but last days are always so busy everywhere. But I was there 1h20min before the flight time in my ticket. It didn't help though, since the actual flight time was about 1h5min before the time (16h35) mentioned in my ticket. So there I was, tired, with two heavy bags, trying to find someone to help me - all the Qatar Airways employees were finalizing the flight that I could not be on. Finally after pleading the security guards and various other airport employees, I got hold of one QA employee who managed to get me a flight for tomorrow. So, on Monday evening I will finally be in Finland, if everything goes well (inshallah!). What I learned? Always, always reconfirm your flig...

yes, YMCA in Dar es Salaam! I really do enjoy staying here, I already stayed three nights during my first week in Tanzania, and now I am back again since last Wednesday. I personally think that YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Mission) is a lot better than YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Mission) in Dar es Salaam, although all the guidebooks tell me the opposite. It is cheaper, there is more light and air going through the building, rooms are bigger and nicer, the staff is friendlier and the café/shop better equipped. The two hostels are situated almost opposite each other, near the main post office in the centre of Dar es Salaam. ‘Posta’ is also one of the main daladala (the public transport minibuses) stands, so I don’t have to walk too much if I want to get out of the centre – in the very city centre I can just walk. Most of the oh-so-grumpy staff in the beginning have started smiling, greeting me cheerfully ( “Rafiki! Mambo vipi?” ) and even trying to pronounce my name (I think I heard so...

Lushoto, a lovely small town in the Usambara mountains, a few hours from Arusha and at least 7 hours from Dar is Salaam is really the place for getting away from all the hustle and bustle of the coastal towns. Crisp mountain air, brisk walking in the rain forest and eating organic food at a farm - something completely different after strolling on the narrow streets of Zanzibar Town, munching greasy chapattis and samosas all day. Yesterday I really felt like being in Finland again when I was having lunch at Irente Farm, a few kilometres from Lushoto. The table was filled with rye bread (yes! real rye bread...didn't believe I would find that in Tanzania, in the middle of the mountains!), "the tastiest cheese in Tanzania", delicious jam, fresh vegetables and juice. Soon it also started to rain a bit, it got chilly and I had to add a sweater on top of my T-shirt. I felt happy :) Don't get me wrong, I really like the hot climate too, but after sweating for so many months...

Apologies for not updating for some time. My last weeks and days in Zanzibar were frankly just too hectic: trying to photocopy, write down, interview and otherwise absorb as much information as possible. On the research process and exhilirating interview experiences I will write something later in Finnish - let's just say that it involved dirty jokes and phrases such as "Patria o muerte, venceremos!" ... Thus I left Z'bar on Wednesday, with my new, heavy bag full of books and papers. I left most of my stuff at a friend's place in Dar so that exploring Tanzania would be a little less painful. Unfortunately I only have one week for my little tour, because I have to be (well, I don't HAVE TO be, but I kind of want to...) back in Dar for the Finnish independence day on the 6th of December, since all Finnish ex-pats are invited for the reception at the ambassador's residence. After leaving Z'bar I stayed one night in Dar and continued then to Bagamoyo again...

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...