So I just had a fabulously relaxing vacation in Lushoto. I did pretty much nothing for six days. It was the best thing I could have done for myself. Now I'm preparing myself to head out for India tomorrow morning. I have heard lots of things about it, good and bad. I'm kind of expecting it to be a little overwhelming. But also really exciting. Our classes in Tanzana have mostly been setting up the problems of globalization and development and I think India will be getting at more of the solutions to those problems. We'll be seeing a lot more grass-roots action and social movements plus lots of farms. I'm really excited about the farms because I'm doing my yearlong project on resistance to industrial agriculture and reclaiming traditional agricultural spaces. Lotsof research for me in India. Our country coordinator in India is very cool and a well connected anti-globalization activist (Smitu Kothari, look him up). Apparently he really likes to keep us in class for 12 hours a day though. We've been told to fight for our free time.
I just finished Ominivore's Dilemma. Excellent book everyone should read it. really. I'm about to start reading Deep Economy by Bill McKibbon. anyway. more updates in India
Love,
emma
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
blog # 3?
Can't believe I haven't written more. The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy. I've been on a dead run. Let's see...last time I wrote I was in Moshi. Since then we went to Arusha and from there we went on a little safari in Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park. Pretty sweet. I felt a little weird, well, a lot weird, viewing animals from a jeep. Actually it felt really wrong. We had lots of lectures about how the form of conservation used in Tanzania, "fortress conservation," is really just alltogether bad. Animals here, people there, and if the people come near the animals the people with the guns protecting the animals will shoot them, the people, that is. literally. lots of violence to protect what some white dude said was important to protect. and not to mention, most of the conservation areas were set up, not because someone was thinking about preserving global biodiversity, but because the pervasive colonial forces (known as "development") that still exist in Africa wanted to create well, "development" and a source of income (so they can be connected to the global market!! unsustainable, sorry) for the area through tourism. don't get me started on tourism. yeah yeah, i know, i'm a tourist, but it still sucks. i'm a part of the problem. tourists take up a lot of resources and local energy, ultimately detracting from the local economies that are the only solution for fighting the detrimental forces of globalization (commodification of culture, ecosystems, resources, the global "commons"). local local local. stay home folks. stay home. yeah so maybe i'm starting to sound like a preachy brainwashed anti-gloablization radical, but yeah. that's the point. if you want to know more, i'll post some of my papers that i'm writing for my classes. back to the update,
After safari we to Arusha again and then headed out to Masaailand. I can't explain everything, but i'll give the highlights: We stayed in a "Boma," a Masaai community. Masaai are pastoralists, which means they keep cows. lots of cows. and goats. but mostly cows. they migrate seasonally with the rains and depending on good grazing areas. they live in circular communities made up of small round huts with a fence around the perimeter to keep out wild animals. The cows stay in the middle of the circle at night and during they day the Masaai warriors take them out to graze. they also keep lots of goats and chickens. they eat milk and blood. maybe some ugali or porridge. but mostly milk and blood. it was very dirty in the boma. well not just dirty. the ground in the boma is made up of about a foot of powdered cow and goat shit. the walls of the huts are made out of shit as well. and the smoke. they keep a fire going all the time in the huts and there are no openings in the walls or the roof so it's incredibly smoky. i slept on a bed made out of cowhide and sticks. wasn't that bad. there was lots of dancing and singing at night, which was beautiful until we all realized that the dance that they were doing was so that the warriors (circumsized males) could pick which of the young, uncircumsized girls they wanted to sleep with that night. did i mention that they practice female circumcision? well, everyone is circumsized when they turn a certain age (usually about 12-15). and wife beating is an accepted practice. and the more wives the better. the boma we stayed in had about 30 huts, one for each wife, and there were three husbands. so, needless to say, it was a bit culturally challenging. when can you stop being culturally relative and make a value judgement? that was the question of the week. they were very open to answering our questions and talking about their culture. we had female translators from another boma in the area, which Fatma (our country coordinator) went to great lengths to find so that the women in the boma would be more willing to talk to us. despite all of the incredibly off-putting aspects of their culture I had a very good experience. i played with a lot of really sweet children and taught them songs and games and they taught me songs and games. children are universal, that's for sure. when it was time to leave after three days i was given lots of jewelry (Masaai are famous for their beaded jewelry) and a chicken. yes, a chicken. I named it herbert. herbie had to stay in Terrat (the village about 4 km from the boma) because i don't think Indian customs would really appreciate a live chicken.
After the boma we went back to Arusha for the craziest week of processing and wrapping up the Tanzania program. I had a million and a half papers due and went a little crazy. now i'm on vacation in the most beautiful place i've been so far. me and my friends michelle and moriah are in Lushoto in the Usambara mountains. it's very relaxing. we're staying in the Karibuni lodge tucked away in the woods. i have to end this entry now because i just met some kids from Earlham by chance in the internet cafe where i'm, writing from. SMALL WORLD!!
After safari we to Arusha again and then headed out to Masaailand. I can't explain everything, but i'll give the highlights: We stayed in a "Boma," a Masaai community. Masaai are pastoralists, which means they keep cows. lots of cows. and goats. but mostly cows. they migrate seasonally with the rains and depending on good grazing areas. they live in circular communities made up of small round huts with a fence around the perimeter to keep out wild animals. The cows stay in the middle of the circle at night and during they day the Masaai warriors take them out to graze. they also keep lots of goats and chickens. they eat milk and blood. maybe some ugali or porridge. but mostly milk and blood. it was very dirty in the boma. well not just dirty. the ground in the boma is made up of about a foot of powdered cow and goat shit. the walls of the huts are made out of shit as well. and the smoke. they keep a fire going all the time in the huts and there are no openings in the walls or the roof so it's incredibly smoky. i slept on a bed made out of cowhide and sticks. wasn't that bad. there was lots of dancing and singing at night, which was beautiful until we all realized that the dance that they were doing was so that the warriors (circumsized males) could pick which of the young, uncircumsized girls they wanted to sleep with that night. did i mention that they practice female circumcision? well, everyone is circumsized when they turn a certain age (usually about 12-15). and wife beating is an accepted practice. and the more wives the better. the boma we stayed in had about 30 huts, one for each wife, and there were three husbands. so, needless to say, it was a bit culturally challenging. when can you stop being culturally relative and make a value judgement? that was the question of the week. they were very open to answering our questions and talking about their culture. we had female translators from another boma in the area, which Fatma (our country coordinator) went to great lengths to find so that the women in the boma would be more willing to talk to us. despite all of the incredibly off-putting aspects of their culture I had a very good experience. i played with a lot of really sweet children and taught them songs and games and they taught me songs and games. children are universal, that's for sure. when it was time to leave after three days i was given lots of jewelry (Masaai are famous for their beaded jewelry) and a chicken. yes, a chicken. I named it herbert. herbie had to stay in Terrat (the village about 4 km from the boma) because i don't think Indian customs would really appreciate a live chicken.
After the boma we went back to Arusha for the craziest week of processing and wrapping up the Tanzania program. I had a million and a half papers due and went a little crazy. now i'm on vacation in the most beautiful place i've been so far. me and my friends michelle and moriah are in Lushoto in the Usambara mountains. it's very relaxing. we're staying in the Karibuni lodge tucked away in the woods. i have to end this entry now because i just met some kids from Earlham by chance in the internet cafe where i'm, writing from. SMALL WORLD!!
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