UNBOWED: In Praise of African Women

Kilema girls' Vocational school graduation party

“What people see as fearlessness is really persistence. Because I am focussed on the solution, I don’t see danger. Because I don’t see danger, I don’t allow my mind to imagine what might happen to me, which is my definition of fear. If you don’t foresee the danger and see only the solution, then you can defy anyone and appear strong and fearless.”

“If we really carry the burden, we are driven to action. We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk!”

Wangari Maaathai, “Unbowed: A Memoir”

To see photos of the Tanzanian women and colleagues who are “Unbowed” click here or go to: http://picasaweb.google.ca/crrfraser/Unbowed

Apologies to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai for appropriating her book title for the theme of this blog post, but the grace and power of both that word and concept are resonating with me after having raced through her inspiring autobiography this week. “Unbowed” is for me the amazing, often female, African life force which surrounds me: I have the good luck to gaze into its dark brown eyes many times each day here in Kilema.

I was only able to read “Unbowed” in Kilema due to the diligence and devotion of another inspiring woman: my amazing mother, Judy, who carried this book at my request halfway around the world (assisted by the largesse of the Vancouver Island regional library in loaning a copy to her for the duration of her visit!).

Anyone even remotely interested in Africa must read “Unbowed”, particularly for its inspiring testimony to the enduring power and wisdom of African women in their determined struggles for better lives. There can be no doubt that the 2004 Peace Prize was given both to a woman and movement – Maathai’s Green Belt Movement (www.greenbeltmovement.org) -- of indispensable importance to the future of both Africa and the entire world. The only real question is why did it take so long for Wangari Maathai to get the prize? (Yes, female readers, that is a rhetorical question!)

Unbowed and life-sustaining is what I see in the women all around me each day at Kilema hospital. Whether here as workers or care providers on the hospital grounds or as family members caring for loved ones admitted to hospital, there seems to be no challenge which they are unwilling to face in their steady and humble yet quietly proud manner.

This is nowhere more evident than in the HIV Centre, where women continue to make up roughly two thirds of our clientele as well as motivating their children, brothers and husbands to attend with them. I am proud of these women and their care providers at the centre for the many successes they are achieving, remaining unbowed when many would fold and crumple, while HIV / AIDS continues to claim far too many of their family and community members.

The past six months at the Kilema Hospital HIV Centre has seen great progress, with 170 new patients registered for care and over 130 patients starting life sustaining antiretroviral (ART) therapy. Due to the excellent efforts of the Tanzanian staff I am partnered with and their strong linkages to community-based care workers, many are now starting their therapy before becoming unwell and admitted to hospital, avoiding the heavy toll HIV and ukimwi inevitably take when left unchecked.

“Unbowed we were born and that is how we plan to remain.”, the shining brown eyes tell me each day.

“Mambo vipi , dada (Right on, sister)”, I smile back.

Time with the Maasai: Lachlan, Eva and Sasha Report

To view photos of our visit to the Maasai village of Monduli, click here
or go to: http://picasaweb.google.ca/crrfraser/Maasai

Lachlan’s report:

On the 28^th of February, I went to a Maasai boma. My guide’s name was Jonathan and our cook was named Alfred. The children had a lot of flies on their faces, in their eyes and up their noses.

I dressed up as a Maasai, we went to get water and we saw elephant tracks. When I dressed up as a Maasai I put one cloth on one shoulder and another cloth on the other shoulder. My brother played soccer with his ball.

We ate soup, avocado with a vegetable salad and beef. We slept in a big tent with sleeping bags.

Eva’s report:

On Feb the twenty eighth and ninth we were at a Maasai Boma (village)! The driver and Abbas (our friend) came to pick us up at Kilema , then we went to Moshi to get our cook and then we left for Monduli. Monduli is a big collection of bomas. Once we got there, all the Maasai gathered in front of us and started to speak with us.

All the little Maasai children had many flies on them and my dad said it was because they are in the smoke a lot and that makes them get runny noses which the flies love.

After they spoke with us for awhile, the Maasai showed us their houses and the pens where they keep their cattle. Mom was mostly talking with a girl, probably fourteen, who had very good English. There were two really old grandmas who were opening bean pods, then taking the beans out and putting them into a bowl. They had many pods left so we all helped, even the three year old!

We brought out the soccer ball when we first arrived and Sasha was playing the whole time with many Maasai boys, who were not herding their bomas’ cattle the way they should have been. Lockie and I went to play and when we came back Mom was already dressed in thick blue fabric tied into a dress and a mostly white big necklace. My mom wanted me to get dressed as a Maasai so a Maasai mama took me into her house and tied me in a red cloth as well as a purple and red checkered cloth. She also taught me a dance that the women do with a five or six inch necklace.

I don’t think the dance had a name but what you do is bounce up and down with your feet on the ground and when you come up you make your shoulders come up too, which makes the necklace come up, hit your chin then come back down again. Later on we went to a hill and my favourite thing I saw were the cows on the other hills that looked like they were going to slide right off!

Later that evening the leader of the boma told us about Maasai natural medicines. Then they danced for us and built a bonfire and jumped over it. There was a cute little boy who looked about six months old and he ran away from his mom to join the dance. He was really funny!!

The next morning when we were in the small crater, a few little girls came. They loved my hair and they gave Sasha about fifty high fives! We were all set so we started our three hour drive to Moshi.

Sasha’s report:

Recently my family and I went to a Maasai village near Arusha. When we arrived there we were in a crater. It was about two kilometers across, with a watering hole at the far left hand side.

When there, we did a lot of interesting activities. On the first day we got to know the Maasai and I dressed up as a Maasai. I learned that they wear two blankets tied in a knot at a top corner. Then they wrap the two blankets around themselves. When I dressed up, I was wearing blue-purple cloth but usually they wear red- orange pattern.

On the second day, Eva and my mom went to get water and firewood. Lachlan, dad and I went to herd cattle and goats. Later that morning we met a Maasai called Jackson. He had an old golf club and he and my dad hit golf balls. Imagine that, a Maasai owning a golf club!

When we returned to the boma, I played soccer with the Maasai children and luckily my team won 9-8. As I returned home, all the kids started coming out to say hello. When I looked at them, they were coughing and flies were swarming them. I think the flies were swarming them because their noses were running from all the smoke they breathe in their homes. My other guess is that their houses were made out of dry cow dung (poo) and the flies would like the dung.

In the afternoon, I played soccer again with the children and I decided to give them my soccer ball, so I gave it to the village leader to share with everybody. Then I jumped into our jeep to head back to Moshi.

I think that my time with the Maasai was a great experience because I got to see how they really live.