Tanzanias are an exotic lot. There
are about 125 ethnic groups mostly of African descent. There are also those
from Arab, Asian and European descent. There is one Albino in approximately every 1,400 births in Tanzania - the largest proportion in all of
Africa. There was a gallery on the ‘ghost people’ of Tanzania at the National
Museum in Dar. Some albinos have been victims of
violence in recent years. This intolerance towards those different from us saddens
me.
The name Tanzania derives from the
two states that unified to create the country: Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
Tanzania is apparently one of the
poorest countries in the world although you’ll be hard-pressed to see beggars
or panhandlers or homeless people. Well, I didn’t come across any in Dar or
Stone Town. China is one of its three largest trading partners.
When I was trying to catch some kip
at the airport the night I had to camp there, I overhead some Nigerians (from
what I gathered from their conversation) that they find the country very
peaceful. However, they did note that the education level in the country is
still lacking.
Malawi projects itself as the Warm Heart
of Africa. And I did find some of its people way too friendly. Too friendly
that the men can approach a foreign girl and just shake hands (sorry, it’s not
in my culture). Too friendly that they can spot from a distance a foreign girl
sitting alone has some gold jewellery on her and decide to approach her to sell
things.
From what little I saw, I surmised
that Malawi is poorer than Tanzania. It is what Malaysia used to be 50 years
ago. Most people are poor. Everyone walks everywhere. The more fortunate ones
have bicycles. You do see brand new cars in Lilongwe though. My guesthouse
owner told me his sister and one brother left to find work in South Africa
because the job prospects in Malawi are low.
Malawi is very green. It is very much
agriculture-reliant. The soil must be very fertile because it’s green
everywhere. The main crop is maize. There were heavy rains and floods last year
which destroyed the crop.
I read that fuel is expensive in
Malawi (well, I don’t know about now what with the plummeting global oil
prices). Malawi has very good roads though, even in the countryside. It’s a
good thing there aren’t many vehicles on the road to spoil the roads. There are
many police check-points all over the country, just like in Lebanon.
I don’t know if Malawians aren’t
familiar with foreigners because they sure look and stare at you like you’re a
freak. Most speak good English so you can presume they have high contact with
foreigners or learned it in school.
People in both countries have very strong B.O. It
must be due to the relentless heat (I was starting to smell like an African
too). But then again, the Middle East is also blessed with strong sunshine and
high temperatures but they don’t smell as bad.
Here are some pictures of the trip (you may have
seen some of them before):
Darajani Market, Stone Town, Zanzibar
The Old Dispensary, buildings and an alley in Stone Town, Zanzibar
Fishing activity, Stone Town, Zanzibar
The Palace Museum, Stone Town, Zanzibar
The House of Wonders and The Old Fort, Stone Town, Zanzibar
The doors of Stone Town, Zanzibar
Cats of Stone Town, Zanzibar
Cats of Stone Town, Zanzibar
More cats of Stone Town. Zanzibar
Dar Es Salaam
Monkey Bar, Mangochi, Malawi
Cape Maclear, Magochi, Malawi
Malawi
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