Ifakara, goodbye and thank you!

Tomorrow I will be leaving Ifakara and travel to Dar es Salaam. I hope to be back here in Ifakara in November.
I thank all the people who have made this fieldresearch phase a very productive one.

still a mystery: the expression "giving birth the European way"

For two years now i am vexed by the expression used by Sister Arnolda in the mid 1940s (in Ifakara 1927-1962) that women in Ifakara now said, they "wished to give birth the European way". I have been asking around whether people remember this or similar expressions that were in common use that time. There is as yet no conclusive answer, 'modern', 'mission'/'at the mission', 'new' all seem to fall into the same category, but there seems to have been no 'trademark' naming. If anybody has a suggestion, I would be very happy to hear it.

Interesting people: Dresser Mkope

This man, Fred Mkope (here on the picture with his first born daughter) has worked as a dresser and dispensary in-charge in mission and Church dispensaries for decades. Born and trained in Ifakara, in the early 1950s he has worked in Ruaha for three years and is still very much remembered by the old people in Ruaha.

Privat: Der Regen ist zurück in Ifakara

So siehts aus, wo ich sonst meine Emails verfasse. Grüsse an alle, die den Snakepit anders kennen!

popo?

or similar are these animals called. They are very unpopular with the people who live under the trees where these colonies settle about twice a year for some months. They are said to be coming from the Uzungwa mountains. Obviously I like the very much, but here the destroy the palmtrees (they break their leaves and the tree eventually dies), the eat all the nice fruits (especially embe) and the shit, literally on peoples heads (I witnessed personally, on my skin...), and are made responsible for diseases affecting the children in that place.

Back with Interviews in Ifakara

I am back for interviews in Ifakara. Today an old man and an old lady told us about the changes of circumcision techniques and a lot of other interesting things.

I am looking for people who can transcribe the interviews from spoken to written Kiswahili, in case you know of somebody?

Beweis, dass es nicht heiss ist

Back from Ruaha

My parachuting research trip to Ruaha has been highly interesting and has produced a good number of oral information, from health workers who have been working in Mission dispensaries in the 1960s and later, from users of these services and many more.
Thanks to Fr. Godfrey Haiduru and Fr. Abdu Mkope, Dr. Chitalula and all the people from Ruaha, Chirombola and Mwaya, which I have met.

Here, as pars pro toto, Mzee Halala and two of his wives (and Dr. Chitalula) and a shot from the walk towards Sali.

Genauere Erzählungen gibt es dann in der Schweiz.

On the way to Ruaha

I am about to leave for Ruaha and Mahenge for a week, there will be no updates nor any emails during that time.
Ab heute abend bin ich für eine Woche in Ruaha und Mahenge. Es wird in dieser Zeit keine updates geben und auch keine Antworten auf Emails.

als abschlussgrüssli aus ifakara, hier noch ein blick auf den berühmten swimmingpool. heute ist er ziemlich gelb, was nicht an mir liegt, denn ich war noch nie drin.

lots of greetings to you all, m

Interesting people: Faruz Hassan Njohole, and George Mwambeta

The man on the right of the picture is a son of the former chiefu Hassani Njohole, who had supported the medical work of the mission back in colonial times. Faruz Njohole had been posted as a sub-chief in Lupiro and was elected, after independence, to serve as a local administrator by the people in Lupiro.

The man to the left of Njohole is George Mwambeta, who moderated my meeting with Njohole. He has been working with the entomology unit at STIFL in former years and has done field researcher for many researchers here in the area, amongst them Jamie Monson. A thank you goes to Jamie, who has been linking me up with George.

Jagdspinnen

Eine solche hilft mir, die Ameisen von meinem Computer fern zu halten. Ich suche Partner für ein "start-up Unternehmen" zur Distribution von I-ANTS.

Chief Mbinji of Sali and Ruaha, early 1940s

from „Missionsbote der Schweizer Kapuziner, 1942, No. 1 p. 14 „Sultan Mbinji. Ruaha und Sali Gebiet“ [Sultan Mbinji. Ruaha and Sali area].

P.S. the History Department has just acquired a new ‚book scanner‘. Poor scaning like this will hopefully be a thing of the past...

Kiswahili

Kiswahili kurs für anfängerInnen

Wer das Tier auf dem Bild erkennt, kann auch seinen Namen richtig in Kiswahili übersetzen...

Tipp: Die schiere Grösse macht die Gefährlichkeit eindringlich sichtbar. Hier in Ifakara werden die Tiere im sog. "semi-field" erforscht. Vom Konzept her ist das wie Forschung im Zoo, aber praktisch ohne Zuschauer...

Asanteni sana! And care for Wazee!

These 5 men* not only remembered a lot about the history of mission health care in Ifakara, they also insisted that I tell, back in Switzerland, how much there was a need for Switzerland to assist with health care, especially for the elderly.

Our senior research team member, Piet van Eeuwijk has an interesting research project that looks exactly at the question of the care for elderly people in Tanzania.
Klick the title of this post for more information on Piet's project.

* Saidi Chamamba, Saidi Mfalimbena, Casian Msaraka, Clarence Mikaeli Mfeite, and
Saidi Lumbanga, the Mwenyekti Vitongoni V/60 in Ifakara (from left to right)

interesting people: Susanna Ngomaholo

Susanna Ngomaholo was the first professionally trained African nurse (she trained in Sumvi/Mwanza Region for 3 years) who worked at Saint Francis Hospital (from 1959).

interesting people: Adam Lihimba

Diese Nachricht als Gruss für alle, die diesen blog verfolgen und schon von Adam Lihimba gehört haben, oder ihn gar aus dem OP kennen.




Adam Lihimba worked for half a century in the operation theatres of St. Francis Hospital. He has been an assistant to Surgeons doing big operations, and he has done a fair share of smaller operations himself.

Ifakara: old men know a lot of things!

My second group interview was as interesting as the first one. These old Wazee remembered a lot about the history of St. Francis and other health institutions in the area. Even Dr. Alois Gabathuler, who was in Mahenge from 1939 to 1946 was remembered well.
So I thank the Wazee: Athumani Mohammedi Timbanga, Abdu Mohammedi Lubiki, Ramadhani Omari Mpalangondo, Aido Raffaeli Mng'etu, and Juma Lifulana. Also I would like to thank the Mwenyekiti wa kitongoja Ifakara mjini, Michael p. Ngalyoma; and the shule ya msingi Mtoni, Ifakara for their support.

Again, the old men were singing a song to praise doctors and nurses (I joined just a small little bit, since I should not be spoiling the tapes).

Asante Wabibi! Asante Phemy!

These lovely ladies have helped me a great deal today: they have shared their view about the history of SFH with me, and even sang a song related to the moment when Dr. Calo Schöpf left Ifakara (not translated yet). Thank you: Amina Mtengela, 70
Mariam Ngonimtela, Brandina Ngalyoma, Miriam Liseki, and Hadjia Mwitende, 67.
Phemy is the lady who has done a great job organising and moderating. Great!

Privat: zwergenvelos

Was soll man sagen, sogar die kurbeln sind höchstens 165er. Kaum fahrbar für mich ohne grössere Schäden an den Knien zu riskieren. Inzwischen habe ich gewechselt und Lukas ehemalige Schrottkiste erhalten, deren Gabel nicht unbedingt dem Geradeausfahren dient.

Miss Kilombero and Kipogoro

This poster says it all. The candidates have visited here yesterday to have a look at mosquitos and labs. I don't know yet whether they have also greeted the patients at the hospital.

I wrote yesterday on being made fun of. Now, I know I was. What I ruled out most, the fact that I was being teased in Kipogoro, was what actually happened. Haha!

Since we are loughing here is a joke (told to me by a cleric): Hier wurde mal ein Kind gefragt, ob es wisse, warum man in der Kirche still sein soll. "Ha, klar! Weil die Leute doch schlafen." I'll go to witness the service at the church here in Ifakara tomorrow.