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?