As humans it is natural to make assumptions based on what we know. The further we stretch our understanding of other peoples and cultures the more open we become to accepting the differences in ourselves and those around us.
This Tanzanian village house at first glace may look impoverished and in need of roof repair to some. Upon closer inspection you will notice the lush sunflower crop in the background. This means that the family has oil for cooking and possibly for selling. The hen house is up off of the ground which means that the area floods during rainy season and that this person doesn't have to put the hens in the main house during that time like some do. There is a pile of beans in the foreground which also means that this family has land down by the water source and is planting beans for food and also increase the nitrogen in the soil which ensures a better crop next season.
They may not have running water or electricity but these people are pretty well off.
I beg to differ. Based on my 12 years living in Tanzania, mostly in rural areas, I suggest you've got a few things wrong in your analysis. The beans in the foreground likely come from the same plot as the sunflowers - ie probably has nothing to do with irrigation or water sources. Sunflower seeds are often used direct as seeds added to sauces rather than as oil in rural Tanzania. The "hen house" is almost certainly actually a store for grain, raised to prevent damp and rotting. The lack of any iron sheets, brick walls or cement floors are a pretty strong sign that this is not a wealthy household, even by the standards of rural Tanzania. And the picture tells us nothing about how much land or livestock the family owns.
ReplyDeleteOf course, that doesn't affect your main message - that it's very difficult to understand an unfamiliar environment. In fact, it makes your point stronger.
Might i suggest "Beg to Differ", that Barry was actually there when he took this photo. He wasn't a passing tourist, but spent 2 years in the Peace Corp working with the village people, so it was not an "unfamiliar environment" for him. I would think that in that time he might have figured out the difference between a henhouse and grain storage and probably had some idea where the beans were grown and what the people were doing to irrigate and improve the soil. I must also point out that he never stated that the owner of this particular land was "wealthy", just well off, as in having all the things that they need.
ReplyDeleteThis villager actually used the outbuilding for hens. In our 2 1/2 years there were never any sauces or sunflower seeds being added to any of our foods. The sunflowers were used as oil, like I previously stated. Perhaps, you were in a more affluent part of TZ like Mbeya or Dar.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how you define wealth.
Well, it goes to show that even someone with long experience of one part of rural Tanzania can misinterpret another part of rural Tanzania. The hen house looks just the same as the standard grain store design I've seen hundreds of times, so I assumed it was a grain store.
ReplyDeleteBut I stick to my point about the beans - if you look carefully, you can even see the bean plants under the sunflowers.