Distance covered 1247 miles 1995km
Day’s actual riding 20
Day’s in the country 27
After crossing the
border from Malawi into Tanzania it was immediately apparent that here was a
country that was working. It was busy, hectic even; and instead of bicycles they
were riding motorbikes. One could sense an air of urgency as people went about
their business; this was a place where things were happening. One could not
fail to notice the contrast between the two countries it was that dramatic.
My plan had been to
ride the 135 or so km to the border and spend the night at a guesthouse, with
the intention of trying to make myself look like a respectable and responsible
character as I was convinced my wild deranged look would cause issues getting a
visa.
It was mid afternoon
by the time I arrived at the border only to discover that the guesthouse I had
been told about did not exist. This an extremely unhappy discovery as you can
just imagine, one that left me with no option but to just go for it.
My passport and money
were buried deep in my panniers, so after unloading the bike and emptying the
pannier, much to the amusement of the locals, I presented myself at the
Tanzanian immigration expecting the worst. In the event there was no problem, the
bloke barely looked at me, he relieved me of $50.00, gave me a 3-month multi
entry visa and sent me on my wild way.
So I had been wrong,
wild deranged looking people were acceptable in Tanzania, which was just as
well as little did I know in a few weeks I’d be giving the term wild and deranged
a complete new meaning.
I found the ride to
Mbeya very difficult, due in part to the climb but mainly as I was feeling
really off colour. I spent the next two days in a very nice hotel feeling
absolutely grim, but soon came to the realisation that sitting around on my
backside was not going to get me home, so I pushed on. Half way through the next
day the tar ran out and I had my first introduction to Tanzania’s dirt roads,
what a shock, but what I didn’t realise was that this was a good dirt road and
that there was far worse to come.
Two days later I
arrived in a fairly big town feeling like absolute death, all the little
scratches and scrapes on my legs had ulcerated and I felt like I had a massive
dose of the flu. My immediate thought was that I had contracted Malaria, so I
tested myself but the result was negative, thankfully it was just a cold, but my
legs were getting worse with the ulcers getting bigger. Five days later after a
massive dose of antibiotics (prescribed for the stitches I had in my arm in SA)
I felt I was ready to leave. Over the coming days I was to discover what a bad
dirt road really was, as well as that I wasn’t even close to being well enough
to be doing this. But as always I managed to muddle through.
Riding through these
African countries, seeing this perceived poverty and having people constantly
harass me for money, my shoes, my water, my bike and anything else they could
think of, although in fairness whilst I did experience the “Msungu give me my
money” syndrome in Tanzania it was nothing like Malawi or Mozambique. I got to
thinking about all of this……
Are these people really poor? By Western
standards they certainly are, but by their own standards, are they? The vast
majority of the people I had come in contact with were subsistence farmers; it
is or was basically an Iron Age culture.
Man as we know him
today took his first faltering steps not far from where I am now, some of us
migrated north into what is now the Middle East, some into Europe and Asia and then
the Americas and some just stayed put.
I read an article a
while ago by an eminent anthropologist who maintained that after looking at the
DNA of our very early ancestors he believed that if we could somehow bring one of
them into our world, he or she could be trained to be a fighter pilot, a brain
surgeon or anything else that requires an above average intellectual ability, as
they had the same intelligence as we have.
Given that we all come
from the same stock this revelation puts the age old and frankly insulting
argument of intelligence firmly to bed in my mind. So why, when the Europeans,
the Chinese and the Middle Eastern people to name but a few, were taking great
strides forward in every area of life our African brothers and sisters doing,
well, nothing?
Was it because their
way of life was so satisfactory that change was not required? And as we all
know, it’s dissatisfaction about something that brings about change and it’s
change that brings about progress. Or was it something else? I fancy the idea that their lifestyle
worked for them in such a way that there was no need to fix it, as it wasn’t
broke.
All of which brings us
back to the present. Here we have an Iron Age man wearing a Manchester United T
Shirt with a mobile phone, that he can’t charge because he has no electricity, and
a very basic education wondering how the hell to jump the gap of a
dozen or more centuries. In short he isn’t, hence the frustration.
In my opinion, and by
his own standards and culture he’s not poor, he comes from a completely
non-materialistic culture, a culture that has successfully provided for itself
and has survived intact since the beginning of time.
What has happened is
the West has got involved, for the reasons that we all know. A percentage of
the population have successfully risen to the challenge and have “Westernised
and materialised”. Which in turn has created societies of have’s and have
not’s.
So when one looks on
it in this light, he is poor, grindingly poor, desperately poor, and sadly with
very little hope of escape.
International Aid, UK
Premiership football, Western films, soaps and general marketing have all
played a role in creating this huge sense of dissatisfaction, and sadly I fear
this is only the beginning.
There were two
incidents that got me thinking along these lines, the first was in Mozambique
when a child of about five was trying to sell me seashells and I happened to
mention it to Hans the owner of an Eco lodge. My view was that he should have
been in school. Hans was very matter of fact.
“Why should he be in
school, what will it do for him and did he look happy?” he enquired.
“Yes he did seem
happy, and yes we all need education.” I rather defensively replied.
“ That’s where you’re
wrong, these people have survived for ever without the need for change, all
this change we are forcing upon them is causing nothing but misery.” He said.
“Fucking barking mad.”
I though, but was too polite to say it.
The other was in
Tanzania when I was heading for Rwanda and could not find a suitable place to
wild camp as there were just too many hamlets, so I asked a man whether I could
camp next to his hut. Neither of us could communicate but through sign language
and mime we sorted it out and I pitched my tent near his hut.
His world consisted of
three huts, a small banana plantation and a small maize field. Once I had set
up camp and was busy cooking I sat watching him and his wife. She was busy
pounding corn into flour with a huge pestle and mortar and he was sitting
watching her. I can honestly say I’ve never seen two people more content with
each other and their world, it was a revelation. I just hope that one day I can
find what they have.
The point is that here
were two people with the basics, absolutely nothing in our terms, who were at
peace with their world, their lot, their lives, each other. How many of us can
say that? Perhaps I owe Hans an apology. And maybe our interference although well intended, is counter productive? Have we in the West started something we won't be able to finish?
Controversial? Yes,
but it's my opinion for what it’s worth. I no longer tell them all to fuck off when
they come begging now, as I think I now understand. I just tell them to piss off, far more environmentally friendly, I think you’ll agree!
Back to the subject!
Tanzania is an awesome place and although I only saw a tiny though extremely
remote part of it, I have to admit to having fallen in love with it, it’s a country
I will return to as I’ve hardly seen any of it, but it sure has left it’s mark
on me….
Marks out of 10
An emphatic 9
Punctures
One on the last day
Wow!
ReplyDelete