Week 23 Cont'd - And the beat goes on...

July 27-July 30

Our trip to the Wagogo Music Festival began shortly after 7am Friday morning with Fred as our driver. Nicole and her parents were the first to be picked up. Her parents are visiting from Oregon and are very down-to- earth people. I rode next to Nicole’s mom and we talked as though we had been friends for years. Her father is a pastor and wears a “perma-smile”. It became a joke since we never saw him without a smile on his face during the entire weekend.

Nicole, who I met through Nie and Jonas, organized our trip to the Music Festival. She is from Seattle and been in Tanzania for 2 years. She will return to the states in September to obtain her Masters in Public Health. Nicole has lived in different parts of Tanzania. This will be her 4^th trip back to Chamwino.

  

Dodoma Parliament Building

The Wagogo Music Festival is held in Chamwino, a small village just outside of Dodoma. Dodoma is the national capital of Tanzania; even though the commercial capital is Dar es Salaam and many government offices are still located there. Located in the central part of Tanzania, Dodoma has a population of about 350,000 people. The city appeared cleaner and more modern than other large cities I have visited in Tanzania. The architecture of the government building appeared to be somewhat unique and contemporary in style and the main road was lined with street lights, the first I have seen.  

Other travelers on our 12 hour journey included Danny (Daniela), a social worker from New Zealand. She has been here 7 months working first, at an orphanage and currently, with a start-up NGO opening a home for abused girls. Danny resides in the NGO facility. She spent the last 4 months caring for an abandoned infant. I had never heard of a situation where a volunteer became the caretaker of an infant.  I got the impression that minimal procedures transpired to allow this fostering relationship. The little girl was recently adopted by relatives of the mother. Admittedly, it has been a difficult adjustment for Danny, since the child was in her care 24/7 for so many months. Danny is probably in her early 30’s and has no children of her own. I can relate to the emotional drain of volunteers who stay here for an extended period of time but Danny’s experience pales in comparison to other stories I have heard. She will be returning to  New Zealand for a much deserved R & R.

Elsa was the last to join us. Originally from Australia, she raised her family in the US. Elsa is a free spirit, teaching in the Moshi area for the past year with no definitive plans for the future. The 12 hour road trip coupled with the diversity of backgrounds, allowed us many opportunities to share our stories and experiences. 

Singista Rock Formations
On way to Dodoma

Three medical students from Canada chose to take the bus and meet us in Dodoma. Our van felt like a daladala after adding 3 passengers! Fortunately, the ride to Chamwino was only 30 minutes. Our accommodation for the weekend was a guest house. The rooms were furnished with double beds, a mosquito net, and a small table. Located at the end of the hall we found a sink, a communal squatty potty and a shower room. The shower and sink proved to be useless. The buckets of water placed near the sink confirmed for us that there was no running water.  In addition, the buckets did not appear to be very clean so we held off taking showers until we returned home. The guest house sounded like an echo chamber and although spared from the early morning roosters of Soweto; the 2 male staff were up by 6:00am, their voices reverberating throughout the halls. As they say, “You get what you pay for.” Molly and I shared a room for under $3.50 per night for each of us.

We had not stopped for dinner before arriving in Chamwino and were all quite hungry. Walking thru the village, we stopped at the site of the festival and met Kedmon, the festival organizer.

Kedmon (center)

Nicole learned of the music festival through Kedmon, a friend and member of her church in Seattle. He was born and raised in Chamwino and is a member of the Wagogo tribe. Currently, he studies ethnomusicology while pursuing his doctorate in Music Education at Seattle Pacific College. He also teaches at the University of Washington. Kedmon has a home in Chamwino. He and his wife and their two children have spent the last 2 months in Chamwino. The family plans to return to Tanzania after Kedmon finishes his education. He will teach at a university and continue his plans to build a Wagogo Cultural Arts Center in Chamwino.

Because it was quite late we only found one small restaurant still open. They only had the ingredients for Chips Mayai. This traditional meal of eggs and fries cooked together is similar to an omelet and quite delicious. Apparently the pan they cooked our meal in had previously been used for a meat dish. This was confirmed later by the server and not appreciated by the vegetarians in the group. The meals had a meat flavor and the eggs were not thoroughly cooked.  Adding a beer with our dinner made the meal more palatable and provided a great night cap to a long day!

Wagogo musicians and dancers kicked off the Music Festival with a parade through Chamwino around 8am Saturday morning. Chamwino is a small village with dirt roads. It is more spread out than some of the areas I have visited around Moshi. Most houses are made of cement and have electricity. I could see myself spending more time in a place like Chamwino. I observed a strong sense of community among the residents. The village felt very safe and the people were engaging and hospitable.

The parade ended at the town center which consisted of a town hall, a stage and several outbuildings. A roped-off, tented area with chairs had been set up. We registered and received a “Special Guest” badge which allowed us access to the tented seated as well as food. A morning snack of mandazi (lightly sweet donut) and chai was available; lunch and dinner were also served both days to all the performers and special guests. A grant from the Swiss Embassy covered much of the cost of the festival and housing for the performers.

Women Drummers

The Wagogo people are one of three indigenous tribes that reside in the Dodoma area. Their numbers are estimated to be over 1.3 million. They live a mostly rural lifestyle making their livelihood from agriculture and herding. Gogo music has gained an international following. 375 artists from 8 villages performed at the 5^th annual event.  Documentarians filmed the event and ethnomusicologists from universities in Europe and the US also attended.

We were treated like royalty, to the point that it was almost embarrassing. When the festival started, Nicole was included in the introductions, and our group was recognized by the emcee. Nicole is well-loved by the community of Chamwino. Watching her interact with the local people must have made her parents so proud. When we got in line for food we were ushered to the front, served and then escorted to a private room in the village hall where we ate. Several local people affiliated with the festival were always making sure we were well taken care of.  Attendance numbered in the 100’s. The chairs under the tent were always full; others packed tightly around the stage and outside areas; children perched on tree limbs.

Hand-made Instruments

 

Foot Tambourine - (see video)

The Festival lasted until 5pm with a 2 hour break for lunch. All the performers appeared very comfortable on stage as though it was second nature to them. From child to adult, none showed any signs of being afraid or nervous. Their smiles were genuine and sincere and you knew they loved what they were doing. It was amazing to experience the culture of these people through their dances and songs. The performers sang in Swahili or their tribal language. Kedmon explained that many performances told a story while others expressed a message about topics such as AIDS and drugs. One act even had a political bend blaming politicians for many of the country’s problems. I have attached video clips from several of the performances. (Each video is about 30 seconds.)

Choral Group - http://youtu.be/4bXNbZ03qDA

Dancing w Instruments -  http://youtu.be/YpYunjwtnpk

Drumming w Instruments -    http://youtu.be/Ss6nZko9Upg

Tambourine Feet -   http://youtu.be/jYO2MfKTbs4

Drumming w kids -   http://youtu.be/cojzbRypoog

Saturday evening Kedmon escorted us on a tour of the village. It was like a progressive dance-a-thon. Stopping at the houses where the performers stayed, each group sang and danced for us and invited us to participate.  It was a magical night of celebration with the brightness of the moon lighting our path from house to house.

Sunday morning we attended a service at the Anglican Church. It was built by the pastor of the Seattle church attended by Nicole and Kedmon. Their pastor, who Nicole had not seen in two years, attended the festival and gave the sermon at church. The church service lasted 3 hours and included several of the performing groups plus two baptisms. Once again, we were all introduced to the congregation. Despite the length of the service, it was uplifting and engaging with a contagious energy that stayed with us throughout the day. This video shows the congregation leaving the church.  http://youtu.be/Wwht4rDnfAE

After the service we went to the home of one of Nicole’s friends for tea and then headed back to the festival for another music-filled day. The festival wrapped up about 6:00pm. We all gathered at Kedmon’s house before dinner and met his colleagues from the University of Washington. As always, the conversation was lively and stimulating.

Because our drive home would take 12 hours, we decided to leave around 6:30 Monday morning. Danny rode with Molly and me on the return trip while the others traveled to other destinations. Our ride home included a stop for a camel ride which was great fun, although very touristy! 

Fred, Me, Molly, Danny

Me & My New Friend

 On the way home the traffic police stopped us constantly always wanting to know the same thing. Where had we come from? Where were we going? A check of the car’s registration followed the questioning. Unfortunately, one of the stops was not a routine check; Fred had been speeding. Surprisingly, with all the stories of corruption and bribery, no ticket was given. Fred explained that he had not seen the speed sign nor had he driven this road before. We were all relieved.

We arrived home tired and hungry but delighted for the opportunity to experience a culture so different from our own. The friendliness and welcoming nature of the Chamwino people further enhanced an already incredible weekend. It was more than obvious that the Wagogo love their culture and appreciate the importance of preserving their traditions.  The Wagogo performers expressed their music with an uninhibited liveliness and enthusiasm that both mesmerized and energized everyone present.

Children mesmerized!