Ever since I first came to Moshi in 2010 to volunteer with Foot 2 Afrika - Tanzania I have been volunteering at the Tumona Secondary School, a village school about 10 km from Moshi. Before I left home, I had a phone conversation with Abihudi Lukumay, the headmaster of
Tumona, in which we planned the schedule for the science teaching workshops
Warren and I will be doing. As part of
that discussion, he let me know that the parents of the students who were
sponsored by Friends of Foot2Afrika wanted to have some kind of a party in my
honor. I had the impression he had something modest in mind, but when Saturday
came it turned out to be anything but modest. I have repeatedly stressed that the help that
Tumona has received has come from a lot of individual donors and a few
organizations, but since I’m the one who keeps showing up, I got to receive the
credit. I had some ideas of what to
expect, and in some respects the party unfolded along predictable lines (many
speeches); but in other respects I was overwhelmed. By the end of the day I was exhausted and
elated.
Parents and students waiting under the canopy for the party to begin
The party was scheduled to start at 11:00 AM. Two large canopies were set up, one for the
V.I.P.s and one for everyone else. A
fair number of students were already gathered at the school when Warren and I
arrived around 9:00 to try to do a little prep work in our classrooms for
tomorrow's workshops. Down behind the
school by the kitchen area a group of women were cooking lunch.
Around the edges of the school a crowd of
rather dusty young children had gathered to watch the goings on and probably
hoping to get something to eat. By 11:00
there was a fair-sized crowd of parents and students waiting in their seats,
but some of the V.I.P.s hadn’t yet arrived.
Watching and Waiting
Just Waiting
Warren and I went into the office to take tea with the School Board
Chairman, the Ward Education Officer, and a few others while we waited. The party finally got underway about two
hours later.
After the national anthem and the school song were sung,
Lukumay introduced the important guests and the event was underway. There were speeches by parents, students,
officials – all mercifully short and mostly in Swahili. My Swahili has improved a lot, but I’m still
not up to understanding speeches, though I could follow to some degree. I was particularly moved by the student and
parent speeches, despite my difficulty with comprehension. Probably the highlight for me was when a
group of students danced and sang songs they had written for the occasion.
A parent reads a speech of thanks.
Students dancing and singing a song they wrote. I wonder if they changed the words
that morning to include Warren, or if they knew all along that he was coming.
Either way it was one of the nicest moments of the day.
Students Reading Their Speech
After everyone but me had spoken, it was time for the
presentation of gifts. First I was given
“traditional Chagga clothes” so that I could be the “father of Tumona.” The traditional clothes consisted of a string
of plastic beads and flowers that must have come from china, a safari hat with
the “big five” embroidered on the front, and a Maasai shuka. (I later checked with Lyimo and Sarafina, who
work at the Foot 2 Afrika hostel and who are themselves Chagga. They cleared up for me that for parties
Chagga wear necklaces made of bougainvillea flowers and that elders sometimes
wear a blanket like a Maasai shuka. I’m
still not convinced about the hat.) I
was then given a lovely carved stick which, before being presented to me, had
to be touched by parents, teachers and the headmaster.
Me Being Dressed in Traditional Chagga Clothes
I guess I'm a real Chagga now!
Finally the parents brought their gifts, including a
handmade clay pot with wooden utensils, a handmade wooden tray made by Peter’s
father, and a large mat made of banana leaves which I can never get onto an
airplane even if the U.S. Department of Agriculture would let me bring it into
the country. Warren also received
gifts. This was an incredibly sweet
moment.
Presentation of Gifts
I'm just not sure this mat will fit in my carry-on, or if the U.S. Government
will let me bring it into the country.
Unlike me, who just stood there gaping, Warren got into the spirit and danced with the women.
Now it was time for my speech. In the morning I had written a short speech
in Swahili, but it really couldn’t express what was in my heart and my mind by
the time I was supposed to deliver it. I
tried to improvise a bit, but although my Swahili is adequate for asking for
food or for discussing the weather it really isn’t up to the task of describing
the mix of emotions I was experiencing. I
tried to make a few points: that I alone
had not given all the help that Tumona has received, but that a large number of
people from America and Europe had contributed; that I hoped we would be able
to continue supporting the school and its students; and that we had chosen to support
the village through the medium of education out of a belief that an educated
person has the ability to improve his or her own life.
My Swahili Speech
Then it was time for lunch.
While the serving tables were being set up there was music and
dancing. The students danced in the party area while
the other children danced in the driveway.
The Village Children Dancing (the new Village People?)
As an aside, one of those kids really has the moves.
When the food was ready, it was served in
strict order of precedence; I went first, followed by Warren, the officials,
the teachers, the parents and the students (oldest first). After all the guests had eaten, the other
children were lined up – there was some fighting for position though we assured
them that there was enough for all – to get the leftovers. After lunch was more dancing and then
goodbyes.
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