Prayers, Tanzanian style
A friend who is hoping to get out of hospital soon suggested that people's prayers might help. That made me think of the tree I drove past every day in Dar es Salaam. People put all sorts of items up on this Baobab to get their message through to the spirits that were in the tree. I added to the collection as a friend back in Australia was having some health problems. As I was putting my message up an old chap appeared explaining that he looked after the tree and would appreciate a little "chakula" - Kiswahili for food, but he was actually after shillings which were duly provided. A nice illustration of religion in Tanzania. 40% are Christian; 40 % Islamic; and 100% believe in witchcraft. Here is another snap of the site, with a witchcraft ceremony in progress. The red cloaks are the traditional attire of witches. We went to a performance of Macbeth at an amateur dramatic society. Half the performance was in Kiswahili and there...