Dispatches from a land of troubles
Tanzania, where my son Andrew teaches as a Peace Corps volunteer, is one of the most peaceful countries in Africa.
But that doesn't mean it's without trouble.
Andrew addresses some concerns in a recent letter:
Refugees
"There's another wave of refugees coming into Tanzania. This group's from Burundi, where there's been fighting since 1993, so every now and then there's another wave.
"In the last 15 years Tanzania has hosted refugees from Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, Mozambique and South Africa. Before that there were Ugandan refugees as well.
"Tanzania has been proud of welcoming these people, even when this country was much poorer than it is now (which I only believe is possible because I've been to Haiti).
"At the same time, many people are getting frustrated because the areas refugees stay see huge increases in crime, and many people feel it is slowing this country's development.
"Peace Corps actually doesn't put volunteers in areas where there are a lot of refugees, like Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika. Those are mostly Congolese.
"The road between here and Bukoba goes through the areas where the refugees from Burundi are and has a reputation for being extremely dangerous, which is why we take the ferry.
"The problem is so many refugees bring their guns with them across the border, and it is believed that refugees account for a solid majority of the guns in the country. I've heard stories of whole buses robbed at gunpoint on that road, but you never hear about that happening anywhere else in Tanzania."
The Maasai
"The National Geographic article ('Heartbreak on the Serengeti,' February 2006) was real interesting, but it barely scratched the surface of the relationship between the Maasai and the rest of the country.
"They are being treated harshly in the northern part of the country, but they also do a lot to hurt their cause. The Maasai consider all cattle in the world to be theirs and will still steal some from other people. When I was in Morogoro, not too far out of town some Maasai grazed their cattle on some people's farms, basically destroying them.
"It's also a situation of long rivalry. The Maasai brutally conquered and pillaged the Bantu for a couple hundred years, and now that the Bantu control the country the Maasai are not integrating. Tribal rivalries have been virtually wiped out in this country, except for some tensions with the Maasai."
Drought
"The drought's still going strong. We've had some rains, but they were few and far between.
"The short rainy season basically didn't happen, and now people are plowing and getting ready to plant in preparation for the long rains, which should start in a couple of weeks."
(This was written in mid-February; Andrew said by phone today -- before we lost our connection -- that the long rainy season has begun in the Mwanza region, where he lives.)
"Even this close to the lake (Victoria) there's no irrigation, so they'll just plant and hope. I'd hate to see the situation in Dodoma and Singida (both areas with lots of Peace Corps volunteers) if the rains don't come on time. I wonder what Peace Corps would do if famine broke out in areas where they have volunteers. Right where I am it shouldn't be as bad, but you go another 10 miles from the lake and it's a whole other story. As you get away from it, it gets real dry, real fast."
Bird flu
"Oh boy, now they're confirming bird flu not only in Nigeria but Egypt too. I tell you, if it gets here I don't think it'd be too good. People always buy chickens alive and slaughter them themselves. Chickens usually just run around, and obviously there are birds everywhere around the lake.
"Not to worry, though. I haven't been handling them, and I've only eaten chicken maybe four times since I've been at site. And let me tell you, you won't see Tanzanians undercooking anything. In general, whether it's beans, meat or fish, they'll boil it for hours."
On local crime
"Here you don't have the luxury of being able to call the police. The nearest station is 8 km away, and they don't have any cars."