"Africa"

While I am devising one of my final rounds of, “So You Think You Can Teach: Rwanda”, I thought I had better take the chance to add a bit more about Tanzania along with a few of the differences between Rwanda and Tanzania.



Bus stop in Tanzania



First, I will say that I believe Tanzania is the African country of many people’s dreams.  For whatever many reasons, I know that when I think about Africa my thoughts and images are of a place like Tanzania.  The Serengeti being my primary iconic landscape and atmosphere I had believed “Africa” to be…I know, right? Talk about a single story!  Rest assured that I am fully aware that I am speaking of Africa as many people do, that is, as if it is one place instead of a continent full of many diverse peoples and landscapes, and I thought now was not the time to pretend I had ever spoken differently.

Perhaps my limited Africa lens was in part created while visiting my grandparents on Sunday evenings in BellePlaine, Minnesota and watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with them,  along with the movie Born Free, and PBS documentaries on Jane Goodall and the work of Mary and Louis Leakey.  Unfortunately, as a student Africa was never mentioned beyond being a continent and a place with interesting animals along with a few of the great wonders of the world.  Beyond that my knowledge and awareness seemed to extend little beyond the popular media’s descriptions of drought, famine, conflict, and war.

Open space on the coast of the Indian Ocean

So while Tanzania fits into a lot of these long held beliefs about what Africa would look like, smell like, and feel like, it also does not, and Rwanda most certainly does not.   Surprisingly, both are much more…how can I say this?...I am at a loss here…okay, I will say it…ordinary than that.  Ouch!  I said it.  Now don’t get me wrong, both Tanzania and Rwanda are extraordinary places full of unexpected differences and beyond belief sights that you wish someone would invent an eye camera for as you could never describe them even on your best literary days, but they are also places with people just getting on in a very direct way with daily life. 

Even as I look at that statement I realize again the deeply imprinted story I had about this place I call Africa.  Did I expect a lion around every corner, along with people in the final stages of starvation?  No, of course I didn’t, but then I think I was at a loss to hold many other narratives about Africa, let alone individual countries. 

Therefore, how are Tanzania and Rwanda different?  Can two countries separated by an individual line really be all that different?  They can and I don’t mean different like the United States and Canada, but more like the United States and Mexico.  How these differences come about is not the point of this entry, and something I am sure has been well researched and documented by many fine minds.  Instead I will give you some throw away, first impression differences. 

Here are just a few.  Rwanda is a very neat, organized, and orderly country, whereas, while Tanzania is not exactly Bombay like it does have a bit more chaos and hustle and bustle to it.  Rwanda is small with few journeys lasting longer than five hours, while I spent a full day on a bus in Tanzania and only skirted a bit of the country.  Rwanda has very few of their large mammals left, save their world famous gorillas, while of course Tanzania is a world destination for safari.  Both Rwandans and Tanzanians are friendly and helpful, but the Rwandans in a more reserved way.  Rwandans seem more excited to see tourists, as I believe for Tanzanians they are a bit more dime a dozen.  Rwanda is more expensive, greener, and has a more obvious army and police presence.  Tanzania has a large Masi population still trying to maintain some sort of traditional lifestyle.  Surprisingly, both countries have a fair amount of people that can speak English, but I believe in the future Rwanda will have a higher percentage as they are making very deliberate steps to make English the second language.  Tanzanian food has more spice and variety, but both places have vibrant market cultures with gorgeous produce. Both have great coffee, but I believe the best cup I had was in Rwanda. Rwanda seems to have more focus and drive to bring their country into the technological age, but also fewer cars and a lot more bicycles on the roads than Tanzania. Rwanda is more crowded, with little open space, while Tanzania has vast tracks of open and unpopulated spaces.

Both countries are dealing with a large population living in economic poverty, but of course not, what I hope is obvious, emotional, intellectual, or creative poverty.  People work, love, dream, struggle, care about what happens to their friends and family, read or listen to the news, have opinions, wait in line at the bank, get married, have children, build homes, lose loved ones, and every other human endeavor that we all partake in at some point in our lives.  So while I had a very limited view of both Tanzania and Rwanda I can now attest to both their uniqueness and their commonness while feeling privileged to have been a welcomed guest in both. 

With that I will shamelessly post more safari pictures and get back to the task at hand…training teachers in Rwanda.



Hippos on the look out for crocodiles