Arusha's Stanley Cup

Last Sunday was election day in Tanzania. Like many African countries, election day doesn't tend to mean the type of change it does in the west. Tanzanians have elected the same party to power in every single election since independence. Even MP's from an opposition party are a rarity. There was quite a bit of buzz leading up to this election, especially in Arusha, because an opposition party has gained quite a bit of support in this area. The campaigns have been ongoing for months. They drive around in trucks with LOUD speakers in the back blasting propoganda. They have huge rallies and drive around in packs on the very crowded streets. The supporters may or may not be paid by the each party to join these rallies :) Everywhere you look (almost literally) there is a poster with the President's face. There was also some concern among expats here about the potential for violence. I think this fear was heightened by the terrible violence in Kenya following their last election. Some families chose to pull their kids out of school and leave the country for the week. It was a little concerning to see all the military trucks that had rolled into town, and to hear reports that they brought water cannons with them to subdue crowds!

I was out of town on Sunday, but I'm sure it was a very busy day with everyone going to the polls. On Monday we received reports at school to take different routes home to avoid the main roundabout ("The Clock Tower") as there were many people gathered there awaiting results. (The Clock Tower is Arusha's version of Winnipeg's Portage & Main!) When we got home, we decided to disregard the very kind warnings from the Canadian and American embassies and wander down to the Clock Tower for a look-see. Sorry mom. We just stayed on the edge and had a look for a while. There were police and military there, but everyone was just hanging out, waiting. There was a great deal of hope that the results would be released quickly as the feeling is that the longer it takes, the more likely that the ruling party is fudging the results. It was quite a scene with music and just so many people. Apparently we don't make nearly a big enough deal out of our elections.

After about half an hour, we decided we should head home before dark. At the end of our street is a fruit and vegetable stand where many women sell their produce. There are always a lot of people hanging around that corner. On this evening, many of the men were listening to their transistor radios awaiting results. Just as we passed the stand, everybody went CRAZY in celebration. Arusha had elected an MP from the opposition party. As our buddy on the corner explained, they are happy to have a change because their former MP was just concerned with "preparing his stomach" and "putting some money in the wrong pocket". The men were hugging each other and the fruit mamas were all dancing with the opposition flag and shouting in celebration. Then the cars starting coming down the street from the Clock Tower honking their horns and high fiving people on the street as they drove by. Men were hanging out of the dala dalas whooping it up! It was a fabulous scene. The only thing I could possibly equate it to is the celebration that would ensue in a Canadian city after a Stanley Cup victory. I can only imagine this, of course, because my beloved Jets have not won a Stanley Cup.... yet :) The best part of all this is that the same president was re-elected. And that is what the people here actually wanted... a bit of change, I guess, but not too much. People really are the same everywhere, aren't they?

Two weekends ago we went out to west Kili to visit friends of Mick's on a farm there. Their farm is located directly between Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru (the second highest peak in Tanzania, and the mountain that looks down on Arusha). They have a beautiful place, and the sunset over Meru was spectacular. Kili, on the other hand, remains elusive. Haven't seen her yet... she loves to hide behind the clouds. Shawna's dad, who left this week, finally got a chance to see Kili a few days before he left, so fortunately he got a peak. I am confident that one of these days I'll get to see it too! Anyway, it was a nice relaxing weekend and fun to see another part of the country.

Last weekend I went to ... school. Exciting I know. I feel so far behind in my prep and marking, and I have so little prep time that I'm not catching up. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. My internet at home has been down (Africa always wins) and our server at school crashed, losing everything. AGH! I leave tomorrow morning to climb Little Meru with kids, the lower peak on the big mountain that overlooks Arusha. Looking forward to some fresh air and exercise. And hoping to have internet and some time next week to catch up on emails and blog some more stories.