goat sacrifice

so, karibu (welcome to) my last weekend's activity-attendance at a goat sacrifice for my friend's great great grandmother who died on the same day as the roast many moons ago. the celebration was in honor of the ancestor of rahema, a leader in my health club from the secondary school, and my brother's sponsor student; she's a star. the festivities began with a mock grave dug to represent her ancestor, as pictured below (rahema 2nd from right, her father in middle, stepping forward in green shirt with his two wives to his left; other relatives in between). needless to say, i was extremely honored to be included in the day's events-a day to remember...



as displayed above and below, this is an ancient wabena tradition wherein relatives circle the mock grave, reminisce about their ancestor in kibena (local tongue-i.e. i didn't catch a thing) as if to the gods, pouring corn flour, and even bamboo wine in the area near where the ancestors' head would be, in a way to nourish her...



above is the goat selected for the roast-pole sana bwana (sorry, big guy).it was amazing to watch the process--first to see him whacked on the head (ok, i admit, i couldn't look-covered my eyes), then his blood was poured into the same hole with the corn flour above the ancestor's head, his body burned over a fire (below), and finally dissected for further grilling in small pieces. following the dissection, the relatives approached the carcass in order of importance (oldest men and then women first) to select the most choice organs or sections to have grilled.i was given the chest, a delectable area they claimed, to grill back at home.i decided to share it with my neighbors instead, who were pleased beyond belief.



josef, rahema's father, requested me to give a short AIDS education lesson after the roast--sure, i thought, why not--some AIDS awareness while you eat your goat, right? totally parellel.i was laughing to myself as i talked about AIDS infection rates around the world, and how many infections in sub-saharan africa are exacerbated by the alarming amount of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), while the women and men were drinking pombe (bamboo alcohol) out of their big cups and chewing on goat bones. josef then added on some local humor to my lesson, which made the people laugh, and grasp a heck of a lot more than if i had tried to do the same thing alone! he's an amazing counterpart, and i appreciate him more than he knows. he truly understands the importance of AIDS education-a rare find! i hope to use him as a peer educator in future events as he's loved and respected by all in manga...like father, like daughter.

next week, i'll be joining other PCVs in the area in a beautiful mission (with nuns who milk cows, make fresh cheese, bread, and of course, pray throughout the day) in the mountains of mafinga for 2 weeks of PC seminars on further AIDS training as well as how to use community theatre in our village outreach endeavors. it'll be a nice getaway, not to mention more time for me to study my future profession at the nunnery!ha ha...i just can't get enough of the nuns.in kiswahili, they're called "sistas."fitting.

lastly, i was wondering if any of you all out there may have information regarding import of goods from abroad. my women's group is sewing their traditional baskets for my mom to take back with her to the US after her visit in may, but ideally, i would like to find them a permanent shop to continue their sales, ensuring sustainability. might anyone know of a shop interested in the US, or perhaps of an import expert that can help me?i would be extremely grateful for any suggestions or advice.they have already determined themselves for what purposes they will use the profits from their basket sales:
1.to buy new, higher quality seeds, manure and medecine (anti-bug) for their farms
2.to buy pipes to install irrigation in their farms
3.to educate students of manga who cannot afford tuition (to apply to whatever funds are left over if any)
this mama's group is an effort to empower the women of my village, and to give them ownership of the development of their community, as THEY so choose. i meet with them monthly to observe their progress, and to educate them on verious health matters. they're a strong group of women! i'm inserting a picture of their amazing handiwork. i use them in my kitchen for storing rice, pasta, corn flour, and other food items.



i can't believe how time is flying. it's almost april with easter just around the corner...yet another celebration to observe. i wonder how the people of manga will celebrate it?hmmm...

love and peace,
tait

*just added new links on the bottom right of blog, including simon mtuy's site and kakuta's, my maasai friend and SIT classmate's community site...karibu