TAN: Hunting for Handicrafts

Getting a little culture was on today’s agenda. We headed over to Mwenge to look for handicrafts. I had been over there previously with Gabriel and knew what to expect. The handicraft area consists of a large plaza with an open courtyard in the middle where a number of woodcarving artisans ply their trade. The finished pieces are then taken around to the selling stalls at the perimeter to see if they can find a buyer.
We made it around to almost every stall. It is interesting to see, with minor exceptions, almost the same thing in every one. Chantal bought a few things, including a painting that she got talked into purchasing. I was mainly interested in getting a better feel for what sort of things were there. It is so close to where we are staying that it will be easy to go back in the future.

A Swahili rendition of “Have you been to Jesus?” is in heavy rotation.

Our next stop is the Msasani Slipway, a tourist trap if I have ever seen one. We grab a bite to eat while being serenaded by an electronic toy that played Frara Jaqua, the Alphabet Song and Happy Birthday. At our suggestion, the waiter approached the mother of the boy who was manipulating the toy to see if it could be silenced. Maina reported that her reply indicated that she was totally unaware of the sound her child was making. Eventually they wandered off and we were left to Chantal taking up the serenade.

Take my picture.

After lunch we moved 50 yards over to be next to the water and nursed some fruit juice and mineral water for a bit before looking around at more handicrafts. A stall of handcrafted books caught my eye. The proprietor was talkative and explained that he was living in Micocheni, somewhere close to where we are, and that all of the books are made from natural or recycled materials. I was particularly curious about the pictures he had of himself extracting dyes from plants. When I told him what I was doing in Tanzania, he seemed very interested in the possibility of learning how to put together a website. Hopefully he will join the Pixel Corps.

One of a multitude of kitchen supply stands in a field opposite the US Embassy.

Chantal and I headed back to Hanif’s house to relax and work before going out to meet Mwanga. He fails to get in touch with us, so we just head out to get some produce for supper and set about making ourselves a meal.