presents:
FIVE STORIES FROM TANZANIA
© 1998 RADIO BRIDGE OVERSEAS TRUST

This is Martha Kipoyi.
She is a Massai from Matuli, 120 km north of Dar-es-Salaam.
She is the lead singer in our program.
The song that she sings is a traditional song in praise of the young warriors of her tribe. The young men are being urged to eat more meat so that they be strong and brave in order to safeguard their society from invaders. This can be understood because the Massai are nomads. Since ages, they were used to guide large herds of cattle through Africa’s wilderness.



What is unique about the Massai is the role of women in providing food security at home.
They are in charge of the main source of food, the milk.


Sarai Lengori (second from right) is also a Massai from Matuli. She explains the very important traditional role of the Massai women which seems to have found space in the modern world.

"The difference now is that the milk goes into modern cups and utensils and not in the traditional gourds. Usually it is the men who take the milk to the collection centre where it is tested for freshness. At given intervals, the women are paid for the milk and they decide how to use it."

While the women still manage the milk at home, they are now also doing the same
but for commercial purposes.



This collection centre is where the milk bought from the Massai women is brought for boiling and packaging before being sold. The women involved in this new business venture have formed a group to assist at the collection centre. Sarai Lengori is one of the committee members.

"Previously men would sell the cattle and the women would not get the money at all. Now we sell the milk and get money that we use for buying food, for construction of houses and buying medicine."

While this appears to be a very successful arrangement, Sarai is a bit concerned.

"I am not sure whether the management is good because we come to work three times a day and we are supposed to get 500 shillings a day for tea if there is profit. But for the past five months we have not been given anything because they said there was no profit."



If the Massai women continue feeling that the men are treating them unfairly in this business, we cannot help wondering if they will not stop singing praises for their men and start looking for better management from within themselves.

Listen / STORY 4 / 04'40"
"Once women earn cash - Conflict in the Massai society"

"At home, there is no problem. The husband and wife decide together how much milk will be consumed at home and how much should go to the collection centre. The only problem is we are not being told how much we are making. We are not being told why there is not a profit."

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THE RBO PRODUCTION TEAM:

Research & Interviews in Tanzania:
Klaus Juergen Schmidt
Scripts:
Dadirayi Chigoya & Klaus Juergen Schmidt
Presenter:
Dadirayi Chigoya & Shorai Kariwa
Translation in Tanzania:
From Kiswahili & Massai: Dr. William Mchau & John Laffa
Technical Supervision at RBO studio:
Nenad Kuzmic
Administration & Logistics:
Dadiray Chigoya
Managing Editor & Director:
Klaus Juergen Schmidt