Magafuli Day

That was last Saturday in all of Tanzania. In fact, every fourth Saturday is Magafuli day, from 7 AM to 10 AM. All citizens and a few wazungu visitors are expected to participate.  This is a litter clean-up and general effort to spruce up Tanzania.  Each person does something to help improve their area. In addition to the routine cleaning that people do, additional efforts are made on Magafuli Day. I haven’t seen any signs that say, “The following mile is supported by…,” however.

Wazungu wazee Adrianne na Dr. Ken

For this brief blog entry, I submit a photo that demonstrates the wazee contribution. Mzee (singular and wazee plural) is the Swahili word for “respected elderly.” That’s what my Tanzanian friends tell me when I ask them, but that may be more connotation than denotation, since all I can find online for mzee is “old person,” and perhaps closer, “elder.” Regardless, I am mzee.

Adrianne and I joined the crew “mowing.” Both of us suggested goats would be a better option. We thought a mobile pen would be optimal. The administrator assured us that no animals would be allowed on the hospital grounds. I had noticed there were fewer cucu (chickens) around the hospital proper than in previous years, though there are still a few that will likely be invited for dinner at some point.  Of course, there are many around the grounds away from the hospital and they grace us each morning with their wakeup calls.