It is 4 years* since I was volunteering at an orphanage in Buswelu, near to Mwanza, Tanzania. I thought I would take time out to reflect on my experience then and how I am grateful for it inspiring me to become a teacher. That time with (fellow volunteers) Tom, Leesa, Georgina, Jenny, Adrianne, Michelle, Lorna, Mary, Jo, Anna, Ad, Katy and those kids at Hisani and Watoto wa Africa was utterly unforgettable. An additional reason for this reflection is a film that was being made at the time, not by me but by an American documentary maker, Peter Glenn, alongside Mama Wilhelmina Lyimo-Saria, a Sociologist lecturer who was working in Nygezi, near Mwanza at the time, but originally comes from Moshi. That film has now been officially released on
DVD. It is called "Into The Light".
DVD. It is called "Into The Light".
I realise that a lot of fellow volunteers stayed a lot longer than me or felt compelled to return, while I ventured into my new career as a TEFL teacher. Tom invited me to return but I declined, as I always wanted to return when I was properly qualified and had some proper experience in the industry. I know Leesa and Georgina felt so passionately about the project(s) they HAD to return. As for Jo and Mary, they spent substantial time helping at Watoto Wa Africa, and showed much more commitment to the orphans of Buswelu than I could give. As far as I know, Michelle is still in Dar Es Salaam, having fallen in love with the country.
In the Ngudu Productions film, by Peter Glenn, Mama Lyimo's incredible journey to uncover why HIV/AIDS continues to spread in her country. When she befriends an AIDS orphan named Suzy, Lyimo's grassroots journey becomes more personal than she could have ever imagined; and when Suzy decides to test her siblings for HIV, Lyimo must face her worst fears for the children she now calls family. (Press Release)
One of the few obvious questions Mama Lyimo raises at the beginning is why is the problem (of Aids) still there when everyone apparently knows what the issues are? Like any decent ethnographic researcher she sets out on a journey to find out directly for herself, although she has to resort to offering free beer to get some of the males to talk. Ironically, some guys interviewed on their boat on Lake Victoria explain that beer, or rather drunkeness, is often the problem. It enduces a casual, haphazard approach to (safe) sex. It is also appears that the issue of sex is still a taboo subject and that people are still not educated properly about safe sex. Another telling moment arrives early on at a village seminar when guys giggle about condoms not being reliable. It appears that they are looking for something else to blame for the spread of AIDS, rather than accept responsibility for allowing themselves to be educated and to change their attitude. Because the help is not coming from top-down it needs tackling, as Mama Lyimo explains, from the bottom. Her approach is welcomingly direct, as we see her trying to break through the social stigma.
Another sign of AIDS being a taboo subject is in an interview with a welfare worker, Dafrosa Itemba, at the Moshi AIDS information centre, who explains that relatives and doctors refer to the reason for someone dying as 'of the symptoms' related to AIDS but not specifically AIDS. Elsewhere we see the prejudice towards people contracting the virus. Sufferers are shunned and talked to at a distance because of mis-informed prejudice. 'People just die from (an unspecified) disease'. It's sad, but accepted.
As Mama Lyimo tries to find more answers to her initial question, she finds two catholic preachers in Mbeya who are worringly skeptical. Maybe their hands are tied by Catholic doctrine, but they have a dismissive attitude as one explains over a bottle of Tusker: "An Umbrella protects you from the rain ... but don't forget that there are types of rain where that umbrella can't protect you".
Compared to Uganda, the number of condoms being bought in Tanzania at state level is relatively small. It reminded me of a 'joke' around the time UK government sent out a leaflet in the 1980s which was 'Don't die of ignorance ... die of AIDS instead". Ignorance is one thing, ambivalence is another.
The whole film brought back a lot of feelings and memories for me. Although the orphanage featured in Mwanza, the Starehe Children's home, was a different one to the ones I volunteered at ... there are obvious similarities. Visiting those diagnosed or dying of AIDS reminded me of the visits undertaken by some of us at the time. I also remember the desperate need for money for anything... although trusting people was always an issue.
For those of us that have been to Tanzania or experienced similar life-changing trips to Kenya, Malawi, Uganda or other surrounding countries, the feelings generated by this film will be all too familiar. We know the kinds of people involved... the sick, the orphaned, the care workers, the priests!
It took quite a while for the project to get from initial idea to DVD release, although it was premiered in Los Angeles on 1 December 2009. Peter Glenn "poured 3 years into it on a completely voluntary basis." (see email below) I first heard about this project soon after I came back from Tanzania in 2007, having successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, with two volunteers from Bagamoyo, Australian Meaghan Bruce and Swede Kristina Agren.
The original score by Tsotsi composer Paul Hepker compliments but never intrudes. This is unlike my reliance on unauthorised use of John Mayer or Coldplay tracks for my own low-budget but narrative-friendly film, 'Phil's Tanzanian Adventure'. We can never forget it, can we Mr Rogers?
So, if you can, please take time to watch the film. It costs 3.99 GBP to stream online. DVDs are currently unable to be shipped outside the US. Please contact me if you need help getting the access code.
*my original blog from 1 December 2006:
http://blogs.statravel.co.uk/phillongwell/blog/tanzania/mwanza/2006-12-01+09%3A27%3A24
photos courtesy of Peter Glenn / http://www.intothelightfilm.com/
TO WATCH THE FILM CLICK HERE:
Here is what Peter Glenn has told me directly about the costs:
"In regards to money going back to Tanzania, that is certainly a long term goal of ours and we're currently trying to shore up partnerships that might allow us to make more of a direct difference. However, we have tens of thousands of dollars in debt from the costs of making the film and we all poured 3 years of our lives into making the film on a completely volunteer basis. So we do need to be mindful of costs and reimbursing our expenses and other members of my family who loaned us money to make the film.
If you have suggestions for worthy non-profits in Tanzania, we'd certainly love suggestions we could look into. Ideally, we would have donated funds to KIWAKKUKI but it would have been difficult to support their work after they intentionally covered up the truth about Ceci's test results.
Thanks so much for supporting the film and helping raise awareness about the challenges of AIDS and poverty in Tanzania!"
Thanks for reading.
Teacher Phili
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