What We Do
Bukumbi Diary - December 2008
Monday 1st December
The dramatic scenery as we drove out to Bukumbi today was deep green and full of new growth, people were busy in the fields everywhere, ploughing with oxen and hoeing in teams by hand to prepare the soil for planting. Talking with people they are optimistic of a good harvest from their hard work, let’s hope they are right.
Simba and I sat under a tree with the old ladies from Mpapua this morning and chatted with them, finding out about their lives, as we talked other ladies joined us and helped out with the story telling. Nearby 3 children role-played a farmer ploughing with oxen, worryingly two of the children were tied together with string around their necks and the other held a beating stick menacingly above them! One old lady had us in stitches as she recounted her life story, when asked how old she was when she got married she guessed that she must have been around 15 as her ‘titis’ (boobs) were still standing up back then! I nearly fell of my stool laughing and the rest of the ladies howled too. After listening to the many hardships that these old people have endured it was nice to share in their laughter too. (AW)