Day 1: Going. It would take me three days of constant travel to reach my children – if all would go smoothly. Heart beats faster – I have picked up fractions of information both indicating it is going to be possible and impossible to do fieldwork with my little daughter in November. Open. Ready. Unrest. Impatient. Curious.
Day 2: First visit. Hadzabe here have stopped hunting and moving. Hunger Heat Hope Even in this dusty dry and bare environment without leafs on the trees the Hadzabe vitness the pastoralists overtake of land. Museum dimension gained momentum with a visit to cultural centre. I am concerned and in doubt.
Day 3: Went out of Yaeda Chini to Mang’ola. Milking tourists. Visited a hadzabe boma at sun set. Shifting, hunting, managing. Only two hours from Karatu. This looks very promising if only I can avoid the milking machine.
Day 4: After a nice night in my tent I went back to the boma in the morning. Tourist session was taking place. The datoga guy from the tourist office was eager to arrange a program for me. After a couple of hours of miscommunication we discussed the possibilities for fieldwork. Communication breakdown. What was great though was the visit and communication with the Hadzabe. Notice the kitchen area in open air under a thorntree. The encirclement of succulent plants. And cutting of entrance to the two adjacent areas of sleeping area and kitchen. This is the preparation of ugali and dik-dik for the camp’s children. In the afternoon fled from milking machine to Karatu.
Day 5: Delightful hot shower in Karatu. The dust had given my skin an – actually nice – ocher hue. Early bus to Arusha. A lot on my mind! I have an almost ready agreement with Mount Meru University – the fountain of real knowledge//the foundation of real knowledge – as it says on the two business cards I’ve received. The university is baptist. The Hadza are under tremendous pressure, as it is! I cannot bring a tail of missionaries with me to the field. Information processing at the Danish consul’s house. Openings and closures.
Day 6: Maybe I should have gone to Dar to try to meet with researchers at the university in search of institutional affiliation with the university there? Instead I stayed in Arusha. Geert took me on a tour to visit ‘places that might be of interest for you’. The picture is taken from an exhibition of replicas of ancient rock art – combined with courses in making hand made paper(? – yup). I ran through the different – specialized – markets to get gifts for my family. Met with great people in the evening. Packed my gear – ok to leave my tent and other stuff at Geert’s.
Day 7: I’ve been travelling for more than 35 hours. It shows. I’m sweaty and I can feel the thin cover of dust from the 11 hours bus ride in Tanzania. Now I’m on the train from Cph. I’ve been reading G. Bataille on the way. I have had difficulties following his argument when I tried reading him before. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time – preparing for fieldwork. Now it is clear and inspiring! I guess it fits well with the sense of uncertainty and all the unsortedness following intense meetings.
