“Because of TAFES I have changed what I am looking for in marriage.” One of the staff said this to me one evening when he was over for dinner. Intriguing! I asked him, how have you changed? This guy hasn’t lived in his tribal context for most of his life, […]
This week, we were stopped by police three times in two days, and we weren’t fined any of those times. Despite what I’ve written about negotiating the police in Tanzania, this is the far more common experience: friendly police who merely greet you, or look at your license / rego […]
Back in July at a TAFES event I bought a copy of ‘Biblia na Utajiri’ (The Bible And Wealth), which was written by Ufoo Kassa George, a businesswoman and TAFES Associate. I haven’t finished it yet, but the really exciting thing for me is that much of what Ufoo says […]
I didn’t see my maandazi ladies friends for a week or so, until two of them turned up on my doorstep. They explained that the government had declared that no one was to do business near primary schools anymore. This effectively puts them out of business – the corner they […]
I was at a Christian seminar on parenting with Tanzanian peers. The facilitator made the argument that your first priority must be God your spouse your children and only after that, your career or money or anything else. This stuff makes sense to me. I am in a highly companionate […]
As Tanzania celebrated Nyerere Day on 14 October, there are growing comparisons between Tanzania’s founding President and its current President, John Magufuli. One of the enduring characterisations of Nyerere is that he is beloved by ordinary Tanzanians, but regarded by many foreigners and scholars as responsible for their poverty through economic […]
What is the place of money in the Christian life for the Tanzanian? Pastor John spoke of how wanting wealth is not a wrong thing for a Christian, if the purpose of that wealth is to be shared. We learned from a discussion with our language tutor in our Dodoma […]
Meet Jesus at uni 