The African Gourmet

The Maasai are East Africa’s most celebrated indigenous peoples. Tall, dark and slender, they have for long remained contemptuous of modern lifestyle. They are a noble, proud, and freedom loving people, who have always infatuated romantic esterners, since the appearance of explorer Joseph Thomson’s book “Through Maasailand” in 1885. Their interpreters to the world have included such gifted writers as Karen Blixen and Ernest Hemingway.

The Maasai are a pastoral tribes-group native to southern Kenya and north-central Tanzania, along the Great Rift Valley plains. They are great herders of cattle who live in the open wild, sharing their habitat with wildlife.

Thought to have originated from the Nile Valley in Sudan, the Maasai migrated southward sometimes between the 14th and 16th centuries, probably in search of greener pastures for their beloved cattle. Along the way, they fiercely fought and displaced tribes they encountered. Around the 18th and 19th centuries, these nomadic Maa speaking Nilotes settled in their present domains in Kenya and Tanzania.

Author: Andrew Muigai Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_84267_29.htmlPhoto USAID

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is probably the ultimate climbing holiday in Africa! As well as being the ‘Roof of Africa’, Africa’s highest mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro is also the world’s premier free standing volcano. At 5895m Uhuru Peak towers over vast African plains. The different culture and wildlife Tanzania has to offer complement the unsurpassed natural beauty you will see all over the mountain. Kilimanjaro National Park consists of the entire Tanzanian part of the iconic mountain, above the 2700m contour line.

There are five vegetation zones to experience whilst climbing Kilimanjaro. The first zone is the fertile Lower Slopes are cultivated and support a dense population. Wild flowers are also prolific in this area. Zone two the Montane Forest covers the lower slopes between altitudes of 1800m and 3000m. Zone three Between 3000m and 4000m lies the Moorland Zone. The slopes are covered in heath-like vegetation and an abundant array of wild flowers. Zone four is the Alpine zone above an altitude of 4000m Mt Kilimanjaro becomes very dry, classified as semi-desert with an annual rainfall of less than 250mm. The Arctic Zone five starts at an altitude of 5000m. Virtually no rainfall and little permanent life make for quite a barren landscape. Mount Kilimanjaro is relatively young and was formed by Rift Valley’s main volcanic activity. It first erupted about one million years ago. Kilimanjaro is equally fascinating to geologists, birdwatchers and botanists, providing spectacular scenery from glaciers to lush tropical forest.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

Morocco is located in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. Morocco is slightly larger than California. The climate is Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior with northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains. Moroccans have a diverse language just like many African counties, the offical language is Arabic, then there are Berber dialects and French is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy. Some of Moroccos natural resources are fish and salt. If Morocco had a national dish it would be the tajine,  in Arabic: طاجين. The traditional tajine pot is made from clay that maybe painted or glazed. The tajine has two parts a base unit which is flat and circular with low sides and a large cone cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom similar to the U.S. crockpot.

Chad’s capital city N’Djamena. Chad is slightly more than three times the size of California. Chad is a particular country of interest, officially known as the Republic of Chad it’s a landlocked country in central Africa. It has a total population exceeding 10 million people and the languages are French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects.

N’Djamena is populated with embassies and colonial houses which show evidence of  European influences in Africa. The Grand Marche is the liveliest spot in N’Djamena that hosts vendors of books, foods and crafts. The Chad National Museum and the Chad Cultural Centre are new additions to the cultural attractions and they feature the Chadian culture and national traditions.

The national specialty likely to get is peanut sauce over rice often eaten in Southern Chad. Meat dishes are very popular in Chad, and foreign travelers speak highly of the meat (particularly lamb). Drinks vary from traditional to international and you will love Chad’s excellent beer, Gala widely available in the capital. Karkanj is also another traditional beer made from Hibiscus flowers.

Lake Chad, after which the county is named, is the second largest wetland in Africa and also serves as a beautiful site. Another popular attraction is the desert landscapes of Ennedi, and the Emi Koussi – found in the Sahara; it’s the country’s highest peak.
The city of Fada offers the interesting geological formations and the Guelta d’Archei is its most famous. The Gala Brewery is also a point of interest, located in the city of Moundou; it produces one of Chad’s most popular drafts. It’s also responsible largely for Moundou’s excellent nightlife reputation. 

Photo Credit: M. McGahuey   Author in part: Limotek.co.

Author: Robert Palmer Photo: USAID

Tanzania is a country in Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south. To the east it borders the Indian Ocean.
The country’s name came after the united of  Tanganyika, the large mainland territory, and Zanzibar the offshore archipelago, British colonies united in 1964, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania is the 31st-largest country in the World with approximate 364875metre squares, it is slightly more than twice the size of the U.S. state of California.
Tanzania has many  famous features,  these include mountain, lakes and River . Tanzania is mountainous in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is located. To the north and west are the Great Lakes of Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (Africa’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish species).
Tanzania contains many large and ecologically beautiful  wildlife parks, including the famous , Serengeti National Park in the north, and Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park in the south. Gombe National Parks in the west is known as the site of Dr. Jane Goodall’s studies of chimpanzee behavior.
The economy of Tanzania is mostly based in Agriculture, though there are other economic sector  which contribute  to the revenues of the country, these include Tourism, Industry and other social sectors.
Population division in Tanzania is extremely irregular. Density varies from 1 person per square kilometer  in dry regions to 51 per square kilometer  in the mainland’s well-watered highlands to 134 per square kilometer (347 per sq. mi.) on Zanzibar. In Tanzania many people are living rural  area. Dar es Salaam   is the capital and largest city; Dodoma, located in the centre of Tanzania, has been dominated the new capital, although action to move the capital has stalled.
Tanzania consists of more than 120 ethnic groups, of which the Sukuma. The Sukuma are one  of the largest ethnic groups in Tanzania, with an estimate of 3.2 million members representing between 10-13 percent of the total country  population. Sukuma are located in many area of Tanzania, but mostly in east and south of lake Victory, Mwanza a city in Sukuma, is one of the largest and fastest growing area in Tanzania. These speak Bantu language, Sukuma-language.

The Nyamwezi  are the second-largest ethic in Tanzania. They live in the northwest central area of the country, between Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa. The term Nyamwezi is of Swahili origin, which means “people of the moon”.
Historically, there have been five tribal groups, all referring  as Wanyamwezi to outsiders these include Kimbu, Konongo, Nyamwezi, Sukuma, and Sumbwa, who were never united. . The Nyamwezi have close cultural ties with the Sukuma people.
The Chaga (also called Wachaga, Chagga, Jagga, Dschagga, Waschagga, or Wachagga) is  the third largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They live on the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, as well as in the Moshi area.  Their relative wealth comes from not only the favorable climate of the area, but also from successful agricultural methods which include great extensive irrigation systems and continuous fertilization practised for thousands of years. They were one of the first tribes in the area to convert to Christianity. This might have given them an economic “advantage” over other ethnic groups, as they had better access to education and health care as Christians.
Haya is among the  ethic in Tanzania, these people is situated in Kagera region,and they speak (OluHaya, Swahili:Kihaya) which is  a Niger-Congo language  in the south and southwest coast of Lake Victoria. In 1991, the population of Haya speakers was estimated at 1,200,000 people

The Nyakyusa (also called the Sokile, Ngonde or Nkonde) are an African ethnic and linguistic group who live in the fertile mountains of southern Tanzania, they speak the Nyakyusa language, a subset of the Bantu language. In 1993 the Nyakusa population was estimated to number 1,050,000, with 750,000 living in Tanzania and 300,000 in Malawi. The Nyakyusa were eager agriculturists. They practiced intensive crop rotation with corn, beans, squash, sorghum, millet, yams, etc., with banana plantations stretching for miles. Clearing and hoeing the land three to four hours a day was the responsibility of the men and his sons, never the women. The crops were used for food, beer, and hospitality, as well as for sale and barter. Neither old age nor high status excused a man from his duty to hoe. They were said to fear leaving their area for concern of being unable to exist without their accustomed food of meat, milk, bananas etc. Each year at the beginning of the rainy season, the Nyakyusa assemble at a place called ‘Chikungu’ where their chief Kyungu calls for rain. All villagers are told not to light fire in their homes in the morning of the ritual rain-calling ceremony.