Friday, October 26, 2012

THE DANGERS OF "U P U P U" IN TANZANIA

Posted here on  26/10/2012.

This Article appeared in the Features Page 11  of  "THE GUARDIAN, TANZANIA  dated 29/10/2003 and headlined:

 RESEARCHERS ATTRACTED TO THE BEAUTY OF UPUPU (a Swahili word for a plant whose fruits itch on contact)" 

This is Part II of a series of two articles about SALI FOREST RESERVE situated in  ULANGA DISTRICT, MOROGORO REGION.  

We had no choice but to spend the night at Isyanga Primary School.  However, as the work of pitching  tents  was eliminated, we  were left with fetching water and cooking our evening meal.  We bought firewood  from the villagers, before fixing our NGO mosquito nets and having a deep, exhauted but relaxed sleep.  We were able to get water from the school's well nearby.  

We did this despite  the fact that the villagers and teachers told us there were no mosquitoes at Isyanga village at the moment.  However, our health and safety instructions ere very strict about using mosquito nets.  Besides,  mosquito nets not only prevented mosquitoes from biting us, there were also spiders, caterpillars, ants and like which could catch one unawares while unprotected and asleep at night.  

Early the next morning on 12 August, 2003 after an early breakfast and cleaning the class we hastily broke the camp and left the school compound as the school timetable for the day began.  We had no intention of abusing the Personal Secretary's hospitality.  However, we were able to sing the National Anthem with the school pupils before departure on foot to Sali Mission, seven kilometres away uphill.  

One of us, an Englishman, who had also been to Zimbabwe and Zambia  was amazed that the three national anthem tunes resembled.  I added the Republic of South Africa's tune in the list.  Remember the Frontline States before 1994, South Africa's liberation and its eventual independence. 

We embarked on our departure on foot with our rucksacks containing food, coking utensils and scientific paraphenalia.

We arrived safely and sound at Sali Mission at around 1.00pm.  The Sali Mission graciously provided lunch for us at a small fee.  The religious cook who served us lunch, Father Frateli even allowed us to pocket the delicious roasted marron groundnuts to munch on transit to our next temporary camp where we spent the night that day.  The village leadership advised us to spend the night at the Mbezi River Wterfalls, which was only two kilometres away uphill.

The Mbezi River Waterfall is an eye opener as one of this country's  most beautiful places.  The clear cool waters fall 40 metres down 90 degrees from up above forming a spectacular site and sound.  The falls form a permanent stream from the sharp angle.  The beauty of the Mbezi waterfalls emanates not only as it forms  the 90 degrees fall of the water, but its romantic musical sound  as well as the convergence of two rivers nearby.  At night  the face of the waterfall is very cold, prompting us to opt to use as our camp site about 30 metres away from it.  

When I saw the falls for the first time, my heart leapt with the sudden joy of seeing something extremely beautiful, and immediately after followed the pain of realising the truth that rarely were Tanzanians able to see sights like this.  

Despite the beauty of the waterfalls, it as recorded fatalities among foreigners and villagers alike.  A number of persons drowned on the deeply unknown depth of the pool where the waterfall drops on.  Such facts did not stop us from fantasizing that the waterfall area was ideal for lovers and honeymooners alike.  It was so romantic that it would make one forget there is an end to this life.

Early on 13 August, 2003, we were able to secure a guide; who happened to be a member of the Village Council and Ten House Cell leader Mr. Aaron Uteki;  to take us to our intended destination of the Sali Natural Forest  Reserve.  We had to pass through the Mission  Compound that morning to collect  some of our luggage left there from the previous day and head for the Natural Forest Reserve.  The way there was accomplished easily enough despite its been uphill because we prudently paid local villages to clear the way beforehand.  Despite this being done, "UPUPU" did not leave us alone.  We had to scratch ourselves all the way to the base campsite inside the Sali Natural Forest Reserve.  I was surprised that despite being covered in leather boots and corduroy  trousers,  I was itching all over.  That was when I learned that the itching agent in "upupu" was carried on the air; and therefore not necessarily that one need touch it physically. 

Meanwhile, our lorry driver Francis Mhaiki collected his lorry at Isyanga village and drive it all the way up to Sali Mission.  He did this after scouting the road and personally certifying  that the road was passable enough for his heavy duty vehicle.  The invisible and inadvertent thing about the lorry was that it was literally covered with Upupu.  Mind you,  no motor car has ever travelled that way larger than the mission pickup.  So the lorry sort of "cleared" up all the upupu which was blocking the road two and a half to three metres high.   The saying that beauty is dangerous proved correct to us in this trip.  I wish you could see the attractively brownish/maroon beckoning colour of the   upupu fruits hanging in clusters of five or six from its climbing vine plants.  

One of the foreign research assistants, ignorant of its vicious properties actually picked up a cluster!!.  I am sure she will never live to forget its reaction to her pale European skin.  

We prepared our base camp and pitched tents as soon as was possible after arrival.  Our guide Mr. Uteki and the Forest Officer Mr. Nkawamba helped us to choose the best site for base camp.  They are experts at the job.  The two days we spent there was heavenly.  They chose a place between two streams.  These streams were fast flowing from the steep mountain side to the reaches below.  They were making similar, but not quite identical  musical sounds  like the waterfalls.  They reminded me anew of the spectacular beauty of Tanzania.  The musical sound soothed out tired bodies after our return from the Sali Natural Forest Reserve excursion.  

On our last day at the base camp on 14 August, 2003, we climed the Kongo hill to the top.  This had two aims.  First was to see Beacon No. One (1) of the Natural Forest Reserve and secondly, to have a wider view of the Sali Ntural Forest Reserve.  

We managed to use three hours of strenuous climbing to reach the top of the hill.  All its 1,359 metres above sea level, and climbed down using half that time.  We even managed to use the path used by Germans long time ago when they erected to and half metres wide cross on top of the same hill where Beacon No. 1 is situated.  The Sali Natural Forest Reserve has 14 Beacons.

The German Missionaries  built the Sali Mission from 1911 and history bears to this record.  

On top of the Kongo hill we could clearly see Ruaha Village which was 14 kilometres away, Isyanga village  (where we spent our first night) which was about ten kilometres and we also saw Sali village three kilometres away.  Further away, we would see the main road to Malinyi and further still was spread the Selous Game Reserve.  

Mr. Nkawamba  informed us that Ulanga District alone has eight Natural Forest Reserves.  The first one in size is the Sali Natural Forest Reserve which spread before us in all its natural splendour at the time.  Next to it is Mzelezi Natural Forest Reserve, Nambinga Natural Forest Reserve, and Nawange Natural Forest Reserve.  Others are Muhulu Natural Forest Reserve, Mahenge Scarp Natural Forest Reserve, Myowe Natural Forest Reserve and Iligamea Natural Forest Reserve.  

All the eight natural forest reserves are within the Eastern Arc Mountains whose formation is estimated to be 600 million year ago.  The Eastern Arc Mountain Range starts at the Taita Hills in Kenya curving south to Pare Mountains,  Usambara Mountains, Uluguru Mountains and Udzungwa Mountains.

We spent the two days at the base camp transacting the natural vegetation, counting mammalian species, sweeping amphibians, trapping rats and butterflies.  

The Eastern Arc Mountains are world famous and renowned for their biodiversity.  They are among very few mountains in the wold which contain  thousands of micro organisms, insects, plants, trees, birds and animals.  Quite a number  are endemic to them, like the famous thumb-sized toads.

I was lucky to have been availed this rare opportunity to see and inform the general public about them.  The opportunity just happened by fluke after the University of Dar es Salaam put up an advertisement on the notice board requiring students to apply for the Volunteer Research Assistant jobs.  The job the advertisement said was offered by Frontier-Tanzania,  a United Kingdom Environmental NGO dealing with scientific research in collaboration with the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).  

I did not know then, that Frontier-Tanzania needed only one Volunteer from the UDSM.  I was lucky to attend their interview held in Dar es Salaam and getting appointed, out of three of my fellow UDSM students.   My Environmental Law studies at postgraduate level at UDSM and my unconditionally extrovert outlook on life must have won the day!  

When we started out as per our contracts on 6 July, 2003l, we were 16 Research Assistants; myself,  14 Volunteers from the United Kingdom and one Volunteer from Germany.

Frontier-Tanzania works in the field in four phases a year with a similar number of research assistants.  That means in any given year, there are 60 Europeans volunteering  and thereby coming to Tanzania to study, learn  and tour all the country's natural resources with an equivalent of four (4) Tanzanian students accompanying them in each phase.  One can imagine how many foreign  researchers or NGO who come to Tanzania to do their own things, enjoy our natural resources while we perish in our abject poverty.  

By now,   an average reader would understand my sadness at lost opportunities  for Tanzanians to visit, tour, educate and  learn  about their own richly endowed natural resources.  

On 15 August, 2003,  we broke camp early in the morning  and headed back to Simba Camp, Itete Village, Mtimbira Ward, Ulanga District, to continue with out research inside the depleted Natural Forests of the Kilombero Valley, and the Teak Forest, the property of a UK investor.    For the time being,  the Teak Plantations surrounding Simba Camp are those of Mafinji and Nakafulu Forests.

For a retake or critical view of the said excursion to the Natural Forests in this Research Tour, kindly read more in this blog on the heading titled:
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Posted here by Author Zainab Mrisho  Mwatawala on 26/10/2012, at Misufini Hamlet, Mafiga Ward, Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania, East Africa. 

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