Pop-Up Indian: Street Side Dining in Dar

Why is it always at the end of the of the trip you discover the best places to eat or go? My room-mates discovered this great place serving various Indian street foods on their way to the gym last month and its turned out to be a gem.

The place is quite literally a side-walk cafe. Sidewalks in Dar Es Salaam are frequently occupied by street vendors selling everything under the sun as well as the occasionally motorbike or bicycle that finds the road a bit to jammed for their liking. This place is camped outside a small grocery store which is perfect if you want to buy drinks or desert to go with your meal.

The food is all vegetarian, cooked right there before your eyes. There is a banner with a menu but you get what is up for offer that day. The main feature is pani puri and sev puri served up in canteen style metal plates or packed up for take out. Other treats include grilled paneer and onion bhaji.

All in all your meal will probably run you $5 tops and you'll be stuffed full. (Of course we went afterwards for for ice-cream and waffles but that is entirely a personal choice).

Zanzibar: Rain or Shine

"Rain in the forecast? There's always a chance of rain here but it never does. Bright and sunny all the time...don't worry about it!"

This is the sort of thing that you just know when you say it, will likely come back to haunt you. And it did throughout our Zanzibar weekend. Despite the rain, it was a really great trip and it also matched up with my birthday, which made it pretty special. A complete girls vacation, the group here was joined by two other interns visiting from other countries. Here are some of the highlights.

Our Hotel

We stayed in this gem of a hotel called Tembo recommended by our coworkers. Its was so beautiful inside and out.

Zanzibar Doors

This is something that the town in famous for. These beautiful doors now cost thousands of dollars to get made. But all through stone-town you see them in various states of age, beauty and decay.

Winding Alley Ways

Navigating Stonetown takes some work. Windy alley ways are fun to explore, though not the greatest when you are trying to head somewhere specific. And navigating Stonetown in pouring rain... well that requires a far bit of wading through rivers of water.

Beach Views

The photos say it all.

Sitting out the Rain

And rain by the beach isn't so bad when you have swinging beds to retreat to with your book.

Returning to the real world after all of this was a bit painful. And to top of it all, our return coincided with the five month mark of our trip, which was crazy to think about. However, all in all not a shabby way to celebrate being a year older!

Grim Realities and Slivers of Hope

One of the biggest challenges I always have in working in Africa is the fact that, as a women, you are constantly treated as a sexual object. Declarations of “you're beautiful, I love you, come here!” from random strangers are more disturbing than complimentary. Male friendships are almost impossible and more often than not end up in unwelcome advances.

These situations have a way of getting to me because I know its symptomatic of a much larger and deeply disturbing issue. According to national statistics, 44% of women in Tanzania experience sexual and/or physical violence and 30% of girls experience sexual violence before their 18^th birthday. In addition, over 60% of girls think its okay for a husband to beat his wife if she does something such as argue with him, leave the house without telling him, burn food or doesn't properly take care of the household. I have been told flat out that here men don't sexually harassment women, they are just paying a compliment and admiring women.

Its a compliment though that most women would happily pass on. Which is why, EfG launched a small pilot campaign last winter on verbal abuse in the markets. “Mpe Riziki Si Matusi” or “Give Payment not Abuse” was an assertion of women's right to be treated as business owners and not sexual objects. Around 80% of women traders experience verbal and physical sexual harassment on a daily basis, especially from other male traders. It's not uncommon for men to use sexual harassment as a way to discourage women from asking for payment for their goods. Touching, grabbing, constant remarks serve to stop women from asserting themselves. And if the women object? Well this generally leads to greater harassment since you clearly don't know your place.

This campaign focused on working with both men and women market leaders and traders to create an environment where sexual harassment wasn't tolerated. Though the campaign was small, women involved said it continues to provided them with the strength to protest such behaviour and fellow male traders have even stepped up to stop harassment when they see it happen.

Drops of water in a very big bucket. Sometimes working in women's rights there are days you don't know whether to cry or scream in frustration. But this work is not for those who need to see instant results, changes or feel like you as an individual made the difference. Its for those who will celebrate small victories knowing they are part of a long-term, multi-generational battle. In the end you have to simply believe that its a fight worth fighting and these women clearly do.