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Sukuma Museum- Mwanza- Tanzania Work-camp!!

Population:    3,000,000
Religion:   Animism
Status:   <10% Christian

Location: The Sukuma live in northwestern Tanzania on or near the southern shores of Lake Victoria, and the territory has been divided into nine administrative districts of the Mwanza and Shinyanga Region. The northern area of their residence is in the famous Serengeti Plain.

The Sukuma area is mostly a flat scrub less savannah plain between 3000 and 4000 ft. elevation. Twenty to forty inches of rain fall from November to March. High temperatures range from 79 to 90 while lows at night seldom drop below the upper 50's. Population is very spread out among small farm plots and sparse vegetation.

History:  Ancestors of the Sukuma were part of the extensive migrations of people speaking early forms of Bantu speech, in the first millennium AD. They, along with the Nyamwezi farther south, seem to belong to the same group as the Bantu of western Uganda.

It appears their ancestors left that area before the invasion of the Hima Cushites, since their culture and language show no influences of the Hima or the later Lwoo invaders in the Nyoro-Kigezi areas of Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. This puts the Sukuma in their current area by about 1300 AD.

It appears that the pastoral Hima were acutually there when the Sukuma arrived. Sukuma tradition says they drove out the Hima who subsequently established their kingdoms farther west, around Lake Victoria.

Identity:  The Sukuma are a Bantu-speaking people numbering over 3 million. They can be subdivided into two groups: the Kinakia of the north and the more dispersed Kisomao of the south.

Although many workers among the Sukuma define them as a single people, many Sukuma consider the two groups as distinct, suggesting the possibility that "Sukuma" may not be a meaningful, cultural category. Although the two sub-groups are considered one people group, further investigation may prove the need to define them as two groups.

Language:  Swahili is the national language in Tanzania and all education through secondary school is in Swahili. The Sukuma language like Swahili, is a Bantu language. Unlike Swahili, Sukuma is tonal and some missionaries have considered its difficulty to be a barrier to mission work.

Customs:  The Sukuma people grow crops, raise livestock, and gather a diminishing supply of firewood. It is common for the Sukuma women to do the majority of the family's work. The Kinakia are subsistence farmers growing cotton, cassava, rice and peanuts. The Kisomao grow the same crops as the Kinakia but rely more on herding cattle.

Cotton is the main cash crop but the typical cash income is nominal. Abundance of offspring and traditional group dance mark important aspects of their society. The Sukuma dance to the music of drums to celebrate the various events of life.

Mwanza (pop. 250,000+) and Shinyanga (pop. 40,000+) are the only major cities among the Sukuma. These cities are 70-90% Sukuma residents. These are the only places where electricity is available. All roads are gravel or earth except one section of highway from Mwanza to Musoma along the lake.

Religion: Christianity, although introduced to the culture over a hundred years ago by Catholic missionaries, has not formed a church presence capable of reaching its people. The vast majority have retained a belief in divination, magic, and spiritism.

Christianity:  Traditionally, the Sukuma have been perceived as slow to change, passive and yet friendly; however, some feel that a growing felt need for improvement developed in the 1980s and 90s.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Baptist Mission implemented the Sukuma Project, an intensive team-oriented evangelistic thrust. This project resulted in the first visible inroads of evangelical Christian work in the Sukuma heartland.

The project involved coordinated efforts in a sequence of evangelism, baptism and church planting and discipleship training. This proved that the Sukuma were responsive to the Christian message.
 
Dates: The work camp takes place between Feb 1 to 14, 2004. The theme will be ecotourism development. Participants could carry small paint brushes and drawing materials to help in decoration of the museum buildings.

Ages: Only those above the age of 18 shall be entitled to the work-camp. It requires energy and participation inputting up the classroom structure. Funds contributed by the volunteers will go towards purchase of materials, accommodation, transport and meals. The camp costs US $ 300. Volunteers will be shown how the funds have been utilized.

Excursions: Excursions to the world famous Serengeti National Park and to lake Victoria and other nearby areas will be organized. Village hikes will also be possible. Guided tours will be organized by the Serengeti Stop Over and Serengeti Cultural Centre.

What to Bring:

Its advisable for the participants to bring with them  materials to share with the pupils in the local school, other small gifts like pens, pencils, rubber. Please also bring small paint materials.  Please also carry your first aid tablets, anti malaria tablets and maybe some sun lotion. Toiletries are a MUST to be carried. Have good hiking gear, your African Wildlife and Birds guidebook or any other information you feel you will need in your tours or work camp. Building materials shall be provided by VFA and the local host Serengeti Stop Over Community Project..

It will be possible to stay in one of the homes, and experience real Sukuma. A total of 5 homes are ready to host volunteers. If in need please contact us in advance. The cost is US $ 20 per night to cater for bed, dinner and breakfast.

It will also be possible to purchase local handicrafts made by women at a very low price. The women work inform of Community Associations to sustainably utilize local materials and share together in community development. You purchase directly from the makers of the products, no middlemen. The capacity for this camp is 18 persons so hurry up and book your space.

Fill in the APPLICATION now and book your lifetime chance to know more about the Sukuma agricultural way of life and many more breathtaking scenarios. All at a reasonable cost.

Contact ECODECO Consult for information about cost of the park tours and other excursions not covered in this work-camp..

Call (254) 72 240 7558 for more information, or email vfa@avu.org.