Column: A taste of Tanzania

Mouthwatering aromas accompanied a full buffet, a celebratory musical dance performance with hand drums, costumes and prayer.

There is nothing quite like getting a taste of Tanzania during fall in Bloomington.

For its third-annual celebration, IU’s Kilimanjaro Education Outreach chapter organized “A Taste of East Africa.”

An auction featured art work, artifacts and clothing from Tanzania to help support KILEO’s mission.

In 2009, Walter and Shawn Miya founded the non-profit organization to improve educational opportunities for Tanzanian children, provide HIV prevention education, build infrastructure and supply communities with everyday necessities such as books and clothes.

Together, the group of Tanzanians and Americans have supported struggling communities in Eastern Africa while dedicating themselves to keeping the culture alive.

Sweet smells, Swahili, song and celebration completed the event, giving attendees a fresh perspective on Tanzanian culture.

Megan Rogers, IU alumnus and peace corps volunteer in Tanzania, organized this year’s event.

She became involved with KILEO after she returned from Barjomot, Tanzania, and attended last year’s event.

Rogers said she wanted to continue to interact with Tanzanians, help with the organization’s mission and honor Tanzanian culture. She said “A Taste of East Africa” provides students with a chance to experience East African food and music.

“The event shares East African culture by giving them a taste of the food, allowing them to meet the people from eastern Africa, get to know the culture, hear the music and keep the Tanzanian traditions alive,“ Rogers said.         
 
Swahili dishes infused with African spices and customary combinations enhanced the entire event.

A tasty kachumbari salad of diced tomatoes, onions and chili peppers was served alongside a full and flavorful tomato meat sauce.

Everything from rice and beans to mandazi, a traditional fried breakfast dough, and chapati, a staple flat bread.

Rogers said Tanzanian people have chai tea ­— often served with milk and sugar — with sweet mandazi dough around 10 a.m. every day.

Samboosas — pastry shells full of meat or vegetables including potatoes, carrots and peas — were served spiced with curry powder.

“The samboosas are quite luxurious in Tanzania,” Rogers said. “They are kind of expensive and are less available in remote areas.”

A performance group beat its drums to rhythmic African celebratory songs and practiced the traditional dance steps, making it hard to believe we were still sitting in Bloomington.

“In African dancing and singing, a mistake is just a new type or variation,” announced the leader of the group. “We are here to celebrate community and happiness through clapping and a circle of prayer.”

After some participatory dancing and singing and an appetizing arrangement of cuisine, I left feeling like I was on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

­— espitzer@indiana.edu