Steen: On Poverty

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it's been a bit of a challenge for me to articulate exactly what about it makes it poor vs. simply rural having never really been to another poor country or spent much time in rural areas. It's also confusing because there are some things that are very modern -- many cellphones, internet, etc.

So, this entry is an effort to articulate my observations On Poverty.

1) The buildings are old and often not well-kept. In addition to just being old structures, the paint has largely peeled off many of the buildings, giving them a run down look. Some buildings are being repainted (I noted a man painting the grills on a window), but not all or even most.

2) Dirt is also everywhere, which does not help the place feel clean. The roads are made of dirt and it gets everywhere. People sweep daily, it is definitely not a lack of desire to be clean, but just a reality that dirt gets everywhere; the roads are largely made of dirt and the summer heat dries up the ground so the dirt blows everywhere, giving people a need to constantly sweep.

3) The shops are small and they hang their goods all over the place, leading to a feeling of clutter. People are selling all sorts of odds and ends, laying out their wares for passersby to see, but there is not a sanitary “store window” as we have in more developed parts of the world. I do not entirely mind this, but it does lead to a sense that things are messy.

4) Spaces (esp shops) are small, cramped, and dark.

5) Goods being sold appear second hand or to be cheap items imported from China and other places. In fact, there are these neon plastic mirrors here that I definitely bought on my last trip or two back to Taiwan.

6) Then there is the way people are dressed. The women are often in these beautiful kangas and vitenge – brightly colored cloths that they wrap around as skirts or shirts in the most vibrant patterns. But, then there are people clearly with second hand donations from the U.S. or other countries and others who clearly have not washed in days. There is a sense that things don’t always “fit” right and I am not sure if this is because this is their style or just that they do the best they can with what is available around them – often something that for some reason does not fit well. Men are in suits 5 sizes too big. Other people are in t-shirts that are all dirty on the edges.