A thought, on culture, money and Africa in general – just to keep it simple...

The Cultural Heritage Centre in Arusha.

While entering the cultural centre there are two things that are apparent – this place caters to tourists and I am one. Even if I am not...  

The set up is appealing, it becomes clear that this place exists for a purpose – to educate granted, but definitely also to create a profit.

When arriving we are firstly introduced to a TV screen telling us that this is the place to visit, if you want to know anything about Tanzanian ‘culture’. Second we are told that pieces are kept and sold from all over Africa followed by an image of the continent. I am not sure what to think of this. Africa holds 54 DIFFERENT nations, and yet when ‘selling’ it to outsiders, that isn’t important. Tanzania is Africa, Kenya is Africa, Uganda is Africa, Benin is Africa, Ghana is Africa, Liberia is Africa – and they are all here... within this one facility you can meet ALL of Africa...

After moving from the introductory video, also telling us about the specific Tanzanian carving tradition of the ‘family trees’, carved from one piece of wood, and taking up 18 years to complete, we move on to a display of Masaai living.

We are introduced to huts, people and cattle. The setting is created – this is the ‘real’ culture, the real Africa. It fits every idea you had before coming – however much it contradicts the traffic on the highway right next to the centre.

After I get over my uncomfortability of being an ‘outsider’ and the annoyance of the simplicity of the display of ‘African culture’ I start taking in the place with somewhat more of an open mind. But before I surrender completely to this, I do spend a bit of time pondering why I am so against the concept of ‘tourist’ and that businesses cater to this group. It would be silly of the business not to, and if you are never a tourist, how do you ever visit anywhere new? I mean, look around, I am in a group of people, where only three are from this country and only one from this area... we are all ‘tourists’ and I am the only one who seems to mind.

Passing from the traditional display of ‘culture’ we move towards the new art gallery, while I pass through the gate into this area my mood changes. Outside here, we also have all sorts of displays of Tanzanian traditional life – the young Masaai men trying to take down a lion to enter manhood, rows of cattle, a boat with ‘Arab’ looking persons mixed with ‘Africans’ taking us to the Tanzanian coast, and lots of statues of animals, from hippoes to giraffes and elephants.

We are received by some 3 meter tall wood carvings, these being the ‘traditional’ carvings of one of the tribes in Tanzania. They are quite amazing. They are almost like a totem pole. Except some of these are carved fully, and hollow, if I was able to twist my arm enough, I would actually be able to reach through it. I dare not try though, what if this one is one of the ones taking 18 years to carve, and I break it... I don’t think I have enough money to pay for that damage. So instead I admire it. It is interesting, people climbing on people and animals, all shapes and sizes all doing something different. Most of them however with a somewhat tormented facial expression.

If I hadn’t already wormed up to this place by now, I certainly did when I entered ‘the new art gallery’. I cannot put my finger on it, but I felt somewhat like I do when I enter into a large cathedral. Maybe it was the worm lighting, the coloured glass windows, or the fact that the entire centres of the building, all 5 floors, were open so when standing at the bottom you could look through the glass ceiling.

To my great admiration this was actually an art gallery. It was finely executed – once again, this place is made for tourists – souvenir buyers as well as collectors – money is the language. Everything is for sale, and next to each picture or mask on the wall, you have a tag, kindly telling you the price – first in USD then in TZ Shillings... I will stop dwelling on the tourist and money element, I think I made my point.

The place draws you in. At no point did anyone dare to raise their voices, almost on the contrary, we almost whispered.

The first thing I noticed when entering the bottom floor was the paintings on the walls. The style reminded me so much of the classic paintings I have seen in so many museums, featuring a pitcher and a bowl of fruit. Except here the motive was a woman hanging her laundry for drying. The colours were breathtaking, and it had that photograph-ish look from afar. I would trade the pitcher and the fruit for this laundry any day.

The ‘real African’ or the ‘non real African’

While walking around the gallery I of course looked at all the masks and ebony carvings, but what I spend most time focusing on were the paintings and photographs.

At some point I caught myself disregarding a section because ‘it wasn’t really African’. I could have slapped myself – but found that that somehow would have been inappropriate. Though. Who am I - who as you might remember used the intro of this piece to be angry about the ‘simple display of African culture – to disregard a section of paintings because they don’t fulfil my expectation of ‘real African culture’? What a hypocrite!!! The section in question was one of somewhat modern, partly abstract pictures. Why would I disregard these as part of the African culture – why are the people of this continent not allowed to have gone through different phases and inspirations in their artistic development? My immediate answer was, well I could have seen these pictures on a wall in the art gallery in Aalborg. Ok, maybe not quite, but they didn’t distinguish themselves, didn’t bring about the same identity as most of the other sections here.

I let go of these thoughts, and moved further on, and enjoyed the displays. Though still making notes about which areas caught my mind, and more explicitly, which didn’t.

After touring, the rest of the gallery, we made our way outside again, and into the gift shop area...

My answer is...

And here I found my answers (and as a good tourist I bought overpriced gifts, just because they said Kilimanjaro and Tanzania on them... shame on me. But am sure the receivers will be happy!). The book that brought me the answer was one of ‘African decorations’ or something like that. In this particular shelf were found nothing less than three titles (by same author) on ceremonies, dresses and homesteads.

I quickly disregarded the homestead one, it was nice, but didn’t attract me. The ceremonies one irritated me but the one with the different bodily decorations of beads; leather wood etc caught my eye. Somehow I felt it had more authenticity and didn’t try to be something it wasn’t.  And then it struck me. That is the thing about ‘African culture’ - what is so attractive is the part we don’t understand. That was the key for me. Africa will always be mysterious -the colours, the beliefs, the nature, the people and the extremes. If it ever existed it probably existed on this continent – whatever it was or is. I don’t understand it. People on this continent believe things they know cannot take place, because their stories tell them that it happened. Animals take the shape of humans, people fight lions – ok not so much anymore – and in some areas you can literally walk for days without meeting any sign of people.

I love this continent – and I never really figured out why.

But maybe this touristy cultural heritage centre with overpriced coffee and carvings provided the answer.  This continent fascinates me, it keeps me spell bound, and no matter how long I spend here, there will always be something new to experience. Even if it might just be a mountain, or an elephant or whatever, I might have seen it before, but it will always be able to present itself in a new way. I will never gain full understanding of anything here. I might not in Europe either, but somehow that continent lacks the mystery that I find in everything here. Even in the market shopping for fabrics – the chosen occupation of the today.