Day 15 - Butiama

On this journey, Moses suggested Neema (Agape Lodge's cook) accompany us. Neema was originally supposed to join Nuru, Happy, and I on my Serengeti Safari to celebrate my birthday next week. These ladies, who work so hard and have lived in Tanzania all their lives, have never been to the Serengeti. Even though locals do not pay much to enter the national park, the cost of a guide and transportation severely limits their opportunities. Since I was paying for a guide anyway, and there was room in the vehicle, I decided to make it a group event. Moses agreed to let his staff go for the day, as a reward for their services, but also to provide them with first-hand knowledge of the Serengeti so they may share their experiences with future guests. I think it would cost about $8 for me to take 3 Tanzanians.
Unfortunately, Moses realized he would likely not be free to run the Lodge on his own so he asked Neema to give up her Serengeti trip for a trip to Butiama instead. She agreed and so, on my birthday, the gardener - Cheupe(nickname 'white man' in Swahili) will join us instead. 
We began our day at 8:30 am by driving about 3 hours to Butiama, the birthplace and burial location of the 'Father of the Nation', Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania. It was great to enjoy the African countryside and - even better - we drove through the edge of the Serengeti plains and actually saw wildlife from our car! Below are some of the pictures.

Nyerere was a much-loved president, bringing his fellow Tanzanians together to create much-needed changes from 1961 until he retired from politics in 1985. During his reign, he also capably defeated Idi Amin in a war against Uganda - earning much respect from many nations, as a strong and powerful leader. His own army paid to have a magnificent home built for him - in which, sadly, he was only able to live in for two weeks before passing away in 1999. After Nelson Mandela had visited Nyerere's burial place, he paid for the mausoleum to be built as well as an additional building to honour this great president. 
Below are pictures of Nyerere's resting place in the mausoleum and some pictures of the house the army built. Ancient African rock art is visible within the house itself, next to Neema who is sitting on one of the many gifts given to Nyerere - a stool with a lion's head. Nyerere believed strongly in the importance of education. I've included a picture of his personal library of over 8,000 books - some of which are very old and valuable. (The library was recently used to teach swahili lessons to a group of visiting university students - hence the chairs).

Nyerere's son, Madaraka, gave us a personal tour of the homes, family burial sites, and history of his family. On a sidenote, Madaraka went to university in Ottawa - as did one of his sisters. His own three children currently reside in the U.S., and attend school there. His daughter, however, was visiting for the summer, enjoying a break from university - what a character she is! Madaraka was willing to take us on a hike to a location that would provide a view of Lake Victoria, but it was the hottest part of the day and, although he assured us it would take only 3 hours, I had my doubts. I decided to save that journey for a future visit. Madaraka, himself, was a wonderful guide, full of the most interesting stories. His daughter and I encouraged him to follow in his father's footsteps - following the example of our own Canadian Prime Minister. He, however, prefers to run the family home and leave the politics to one of his other brothers. Wise choice! Who would want to give up this view? (By the way, the 'hike' was to go down this hill, across these plains, and hike up the hills on the other side - to the point beside the tree in the foreground.)

Below is the house Nyerere's political party built for him years after he became President. Nyerere was a simple man who had continued to live in a small, modest house with his wife and 9 children. Although the family lived in Dar Es Salaam (the capital of Tanzania) while he was in office, they always enjoyed returning to their original small home in Butiama for the summer. It wasn't until the children were older that this house was built. 

Below is a picture of Madaraka Nyerere, Delphine, myself, and Neema - who, apparently was overjoyed with her decision to skip the Serengeti to get this very rare opportunity for such a personal visit of the great leader's homestead. 

Madaraka also took us to see his original small home (sorry, no picture) and the homestead of Chief Edward Wanzagi - President Nyerere's older brother. While Madaraka's grandfather (the former chief) had 22 wives - his mother being #5, his uncle had only 11. The current chief (Madaraka's cousin) has only 1 - and is now a practising Roman Catholic. Below is Chief Wanzagi's resting place - and home in the background. 

The homestead is preparing to open up for tourists by building a lodge with vibrant work by local artists (see below). Also on the grounds can be seen gorgeous flowering trees and a number of playful monkeys. 

 

This is a place I would definitely revisit. It is also an excellent introduction to the history of Tanzania and its people.