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Tanzania |
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Meet Wilkins Kiondo.
My Name is Wilkins Kiondo. I came originally from Tanzania, East Africa
and I am a Pare by tribe. Pare live between the famous Mount Kilimanjaro
and the picturesque landscape of the Usambara Mountains in Northern
Tanzania close to the Kenyan border.
Heritage
I grew up in the capital city of Tanzania, which is Dar-es-salaam. It
has beautiful beaches that border the Indian Ocean and is full of historical
architecture, such as Arab mosques. During the 18th century the area
saw Arabs, Africans, Portuguese, Malay and Indian traders exchange goods
such as spices, gold and iron. These traders brought in their languages,
religions and culture and their influences in the region have been maintained.
I came to England
in 1995 and settled in Plaistow, where my sister lived. I am now working
as a Freelance Swahili interpreter/translator. Before that, I studied
and worked in Lisbon, Portugal.
About the Community
I am not sure about the exact number of Tanzanians living in Newham,
however living in Newham makes you feel like home. For example, at the
market you can buy our traditional food, national newspapers or even
drinks. In the street you are bound to meet Tanzanians who have decided
to make Newham their second home because here they are closer to the
community. You also meet other people who speak Swahili including the
East African Asians.
Food
Tanzanian cuisine is very much localised. Maize flour dough or "
Ugali" (oo-ga-li), accompanies meat, fish or vegetable stew. It's
the main staple food in many parts of the country, however, each region
has it own traditional food. For example, in the north, cooked green
bananas mixed with meat is preferred, whereas Pilau rice coconut flavoured
rice and stew and chapattis are more favoured in the coastal region
especially during celebrations. In terms of tastes, " mandanzi"
and "vitumbua" are both very tasty dumplings and you can eat
them at any time of the day. If I want to taste "home-style"
cooking, then I normally go to the "Simpsons" Kenyan Club
(on Romford Road next to Forest Gate Police Station) which although
not Tanzanian, is the next best thing.
Living in Newham
Newham acts as a rendezvous, where different cultures merge thanks to
the variety of people lining in the borough. That's what makes Newham
unique and special. Here you can feel the global presence.
Language
Swahili is the most widely spoken African language, with 50 million
speakers in East Africa and Central Africa. Although Swahili is the
main language, there are over 100 other languages spoken locally. You
can also find traces of Portuguese, English, German, Persian, Gujarati,
Hindi, Hebrew and Chinese. Some Swahili words have entered other languages,
most famously " safari". The language is very simple to learn.
"Habari gani?" means "How are you?"Hakuna Matata"
means "no problem"(as in "the lion King"). Some
other very basic Swahili words are:Karibu, Habari and Kwaheri which
mean welcome, hello and goodbye. If you want to learn Swahili try the
Swahili internet Pronunciation Guide:
www.yale.edu/Swahili/sound/pronunce.htm
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