Crows – Oh my God there are loads of them in Dar es Salaam. Everyone complains about them. They terrorise diners in outdoors restaurants, kids eating ice-cream on the sea front have to beware the creatures. They swoop down even when there are people sitting at a table, and go for the leftover food on… Read More »
“Are you at home?” he asked. I said I was. “Stay there. Don’t come out and close all the windows and doors”. A swarm of bees was ravaging the area, starting at the restaurant next door, moved onto a bin lorry and then came here and terrorised all the people and animals. Sadly the killer… Read More »
We have a new president in Tanzania and I am happy about that. She has reversed Magufuli’s restrictions on press freedom and freedom of speech. This can only be a good thing. Magufuli had been out of the public eye for several weeks and rumours were flying around about him having COVID and having been… Read More »
Living in China for 10 years I was used to seeing old people everywhere, shuffling along the streets hunched over a walking stick, playing chess and mah jong and dancing in the parks or looking after their grandchildren. But I am yet to see an old person in Africa. This only occurred to me when… Read More »
“Want do you mean, he’s not there?” “The Aga Khan hospital says it only has two bodies, a Chinese and a Swahili.” So, I’d been entrusted to organise the end of life arrangements for my friend William and by the second day I’d already lost him. My initial horror at having been forced by the… Read More »