Dodoma in chigogo means ''it has sunk''

  THE MEANING OF THE WORD 'DODOMA'

Dodoma: Where the Elephant Sank

Dodoma (Tanzania, United Republic of) became a name before it became a town. There are different stories about how it happened. One story is that some Wagogo stole a herd of cattle from their southern neighbours the Wahehe; the Wagogo killed and ate the animals, preserving only the tails, and when the Wahehe came looking for the lost herd all they found were the tails sticking out of a patch of swampy ground. ''Look'', said the Wagogo, ''Your cattle have sunk in the mud, Idodomya''. Dodoma in chigogo means ''it has sunk''. There is yet another story which is most commonly accepted on the name Dodoma. An elephant came to drink at the nearby Kikuyu stream (so named after the Mikuyu fig trees growing on its banks) and got stuck in the mud. Some local people who saw it exclaimed ''Idodomya'' and from that time on the place became known as Idodomya, the place where it sank.

Much has still to be learnt about central Tanzania’s past, and although the basic historical facts are known, many of the details remain obscure. At the beginning of the century there was a cluster of tembes and chembas on the site that would become its capital. The surrounding region had the Wogogo who had developed a way of life suited to their environment, adopting a semipastoral existence, moving frequently to find grazing for their cattle or, more starkly to escape famine. Their society allowed for communal use of water and pasture, with self-reliance among clans operating in a framework of mutual help between them.

There was little or no grass suitable for thatching, so the Wogogo developed an intricate structure of the tembes, roofed with sticks and clay supported inside by poles placed asymmetrically. The Wogogo composed music of exceptional quality, they created an oral culture with puzzles, jokes and legends along with a tradition of craftsmanship, most notably in basket weaving. The history of the Dodoma region is a history of seasons, it is a history almost rhythmic in its ups and downs, periods of fat and lean years, marked by extraordinary endurance. The dominating influence of the climate on life in the region is the uncertainty; when rain fell evenly and plentifully, food was in abundance and the living good. When the rain failed, scarcity or even starvation would follow.

The idea of re-siting Tanzania’s capital more conveniently and centrally had been a recurring topic over the years. It had been raised, as early as 1915, but it was to remain no more than a topic for another half century. The idea was translated from a topic to a proposal in 1959 when it was formally debated by the Elected Members Organization. The then President of Tanzania, Mr. Julius Nyerere announced Dodoma as the elected capital of the country in Oct. 1973.

The town grew steadily in population and in size, and many of the older shops and houses gave way to larger and more modern buildings. The trees now maturing from the 1930’s and 40’s provide a somewhat softening touch along the dusty streets. The tin roofs and wooden shutters of the smaller dukas (shops) tend to break the angular inflexibility of the new style. Dodoma is still a mini-city.

In Dodoma the Water Supply and Health Project in Marginal Areas is supported by a grant from IFAD through the Belgian Survival Fund (BSF). The project encompassing Dodoma rural and Kondoa districts aim to provide the rural people with better access to clean drinking water, community health care and implementation of water and sanitation development programmes. Recently a team of journalists from the BBC World Service Radio, Euro News and an Italian freelance journalist visited the project. In Kondoa, the journalists interviewed Masai tribe members; in order to monitor their day-to-day life, permission was obtained from a Masai chief to stay over night in his homestead. A number of Masais are members of the Water Fund.

In both Dodoma rural and Kondoa district, villagers have formed water and healthcare committees. The committee members with the chairman of the village decided how much to contribute to a water start-up fund after which the government was approached to initiate digging of borewells. Villagers themselves decided on the cost of water, usually 1 Tanzanian shilling for 1 litre. The same method was used to set up dispensaries to replace old ones and where there was limited medical facility. Most of the beneficiaries the journalists talked with were pleased with the borewells and the dispensaries. Here below are some examples of beneficiaries’ statements.

In Kelema Balai Village (Kelema Mbuyuni Sub-Village), Kondoa District, a borehole was drilled in September 99. 33-year-old Adam Bakari recalled that as water supply was a need felt by all the families in the village, every household contributed 2000 shillings to the creation of a Water Fund. When the borehole was installed and became functional the residents of the village were encouraged to cultivate at least two troughs each for vegetables. The plantation belongs to the sub village and every woman has a patch of land to plant her vegetables. The vegetables are for domestic consumption and the rest is sold in the village. Bakari’s family benefits from the vegetable garden as his wife uses the money earned from the sale of vegetables to buy soap and clothes for her and their children. Before the borehole, the villagers had to walk three kilometres to get water and Bakari used to help by bringing water by bicycle. Now water is pumped in their own village everyday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The villagers have decided to buy each 20 litre buckets of water for 10 shillings.

Susana Masinga, her husband and two children live in the Chiboli village which now has access to water from a borehole near by. Before they had to walk far and fetching water became a full day’s work. The family members took turns to go for water and this too on alternate days. Those who had bicycles used them and those who did not went by foot. They had water to wash clothes once a month and take a bath once a week. Susana related how water borne diseases had now reduced as they had a borehole in the vicinity. The water is not free but they are happy to pay 20 shillings for a bucket. An ordinary day for Susana starts at 3 a.m. when she prepares the dough for making buns, she fries the buns and prepares tea for her tea stall business. She starts selling tea at 7 a.m. until the tea is finished. Then she starts with her house chores; sweeping, washing utensils, preparing tea for her husband and children. She pounds maize to make flour; this she normally does by hand. It is then time for washing clothes, collecting firewood and making lunch, which often consists of ugali and vegetables and occasionally beans or meat. After lunch it is time for the children to be washed; and by 6 she starts preparing the evening meal. The borehole has made it possible for Susana to to set up the tea business and now her biggest dream is to expand, so she could sell tea in the market in Fufu village.

Olivia Mgoba, 25 and Moreen (Lyawa) Yusuph, 23 are both married and each have 2 children; both live in Chiboli Village. These two young women have been friends and neighbours from childhood. They started to help at home at the age of 5 by carrying a 5-litre container of water from the river everyday. They would leave home at 7 a.m. to go for water and sometimes went without eating because the process took about 6 hours, it was a really tough time. Although there was a lot of water in the river, distance was a problem. They went on alternate days, so having a bath everyday was a problem; if one did not go for water, one could not have a bath. Those who did not go stayed for days, or even weeks without bathing because they had to rely on the water available in the containers at home. Washing hands before eating was impossible and as a result they often suffered from diseases like diarrhoea and other stomach ailments. Dispensaries were situated as far away as Fufu village; patients usually looked for some traditional treatment. To make the construction of a borehole possible, every household had to contribute at least 1 500 shillings, those who were well off contributed 5000 shillings. Today, the families can afford around 5 buckets of water a go, at a cost of 20 shillings for each bucket and they also have a bath whenever they want. For Olivia and Moreen the borehole has made it possible to set up a business. They have invested in a café business where they sell tea and buns; this would not have been possible some years ago when they had to save water only for cooking. Now that she has spare time, Olivia has also become a member of a choir group.

By the age of 15, the girls in the village start working as adults which includes preparation of food. By 18 they are married. Both Olivia and Moreen married at 18 and their parents gave a dowry of cattle, 4 for Olivia and 6 for Moreen. The number of cattle depends on the different agreements between the families. Both girls live happily with their respective husbands and practice family planning.

Monica Mhadi left Arusha for the Dodoma Rural District in 1979. She has 4 children, three boys and one girl. She has delivered 8 times but 4 died; 2 were stillbirths, 1 died of malaria and one of pneumonia. Monica’s husband, (a Masai chief) has 15 wives and she is the 7th. Their household is quite well off and they contributed 100 000/s for the borehole. Monica, who is from the Mangati tribe, wakes up at 6 a.m. and after praying, milks her cows (she has 30 cattle given to her by her husband). She later divides the cows into two groups, the calves remain around the house and the cows are given to the herdsmen for grazing. As in the Masai & Mangati tradition she pounds maize flour and processes ghee (purified butter). The processing is a daily affair and the ghee is not used until after 10 hours. Normally cooking is done separately for men and women; the men eat first. Monica has benefited from the dispensary in the area and in fact visited the dispensary several times before her eighth child was born (the baby survived). Although the borehole in the locality is functioning, she sometimes still goes to the river for water. She says ''the water is expensive and I want to save money to be able to visit my mother in Arusha who I have not seen in 21 years.''

Gema Mtuli and her husband and 7 children live in Fufu Village where she has been living ever since she was born in 1953. Formerly the villagers were using a borehole, which also was used by other villages; Manzase, Ikondo and Suli. This borehole broke down in 1968 and during the 1972 villagisation programme in Tanzania another borehole was drilled and was used for ten years until that also broke down. Since then they have been using traditional wells, dug by cattle owners. For those who do not have a well it means sneaking out at night to collect water as the cattle owners would not allow water to be taken from their wells. Recently the village has drilled a new borehole with plenty of water but they are still waiting for the installation of a pump and engine. For three years the family contributed 1000 shillings per annum for the construction of this borehole. Contributions depend on the number of cattle one owns. The more the number, the higher the contribution. Gema underlines the advantages they will have when it starts to operate, and that it will help them a lot. 

If you want more try to visit:-

http://www.ifad.org