31 photos.
Eddie Daniels with Greg and JoanithaFort Collins, Colorado, 2008
Eddie Daniels was a prisoner for fighting apartheid in South Africa, along with Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other future ANC leaders. It was inspiring to meet him and read his book There and Back: Robben Island, 1964-1979.
Greg and Joanitha with wigs and African shirtsFort Collins, Colorado, 2004
We love rasta music and saw Lucky Dube's concert in Kampala in 2003, but this is not our real hair.
Tim, Greg, Joanitha and DonaldBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
Donald passed away suddenly, just a few months after we left East Africa. He was in charge of rebuilding many of the important highways connecting Bukoba to other towns, including Mutukula, the border with Uganda. He was a jovial, witty and intelligent Brit whose wife was originally from Lesotho.
Joanitha preparing seneneKampala, Uganda, 2003
Senene are bright green grasshoppers which appear at a few short times of the year in the Great Lakes region of East Africa. They are attracted by artificial lights, captured in bedsheets, and fried in oil or slowly roasted over coals. They make a spicy, crunchy snack and are traditionally associated with couples in love.
breadfruitEntebbe, Uganda, 2003
The breadfruit or jackfruit is found in East Africa as well as Asia.
shoebill storkEntebbe, Uganda, 2003
The shoebill stork is a rare bird of East Africa, one of the many animals found in natural settings at the Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre.
rock paintings, Bwanjai cavesKagera, Tanzania, 2002
The Computers for Africa team and some University of Bukoba staff including Joanitha visited the Bwanjai rock paintings, which are hundreds of years old, but have been damaged by more recent graffiti.
Mugeza school for the deafNyakato, Tanzania, 2002
The Computers for Africa team visited and donated a computer to Mugeza school for the deaf.
Computers for Africa teamBukoba, Tanzania, 2002
A team of nine students and two teachers from Balerno High School, Edinburgh, Scotland came to Bukoba in 2002 to donate 30 computers to 13 local organisations including the University of Bukoba, and Ihungo, Hekima and Rugambwa Secondary Schools.
Joanitha and friends carrying bucketsBukoba, Tanzania, 1998
Only a small minority of African families get their water from a faucet in their homes. Many African women and girls must carry buckets of water on their heads for long distances so that their families can drink water, cook and wash clothes.
road, Etosha National ParkOkaukuejo, Namibia, 1997
A dirt road, a tree, some bushes, some rainclouds; an ordinary African scene that is indescribably compelling.
red treeElmina, Ghana, 1997
This tree has two 'arms' that look like they could grab you. I would definitely not walk by this tree at night, especially after listening to African folk tales about witches.
fishing boatsElmina, Ghana, 1997
The coast of West Africa is bustling with business, such as fishing, shipping, petroleum and tourism. Hand-made nets and boats compete with more modern equipment.
drawbridgeElmina, Ghana, 1997
This is an entrance to the Cape Coast Castle, one of several castles built by the Portuguese around 1500 and used for the slave trade for centuries by various European colonizers. There are several well-preserved slave castles on the coast of Ghana.
dungeon doorElmina, Ghana, 1997
This is the door to a dungeon where hundreds of Africans were chained in small, dark, cave-like cells until they could be packed into boats and sent to the Americas. Those who escaped disease, starvation and fatal beatings and were free of physical weaknesses became slaves in the New World. Those who did not were tossed in the ocean and fed to the sharks. The museum, which was once the church, is a must-see.
dancersKpalime, Togo, 1997
This fête du récolte (harvest festival) included a variety of people, colourful costumes, and lively music and dancing.
mosqueBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
West Africa has a long history of Islamic influence, especially near the Sahara desert. This mosque is over a hundred years old, yet it is built primarily of mud. It is much smaller than the famous ones in Mali.
blacksmith's chamberBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
The traditional blacksmith is still needed in the rural areas, though the tools are gradually modernizing.
storage areaBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
Houses in Burkina Faso are built of mud, stone or straw. This mud village was relatively traditional, and there were many locations for sacrificing animals. To get to this village, I rode on the back of a small motorcycle. I also toured a stone village on a hill and a pond with giant sacred catfish.
Pont de Lianes (vine bridge)Man, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Near the border between Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, the Dan people still construct bridges out of vines. The bridges appear overnight, so that nobody knows exactly who constructed or hung them.
women carrying bundles of thatch (grass)Oshikango, Namibia, 1996
The Owambo people of the region have adopted western dress, influenced by missionaries who arrived about a century ago. Women in Namibia, as in other countries of Africa, do most of the physical labour on farms. In the background is the Oshikango border post. There is a large amount of trade near the Angolan border, especially since the end of the Angolan civil war in 1994. The women may have brought the thatch from Angola, which is less densely populated and less deforested. The thatch is sold at markets and used for roofing.
muralWindhoek, Namibia, 1995
Murals are a popular form of art in urban Namibia and South Africa, especially around the time of independence and the end of Apartheid. This mural represents the diversity of Namibia's flora and fauna.
columnsZanzibar, Tanzania, 1995
The influence of the highly advanced Swahili culture has extended up and down the coast of East Africa for several centuries. They traded with people of distant lands, sailing on the Indian Ocean in dhows.
door, Zanzibar TownZanzibar, Tanzania, 1995
Zanzibar town is a picturesque Islamic city with narrow streets, ornately carved doorways, and centuries-old buildings which are being restored. It is becoming a major tourist destination in Africa.
mosque entrance, Zanzibar TownZanzibar, Tanzania, 1995
The Swahili people are Muslims; their language is a mix of Arabic and Bantu languages, and can be written in either Arabic or Western characters. Millions of people from several countries in east and central Africa speak Swahili.
flamboyant treeMorogoro, Tanzania, 1995
The red buds of Flamboyant trees are a common sight in southern Africa and add colour to the surroundings.
tree roots, Changuu (Prison) IslandZanzibar, Tanzania, 1995
For me, this picture symbolizes the idea that African roots run deep. Once you live there, you cannot forget your memories and responsibility to your friends and family there. You know that one day you will return. (Changuu Island used to be a prison; now it is inhabited by snorkelling tourists and giant tortoises.)
baobab treeVictoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 1995
Baobab trees are common throughout Africa and can be found in the northern part of Namibia, where they are known as omukwa. They can live for hundreds of years. This one is very old and has a trunk of about 10 metres across. The San use many parts of these trees.