Mjomba

Uncle.

A young kid yelled mjomba in my direction as Maria (Spanish PhD student researching elephant conflict) and I walked along lanes in the outskirts of Tunduru. We’d gone to investigate the birdlife around this pond, but any animal life had been scared away by the clothes washing activity underway by an army of women.

In the morning I’d been kindly handed a packet of interesting ginseng flavoured coffee by a woman staying at the same guesthouse. She was in Tunduru for work with a mobile network company, seeking to expand coverage in this region, which is developing its infrastructure rapidly. Turns out she’s married to the brother of the Minister of Defence. A useful bit of networking.