so the title of my blog is dedicated to this guy. he is the chairman of the kanyovu coffee cooperative here in the villages outside kigoma. i don't know his real name, everyone just calls him chairman until he is no longer the chairman... kind of like the pope.anyway, we were hanging out in colombia for a couple of weeks: at let's talk coffee (sustainable harvest's annual supply chain event), some various farms around colombia, and the penagos factory in giron. the last couple of days we were at hacienda el roble, deep in the mountains surrounding bucaramanga. for dinner one night we were served mihogo kaanga, or fried cassava, something quite common in both tanzania and in colombia. stylistically, there exists differences in each region's take on the dish. the subtle differences didn't phase chairman, however, as he is a vegetarian and one could tell he was growing frustrated of the same green salads and fruit prepared for him every day in colombia.
as soon he saw the mihogo kaanga being served up, his eyes lit up and he said, "mmmm, kigoma time!" chairman doesn't speak very much english at all, and the other six of us around the table started laughing uncontrollably. so he repeated it, again and again throughout the meal. since then, the phrase “kigoma time” has become somewhat of an inside joke with the africa team. now that i’m here, i thought it fitting to associate my experiences with this title.
chairman, i salute you.
this is my first post, but don’t fear, there are many more to come! in the next couple of episodes i will talk about the hot sauce from burundi that smokes (literally) when you open the bottle, and the smashing halloween party that i am hosting tonight.
