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Outreach
Brighton Foodgrains Bank project
puts Africa in the spotlight
by Clive Nickerson
“Why don’t you join me this winter and fly to
Tanzania for a short holiday?” questioned my
brother-in-law. Norman was always quick to get
to the point. “ We’ll fly to Ethiopia, drop down into
Mount Kilimanjaro area and see how the 60 million
Tanzanians live.” Thus started an odyssey that
changed Jane, Norman’s sister, and I.
Not to belabour the point, but Norman is tough.
Tough meaning a full career in helping third world
countries out of grinding poverty. Tough meaning
squashing ceiling rats in the middle of the night to
protect his kids in the cool Himalayan boonies.
The average age of a Tanzanian today is less than
18. Canada’s is 42. HIV/AIDS has gutted the African
continent. The virus has claimed more than 32
million people globally compared to the 0.5 million
that COVID has taken this year so far (WHO).
“You’ll like the climate…lots of sun
and wildlife…” smiled Norm. So, in the middle
of February 2019, the 3 of us were cruising
down the Trans Canada of Tanzania, dodging
the eddies of humanity crowding the roadsides
in dusty 40°C temperatures.
“Why the heck do Africans hang their honeybee
colonies in trees on wires?”, I asked naively.
Norm smiled, “If you were the queen bee,
would you invite lizards, ants, roaming cattle,
thieves and floods to your colony by living
in a Langstroth box?” I couldn’t believe how
Americanized I had become.
After attending a 4 day conference on Sustainable
Agriculture and Appropriate Technologies in
Arusha, TZ, we observed some of Norman’s
TearFund Canada field duties, including
The Brighton Beacon 13