Following the opening of a new cultural centre, Wamboma Co-operative members in Namwai, Tanzania have hosted their first farm tour. Equality in Tourism Co-Director Tricia Barnett shares an update from this milestone moment on the path to creating an enriching community-based tourism experience, for local women and tourists alike.
Ideally, community-based tourism (CBT), which is a global alternative to mainstream tourism, is a powerful tool created by a community that enables both hosts and guests to gain from a rich, authentic experience of local culture. Again, ideally, it is guided by the community to bring it financial benefits and thus a fair share of the tourism income that arrives in its country. Very often the communities are poor ones living side by side to tourism honey pots. When the outcomes are successful, CBT is very empowering and life changing.
This is what we anticipate will be the outcome of Equality in Tourism’s partnership with the Kilimanjaro-based, Tanzanian women’s empowerment organisation, KWIECO, and the local women farmers’ co-operative Wamboma: Women Farming for Their Future.
Women Farming for Their Future
On the west side of Mount Kilimanjaro, off the main road leading to one of the entrances to the mountain, is the farming village of Namwai. In the tourism high season, the road is busy with tour operators’ four-wheel drives, and it is doubtful that any one of them ever turned off to check this hidden village on the mountain slopes. Had they done so, they would have found a widespread Chagga village that includes a group of 30 women, working together to grow first-class vegetables to sell direct to the many lodges and hotels that accommodate the visitors.
Five or six years ago, these 30 women were identified by village leaders as being amongst the most poor and marginalised. Living on a subsistence economy of maize and beans, they and their families lived in poor wooden or mud homes, often of one room. Namwai was the second group chosen by the project team to be trained to farm well to supply the local accommodation sector, save, and to understand their rights as women. Gender-based violence is endemic and the project was to empower women to find their voice at home and in the community.
It has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Women and their families have new brick homes, have expanded their quarter acre farms, walk tall, are sending their children to university, and have found their voices so easily that they are up to the challenge of hosting visitors and telling their stories.
The First Tourists Arrive in Namwai
KWIECO’s Aika Roberts, herself a tour operator and gender equality expert, has been working with the group for them to understand tourism and tourists and to facilitate the development of their farm tours. The Exodus Foundation has funded a cultural centre to host the visitors and this week they trialled their first farm tour with tour operators and tourists. We think these pictures tell the story.
At the end of the tour, the chairperson, Joyce Ernest Mwandri concluded “Tulikuwa tukiogopa sana wazungu kwasababu tulikuwa tunaona maisha yetu hayaendani na ya kwako lakini tumefurahi na kuwa na amani baada ya kuja kwetu kushiriki tuichokiandaa hivyo hatuna uwoga tena.”
Meaning: Namwai women were worried on how to present their culture to white people but after the experience everyone is happy that they liked the Chagga traditions, and they are now confident to welcome more tourists.
Sharing Chagga Traditions
The visitors were delighted with the experience, thoroughly enjoying the day. They highlighted that it felt special to be introduced to the women’s Chagga culture, the welcoming dance entertainment, and the food.
The tour operators said that they had an amazing tour experience, and promised that they would recommend tourists to visit the site: specifically, how different Chagga traditions were presented to them.
Aika has summed up how it has been for her: “Empowering the women of Namwai to host visitors has been rewarding. They have a natural warmth and a rich heritage to share, and guiding them in shaping authentic, engaging experiences has been both meaningful and exciting.
“Seeing the women in action during the trial run was a proud moment. Their confidence, hospitality, and genuine passion for sharing their culture made the experience truly special for the visitors. It’s clear that Namwai has something unique to offer.”
Next steps for this exciting challenge are to make the necessary links to the tour operators so that some of those vehicles full of visitors keen to climb the mountain, will also be keen to go off road and check out what it’s like to be a Chagga woman farmer.
We’re on our way!
Are you a tour operator working in the Kilimanjaro area? We welcome you to get in touch about partnering with the Wamboma Co-operative for future farm tours – email Tricia on tricia@equalityintourism.org for more information.
