FGD_KIBAYA_YOUTH MALE_ZIGUA AND MAASAI_26 SEPT
Interviewer(s): F002
Interviewee(s): P

F002: Good afternoon, my name is Zahara Majili I am with Mariana Kinabo from Sokoine University of Agriculture which is found in Morogoro, but we are working together with International organisation dealing with pastoralism (IRI). They used to work here with the project called Maziwa Zaidi (More Milk) also we are working with Emory university based in USA. In collaboration we are studying on food change to see changes in food which we eat in our community. We came here in February 2017 and we did discussion with you but you raised issues that we were not aware with, hence we are here study more on those issues. The information which will be provided will be used to improve nutrition issues and our healthy; your response will contribute to this. We will record and write in order to make sure that we have everything you speak, this is not mandatory if you are not interested you can stop. This conversation is confidential we will not be revealed, your names will not appear anywhere like …..Etc (Consent process...Aziz Juma)

Our conversation is divided into three parts, the first section is about food change, the second part is about milk and third part is about use of animal blood, and lastly is about the criteria for selecting specific food.

There is a big change of food consumption, especially chagrining from the natural food to the modern food example Maasai they used to eat milk and meat, but they now eat chicken, fish, chips. Also, the Zigua eats ‘DWADWA’ (boiled dry maize), you see these are the changes we are talking. Even the way we cook have changed, Maasai previously used to eat grilled meat mixed with boiled soup with herbal/traditional medicine. This applies even to Zigua, so I would like to know what has caused these changes

P: Aridity

F002: What do you mean?

P: It is because of the rain scarcity

F002: What is caused this?

P: I t is because of cutting tree and extreme sun during the summer time

F002: What is deference between the past summer time and the present one

P: It is because of clearing forest for cultivation, the rain has tremendously decreased

F002: When you started specifically experiencing the extreme sun

P: Like three years ago

F002: Apart from aridity what else caused the food change

P: The Maasai are eating stiff porridge and fish now, this is because of interaction with Zigua

F002: What else?

P: I t is because of the food availability and the income, we can now eat chips because of that

F002: What do you mean by food availability?

P: It is because there are a lot of food available both food from the forest and food in the shops, you can buy NGOGWE

F002: mmh

P: Also, the income contributes to that you can buy fish for 200Tsh, African eggplant for 300Tsh, tomatoes for 100Tsh and you will bring home for cooking

F002: Why the income has changed now

P: I t is because of the farming and also the interaction with other people, this brings development as we exchanged activities and we get money, there are a lot of activities

F002: what else? What about school issue?

P: It is because when they go to school and town they learn when they come home they implement what they saw

F002: What is that specifically, what are the changes when they come back home?

P: When they go there they usually see other people eating chicken fish and other food so when they come back they also do that

F002: mhh

P: Even the local school we have contribute to that, they saw people eating tea with Mandazi, so when they come back they do the same

F002: What about the changes of customs and tradition? I mean for instance when a woman gave birth they used to slaughter cow and her well with that food, I mean that

P: When they go to school they change the way they dress they don’t dress as in our tradition

F002: what are the activities that were used to be performed by the women but now men

P: when the women are not around we do cooking activities, we wash clothes

F002: what other activities

P: They were not cultivating but they do now

F002: How that is contributed to food change?

P: We normally finish weeding early than in the past,

F002: I think you didn’t get me well I mean how these changes have led to food change, The Masai women now go to the market and do petty business, they get money, what they do with that?

P: (QUITE-They didn’t respond on that)

F002: What kind of foods that are available and consumed much?

P: Is stiff porridge, in this season we eat mostly meat, sardines, milk, fish and beans

F002: what about its availability, did this contributed for these foods to be consumed more

P: This made us to change, in the afternoon we eat stiff porridge while in the evening we eat rice

F002: What about the availability of energy (Charcoal and firewood) has contributed to food change?

P: Masai use firewood

F002: What about Zigua?

P: In the past they were using the firewood but now they changed to charcoal because of problem in firewoo d availability

F002: How that is contributed to food change

P: It is changed because, you choose what to cook that is why they are not cooking beans and they cook sardines instead

F002: What else? What about the price

P: T his has an impact because you don’t eat much because of that, if you don’t have enough funds you are supposed to buy flour which is not expensive. However, this time the flour is very expensive compared to rice. Hence people are not consuming much that.

F002: mhh, what about food stereotyping, what food can lead to stereotype?

P: Like alcohol,

F002: What made Masai to eat pork meat, fish?

P: It is because of the few cow

Also, now Maasai are not eating meat now when they go to the village they eat vegetable with stiff porridge

F002: What are the foods that were considered to be of high social status in the past?

P: Meat and the blood

F002: What about now

P: It is not very common.

F002: There are a lot of reasons that contribute to this change. We mentioned aridity, availability. Let’s now go back to food preparation before arranging these reasons.

What has cause the changes in preparation of food

P: We used to grill but now we are using coconut, tomatoes, curry and other spices

F002: What made people to do that

P: It is because of the people who are coming from other places to Kibaya

F002: Another reason

P: It because of the industry like Bakhresa industries brings the cooked food, also milk and other food

F002: How do you store the milk?

P: We used the pot but now we use the plastic bucket

F002: What about Wazigua?

P: To our side we used to boil

F002: You have mentioned so many issues causing food change like aridity, interaction, school issues, also moving to other places, the industries, traditions, so among all these what contributed much to this change

P: I t is aridity because this force people to move away,

F002: Which one is the first between interaction and the aridity

P: The first one is the interaction

F002: the second one, please which one is supposed to be the first between aridity and interaction?

P: It is aridity because it makes people to move away?

F002: Do we agree

P: Y es

F002: The second one?

P: It is interaction

F002: T he third one?

P: School because people interact, and they learn what is cooked in town

F002: What about others, your colleague has said school

P: I think the third one should be food availability, this contribute to food change

F002: What has contributed less among these reasons you have mentioned

P: The market has contributed much not less as people come and sell their product

F002: What contributed less?

P: Tradition and customer

F002: Why?

P: I It is because there are things we used to do, Example we used to slaughter the goats and the intestines we used to wear it in the head but now we don’t do that because this is dirty.

F002: I have now put all these here what are most reasons contributing to the change?

Do you Masai used to eat vegetables?

P: No

F002: So between availability and interaction what is contributing most

P: The first one is interaction

F002: then

P: the food availability

F002: What is number four? Between school, income, agriculture development, industries and price

P: quite

F002: who can lead the discussion

P: Number four is the increase of the income because we don’t have the same income.

F002: mhh

P: Number five is the being exposed to other communities because when you go to Arusha or Korogwe you learn new things

F002: we are not yet to complete?

P: Number six is agriculture because even if you want to go to school you must eat first

F002: We still have other reasons

P: Number seven, is school

F002: M hh we still have other reasons

P: I think number eight is industries because the price depends on food manufacturing in industries, the industries can lead to raise the price or decrease

F002: Okay let’s continue

P: Price Changes is number nine

F002: mhh

P: Number ten is the roles that people have in society

The last one is customers and tradition, these have changed a lot in clothing the way people dress, the way they great and it is due to interaction with other tribes.

F002: Now we have seen the reasons that you have arranged from one to ten, which are three reasons that contributed most and which have less contribution

P: The major one is aridity, interaction of societies and food availability

F002: which has less contribution ?

P: The roles/responsibilities and food price

F002: What is the importance of milk to you all

P: They make the body healthier it is not like the stiff porridge you can drink a milk for a day without feeling hungry

F002: What is another reason for drink milk?

P: It is not if you have inhaled a lot of dust when you drink milk will contribute to reduce the among of dust in the body

F002: mhh

P: It is good because it helps to detoxify the body if somebody is drunken

The fresh milk is good for the children, but the sour milk is not very good.

F002: What about the importance of milk in the past and now days?

P: I n the past people were going to the forest and eat meat for a long time but when they come back to the village they drink sour milk, But now the Maasai don’t go to forest to eat the meat.

F002: mhh

P: The difference is that in the past people used to milk the cow but now after milking they mix with water.

F002: what about its importance now

P: It is less important than before because people are mixing with water

F002: mhh

P: The business has contributed to this, because when you sell to food vendors they tend to mix with water

The milk now is not good because in the past the pasture was greener compared to now, also there were no diseases and also the cow were not drinking water contaminated with salt.

F002: okay, I think you have not understood. I want you to tell me the importance of drinking milk and also the drinking trends is decreased or increased?

P: It is still important, but the availability is a problem. You might find you have fifty cows but you can’t get even ten bucket.

F002: mhh

P: T he problems is that we don’t have money to buy milk

F002: Okay, let talk about the cow blood use, how about its consumption?

P: We still eat, mostly the women who have given the birth, also men drinks when they are sick. We take it from the animal of hitting the cow with an arrow in the neck. Then we mix the blood with milk and drink,

F002: What kind of cow

P: The big cows except the BULL

F002: Why that

P: We don’t take from the bull because they are the ones who are used during farming activities, we learn this from our parents

F002: Do you boil the blood

P: Yes, in previous but not now because, Maasai were not selling the cow but now they sell frequently. So, there are no cows that they could use for that reason of taking the blood. If there are no cows at home, you can go to your neighbour. Also before taking blood you must make sure that the cow is healthier

F002: How the diseases are affecting the human

P: When you eat you get those diseases. To avoid that we boil the meat three times, also others are dried up

F002: You have talked about food change, how the food changes in societies affecting the people. For example do Maasai eat the sardines or fish?

P: It positively affects the community as the way we interact we get various food, for instance in the past Maasai were not eating the cow which is sick buy not if the cow is sick they slaughter it. So these are the development

F002: Mhhh another one

P: The interaction made the community to change by sharing the food, they eat in the hotel, and they eat chicken

F002: You eat fish but you don’t take it home? why

P: We don’t do that

F002: The last section is about food selection: What criteria which you are using to choose the food?

P: Is just your desire, you eat what you want

F002: mhh

P: The income you are getting also contribute to what you have to eat. Example you can buy a soda but if you don’t have money you cannot buy it

F002: What contribute you to eat fish?

P: The money you have and the imitation from others

F002: What else? what about the test/flavour

P: Yes, it also contributes you to enjoy after eating

F002: What about food availability?

P: If you are hungry you have to eat

F002: So, I just want us to arrange which first one between these reasons

P: Number one is hungry you can eat and pay later if you don’t have money

F002: mhh the second one

P: The desire of eating certain food

F002: (They are discussing and starting again to arrange)

P: The second one is money and the third one what somebody needs/desire for a certain food

F002: T The last section: I would like to know school is affecting the community activities

P: T he educated Masai they never go back to engage with animal keeping

F002: mhh, what about Zigua?

P: They don’t engage with keeping the animal, they consider that is the work of those people who are not educated, most of them they go to town looking for job in garage, they ride motorcycle,

F002: What about the women

P: They do the same as washing dishes etc

F002: Where do you learn about the nutrition?

P: From home

F002: What about Masai

P: Our fathers teach us, we go to forest eat the meat and becomes healthier, these event is called OLBURU. this can comprise like 20 people who mostly are youth

Also in the groups,

F002: mhh

P: I n the hotel we order food that we want

F002: mhh

P: We learn from friends in the street

F002: How is this information helping you to choose what kind of food you want

P: ......

F002: Do you think information on nutrition is important, how can that help?

P: It is important because people eats chips which is not helpful in the body at all

F002: How can we teach/impart this knowledge to the youth?

P: Education in the classes

F002: How can we deliver this education

P: I think any school should be taught about this

F002: mhh

P: I think in the forest where we eat meat,

It should be done by explaining directly face to face by the elders

F002: Thanks for your cooperation