575 New Teachers

St John's University ("A Centre of Excellence for Developing Humankind Holistically to Learn to Serve") had its Graduation Day yesterday. They like to do this kind of thing properly in Tanzania. The Prime Minister, the Hon. Mizengo Kayanza Peter Pinda (MP) was Guest of Honour; a military band was in attendance; seven or eight large marquees had been put up on the sports field and festooned with ribbons; and the town's tailors, seamstresses and milliners have been busy in the last few weeks making gowns, hoods, mortar boards and other arcane academic accoutrements. For the 1100 "Graduands" including two of my colleagues, the day started at 8.30 with rehearsals and "preparation". I arrived about one o'clock and seeing the crowds I decided it was payback time for all the shouts of "HEY MAZUNGU!" I get as I go about my daily life here.I latched onto a couple of Australian St John’s lecturers and strolled confidently past the security and found a seat in a marquee near the VIP dais. Meanwhile the other family and friends were back behind ropes, standing squeezed together under the trees in the patches of shade.
It was soon clear that there was something very unTanzanian about the arrangements when proceedings started 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

The band marched in – ceremonial baton twirling – followed by the solemn procession of PM, Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Proctors, Deans of Faculty, Chaplains, lecturers, all resplendent in gowns, hoods and those puffy Italian-Renaissance-meets-Uzbek-Warlord style hats and tassles.
The speeches were mercifully brief by Tanzanian standards and then the Graduands from each faculty paraded out, the girls staggering a bit as their high heels sank into the sand, and the long list of names was read out. (note to self: could do a blog post on lovely/weird Tanzanian names). As the Chancellor proclaimed the words* conferring the degrees the band played a fanfare and in an emotion-charged atmosphere they put on their mortar boards to wild cheering, clapping and ululating. By far the biggest cohort got degrees in education which is good news.

It was all very well orchestrated, the VIP’s and students being shepherded about by an usher in red embroidered Islamic Court Dress, a nice touch in an Anglican University.We wound up with a vote of thanks*, a blessing*, a photocall, and the National Anthem.
Then it was party time. I was invited to one at Bobby’s Lodge. We sat outside on rows of chairs facing a table with a large cake and flowers. Our D.J. tried his best to drown out the music from at least two other graduation parties in the same venue. My colleague wore her gown, hood, mortar board and security ID tag proudly throughout. An M.C. supervised various rituals of introduction and welcome and one in which the new graduate popped large pieces of the cake into the open mouths of selected guests. Dancing queues of friends, colleagues and family presented gifts and money. There was food (chipsy koku) and drink aplenty, and we bopped under the stars until the small hours.
*Although all the teaching at the uni is in English as is the norm here, the entire graduation was in Swahili so I could only recognize a few words, eg Sayansi (Science).