Category Archives: Africa-Central

More Adventures of Mungo Park, Who Describes Hunger Crops in the Western Sahel, 1797

Posted on 12/06/2013 by

Mungo Park routinely describes foods and crops – as well as cooking and serving methods – throughout his extensive travels in west Africa.  His are amongst the most detailed sources on these topics for the late eighteenth and early nineteenth … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Africa-East, Africa-West, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Contract Farming in the Village: Farmer-Friendly Strategies

Posted on 25/03/2013 by

I have received several emails asking about the contract farming project in the village, which has been organized with the Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika.  We are hoping to invigorate the activity during this rainy season – before the rains … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Agriculture, Contract-Farming, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2 | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Social Life of Beans in Burundi – Part 2

Posted on 09/03/2013 by

Part 1 of this blog discussed the different steps used by smallholders here in Burundi in cultivating, harvesting and processing beans.  Below, a few more notes on these steps – together with thoughts on the challenges of emergency seed distribution following … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Agriculture, Burundi, Food, Food Aid, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2, Humanitarian Assistance, Imbo Plain, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Social Life of Beans in Burundi – Part 1

Posted on 01/03/2013 by

Dry beans are the most important food in Burundi.  Being Burundian is associated with beans – their growing, processing, sales and eating.  Consumption of beans  cuts across all socioeconomic and ethnic lines in the country; they are a truly unifying, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Africa-General, Agriculture, Burundi, Colonialism, Crop harvests, Cuisine, East central Africa, Social Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Post-War Peace on the Shores of Lake Tanganyika: Riding High!

Posted on 12/02/2013 by

Civil war officially ended in Burundi in 2006.  For several years thereafter, there have been sporadic fights and attacks, but these, too, have dwindled to almost ‘zero’. What changes has a blanket of peace brought?  This blog concentrates on post-war activities on the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, After the War, Development, East central Africa, Environment, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2, Imbo Plain, Lake Tanganyika, Living here, Rusizi River ^ Wetlands | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Taste of 2012 – Top Posts Favor Colonial Era; Food; Ancient Egypt

Posted on 01/01/2013 by

2012 was an excellent year for blogging.  Daily reads ranged between 200 and 300, with a few entries going over 500.  Readers were most interested in posts that stress the colonial era of African history, together with wildlife, traditional farming … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Africa-General, Africa-West, Agriculture, Burundi, Caravan routes, Colonialism, Contract-Farming, David Livingstone, Egypt-Ancient, Ethnicity, Food, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Lake Tanganyika, Organic Gardenig, Research & Development, Stanley and Livingstone, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wargames and Christmas Celebrations during the War Years

Posted on 14/12/2012 by

Updated blog first posted in 2010. This is the second reblogging of past Christmas celebrations here in Burundi, the first being: An African Christmas, Burundi-Style Here is what happened in 2003, by way of wargames, Christmas celebrations, and related events.  Most … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-Central, Food, Social Life, Uncategorized, War Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments