Cultural Transformation and the Commodity Form in Northwest Tanzania

I worked in Northwest Tanzania from 1988 to 1990. The ethnic community who live in this area, called the Kagera Region within Tanzania, are the Bahaya. They speak a Bantu Language, Oluhaya, and they are historically, linguistically and culturally closely related to people in Rwanda, Burundi, and especially the Baganda, Banyoro, and Banyankole who live in Uganda on the shores of Lake Victoria. This research was written up and published in my book The Making and Unmaking of the Haya Lived World

I lived in a rural homestead for two years near the village of Rubya, and my research ended up focusing on questions of land tenure and ownership - which proved to have everything to do with food provisioning and consumption.

Haya villages scattered across the landscape. In the distance is lake Victoria

Brewing Banana Beer

Women bringing gifts to a wedding

The view from a Haya doorstep: A courtyard lined with banana plants