Saturday 24 October 2015

Hospitality in Africa


I went to Africa a few years ago. There were five of us in the group in Tanzania for three weeks to climb up Kilimanjaro, visit several National Parks and meet some tribes. Every single step we took in Tanzania was exciting, every activity was stimulating, but there was just one thing really amazing for me.
We went to meet the Bushmen, a tribe still living in the Stone Age. The small group was formed by women with several children and a few young men to defend them. The rest of men had left the group early in the morning in a hunting expedition for all the community.
Our guide arranged with them to take a walk around in order to watch some animals. We just had to follow them through the bushes in a single line. In spite of that, we, the Europeans, got lost and they (wisely) decided to take us along a dry riverbed. Suddenly, they became very excited, pointed out to a tree and took quickly different positions near the tree. One second afterwards a monkey was dead on the ground. Just on the same river margin they set a bonfire with sticks so quickly that it seemed easy and cooked the monkey. 

Only God knows when it was the last time they had eaten but they invited us to share the small monkey. Isn’t it hospitality and generosity? I would have never imagined they intended to share their scarce food with their hosts. I’ve never been so surprised in all my life!

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