Believe it or not...

My neighborhood of Nkuhungu- a suburb about 5 km outside of Dodoma town, (or "metro Dodoma" to quote my friend Garrett) made national news this weekend! That's right, little ol' Nkuhungu made the big time, had it's 15 minutes, saw it's name in lights. I'm almost tempted to have people try to guess the reason why, but as you don't have all year...Nkuhungu made national news because a little over a week ago, a mob of angry Nkuhungu residents attacked a man (and his family) who was suspected of being a vampire. Allegations were made that he was sucking the blood (and hence causing the death) of several local children, thus my neighbors decided to "teach the vampire a lesson" by beating him, his wife, and his children, (to the point that they required hospitalization) and by looting and destroying his house. They would've killed him, if police hadn't happened on the scene just in time.

It's during moments like these that you a) wonder where you were when all this was happening as Nkuhungu isn't that big a place and, hell, it must have been a topic of at least some discussion afterwards ; and b) realize that you're not nearly as connected and tuned in to the community as you thought you were. It also makes you also wonder about all the perfectly reasonable looking people walking around you- are these the same folks breaking out the garlic and stakes? You start to realize that maybe all the warnings you've gotten about not getting involved in local religious ceremonies/rites have far more to do with the effects of mob violence than any fear of the occult. It's not funny, but it is ridiculous.

There's more to tell (had a lovely visit from an old friend from college, Garrett Bucks, who came to Tanzania to look at poverty and development) but it'll have to wait; in the meantime, watch out for those vampires (and the people who believe in them.)

Katie