SUBJECTS ON THE CURRICULUM AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Indigenous Knowledge (Mila na Desturi)
In the daily `Mila na Desturi' (Culture and Traditions) classes, students exchange information on the history and culture of their particular ethnic groups. Discussions are held in seminar format, led by Tanzanian facilitators, and international volunteers often contribute - explaining, for example, the significance of poetry or the meaning of pollution among the Australian, Dutch or British `tribes'!

In addition to the class discussions promoting cross-cultural exchanges, students are encouraged to discover as much as possible about their own heritage through inter-generational dialogue. Each student is issued with a workbook of questions organised under four headings: History, Culture, Environment and Health. Those whose parents or grandparents live nearby are expected to interview them in order to complete the workbook, while others are assisted to `adopt an elder' of their ethnic group in Arusha town wherever possible.

The assessment of the `Mila na Desturi' course also includes a practical component. Students are required to complete at least three of the following tasks: correctly identifying five medicinal plants, performing a song or dance from their culture, making a handicraft item such as a woodcarving or bead jewellery, and cooking a traditional dish.

Thus, the Community College Project helps to bridge the `generation gaps' arising from urban employment and migration, as well as the divide between formal and informal systems of education.

English and Basic Skills
Regular English classes continue at three levels - beginners, intermediate, and advanced. International volunteers assist with the two higher classes. Wherever possible, background readings for the classes are selected to fit the themes of the `Mila na Desturi' classes, or related issues such as globalisation, sustainable development and the prevention of AIDS. Debates are held once per week.

There are also classes in basic literacy and numeracy, currently conducted in Kiswahili, for the benefit of students without primary education.

Conflict Resolution
In September 2001, we were joined by Thomas Dimme, a student of International Relations at the University of Dar Es Salaam, whose course requirements demanded that he undertake a four-week period of work experience in a non-governmental organisation. We soon put him to work, planning and delivering seminars and lectures on the theme of `Conflict Resolution'.

These sessions included drama and music components, as well as background information relating to conflicts in Rwanda, Burundi and the Middle East. As part of the course, a group of students also visited the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Performing Arts
Aang Serian's `Drum and Dance' classes, which are especially popular with international volunteers and other visitors, are now held three times a week at Via Via Travellers' Café, near the Natural History Museum in Arusha.

Many Aang Serian members are also keen rap musicians, performing a `fusion' style that combines Kiswahili, English and indigenous languages, and have participated in international festivals. [Link www.xplastaz.com] In addition to their recording and promotion activities, and participation in the sustainable development project described above, some have given `African Hip-Hop' classes for their fellow students on an occasional basis.

In August 2001, a group members started a drama group under the aegis of Aang Serian. Their first play focuses on the controversies surrounding female circumcision/genital mutilation, and there are plans to perform it in Arusha and Monduli in early 2002.

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