Work Package 4-Climate and cultural values - Mwanza (Tanzania)
Climate and Cultural Values in the United Republic of Tanzania
Work Package 4 (WP4) is led by CO-PI Blocher working with Co-Applicants Dixon and Lekule to explore the impacts of changing culture, values, norms and drought-exacerbated socioeconomic vulnerabilities on Maasai/Sukuma pastoralist communities. WP4 aims to explore the impacts of changing culture, values, norms, and drought-exacerbated socioeconomic vulnerabilities on Tanzanians, with a focus on Maasai and Sukuma pastoralist communities in origin and destination areas.Climate change impacts in Tanzania
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Climate change impacts in Tanzania *
The United Republic of Tanzania has already warmed up to 2 degrees C since 1981. Climate change is leading to more extreme and erratic rainfall. The north has become wetter and the south has become drier due to change in short rains season and long rains season has declined throughout East Africa.
Tanzania is experiencing High urban growth of 5.22% / year. There has been significant development gains with poverty declining overall as GDP grew. Yet many people clustered around the poverty line are vulnerable to shocks. Inequality is growing with 58% of the urbanites belong to the high-wealth group while ~80% of rural inhabitants are of low-wealth.
Research Questions
Research questions include: 1) What are the effects of climate change on pastoralists’ traditional cultural practices? 2) How are pastoralists in Tanzania adapting to climate change? 3) How do climate change impacts interact with SEV and RRKs to impact pastoralists at different stages of their migration? 4) how has climate change exacerbated pre-existing pastoralists’ SEV in new communities in or around Mwanza? 5) Can engagement in participatory and performance arts (music, dance and drama) support coproduction of equitable climate adaptation and resilience strategies in migrant hosting communities? 6) How do processes of intercultural dynamics, collaboration and partnerships amongst migrants, host communities and wider stakeholders build a more inclusive and resilient community?
Methods
Methods include the adoption of PAR (through music, dance or drama) at a Migrant Art Hub in Mwanza and stakeholder engagement events at multiple sites e.g., Musoma, Mwanza, Geita and Morogoro. Additionally, longitudinal qualitative interviews (months 10-24) will trace a sample of migrants (pastoralists) from origin (rural or urban) to destination cities in Tanzania. Implementation: through music, dance or drama performances at a Migrant Art Hub in Mwanza, we will draw on their intrinsic drivers for both playing and listening to music, and thereby, implicitly, on their cultural existential need to experience the feeling of belonging (or not) to a new host community. Co-Applicant Lekule will lead the implementation of longitudinal interviews collecting a broad array on demographic, SEV, environmental information on migrants and host citizens’ households. Collection of this information will be repeated across two waves that will inform climate strategies (WP6) that are sensitive to migrants’ cultures, values and norms.
Impact
Intellectual merit and impact includes key climate-induced SEVs variables for strategic points for WP6; policy briefs will include insights from climate migrants, academics, and policymakers’ insights on: SEVs amongst pastoralists and host communities in Tanzania, how music can support in the co-production of equitable climate strategies in pastoralists communities; and short online video documentary on climate change impact on pastoralists lives.