September 2021 - Cultural Heritage at Tumaini Senior Secondary School

For the past three years, fourth-year (form 4) students have participated in a community service-inspired project-based learning (PBL) course. This class runs for the entirety of the first term (half a year) and encourages students to develop creative ways of giving back to society.

Due to safety concerns during the pandemic, the scope of these service projects was limited to within the school campus. Form 4 was challenged to design and implement a project that would benefit their fellow learners. They certainly have risen to the occasion.

There are a total of 120 tribes living in Tanzania, with 126 recorded spoken languages. The student body at TSSS originates from all over the country. Throughout their high-school education, Tumaini pupils spend a total of six years boarding at school, only returning home during holidays. Form 4 felt that this significant time away from their local communities could cause students to lose touch with their traditions and cultures.

For the 2021 community service PBL, Form 4 has embarked on a long-term project to build a cultural heritage ‘village’ at TSSS. The idea is that each house will be constructed in the specific traditional style of tribes across Tanzania. The tribe selected to begin this amazing undertaking was the Maasai. The Arusha region, where Tumaini Senior is located, is populated by a predominantly Maasai community. Coincidently, there were also many Maasai students in this year’s Form 4.

A traditional Maasai home is called a ‘boma’. This refers to a compound consisting of various huts and outdoor communal spaces, inhabited by an extended family; and an area for housing livestock overnight. The boma is surrounded by a protective wall of thorned branches. This ensures that the goats, sheep, and cattle do not escape and that predators do not enter!

Constructing these huts begins by erecting a structure of branches, which is then plastered with a mixture of mud and cow dung. This material does not have great longevity. Therefore, it is traditionally the role of Maasai women to re-plaster their homes every few weeks. The roof is made from dried grass. However, you will see from the pictures below that our students decided to opt for banana leaves instead, for increased durability.

Construction of the school’s boma took place between February-May, with students working on the project during their free time. Materials were sourced from the surrounding community. Students researched building methods. Several Form 4s are Maasai themselves, so were able to coach their fellow classmates on techniques, guided by Tumaini’s Maasai teachers, who were leading this PBL.

When asked about the significance of Tumaini Senior’s cultural heritage village, Form 4 student, Lordrick, said: ‘Culture is identity, so it is important to promote Tanzanian culture in our school’.

The boma has become a museum and communal space, where students enjoy gathering. We look forward to updating you about next year’s new addition to the village.