On Lamu rats and kitty cats
Excerpt from 'Cargoes of the East', by Desmond Bradley Martin:
At high tide when, when the seawater level is almost as high as that of the drains, rats are forced up through the drains. Little boys enjoy catching them and showing them to little old ladies from Chicago. After such a display of doubtful goodwill, it is highly unlikely that the ladies will want to make another visit to Lamu. Attempts have been made to eliminate the rats, many of which are much larger than the Lamu cats. The last really major effort was made in the late 1950s. In 1959 the district commissioner proudly reported that 949 rats were caught, but a little later he lamented, 'Again the courage and stamina of the Lamu cats failed them and it is believed that rats actually eat the cats here. ~ Lamu district annual report, Kenya, 195
I heard these little fellahs (which must be the children of the big fellahs) before I saw them, I can't remember whether I switched the light on or used a flash, but it was one of those times where I didn't give myself much chance of catching anything at all, and in fact I forgot completely until several years later when i noticed them among my negatives.
17 September 2008 - 8:54pm — AdminDried fish - Mombasa
Walking past a godown, (Mombasa Kenya) filled 15 feet high with crumbling dried fish, I took this picture of a man loading some of it into a van.
Contrary to expectations, much of this dried fish does not originate off the coast of Kenya - despite plenty of deep sea fishing businesses, the 'shallow' continental shelf is narrow (50km at it widest point) and so large scale fishing is quite reduced - but comes by dhow or ship from Somalia and the Arabian peninsular.
Dried fish is a delicacy amongst coastal people who cook it in a variety of ways: some of them fry it or make it into a soup, others make it into a fish curry.
Fish oil is also extracted under great 'pressure', from dried fish. The old process is very interesting I think. The fish is lowered into a deep well - often found in the warehouse afore mentioned. At various levels salt is added, and then finally a huge pile of stones is dumped on top - like two tons of stone perhaps. A couple of months later the oil has oozed out. The Fish oil is used to protect the hull of wooden Dhows from insects and the remaining dried fish is still sold as food despite the absense of its oil1.
1 - 'Cargoes of the East' by Esmond Bradley Martin and Chrysee Perry Martin.
17 September 2008 - 9:05am — AdminHow to make a living in paradise
The view from Bob Creighton's house near Kilifi, on the coast of Kenya.
Historically this area has become a retirement place for white Kenyans who lease (there are probably some freeholds too) land along the beaches and cliffs.
Kilifi town was once only accessible by an unreliable car ferry, and before that a man powered rope drawn ferry, and now a bridge built by the Japanese. Urban development suddenly expanded tenfold. Speaking to my gran on the phone the other day I asked her how things had changed since I was last there. "The Italians have bought the place out," she said, "they are building multi-story shopping complexes and renting out apartments" The Mafia, she thinks.
The question for anyone - who is not a 'Mafioso', that is - wanting to live in this poverty stricken paradise, is how do you make a living? Tony Britchford, now deceased, came up with a pretty good plan - using a radio he became the 'yachties' SSB connection within the western Indian Ocean.
For 18 or so years he guided passing yachts into the well protected Kilifi creek through a break in the outer reef, under the bridge (70'/21m, some yachts would drift backwards under it just in case they had to motor forward in the event it was too low) and also under the power lines spanning the creek soon after the bridge.
The anchorage was just below his and our house seen in the picture, from where he offered services and advice.
17 September 2008 - 8:59am — Admin