What I Learned from the Sukuma People

Have a look at this video. The raised earthen mounds are used to grow cotton. 

Sukuma farmers in Tanzania.

These are farmers in the country of Tanzania. They live near the town where I went to school. They are from the Sukuma tribe whose traditional lands are south of Mwanza which is at the lower edge of Lake Victoria. Although I was born in Uganda, I grew up a few miles south of Mwanza, near Shinyanga (on the map), in a little village called Kolandoto. 

Shinyanga in Tanzania

My father, Cliff Nelson, arrived there in the 1960s with my mother when I was very young. He was a medical doctor. My mother, Beth, was a home economist (primarily teaching people with leprosy how to cook, sew and improve their lives). I lived in the village until I was about 13 years old. I remember the Sukuma people well. I would often see them working together on the farms, exactly like in the video - singing, dancing, laughing and hoeing. Some mothers, with a baby strapped on their back, would be hoeing right alongside the men. 

I still speak Swahili - a little. Swahili is not the language the farmers are singing - they would speak Sukuma. However, most of my friends spoke both Sukuma and Swahili, fluently. Many were learning English as well which meant that they practiced with me, resulting in my limited Swahili vocabulary.

Growing up in an African culture has influenced me greatly. I still have memories of my Dad and I hoeing in our garden using the same techniques as in the video (although with much less grace and panache). My “transition”, if you can call it that, to Canada and to the culture here took a long time. I will never be a true Canadian. I’m still African. Every day I think of Africa, the people, the weather, the food, the culture, the languages, and the things I learned.

To make a long story short, the video and sharing a bit of my history have an application to business. Here is a list of some of the things that I learned from the Sukuma people that are demonstrated in the video and are valuable for applying to businesses.

1. Work Together

As you can see in the video, the group of boys are all hoeing in unison. They may dance and move around but when it counts their all hoes hit the ground at the same time. Coordinated. Together. Solidly. 

2. Work Hard

As you can imagine, hoeing all day long is tiring, exhausting even but working together makes the effort seem less onerous and oppressive. So it is working in any business. 

3. Use Tools

This may seem obvious but without the right tools getting things done is harder and takes longer. When I left Tanzania in the 1970s, tractors were just being introduced. 

4. Keep Moving

If you watch the farmers carefully you will see that after the hoe hits the soil, they take a step to the right. Keep persevering. Be patient but keep moving forward toward your goal. 

5. Communicate

As you can hear and see in the video the farmers are communicating. Sometimes in the music but also with their body language. 

6. Have Fun

A few friends, a bit of music, the right tools and a clear objective help to make work fun. Have fun over the holiday season. Remember to have fun at work next year.

PS By the way, I’m leaving for Africa in a few days. My wife and I are going to Botswana, which is where she is from. I’ll let you know when I’m back.

PPS If you want to listen to some music from Uganda, try Bobi Wine: Freedom or Time Bomb.

PPPS If you like comedy, try Kansiime Anne. She has nearly a million subscribers on YouTube. The Best of Kansiime 2019 Part 1 or The Best of Kansiime 2019. Ep 2.