What is the four Corners Cultural programme?
The Four Corners Cultural Programme was initially thought as a programme to CELEBRATE the culture of the four linguistic groups present around Haydom.
Haydom is the only place in Africa where the 4 major language groups of the continent meet in one place. In the context of language- Haydom is the center of Africa.
The four language groups are:
- The Nilotic language group- represented in the area by the Datoga. This group has wandered to Haydom from northern Africa several hundred years ago.
- The Cushitic language group- represented in the area by the Iraqw. This group has migrated to Tanzania from the east, Ethiopia and beyond, thousands of years ago
- The Bantu language group- represented in the area by the Isanzu and Iramba. These groups wandered into the area from western Africa.
- The Khoisan language group- represented in the area by the Hadzabe. According to genetic research, this group has always lived in Tanzania, they are the original Tanzanians. They are also closely related to the san people of Southern Africa.
These 4 groups, coming from the north, the west, the east and Tanzania with relatives in the south, have all lived in co-existence in the middle of Tanzania, the middle of Africa, for centuries. Having ties from the four corners of Africa and living in the middle of Tanzania, these groups now live side by side in co-existence, giving a beautiful message to the rest of Africa.
This was a reason for celebration, and, as Dr. Olsen saw it - this little miracle was worth preserving for future generations.
Part of this celebration is the development of a cultural center at Haydom. The plot purchased earlier is now under construction and each language group has chosen its place to construct the traditional dwellings on the site. The Hadzabe have chosen the northwest corner where their traditional holy tree was found and to symbolize where they come from- Lake Eyasi. The Iraqw have chosen the north east corner to symbolize that their ancestors come from Mama Isara and further from Ethiopia, the Datoga have chosen a site looking towards Mount Hanang, their traditional holy mountain, and the Isanzu/Iramba are located to the southwest symbolizing their origin in western Africa. Each language group has now chosen people with traditional knowledge to construct the dwellings using only material used by the generations before them.
The main centre will be designed by Jengo Imara, a well known architectural firm led by John Kraft, based in Arusha. He has studied the dwellings and will come up with a design that encompasses each of the groups’ traditions and yet symbolises the future.
But Celebration is not only about the cultural centre with its traditional dwellings. It is an active, permanent gathering of knowledge of the four different cultures and a celebration of this culture through collection of stories, myths, music, dances, songs and traditional artefacts and handicrafts. This knowledge will be collected by the language groups themselves, through the Culture Implementation teams chosen by the groups. With us we have a visual anthropologist, Mr. Damjan Kranjc, who is helping collect and store this knowledge.
It is not difficult to envision the fitire of the center where the children collect stories and songs from the elders, traditional handicrafts are taught to the younger generation, knowledge of history and origin is more widely distributed and the culture is preserved through generations. Mending generation gaps, in the midst of rapid social change, is a certain contribution to sustainable development. Hopefully the programme will be able to create an environment where development is based firmly in the cultural identity of the groups.