The Chagga Cultural Experience

The Chagga Cultural Experience

The Chagga, also called Wachaga are located in northern Tanzania, living around the base and slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Their relative wealth comes from not only the favourable climatic condition of the area, but also from successful agricultural practices which include extensive irrigation systems and continuous fertilization methods for thousands of years. They were among the first tribes in the area to convert to Christianity which gave them an economic advantage over other ethnic groups, as they had better access to education and health care as Christians.

The Chagga descended from various Bantu groups who migrated from elsewhere in Africa to the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. In the 11^th Century, the early migration patterns of the Bantu people in search for land, led the Chagga to settle in the North Pare Mountains which is known as the Home of the ancestral chagga. Due to tribal fights, they found settlement on the nearby and, in those days, still heavily forested southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. As Bantu-speakers, the chagga language has a number of dialects related to Kamba, which is spoken in southeast Kenya. They are culturally related to the Pare, Taveta and Taita people. The movement of the early chagga banana farmers to Kilimanjaro set off a period of rapid and extensive cultural mix that you can enjoy paying a visit when having a tour in Tanzania.

Traditional food

As extensive farmers, the Chagga grow banana, potatoes, yams, beans, peas, red millet and bananas for food. Their common Traditional dish is Mtori. They however use Ndafu for ceremonial occasions. They brew a delicious drink called Mbege, which is made of millet and bananas and left to ferment for 10 days prior to use in any festive celebration.

Cultural heritage

Traditional Chagga instruments include wooden flutes, bells, and drums. Dancing and singing are part of almost every celebration.

You can opt for a day spent down the Kilimanjaro with the native Bantu group inhabiting the mountain slopes by choosing among the cultural packages (Marangu Cultural & Coffee tour OR Materuni waterfalls & coffee tour) that give you an opportunity to combine your safari with some deep unique cultural experience. It’s an unforgettable experience to see how people lived in a world so far away from the modern lifestyle.