| As you climb Kilimanjaro spare a thought for the | | | | died. The tourists were not told, I don't think anyone |
| humble porter. His life is one of extreme hardship of | | | | even noticed he was missing. I returned with his |
| trekking up and down the mountain carrying your | | | | body, I didn't get paid for this climb nor did Lumuli's |
| supplies. No one notices him, no one cares for him, he | | | | widow receive any payment toward the funeral. |
| goes unseen and unappreciated. I see many items on | | | | Many times when I got home after a climb I might |
| the internet about the 'Kilimanjaro song'. Many | | | | be sick for one week. Sometimes coughing up blood. |
| climbers wanting the words for the song as it brings | | | | My young brother would beg me to stop climbing |
| back memories for them. Good memories of the | | | | Kilimanjaro when I got sick but I knew it was my |
| hard slog to the summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest | | | | only hope, my only escape. If you are unlucky |
| point in Africa. There is another side to this song; the | | | | enough to be born into Marangu village you climb |
| porters who sing this song have their own storey. | | | | Kilimanjaro or you can starve to death slowly whilst |
| What follows is the porter's song, in this case Marco's | | | | growing coffee. Once I remember a porter lost his |
| song. These are his own words... Sometimes, to get | | | | shoe. There was ice on the ground and the porter's |
| the job as a porter with a group I would have to | | | | foot was numb. He did not notice he had lost his |
| pay for the privilege. Porters are poor and life is hard. | | | | shoe until a tourist noticed the blood and stopped the |
| This payment to get a job I would always hope to | | | | trek and put a bandage on the foot and gave him a |
| pay out of my tip - that is if I got a tip this time - I | | | | pair of boots! This tourist was very angry with the |
| would always pray I would get a tip. The guide would | | | | guide, we were pleased the guide was in trouble; but |
| share the tip the tourists gave at the end of the | | | | of course we were punished for upsetting the |
| climb; but we the porters rarely received a share. | | | | tourists - we were all punished. This was in the days |
| Don't be fooled by the fair trade tourism; fair trade | | | | when a porter carried up to 40 kg. Now the weight |
| tourism may have good intentions but usually they | | | | carried is a lot less but too little clothing and low |
| are far away in comfortable offices and are sadly | | | | wages are still a problem for the porters. When the |
| unaware of what is really happening. We, the porters, | | | | climb is finished we are very tired, exhausted even, |
| are kept at a distance from the tourist. We are not | | | | but we are forced to stand in a line singing the |
| encouraged to talk or interact in anyway with the | | | | 'Kilimanjaro song'. We clap and look happy for the |
| guests. I was once beaten for talking to a guest. | | | | tourists... well for the guides to get their tips. When |
| Imagine that, beaten because I talked to a tourist | | | | we sing they [the guides] say 'sing louder, sing louder' |
| whose bag I was carrying up Kilimanjaro. It was just | | | | and they say 'look happy'. All the guide books are |
| not allowed; they [the guides] feared we would take | | | | told what tips to pay and to pay it all to the guide. |
| their tip if we became friends with the tourists. After | | | | Why? Why do they say that? Do tourists not care |
| I was beaten I didn't get another job for a long time. | | | | for the porters? I am sure there is a very good |
| The guide told all the other guides I was a trouble | | | | reason for paying all the tips to the guides but I am |
| maker. So no one would give me a job, and I was | | | | still waiting for someone to tell me what that reason |
| unable to pay for my school for almost one year. I | | | | is. We never got much from the tips usually in most |
| climbed the mountain to pay for my education. When | | | | cases we received next to nothing at all - except of |
| I was 16 my family said my education was over. I | | | | course for our basic wage less the tip we must pay |
| didn't want to die here climbing Kilimanjaro, so I | | | | to the mountain-guide. The porters have no voice, |
| begged my family to allow me to carry on with my | | | | they have no rights. They die for a few dollars. I ask |
| schooling. They agreed but said that I must pay for it | | | | your tourists from Europe from America, from China |
| myself. I did this by carrying supplies up the mountain | | | | and Australia to spare a thought for the porter. |
| for the tourists. In the early days we had to carry | | | | When you book through a fair trade operator, make |
| 40kg's, imagine that, 40kg's it made me very tired | | | | certain they really are doing what they say they are |
| and sometimes very sick. The food we eat is very | | | | doing. And I would ask if you tip the porter please |
| basic and usually not cooked properly. Kerosene | | | | give it to the porter. I am now living in the city of |
| [paraffin] used for the cooking is for the guests it is | | | | Aruhsa and life is not so bad as it was in Marangu. I |
| not for us. Maze flour is cooked into a stiff porridge | | | | help my family and don't allow any of my relatives to |
| [called ugali]. It might be hot but it is not cooked | | | | be a porter. Kilimanjaro is beautiful I am told. For me, |
| through. Sometimes the flour is not even mixed well | | | | when I look at that mountain... well all I see is |
| with the water. Most times a hot slice of ugali is put | | | | poverty, death, hardship. For me Kilimanjaro holds no |
| directly into our hands; there are no bowels or plates | | | | beauty at all. Of course we pretend, yes indeed we |
| for the porters. Sometimes we would get mchicha | | | | pretend. To the tourist we say that we appreciate |
| [local spinach] with the ugali but mostly it was just | | | | the majesty of this mountain; but to be truthful it is |
| ugali. Most porters are poorly clothed and we are | | | | very hard for me to see anything but cruelty and |
| inadequately fed so we get ill. If we get ill on the | | | | poverty when I look toward the shining mountain. |
| climb we will not get another job again and we won't | | | | Kilimanjaro information and recommended tour |
| get paid for this job. So if we fall ill we must carry on. | | | | operators can be found at Bethel Adventure. For |
| I remember a long long time ago my friend, Lumuli, | | | | more information and contact details see alternativaly |
| he died, he was sick before we started to climb but | | | | see for tourist information on Tanzania. Use tourism |
| he needed the money for his family. It was at a hill | | | | to change lives. |
| we call breakfast, it was here at this place where he | | | | |