Easter in Mbeya

Three crosses were erected in the garden outside the administration block - and a notice was posted on the office door. In contrast to the garish displays of Easter Eggs and the images that appear outside (and inside) churches these are the signs of Easter in Mbeya.

The shops display their goods, the market stalls are open, and life continues as per usual. There will be church services on Good Friday - and the Swahili services will go from about nine until well into the afternoon. The banks, the post office, government offices and most 'big' businesses will be shut. Sole traders or family businesses will continue as if it is just another day. For them it is, and they need to trade.

For us Easter is already different. The constant reminders and the commercial opportunities of Easter are missing. It is not much good trying to sell expensive and overpriced chocolates when the majority can only afford the basics. Chocolates are only sold in a few shops anyway, and even a small block of chocolate is 2500 Tshs. You can buy two good meals for that! Shop fronts are places where you display your goods, and shop windows are there to keep out the rain, the dust, the insects and the thieves.

On Good Friday we will see people in the streets, pretty much as other days. At home Good Friday (and Christmas) seems to be marked by an absence of people in the streets.

Here there is life! It seems busy during the daylight hours, but is certainly not frantic. People are always around, and there is always time to talk. People walk, and acknowledge others they meet on the way. People sit, and pass the time between trades in conversation.

Easter will be much like any other time - and the focus on the events of that first Easter will be left to us. We cannot rely on commercial reminders - they are not there. It is up to us to pause and reflect on the significance of those days in Jerusalem so long ago.

For me, it has been good to take my time over Easter, and to reflect on it without the distractions and demands that are normally associated with my remembrances of the central event on the Christian calendar.