Ataya

There is an infinite number of themes, stories, random rants and topics that I want to focus on but I have decided to write about something that is vital to Senegalese culture, and I find extremely frustrating- tea.

First off, I need to explain that there is a series of very specific and complex steps that one follows in order to make Senegalese ataya tea. It is not the easy tea bag you throw into hot water. 

Step one, the children fetch the hot charcoal to place on the mini stove where the pot of water sits upon  until a boil. The tea here comes in small cardboard boxes with one bag of open leaves that is all used up per-brew. It is purchased for 100 cfa or 20 cents. At a boil, 3/4ths of the leaves are poured in and then sit for over 20 minutes. After a sufficient amount of time the bag of sugar, about 1 cup full that is purchased for the same price as the tea, is then slowly poured upon the liquid leaf substance. For the first round, 1/4^th of the bag is poured in. Then the brewer pours part of the hot substance into shot sized glasses and alternates pouring the tea from one glass to another, making a foam at the top of the glass. This is done for aesthetics, to mix the tea, and in my opinion, to prolong the process.

After more sugar adding and more tea mixing, the tea is served. First to be drunk by the most respected person present, usually an elderly male who purchased the tea, then elderly females and down from there. In my village, they fill the cups up half way to stretch the amount out and share the precious golden liquid amongst 8 or so people. After the first round is gone, the process is repeated using the old leaves and the other ½ cup of sugar.

During training I found it be frustrating mainly because it was such a 'male only' act. The men would use it as an excuse to sit around and do nothing for 2 hours during the middle of the day. It was not acceptable for woman to make it and the youngest boy was called upon to brew this shot glass of hot, sugary deliciousness. 

While the gender aspect and the infiltration of laziness from the tea making culture I still find frustrating, the finanial aspect of ataya currently frustrates me more. (The other day I was biking home and found my father at the side of the road, sitting next to his field brewing tea with 4 other men. This was their 'day at the fields')

200 cfa, or 40 cents USD may not seem like a lot of money but it can go very far here. For instance, when I go fukijay shopping (buy used clothing that has been shipped in from the US, you would be amazed at the cute stuff I find!), a skirt, shirt or dress is all 100cfa! Also a large mango, baguette with beans and onion sauce (yumm), small bag of onions, half a kilo of bananas, are all 200 cfa. So while, it is not like this could buy an entire meal, it is a considerable amount of money, and people constantly ask me to buy them these things, but especially tea. There is one woman who I cannot pass during the day without her asking me if I bought and drank tea yet today. When Anna visits, its ohhh buy tea for her, when I am reading it is ohhh buy tea and when I am cracking peanuts its ohhh tea would go well with this. AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

My large Tanjan family is not wealthy nor extremely impoverished but they could use the extra 200 cfa. There is rarely meat or veggies in our meals, they fight over small packets of spices that cost 25cfa and they jealously gawk when I eat a mango. But still, they drink tea on the daily. 

From my perspective, Ataya tea is a superfluous expense, money that could quite easily be used on things that they ask me to buy for them- like medicine or healthy food options- but they choose this sweet golden liquid over curing an infection.

So due to my title as a health volunteer I am using ataya as my first 'health' project. With every shot, one is ingesting several tablespoons of sugar, which we know to not be great for you. Now whenever I am offered tea, I explain that sugar is not healthy for one's body and that fruit is a better sugar option (dont tell anyone I just ate 2 handfuls of Skittles in my hut). Due to this health aspect and the fact that financially, this money could go so far elsewhere, I have taken a pledge that is occasionally difficult to stand by. I will not buy tea nor will I drink tea for the remainder of my stay in Senegal. I will inform you as to how long my rebellion lasts.

Leaving for Kedagou- 4th of July celebration with 200 other PCVs, followed by visits to waterfalls and a meeting with my Jaxanke teacher for intensive language learning- it will be a fun 2 weeks! Ill try my best to keep you all informed!