On and Off. . .and On!

Today was an on and off, and then on again day. 

The first item of the day was a meeting at a government office, in connection with my Fulbright research.  I’m trying to theorize why adult literacy rates here are declining from the highs in the 1980s.  To study that, I want to find out more about ordinary Tanzanians’ literacy practices (How do they find information?  How often, what, and for what purpose do they read and write in their everyday lives?) as well as what ordinary Tanzanians think about the value of literacy.

My research assistant and I had met at the government office last week to discuss my research, and I had thought that everything was ready for me to begin surveying people this week.  As we talked at the meeting today, though, it became clear that unless I only wanted to talk with a specific segment of the population, it would be very difficult to access any respondents.  After being told (thanks largely to my research assistant/translator) that I’d need months more of letters and permissions to do what I wanted to do, I was sent off to another office, where the person I needed to talk to was out of the office indefinitely. 

It’s not that I expected the research to go quickly or easily.  In any circumstances, doing research takes time and patience and an open mind. You have to know what’s already been written on the topic, you need to develop a reasonable way of answering your research questions, and you need access to information.  In my experience, archivists and ethics boards generally want researchers to have access to information, but they want to ensure that the information is gathered and reported in ways that represent the best practices in the field.  And I think it’s generally a good process—certainly, the feedback I’ve received in the process of gaining access to information has always made my work better (and  thank you to you invaluable readers who have given me feedback over the years!).  

Doing research in Tanzania requires all of the processes to which I’m accustomed, but it also requires permits—for all researchers (native and foreign alike).  To get a permit, one must submit a research proposal, numerous supporting document, and substantial application and permit fees to an official government board.  It is difficult to know what supporting documents are necessary, as well as what permits are required.  Because I’m doing research in Zanzibar (a semi-autonomous state in Tanzania) as well as in mainland Tanzania, I need two separate permits.  I submitted my application for the first of these two permits in July 2009, and I received it two weeks ago.

So I’ve been preparing to collect data for a while.  And, after the meeting, it seemed that despite all of my work, the possibility of collecting any useful data was slim to none.  The switch was off.

As I went on through the rest of the day’s agenda and tried to rethink my research plan, rumors about the return of electricity were rampant (Zanzibar lost all public electrical power on Dec. 10).  We’ve heard rumors for months now and had been disappointed each time, so I was determined not to get my hopes up—not that there was any great danger of that after the meeting I’d just had.

But, in the way that things often do in Zanzibar, the current shifted. 

This afternoon, in the middle of a parent-teacher conference at the boys’ school, I got a call to go to a government office.  We raced to the office and, lo and behold, the switch for research was on!  I not only had permission, but I had a firm appointment to administer questionnaires to 15 people this week!!

Elated, I went to my office to charge up my laptop on the generator and work for a few hours.  And then, on my walk home, I heard yelling in the streets—happy yelling.  And I saw lights on!  Hooray! 

By the time I got home, though, the lights were off.  There was an audible groan from all over town as they went off.  Were technicians just testing the lines, or was there another serious problem that would be followed by more months of darkness, heat, and hauling water?

But, then, after dinner, the lights went back on.  And they’ve stayed on!!!  Sheer bliss!  I’m hoping again—for a successful launch of my survey; for electric fans to cool me, the survey respondents, and everyone on the island; and for easy access to laptop power.  Onward!