Earlier this year, I happened to meet Elineema from Tanzania. He spent some time in Austria for studies. More importantly, he is responsible for the Mount Meru Astronomical Observatory (https://mmao.space). During his stay he contacted the observatory to participate in one of the observation nights. After a perfect night at the observatory and a few more follow up meetings, he invited me to visit ‘his’ observatory. When the decision was finally made to travel to Tanzania in November, preparations startet. Apart from plenty of time for Tanzania and the incredible african wild life, a key component was to promote astronomy. The importance of astronomy in curriculum is not (yet) comparable to Austria. It also seems that some teachers are not sufficiently trained in astronomy. Therefore, the MMAO frequently organizes teacher trainings. This time, it was me to guide a group of teachers through a day of Oh’s and Ah’s of astronomy. Another part was to visit schools and a university and get into contact with many students, teachers, headmasters, … who were all so welcoming and fascinating personalities!
Personal note: Asante kwa kila mtu niliyekutana naye Tanzania. Hasa kwa Elineema na familia yako shukrani zangu za dhati kwa wakati huu wa ajabu na usiosahaulika!
