Will it be able to fit in the box we might need, to be able to reach out?

This is our last full day together. Rafael and I talk about where we are right now.
Our day started in the Swedish Embassy where we met with Margaretha Brisman.
We told our story, as usual with lots of words which is a tendency for the two of us.

But when we gave Margaretha the space we heard very encouraging words. That Sweden will focus on fewer areas of which energy is one with priorities. And that another priority is to change the view of this part of Africa as a place of poverty and need of aid, to a place of opportunities and resources.

So where our "Off Grid Community Development" ideas fit into the energy priorities, our Metafari fit very well into a focus on changing peoples views.

There were a lot of ideas coming up in the conversation.

-Why not targeting at all these companies who spends lots of money on incentive travel. With this they could get out something meaningful!

-We'd be happy to help you with feedback and answers. Just email us. And Rafael, please contact us next time you're in town!

We are definitely on the right track.

Metafari: A leadership journey into the new landscape of a changing world of opportunities and possibilities.

MetaMarket: Intermediatory services for green tech companies who wants to explore market possibilities, do feasability studies and test their new producs here in Tanzania.

I want to get some more out of Rafael to discuss the project application for the Rural Development Agency about bringing HiLight to the district of Handeni, but he fell asleep before he said good night.

So, good night from Dar es Salaam. Tomorrow at this time I will be in Addis Ababa, waiting for the flight home!

We live an ancient life with lots of modern thinking.

We have breakfast with Mac Odell of http://www.macodell.com
He is here on a project where the NGO Africare is responsible to facilitate the process of resettlement of people affected by the construction of a new powergrid across Tanzania.
Mac is also a long time practitioner of Appreciative Inquiry and has been working a lot in Nepal with the ideas of AI.

For breakfast we talk about basic values of humanity and the importance of belonging to a community, something that is often lost in the western world.
Rafael reflects:
-This is about depending on each others as humans, on fellow community members as part of your life and your responsibilities.
The paradox to me, is that even though we are what could be called a 18th century people, it seems that our our thinking is very modern and very relevant. This becomes apparent in areas such as leadership, sustainability, diversity. Our challenge is to bring education to our people, mostly literacy.

Leifs reflection.
-Yes, but then not being exposed to the 20th century ideas of schools. This could be a great model for the education of the later part of the 21st century in our part of the world.

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Sent from a mobile device
Follow the Metafari - http://metafari.blogspot.com

Low tide. Same place, and yet not.

I ask Rafael to reflect on the low tide.

-It is when everything is down at the ground level. Things that were submerged by the high tide come up over the surface. Bottom level details, big and small becomes prominent. Dead shells, small life. All debris that is left behind by the outgoing tide.

Mangrove roots are given space to breathe and many other small details are clearly visible. You see underwater life become active. Small crabs are crawling around, being active, digging holes, moving sand.

How often have we gotten really low, coming to the bottom of our lives? How often has our full tide life hidden all these features and details that exist at the bottom level?

How often have we failed to appreciate the lessons of the low, of hard times.

The Mangrove Tidal Swamp is the theme for one of the days of the Metafari. The images in this and the previous post is from Tanga International Conference Centre.

http://www.meetingponttanga.net

As leaders, have we just been floating on the full tide? How often have we forgot to see the details that equally matters, daring to curiously explore also the low tide.

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Sent from a mobile device

High tide at the Mangrove tidal swamp.

Sunrise and high tide here at Tanga International Conference Centre. www.meetingponttanga.net
The tide is theme for Wednesday of a Metafari.
Right now it's high tide. We like being in this state of mind. Getting into the water is easy.
The morning sun rays turn the water into gold.
Nothing disturbs the image of a perfect world

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Sent from a mobile device

Connecting people and the cause of change.

Michael Schrage wrote 1989 that it is probably more correct to say that the tools create us than that we create the tools.

Tools like Facebook or mobile phone networks were created by people who had no idea what the real impact would be.

The mobile network mast here create patterns of change of which we have no idea of where this will lead to in the future.

It is now bringing change to societies. Estimates here in East Africa indicates that for every 10% of mobile phone penetration, this creates a growth of approximately 1%.

Is the development in North Africa signs of something profoundly new to happen?
What do you think?
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Sent from a mobile device

The longest blogpost ever on Metafari, Begeistring Community and the power of networking.

A background

The Metafari is to 100% a product of networking. Five years ago I was asked by Sven Sandström from Kebbe Sandström to join a meeting in Vinkeveen, Netherlands. The invitation came from Kees Ahaus of TNO Management Consultants "on behalf of" Anne Radford, founder of AI Practitioner.

Svens wife and partner Lisen Kebbe could not join so he asked me to keep company. The original purpose for the meeting was to discuss about the possibility to arrange a world conference around Appreciative Inquiry in Europe 2008. We soon found out that the timing was not right to arrange such a conference but that we would very much like to continue to meet to start building a momentum for a possible network in the future. We who came from Sweden agreed to invite the network to Stockholm in October 2006. This started a tradition that has led to a network with meetings in Hungary, Greece, Norway, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Slovenia. The last meeting was in Loutraki, Greece October 2010.

From the first meeting I started to take notes, capture flipcharts and post on a website. It then developed to a responsibility to support in organizing the network meetings who has always been arranged by volunteers who does not get paid, and with no fee for the meetings.

The network now has close to 600 members from all over Europe - and the world

How I view it now

Most of my worklife I have spent in the IT business although I started out my career as a pre school teacher. Working with IT project I have often struggled with the question why it is so hard to make people change the way they work when the potential of improvement from the use of technology is so great. To me it has been clear for a long time that although the tremendous change in societies in the world is powered by machines connected to the internet, these are machines that enable us from freeing ourselves of the constraints of the traditional way of looking at organisations and companies - As machines!

Getting in touch with systemic ideas, with Appreciative Inquiry, Open Space technology and other similar thoughts in 1999 gave me a framework in which to think, and it connected to my experiences in the use of technology.

Internet technology is an enabler that allows us to create organisations that are based on images of living systems!

This might feel a bit scary as we now are leaving the comfortable domains of control, right and wrong, finding "the best" solution etc and are entering the domains of simply looking for what brings life, and what works. Instead of finding unity we celebrate diversity. Instead of trying to kill the competition we are inspired by them.

How the Metafari came into being

I was working in a project at a Swedish public agency where we were to create a website around

strategies for public property. Not a very "sexy" topic although much more interesting that one thinks. We were talking about how to talk about the website. What should it be like?

Maybe it should be like a waterhole?

This idea created a big leap of energy. We talked about why you come to the waterhole, about what happens at the waterhole, about the dangers at the waterhole. Hours of interesting discussion.

I had been in South Africa on vacation in 2004 and remembered the great safari guide we had in Hluhluwe Imfulozi National park. I found a phone number on a picture of his car and called Jeff again.

-Jeff, this is Leif from Sweden. Do you remember me? It was the day it had rained so much and we watched a group of elephants that almost drowned?

-Oh yes! I remember! And you sent me the pictures

-Well, I am working with a website here in Sweden and we talked about using the waterhole as a Metaphor. Now I wonder, do you have any good waterhole pictures?

-I am going out over the weekend to do some Safari. I will look for good shots!

-Thank you. Would it also be possible for you to write something personal about the meaning of the waterhole.

-OK

One week later I got pictures and a wonderful story that I made into a presentation that was very succesful.

LOOK HERE AT THE ORIGINAL WATERHOLE PRESENTATION

And then, there in 2006 the idea popped up. There are more places of strong symbolic value. The termite mound, the coral reef, etc. Would it be possible to arrange a journey into the images of living systems, a Metaphor Safari?

I should never have told the idea to Ruth Nesje who was one of the participants in the meeting in Vinkeveen in May 2006. I told her about my idea when we met in Stockholm October 2006.

-I think its a great idea! I am building a Conference Center in Tanzania. So lets do it.

In the original group I also reconnected with Lena Holmberg who was a consultant with a genuine interest for new ideas and a true international outlook.

-I think this is a great idea! Let's partner in doing this!

We planned the first Metafari was to November 2007 and we got four test pilots to join us. The design of the Metafari week was created by Ruth and me on a ferry from Pireaus to Santorini after the network meeting in Athens, September 2007.

And the journey took place, and was a great succes. You can view the blogposts here

But as usual with great ideas, the main work is still yet ahead.

-To do this, you need a local partner. I know a guy, Rafael ole Moono. He is the best Maasai in Tanzania for this purpose

So I went back to Tanzania and Tanga in March 2008 to meet with Rafael, and after that we are partners.

Together with Elisabeth Wollsén we did a second "prototype Metafari" that we called Narrative Metafari or Metafari Ya Pili in October 2008.

We learned even more about this, but as the financial crisis hit the world we postponed our plans of arranging Metafaris until conditions had improved.

During this time we also found another opportunity connected to the fact that almost everyone in Tanzania now has a phone but less then 15% have access to electricity. This means that there is a huge need for "off grid technology". So in Sept-Oct 2010 we traveled Tanzania with HiNation in HiLightin Tanzania - a Market feasability study and test journey for the first batch of production units. But that is another story and you can follow that in the blogposts

Welcome to join the Metafari

We are inviting you to a journey of hope in a space of many voices. You will leave the idea of Africa as a place for problems and poverty behind and find opportunies and new perspectives.

You will be able to explore ideas, issues and challenges using the inspiring places, your journey partners, people you meet along the way, and your Metafari guides; me and Rafael.

In Metafari you will find a generative space, where you will exit as another person then you were when you came.

Welcome to join the Metafari.

And as a text like this probably creates more questions than answers, please use the comment function below, ask questions on Facebook, or email us directly.

leif.josefsson@gmail.com

olemoono@gmail.com

Living the Life of Leif - The honoring of Leif ole Pellos, born October 2010

Wednesday February 2 was a great day. This was the day when Big Leif was to meet Little Leif for the first time.

Little Leif ole Pellos is the son of the second wife of chief Marias ole Pello. When we were here in October with HiNation Marias told us that his second wife was just about to have a baby.

If it is a girl, the name will be Linda, and if it is a boy, the name will be Leif.

Well, a boy was born, given the name Leif ole Pellos.

So returning to Engaruka was a big day. We started early from Ol Mesera and drove to Marias village that is beautifully situated on top of a hill. We were greeted by the community, and then we were invited under the shady roof of a shed. I had brought a photo book with pictures from our last visit which was really appreciated.

Then it was time to be invited to the hut of the second wife where little Leif stayed. For the first three months in a childs life it is kept inside the hut together with its mother for her nourishment and caretaking. She is provided food and other services by other wifes and neighbors. After three months there is a special ritual done by women to bring out the baby and the mother. For the Maasai, women are the carriers of rituals. I was presented a chair in the little foreroom of the hut where I met with little Leif for the first time. You can see proof of our meeting in the slideshow above.

After a while we moved on to go to the village of Engaruka where Marias has his office and bar. I got tired and was given a mattress where I could have a rest in the shadow of the tree where community meetings take place. It was then time for a traditional lunch where a shoulder, leg and a liver from a goat was served. The meat is grilled over open fire, and is prepared without any spices which are considered to spoil good meat, and ruin the original taste. Specially for me there was also bananas, oranges and mango. A traditional Maasai meal is normally just meat as you see it consumed in the pictures.

Continuing our journey we drove to Engaruka Juu Primary school which is a long term testing place for the HiLight. On the way to the school we encountered a small tornado very close to the car.

The headmaster showed us the HiLight they were testing and were very happy about the product. Only problem was that the battery did not seem to deliver the power it was specified to do. But we discussed that being a tester was about finding out such things. We could also demonstrate how the HiLight could be dismantled to reset the power as it seems that the electronics sometimes get stuck.

Finally we went to see Marias campground which is just below the Engaruka ruins. It is a beautiful lot with access to water. Nice shading trees, flowers, meeting spaces. A space waiting to be developed further.

Returning back to Ol Mesera we were very happy for a great day, and continued sharing stories into the night. Good night!

The story of Ol Mesera luxury tented camp and the fascinating owner Barbara Lavrich

We have now back again staying at the Ol Mesera Luxury Tented Camp. It is situated in the Rift Valley between Lake Manyara and Lake Natron just under the Ngorongoro ridge. Barbara Lavrich is the extraordinary woman who is running this wonderful resort. This is her story

I was a young woman living in Slovenia when i met a young African student who was studying medicine in 1958. We married 1962. 1968 we moved to Tanzania where my husband worked for the government in different places. Moshi, Same, Dar es Salaam.

1973 my husband started a private hospital in Tarime, north Tanzania. We got three children, 1965, 1973, 1975. The oldest son stayed in Tanzania while the two daughters are living abroad, in Australia and the US.

When I entered work live after staying home with the children I was first working in the hospital and then joined a NGO run by an Anglican dioceses as an accountant administrator. During this time I also divorced. When it was time to go to pension I decided not to sit at home and not do something. So I found this place in 2004 and 2005 I started to build, and I could open it in 2007.

To operate a place in such a remote place is special. To get water, for example. Closest water source was 10 km away in the Ngorongoro ridge. So I had to get it here by installing a water pipe all the way and I also funded a pipe to the closest village here. First year we had problems with elephants that dug the pipes out, but then we put the pipes deeper into the ground. Now we have occasional problems with poachers who crack the pipes to attract animals with water so they can shoot them more easily.

I dreamed about creating a place for somebody who would come and see the beauty of Tanzania, the interesting culture of the people. To have a quiet holiday.

Ol Mesera has four luxury tents. One tent with double bed. Two tents with two double beds and one tent with one double and two single bed. In total, 9 people can sleep here. Each tent is equipped with toilet and shower. Electricity is by a generator which is on every night between sunset and around 22:30

I enjoy the work, but I would like to have more clients. Today I get my clients mostly by the website, and by lonely planet. People who come here recommend this place to others, so I am getting more customers by word of mouth

My staff is all Maasai from the local community. I train them for all jobs except cooking where I have found a great cook from Mto Wa Mbo. There are six persons in my staff plus the cook.

This has been working very well. If I was young it would not have been easy to be a manager but as I am older they treat me with respect, as a mother.

I was hoping to employ women but that was not possible. Younger women would not be allowed by their fathers, and the older women would not be allowed by their husbands. But employing warriors works well, and I even managed to get them to do household chores.

What I appreciate most in the Maasai culture is the stubbornness in the way they keep in the traditional way. I find this good. They are not interfered by the church or the government. They accept what they want to accept. They are very aware of modern society, so it is not out of ignorance they choose the traditional way. It is out of choice.

Out of our conversations and meetings, you, Rafael, Marias I believe we could work together promoting modern technology in this valley, working together with the people here to improve animal breeding. Maybe we could work together to find more productive animals. Together with Marias we could promote a special tourism in this area. The nature in Engaruka and the Rift Valley is very unique and unspoiled. The animals that normally can be seen in the parks are still around here. Buffalo, giraffes, zebras, elephants, ostrich, leopards and even on occasion lions can be spotted here.

The only live volcano in Tanzania can be found here, Oldoinyo Lengai. This is a beautiful climb, and is also the holy mountain of the Maasai.

Other interesting place here is Engaruka ruin, where you find stone paintings and ruins of an irrigation system of unknown origin that is more than 500 years old.

Further north is Lake Natron, a soda lake which is the only place where the Lesser flamingo are breeding.

In Engaresero village fossilized human footprints were recently found in stone. These are very ancient but have not been fully investigated yet.

Welcome to Tanzania. Welcome to this place of wonders.

+255 84 428 332 or info@ol-mesera.com www.ol-mesera.com

The Waterhole - what would bring you here?

Yesterday here in Arusha Rafael and I worked a lot in getting the Metafari information into this site. So take a special look at The Journey facts and What others say for more specific information on what the Metafari is and how others perceive it.

We have set dates for three Metafaris where a maximum of 12 people will travel in two cars. We have a vision; That there should be no more than 5 people from one country in one Metafari. This is a journey in new perspectives where the most important assets are the Metafarians themselves. Using the diversity of the group to explore the places we are inspired by, to create an Open Space of many perspectives.

The Metafari sometimes has a tendency to flow into philosophical language. But the journey itself is more practical than philosophical, and the purpose is determined by the participants themselves.

This is exactly what my husband and I needs regularely to find out directions and new ideas for our Restaurant Business, commented an owner of a large Restaurant in Stockholm

This would be a great training for a group of sales people, said an owner representative of a large car dealership

We have found that in the Metafari some elements of learning seems to be present

• Suspending your assumptions. So much of our actions and our decisions are based on hidden assumptions that we are not really aware of. This becomes very evident in the Metafari
• Exploring the use of dialogue. When you become aware of that much of what you took for granted, you realize the power of open dialogue. What are good questions and answers? And what brings us most learning. The questions we ask, or the questions we are being asked to answer?
• The power of storytelling. The door to good dialogue is understanding how to make use of stories. Listening to stories, helping other in enrichening stories, and telling stories yoursel.
• Accepting what is. Traveling in Tanzania is a wonderful lesson in acceptance. Time plans are disrupted. Power cuts happen. Accepting what is happening, learning to adjust while still being focused on the preferred outcome. And still feel safe, because this is a friendly and safe country.

Join the Metafari

When we say join the Metafari it is not only an invitation to join one journey, it is also to play with the ideas of Metafari, and maybe create one of your own. This is Open Source Leadership, and the Metasaga in Shetland, Orkney, Scotland and Western Isles was inspired by Metafari.

Or maybe you have customers or a network where you could use what we have built and book one of the Metafaris for your purposes.

The Metafari came out of the European Network around Appreciative Inquiry and Strength Based Change A.K.A Begeistring Community

Begeistring is a word that exists in many European languages and means literally "Inspirited". This network community is a European network in search of what brings life to organizations, and the Metafari is a true expression of that search. So please, Karibu Sana, Welcome to join us in any way you want. And as Rafael and I continue our journey here in Tanzania until Feb 9th we will clarify and develop our offers and ideas.

We really appreciate any comments, questions, suggestions here in the blog or in Facebook and Twitter where these posts appear as well.

Is the Baobab tree a good foundation for the MetaSpace logo?

We have been working with the idea that our logo should be based on the Baobab tree. Today here in Arusha we were visited by Christopher ole Ndangoya who Rafael has known for many years. I ask them about the Baobab tree. This is their story.

The meaning of the Baobab to the Maasai.

The Maasai name for the tree is Ol-Mesera. It is a shelter during a long walk in the bush. In the dry season, when there is nothing for the goats to eat you take the fruits , crush the seeds and give to animals.

You can often find beehives in the Baobab from where you can get honey. Standing there alone in the bush it can also be an observation point for warriors, looking out for poachers or enemies.

Observing the Baobab you also can get indications for weather, weather forecasts. For exemple, when the flowers of the tree are early this is an indication of rain which allows for preparations of the shifting of animals from one area to another.

In times of lot of rain the tree knows it can absorb lots of water for future use. It is an enormous storage tank of water. Even though the baobab is very hard and massive, it is not wood but made of fibres. The water is stored almost as if the Baobab was a spunge.

The tree is a symbol for beauty, standing alone in the plains, symbolizing the mother of their land. The fruits are somewhat similar to cocoa. If you taste them you can feel the taste of chocolate. The fruits can be added to hot or cold water to make a drink. You can mix it with honey and put in wine or beer to make a drink.

The seeds can be used as markers in games and the Bao game got it’s from the seeds. There has been proven scientic research showing many nutritional and medical values of the fruit. Twice as much Vitamin C as in oranges. Great effect the immunal system of the body, with effects close to that of Aloa Vera

It is a plant with lots of qualities. High up in the tree the trunk kan form water reservoirs and there can be caves where you can sleep for the night.

An image of a crying Baobab tree has been used in environmental programs as a symbol for the fight against deforestation. It is in a way becoming a picture of a crying mother earth. There are children stories where parents will tell them that if they are not behaving in a good way the tree will be sad, angry or cry. Or in the worst instance, the Baobab might swallow them. Or even being grabbed by the baobab and hung up as a fruit in the tree.

The Baobab is not really threatened by deforestation. The wood is not useful for burning. But if the Baobab is made lonely by the cutting down of trees in the surroundings it can die slowly by loneliness.

So what do you think about this tree as a metaphor for MetaSpace?