(ramble)

Today I saw a Maasai man in full traditional gear wearing wraparound shades and carrying a briefcase. Arusha's pretty cool.
There are plenty of Maasai (especially men) in Arusha, and most of them do wear the the traditional garments: red or purple robes and blankets, walking sticks, dagger, and often beautiful jewelry as well. Most of them have stretched earlobes as well, and I've noticed designs scarred onto the cheeks of both men and women, but I don't know what they mean. It's interesting to see these elements of Maasai traditions in the middle of the city. It's especially striking to see actual Maasai going about their daily lives in these clothes while at the same time being surrounded by the commodification of Maasai culture. The image of the Maasai as the archetypical African warrior is especially strong here because they're from this region, but I'm told you see it everywhere in East Africa.
There's a metaphor in here somewhere about the way the various tribal cultures of Tanzania are being changed, exploited, and often destroyed by modernization, westernization, population growth, etc...but I can't quite figure out how to put it right now.