Communication in Morogoro

There are many ways that people communicate using technology in Morogoro, though they aren’t exactly the same as back in Canada or Korea.

Cell Phones

Despite the fact that other basic services are not always present (electricity often cuts out, water shuts off every day at a certain time, washrooms are more basic than other places), cell phones are almost as ubiquitous as in Seoul (ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but most people have them). I have yet to see a land line (though they probably do exist somewhere). Most people buy a SIM card and then have to buy vouchers to put on their phone (I don’t think anyone has a monthly plan or a contract, but then again, I’ve only been here 5 weeks). The cost of a text is about 60 shillings (5 cents), though talking is a bit more expensive. I don’t really have many people to call, so I don’t know much more about them.

Internet Cafes

If you want to use the Internet here, odds are it will be in an Internet café. I don’t think there are many home connections, though the YCI office has one and many offices probably do as well. It’s not hard to find a café and the typical price is 500 shillings for a half hour or 800-1000 shillings for an hour – pretty cheap when you think about it. There are many viruses on the computer that like to jump to memory cards and flash drives, but generally the Cafés are pretty good. Sometimes they are slow, but if you look hard enough you can get a good connection. It was rumoured that you could also connect with your own computer, but since I don’t have mine at the moment, I cannot check that part out.

Televisions

Televisions are not as common as back home, but they are around and not that hard to find. Most houses use antennas to watch television, though some other establishments (like bars, restaurants) have much clearer reception. VHS videos are also popular here and some places sell bootlegged DVD’s (15-30 movies per disc) that can be played on laptops or DVD players.

Radios

The radio is big here. It’s probably one of the most popular forms of mass information. Many people have radios and listen to them for music, news, sports and many other things. Often, music can be heard (at least in my house) blaring very loudly throughout the day (often more than two or three tunes can be heard at the same time).

Newspapers

There are many papers in Morogoro and even some English ones. However, I have not been paying much attention to these and am not sure if they are read a lot (I don’t see many in my neighbourhood).

I’m sure there are other ways of communication, but these are the ones that stand out most to me and my experience here. If I left out anything major (for the other volunteers reading this, or perhaps the YCI staff) let me know and I will revise my information.