Just came across a video on YouTube of lake flies called in Tanzania 'sami'. These nasty tiny creatures have only one purpose in life, I reckon - annoying people big time! They life span is just a few hours up to a couple of days, but what they cause while living is beyond imagination. Not even mosquito nets can prevent them coming inside the house...
Fortunately, I am too far and too high from the Lake Victoria to be affected by their seasonal appearance. But - when I was in the language school in Musoma back then in 1991, then in Musoma Cathedral 2002-2006, they drove me insane.
While they came upon the town, their onslaught caused havoc. It was impossible to switch on lights in the house at night, as they would come in through tiniest openings. They did not bite, just being a temporary nuisance. Still, when you swallowed them, when you had to walk or drive through the clouds of 'sami', the feeling was nasty as they had rough bodies or wings which caused irritation and cough.
Locals used to catch them with nets like we do with butterflies and fry nutritious cakes out of them. Never ventured though to taste one of those!
The link to the YouTube video on 'sami' is here.
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