After Africa

What would Nyerere have said?

We, in Africa, have no more need of being ‘converted’ to socialism than we have of being ‘taught’ democracy. Both are rooted in our past — in the traditional society which produced us.

Julius K. Nyerere

Do also read my understanding of Tuko Pamoja seen from a Danish perspective.

Thanks for the inspiration to Kate.

Education in Tanzania: Quantity or Quality?

 
These days and in this end of the world we count in quantity and not quality - when it comes to Africa and the Millenium Development Goals.

For the past months I have been working with engaging Danish civil society organisations in development cooperation in a Danish campaign, which directly translated is called 'The World's Best News'.  In brief, the campaign is aiming at informing the Danes about the progress made in developing countries, not just in terms of 'our' support, but in general. The overall message is that it makes a difference to support development, and that we have a responsibility to do so. So far, a very successful campaign, the largest of its kind in Denmark, which amongst others have generated a lot of activities in the Danish civil society, but also managed to make us focus on progress.

However, it also means that the Danish prime minister has learnt his lines well, when he from the Millenium Development Goal Summit in New York the day before yesterday underlined the success of the Danish achievement in development support: 'Now, 9 out of 10 children are in school', meaning we are close to reaching the second Millenium Development Goal: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

All fine on a global level. However, coming almost straight out of Tanzania I had one clear problem with oversimplifying the question of education when it comes to East Africa. I have visited too many schools around Tanzania, Uganda and Tanzania for the past 5 years, not to ask the question: Haya, so what do the 9 out of 10 children actually learn there...? Last year in November I wrote this blog post from Longido in northern Tanzania. The schools are there, even in the most remote parts of Tanzania, but they are crowded with children, who walk far every day; and have teachers with insufficient resources.

However, Uwezo, which is part of Twaweza, on September 21 launched interesting findings in its Annual Learning Assessment Report Tanzania 2010. The study assessed literacy and numeracy skills of over 40,000 children in over 20,000 households - the largest survey of its kind: Are Our Children Learning? 

The key findings say:

One in five primary school leavers cannot read Standard 2 level Kiswahili
Half the children who complete primary school cannot read in English
Only 7 in 10 primary school leavers can do Standard 2 level Mathematics
Urban based children perform better than rural based children
Girls do slightly better than boys
Children with educated mothers perform better

  
Basically the Twaweza went into details, focusing on quality and on the outputs. 

And it doesn't look good comparing to the fact that Tanzania is actually one of the countries in Africa, the Danish politicians in general like to draw upon when giving good examples.

The conclusion appears positive in donor countries when counting the amount of children in school, but rather sad when you take a close look in Tanzania. Tanzania might have come far in terms of putting its children to school - on a quantitive level, but qualitatively there is something utterly wrong. 

Other bloggers picked up on the survey. Swahili Street noted that 'It is a sensitive time for them (Twaweza) to do this'. And it made The Mikocheni Report suggest reflection here.

I'll finish off with the same words I used last year in Longido:

'...it all boils down to utilised and appreciated human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation, which will be the only forces change is made of.'

Talking about progress and change in terms of quantity is one thing, but says close to nothing about the quality of what we want for the children in Tanzania. Do we want full schools, or do we want to work with the fantastically, massive amount of human potential which is the ultimate feed for the change a country like Tanzania need?

Now that we are this close to having 9 out of 10 in school, it might be time to focus on quality?

I think Twaweza has done an excellent job pointing this out, and if you are a blogger, journalist or communication officer in an international NGO, I believe this is a really useful tool to pass forward or use in further argumentation. 

Download the full survey here.

Århus. Sunny Afternoon

 
 

Baltasar and Klara. Dandelions and Soap Bubbles

Africa 2010: Running for office (while combining kangas with social media)

Last year I went up and down Uhuru Street in Dar es Salaam to find kangas for the Tropenmuseum in Holland and their exhibition on African president portraits - on cloth. Check it out here.

Just before I left Tanzania, I stayed with a good Tanzanian friend, who knows my interest in kangas. She opened her closet, and took out kangas as old as Tanzania.

50+ year old kangas, she had inherited from her mother, who again had inherited them from her mother or aunts. Colours and texture softened by many years of daily use, handwashing and charcoal ironing, but treasured as facts of one family's history.

I don't think Zitto Kabwe knows how many kangas I have bought since I arrived to Tanzania the first time in June 2004, but he has promised me one of these (photo) from his campaign to get reelected as MP for Kigoma North.

When it comes to Tanzanian political parties merchandise, I have no political affiliation, and I have already bought CCM merchandise back in March 2010, and would also still like to get one of their kangas.

The fact that Zitto Kabwe is reporting via Twitter, blog, Flickr and Facebook from Kigoma North, while at the same time operating an election campaing with traditional elements - like the ngoma and the kanga - is a clear fact of Africa 2010. An Africa in between tradition and modernity. 

An Africa, we in the north gradually are realising is changing.

Zitto is not the only one doing so, President Kikwete's campaigning team is also busy on social media, on Twitter for starters - while handing out merchandise. A Tanzanian MP would obviously not get away with using social media if he/she didn't have their kangas in place.

For the more curious readers, do also read about another perspective of the elections, which I wrote about here in January.

What would this be in Africa?

 

In Århus this is an art installation.

What would this be in Africa?

European Footprints

 
 From Napoli to Århus.

Wanted! We all wanna go somewhere else

 
Photo from one of my friend's French newspaper clip collections. Click on the photo to read the advert (it is one of the best)

In an African minute (escaping the Danish time log)

 

Flying from Yei to Juba in Southern Sudan in August 2007.

Looking over the hills of the inside of Africa through the scratches on the windscreen of the tiny aircraft.

From a million years ago in Uganda...

Blurred. But clear colour. My favorite African colours.

Outskirts of Masindi in central Uganda.

Probably year 2006 (but feels like a million years ago)