:: louder than swahili

A matter of interpretation

Yesterday's 'Citizen' has an interview with the state minister in the Vice President Office (Environment), Dr Batilda Burian, who said that the conference (the climate change summit in Copenhagen) has laid a good ground for next year's climate summit which will be held in Mexico.

Of course, one wonders what Burian did while in Copenhagen, when you have read everything else which everyone else has said about the outcome of the climate change summit in Copenhagen.

The South African media, for instance, last Sunday dubbed it Hopelessnesshagen.

No electricity on Zanzibar for the next month. Kweli!

This is the main story of December in Tanzania: Zanzibar to celebrate Xmas in darkness.

But hey, there was power during the Ramadhan. And, as you know, you can't have it all.

It is always one or the other.

And there must be reasons for the waswahili to say 'eh, eh...' and the wazungu to say T.I.A. And if you are rich enough to say the latter, you will as a visitor not be bothered much anyway, tucked away in a resort running on a generator.

Undoubtedly, the tourist industry - not to forget the Zanzibarians who lived their all the time - will suffer from this.

Climate Debt: Little Mermaid Repossessed for Africa

 

From here.

One of the fastest ways to get a one-way ticket home...

Canadian Diplomat in spitting row is recalled from Tanzania.

I guess, if you don't act diplomatic, you don't deserve the right to unlimited diplomatic immunity?!

No matter what happened here exactly, spitting on an official on duty in a country where you are a visitor, while representing an embassy, only has one predictable outcome.

The 'Danish text leak' - as a wordle

 

Make you own at www.wordle.net.

Copenhagen Climate Summit: The Danish text leak. Give me your opinons!

The UK Guardian is reporting that the second day of the UN Copenhagen climate summit erupted in even more controversy today after developing countries reacted angrily to documents that were leaked showing world leaders will be asked to sign an agreement next week that gives considerably more power to rich nations and curtails the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.

 

Read more here.

 

I'm writing on a blog post for http://ms-action.dk/blogs/climate about reactions from the Africans bloggers and tweeters on 'the Danish text leak'.

 

Africans, please, give me your opinions!

Tanzanian sum-up on public dismay over corruption. But who write what?

Tanzanian papers focus on public dismay over war on corruption.

Yes. But who wrote this sum-up?*

Is it an NGO employee, and international NGO hired expat (with a sponsored agenda) - or a Tanzanian journalist who is genuinely tired of what's happening in his/her country?

For me that is essential to understand the dynamics behind the recent, increased attention in the Tanzanian media on corruption issues. The papers write that the public is expressing dismay. - Where?, I ask myself? In the daladalas, dukas or the offices? Or do they really refer to the NGOs promoting the agenda (i.e. the survey referred to from the Foundation for Civil Society, which the media pick up)? 

* I have searched the site but can't find a name of a journalist for this article.

Climate Change Summit Catering in Copenhagen stocking up nyama choma?

Thanks to the journalists, Mkinga Mkinga and Beatus Kagashe, at The Citizen for pointing out the humongous number of Tanzanians going to Copenhagen for Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change!  

Tanzania appears to be sending the 2nd-largest delegation from Africa to Copenhagen!

This is an interesting article in terms of observations and conclusions, including research involving statistics and a visit to the Swedish Embassy (where you get your visa to Denmark these days).

Jamii Forum has picked up my blog post from yesterday (which of course is a great honour), where I criticized the not so curious microphone holders among the journalists covering news in Tanzania.

Evidently there is - in any country - a strong relation between the degree of this phenomenon and the government's desire to control what the media express. In this regard, let me just emphasise one thing: It is my personal experience that Tanzanian media are improving in terms of playing a watchdog role, and that an article of this kind is part of sparking the debate on i.e. the government's priorities.

Does it corrupt one country to keep supporting a(nother) corrupt country?

A commenter on my blog raises an interesting questions in terms of my previous post here, where I quote Transparency International's list over corrupted countries.

Denmark is 2nd on the list, Tanzania 126.

'Not so weird after all! The courts are full of former ministers accused of taking large sums of money, and present ones continue grabbing. Where theft and corrupt practices has been accepted as 'kawaida', where the speaker of parliament has laughed off double allowances by law makers as acceptable, where jourmalists take brown envelopes every day in exchange for story placement, where citizens pay nurses to see a doctor, where traffic officers are not concerned about road safety, etc. etc. But the donor countries keep on talking of "ëncouraging developments" and continue with budget support!! Supporting corrupt countries should get negative marks too, maybe Danmark's position would change.'

Tanzania is the country which Denmark has supported over the longest period of time, and the country which get the highest percentage of Danish development aid.

As long as I'm working for the Danes I'll keep pretending that I do understand the finer concept of budget support.

How corrupt is your country?

Transparency International's 2009 corruption index: find the full ranking of 180 countries here. 

Tanzania is 126 - and Denmark is 2 on the list.

To be honest, it is a mystery to me why Tanzania is this high on the list.

I live my life on the African continent between two explanations

The question 'Who does Mo Ibrahim think he is?' is being asked over at Swahili Street.

My two favourite answers to questions regarding big or small mysteries on the African continent are at the moment:

That's how it is. Followed by the fatalistic piece of advice: Forget it, you can't change it anyway!*

or

Capitalism. Followed by the advice: Make noise, go tell them that it is bad for Africa!

I live my life on the African continent between these two explanations.

Swahili Street is right, and I hate to admit it. Because Youssou was still good, old, beautiful Youssou last night and Angelique Kidjo was radiating, in spite they're being paid for by mobile phone company Zain to play for the rich people in Dar es Salaam.

When we walked out the entrance gate of the Karimjee Hall, the casual workers on the load of the taka taka truck shouted, while the truck left an unmistakenly reminder of the uswahilini on its way to collect our rubbish.

Of course, this is absurd.

As absurd as Mo's idea of a cash prizes for ‘good’ presidents - or, well, in this year's case: no prices. We all know that presidents don't need extra pocket money or being invited to VIP concerts. We all know who need it the most.

But Mo's got airtime (in more than one way), and big men listen to money.

However, last night, I said That's how it is, and enjoyed the fact that I got to see some of the greatest African artists under circumstances which would never have worked in Europe.

* Probably a more frequent explanation is the popular  'TIA', short for 'This Is Africa' made famous by the film Blood Diamond, and somehow very bling among newly arrived wazungu on the continent.

Getting emotional: The Tanzanian state of education

Working with development, we all have our favourites, something which is closer to our hearts than other areas.

In my case it is education - but as in human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation. So far, I have only found the word 'education' enlisted among the buzz words in the development support bible.

However, 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.

Of course, this is my opinion. I used to be a teacher, and I have absolutely no objective approach to this. I have written about it before from northern Uganda and South Sudan - countries which in my opinion easilier can explain why they haven't got their education system in place. Tanzania has not gone through the same conflicts and problems, and have moreover received non-stop development support since the 1960ties

That makes me rather emotional. Not just the state of education in Tanzania, but the fact that this vast human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation 365 days a year in a large range of Tanzanian villages just isn't utilised, but ignored.There are lots of explanations for this. Education is merely the only thing neglected in the rural areas. Access to water, health services, decent infrastructure and information are other absent, basic necessities for development. The distance between the people who have and the ones who don't, is rather tangible in Tanzania.

In many cases, the schools are there - as in hardware. Buildings are constructed all over the country, but often they don't provide enough space for the pupils enrolled or they are in miserable states. Other problems are obviously also that some teachers don't show up; don't teach; don't speak the tribal language of the children in that area; that they take bribes or demand other services. But teachers are also directed by the government where to work, paid an absolutely ridiculously little salary considering their role and tasks. According to the teachers I spoke to last week, a Tanzanian teacher makes about 75 - 300 USD monthly, that is if they are paid at all - recently teachers have announced that they may go on a 'go slow strike', demanding amongst others their salaries.

And while researching for this blog post, I read this article, which presents a rather interesting variety of view points in terms of the modern Tanzanian teachers, most of them offending, like this one:

Many modern day teachers may have come up short in being role models. Take the female unmarried pregnant teacher or with own children. Single parenthood may be the trend in urban Tanzania, but single mom teacher is setting the example that it is OK to disobey the commandments of the Holy Bible, Quran or other beliefs of one’s community.

The list is long, however, what is fundamental is, that Tanzania has an educational system which simply doesn't meet the need for the vast majority of the watanzania.

Last week I visited two schools in Monduli District - each a primary school in the villages of Moirowa and Kiserian. Both are populated by the Maasai, though Moirowa over time has had a Somali influence which has integrated with the Maasai. They are both situated about 35 km from the main road going between Arusha and Namanga at the border to Kenya, turning in Longido towards Lake Natron. Both villages are situated about 100 km from Arusha, in an area where you on clear days can see you can see the mountains of Kilimanjaro, Meru, Longido and Ol Doinyo Lengai.In the school in Kiserian there was no water and no kitchen facilities for cooking food for the children. Some of the children walk up to 15 km to and from school every day. Enrollment is highly influenced by the present draught in the area, as families shift according to access to water.

In the school in Moirowa there was water, and food was prepared for the pupils - a thin maize soup with beans. Here the children did not walk as far as in Kiserian, and a much higher percentage of girls were enrolled.

The visitors coming with me had brought paper and crayons, and the pupils sat down and drew. Using their human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation. The teachers went along; The children concentrated and produced. As long as there is this ability, everything is possible. Africans have made it big, coming from everywhere. However, a lot of potential is not utilised in Tanzania.

About 50% of Tanzania’s population is under 18 years: How can Tanzania ignore the importance of education?

If in doubt: Scroll back and take another look at the first photo of the child concentrating to draw!

Africa and its control freaks

I quite enjoy to look at Africa from a psychological point of view. To just boil it down to people, desires and emotional behaviour.

One of my favorites is when an mzungu arrives to the continent, and turns out to be a control freak.

According to th Wikipedia, in psychology-related slang, a control freak is a derogatory term for a person who attempts to dictate how everything around them is done. It can also refer to someone with a limited number of things that they want done a specific way.

Control Freaks are people who care more than you do about something and won't stop at being pushy to get their way.

In some cases, the control freak sees their constant intervention as beneficial or even necessary; this can be caused by feelings of superiority, believing that others are incapable of handling matters properly, or the fear that things will go wrong if they don't attend to every detail. In other cases, they may simply enjoy the feeling of power it gives them so much that they automatically try to gain control of everything around them.

We all are to different degrees, us, the wazungu, control freaks (me too. I, for instance, still like to believe that traffic rules should apply; and I insist that people wear safety belts when I drive).

No doubt that the first wazungu on the continent were control freaks: the explorers, the missionaries, the voortrekkers and the colonisers all bear the characteristics of a classic control freak. Stanley might be among the most infamous, while the Afrikaans later turned it into a collective, political concept which was legal till 1994.

And what else can explain the idea behind the Great Trek?

However, the string thrives vibrantly among the modern wazungu, too. Development workers, NGO management, ambassadors, lodge owners, safari companies, volunteers, diplomats and spouses - many fit the control freak profile, too. I can't help noticing that the modern control freaks carry with them different ideas of why they are here to sort it out. Some, ironically, having no prior management or Africa experience. They react differently when realising the challenge, that real Africa doesn't fit the theory.

In my experience, these are the most interesting cases. A majority of the Tanzanians I have met are brought up to choose peace over justice, and will during a potential conflict rather keep quiet than speaking up loud. It is almost too easy for a control freak to abuse this, as an mzungu can set him/herself outside the cultural rules, especially if he/she arrives with an appointed authority to lead; to make decisions; to guide and supervise others.

Chief Mkwawa is an interesting example of a Tanzanian who tried to resist the German control freaks back in the 1890ties. However, I have realised that modern Tanzanians frequently prefer a variety of more silent and sophisticated revenges over the control freak mzungu.

For instance, no mzungu beats a Tanzanian's ability to wait.

Some would claim that some of Africas worst dictators were control freaks, too. That present presidents might be. But when it comes to classifying Jacob Zuma (photo) as one, I'm in doubt, and it somehow fascinates me immensely.

The wazungu control freaks, I know, would never let loose the way Zuma does. Somehow I prefer freaks in favour of control.

Illustration from here.

Life-time bans for Tanzanian football referees

According to the BBC the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has imposed life bans on four premier league referees and fined a club US$10,000 after it found them guilty of corruption.

It all boils down to commodities: transportation, food and drinks: And who actually did what, and who forgot to report it.

Tanzania: One-UN calls for earlier start of general election monitoring

The One-UN system Representative in Tanzania, Alberic Kacou, has underscored the need for general election monitoring process to start much earlier than just a day or so to the elections day.

Source: The Guardian

Sounds completely sane!

Local election in Tanzania: Watch the 'Mr. Politician' video by Nakaaya

I really like this song, and today I used some of the lines for a Danish article about the local elections coming up this Sunday, 25 October. I'll write more about it later, but this video says it all.

The video is - in my opinion - not perfect to the end, compositionally or technically, but it has a real great vibe, energy and some curious little features (like the young people reading Nkrumah and Nyerere). The guy acting the 'Mr. Politician' is perfect.

Enjoy!

And the Africa Leadership Award Goes to … No One

It's not a good sign when your leadership prize runs out of eligible candidates to honor after a whopping two years. Welcome to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, whose winner was meant to be announced in London yesterday: 

This year the Prize Committee has considered some credible candidates. However, after in-depth review, the Prize Committee could not select a winner."

Read more on Foreign Policy.

Gotta give it to Mo Ibrahim, and I suggest that this interesting approach would be considered next time the Nobel Peace Prize is up (though Bono disagrees here); or at the coming Euro Vision Music Contest.

Sometimes there just aren't any winners.

Editor: Tanzanians need power, not cheap politicking

The Guardian on Sunday reminded Tanzania's leaders, especially politicians that, cheap politicking fuelled mainly by egoism and the quest for cheap popularity won’t solve the current power crisis:

For the past two weeks Tanzanians have been facing another power rationing, reminding us of the worse situation in 2006 when the country nearly faced total blackout. State-owned company announced a countrywide power rationing exactly six months after the Tanesco MD had sounded the alarm bells on the looming crisis in March, during the debate on whether the nation should acquire Dowans plants or not.

Angered by the tough stance taken by the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Minerals, the outgoing Tanesco Managing Director Dr Idriss Rashidi, said Tanzania has two choices- acquire an emergency power generating plant or face a total blackout in the next 180 days.

On Thursday, Kigoma North MP Zitto Kabwe held a press conference whereby apart from urging the government to confiscate controversial Dowans plants, he also defended the earlier move by Tanesco to buy the emergency power generating plants. We all know who is who in the Dowans deal and would like to state clearly that, as a nation, let us not be dragged again into the debate that was ended seven months ago.

With dilapidated infrastructure built mainly during the 1970s, the company’s power supply capacity is estimated at 595 megawatts. This year, the actual demand is 787 megawatts - creating a deficit of 192 megawatts. 

Read the full article here.

World Food Day: HungerFREE

It is World Food Day 2009 today. ActionAid's HungerFREE campaign goes:

 

What's the problem?

• Over one billion people are going hungry right now.
• That's nearly a sixth of humanity.
• Last year, a food price crisis pushed 100 million more into hunger.  Poor people ate less frequently and cut back on the nutrient-rich food they need most. 
• Local food prices remain much higher than before, so hungry families have to make a horrible choice between buying food and doing without healthcare or school for their children.
• There is enough food in the world to meet everyone's needs, but not everyone gets a fair share.

Who is suffering most?

• The problem is worst in rural areas, home to 75% of the world’s poor. 
• Poor people lack control over land and access to other basic farming resources like water.
• Women are particularly disadvantaged. While women in poor countries grow more than 60% of the food, they own less than 1% of the land.
• Climate change, high prices, trade barriers and agro-fuel production are all hitting the poorest people hardest.
• Poor people in rural communities can feed themselves if they have the right support, but the current system isn’t working.

What's the solution?

• There is enough food in the world to feed everyone - the problem is political. And that means it can be fixed.
• Low-impact farming by small-holder farmers is the best way to tackle hunger.
• A UN study found sustainable agriculture increased crop yields in Africa by an astonishing 116%.

What can I do?

• We need Gordon Brown to demonstrate international leadership in improving the way the global food system is governed.
• We need governments to be monitored and held to account for eradicating hunger.
• We need the UK government to support small scale, sustainable farming of the kind that can best support women farmers.
• Take action now!

BAD09 Tanzania: rain + land = food

Within the past year I have travelled more than ten thousand of kilometres around Tanzania: I have been to Simanjiro, Kiteto , Tanga, Pangani, Lushoto, Kisarawe, Kilimanjaro, the Southern Highlands and Mtwara.

Everywhere, everybody talked about the weather.

In Kiteto the acacia trees were blooming in January (photo); according to the Maasai the flowers indicate that rain is near. Later in January I was confused about the weather, but the heavy rain finally came, and was about to drive me mad in March where I went on a 12 hour trip round Kisarawe to find material for an article on land sale for biofuel. In April I got malaria during the masika - the long rains which drowned the area around my house in Dar es Salaam. Now, in October, it hasn't rained since May, apart for a few showers this week, possibly indicating that the mvuli has started in Dar es Salaam. But the grass in my garden in Dar es Salaam is still dried out and the sandy soil is bare.

The long rains have become shorter. The consequences are clear.

My problems are nothing compared to the majority of the Tanzanian people who live in the rural areas. Most are dependent on either maize or cassava which are the most popular stable food in Tanzania. Whereas the cassava can sustain lack of rain, the maize plants need lots of water. If the longs rains (the masika), which normally runs from March to June, is shorter than this, the maize plants dry out, or stay small.

And people starve, food prices go up, all other prices go up. If you live in a Tanzanian village where the economical dynamics are limited, it takes little to make life go in the wrong direction.

This is exactly what happened this year in many areas in Tanzania.

In May the masika - the long rains - in many places stopped too early, and in many places there was no or too little rain, resulting in drought. People in 10 Tanzanian districts were asking for food in May. In Kiteto the Akiye tribe - the hunter gatherers were already starving in April. In Moshi the maize plants were yellow while the soil cracked of thirst in September, and while the snow melts on the Mount Kilimanjaro, it is suddenly there on the Mount Meru, a newspaper noted.

80% of the Tanzanian population, who depend on agriculture as a means to get something to eat, had no food. People don't understand why the weather changes, only that it changes their foundation of their livelyhood.

Completely.

It is an absurd feeling to visit a Tanzanian village waiting for rain when you know that Tanzania is among the 100 most vulnerable countries in the world having contributed the least to total global carbon emissions. At the same time it feels rather absurd that Tanzania is selling out of her land, interestingly enough to a variety of countries which position themselves high on the scale of carbon emisson. 

The government have plans, not all in favour of its people, which the Kenyan Gado notes in an illustration, while others are critisizing the Tanzanian goverment for evicting farmers in favour of a biofuel company. According to BBC Africa on September 24 Korea bought 1,000 sq km in Tanzania, however the Tanzanian government the day after refuted media reports indicating that it has leased out 1000 square kilometres of farmland to South Koreans. In Loliondo the Maasai were chased away in favour of a safari company, which the Danish embassador openly critisized in September.

Not to forget the fact that President Kikwete is reported to have told the Saudis that Tanzania could lease them land covering up to 10,000 hectares for 99 years: “Tanzania is ready to do business with you… here is 100 million acres (40.5 million hectares) of good arable land,” Reuters quoted Mr Kikwete as telling the Saudi businessmen. 

Climate change affects us all. In Tanzania, amongst others, it causes hunger because the rain isn't there or it isn't enough. But again, it can rain as much as it likes, people still need land to grow crops for their food.

This post is part of BLOG ACTION DAY 2009.

Big knives

 

 

Denmark has recently had a lot of focus on knives which have caused several problems. One of them is an increase in the amount of people being attacked and killed with knives.

 

Hence, the legislation has been tightened, and it limits what kinds of knives you can carrry. It has caused a lot of debate - see here (in Danish).

 

Here, in Tanzania, big knives, i.e. the most common one, the panga, are present everywhere in daily life. I have one in the back of my car in case I need to cut branches or cut coconut - or rather, it is probably more correct to say, that I have the knife, and will lend it out to a skilled panga person if necessary. The few times I tried to handle it, my watchman looked away, and tried - rightfully - to take it out of my hands.

 

The students in Iquachanya Village in Njombe use the panga to cut the sugar cane.

 

The maasai in Kiteto uses it  to slice the goat meat.

 

It is rather interesting that people walk around freely in Tanzania with huge knives, and the Danish, developed democracy has to legislate and regulate in order to keep people from being killed. Of course, the panga is also a common murder weapon in Africa (just think of Rwanda), and the impromptu mob justice killings in the street.

 

However, my own personal feeling is that, if you use your common sense, rural Tanzania and even northern Uganda are safer places than the centre of Copenhagen on a regular Saturday night. I think we often forget that when we read foreign ministries' travel guidance, which have a tendency to focus on mainstream media transmitted, political violence and leave out what happens in European capitals.

Another Tanzanian Public Holiday: Nyerere Day

On Wednesday, 14 October, we are off again, as it is Nyerere Day, marking the day of Julius Nyerere's death in 1999.

Julius Kambarage Nyerere was not only Tanzania's first president, he was also the Tanzanians' favorite president. Born in Tanganyika to Nyerere Burito (1860-1942), Chief of the Zanaki (my absolute favorite street in Dar Es Salaam is named hereafter). Nyerere is known by the Swahili name Mwalimu or 'teacher', his profession prior to politics. He was also referred to as Baba wa Taifa (Father of the Nation).

Source: Wikipedia.

Tanzania: Up-coming local elections

The registration of voters began on Sunday.

Enough time?

Official polling day is 25 October

This article doesn't give the answer, but describes amongst others that very few voters registrated on the first day, and that the reason might be lack of sensitation.

My plan is to follow the elections on Sunday 25 from the polling stations in Kibaba District.  The Tanzanians are not voting for the man on the poster (in my favourite colour safari suit) till next year.  

Read more here.

Gado on Arabs, land grabbing, silly Africans and their leaders

Illustration from this week's East African.

Do also check today's Editorial in the Tanzanian Guardian: 'Treat land rights with utmost care' here.

The issue of land, land grabbing and land rights appear to be more frequently in the media lately. 

 

A postcard from Tanzania to the Danish People's Party

Dear Danish People's Party,

Yesterday's Parking Guard in Moshi at the foot of Kilimanjaro was a woman.

She wore a veil.

I'm writing you as I want to tell you that it is completely normal in Tanzania, and that I was the only person in the street paying attention to it.

Probably because I'm Danish.

Probably because I'm absolutely fed up with the blurred debate in Denmark on women wearing veils or burkas, or not, the debate on mosques, on Islam, Muslims and on how Danish politicians treat refugees and immigrants. I am sick and tired, and deeply embarrased on how Danish values have been redefined into something I can't associate with.

I asked the parking guard if I could take her photo, as I wanted to prove to the Danes supporting the policies of the Danish People's Party, that at this end of the world, a famous 3rd world country, it is possible for a woman to wear a veil while holding a position as a civil servant.

And smile...!

Greetings from Tanzania

Support Lubna Hussein

Stuck in a road block in Mkata. People protesting - seriously - against local leader.

Today while driving from Dar Es Salaam to Arusha a rather unusual thing occurred on the road between Chalinze and Segera:

People all over the road, demonstrating!

When we arrived to the village of Mkata around noon, about 70 kilometres from Segera, the road was suddenly blocked by the busses which are regularly driving this distance daily.

All the busses driving this route connecting Dar Es Salaam and even the southern highlands with northern Tanzania, Kenya and even Uganda, make up a lot vehicles.

An enormous lot.

The whole scenario was mildly absurd, as the busses ahead of us had been stuck in the place since 8 AM. However, blocking the road in a place like this is an effective tool communicating a message.

A man in the road side, a former teacher from the area, started explaining the reasoning behind the road block:

Apparently the local village chairman (or the local leader) had prevented a private firm selling water to the people of the village - in favour of his own water selling business. The problem, however, was then that the village chair man offered water at 500 TSH (per entity) contra the alternative private businessman's cheaper offer on 300 TSH. The village chair man had obstructed the private businessman's business simply by emptying his water truck.

That was - literally - the drop - which made people take action. According to other people we spoke to, the villagers chased away the village chairman, and decided to block the road untill the 'cheapest' water supplier would be back in business. Not just on paper, but in practice.

Which is why the busses and cars on the route had to wait.

The police came before that, and there had just been shooting in the air, trying to split the crowd, when we arrived. People talked about additional assistance on the way from Handeni. People came running towards us, and when a thing like that happens around here, you think. One thing I was told early on when moving to Africa, was that in the case you see people running from a village towards you, you should turn your car in the opposite direction as they're trying to escape something bad - or might be targeting you.

I couldn't really turn the car anywhere, so we stayed.

When we had waited for about an hour, the water truck arrived.

People cheering on top of it and in the street.

The teacher on the sideline explained that when people know their rights, you cannot stop them.

Worth waiting for, I'll say. Seeing people escorting the water truck into town appeared to be a small revolution in Mkata. Also, I must admit that I honestly felt all the fine words the NGO I work for put on paper are nothing compared to when people take action in real life. 

Africa's new Disneyland

On September 6 2009 this article here by Alex Renton was published in the British Observer. Renton reports on the plight of the Maasai as they are evicted from their homelands to create vast 'nature refuges.

It begins like this:

Twilight is swift near the equator. As the cloud castles on the western horizon turn a tandoori red, the children are hurrying the goats into the thorn enclosure that keeps them from the leopards. A Masai elder passes on the path up the hill, striding easily into the slope. His purple plaid wraps him from shoulders to knees; there's a long-bladed spear in his left hand, a furled umbrella is strapped to his back. With his free hand he is busy with a mobile phone. He looks up to nod a greeting. I can smell the smoke of cooking fires from the nearby Masai village. It is an ordinary evening in the highlands of East Africa.

So it's particularly odd that I've just received a text message welcoming me to the United Arab Emirates. "Enjoy the best network coverage and other unmatched services only with Etisalat," it says. "Enjoy your stay in the UAE!"

Read on here to find out why it is poosible to receive this kind of text messages in northern Tanzania.

The article is extremely well-written and critical, while presenting many different perspectives of a problem not just present in Tanzania, but in several other places in Africa; there's the conflict between capitalistic interests - some call it development - and the promotion of a culture/tribe as a touristic object (with the idea of profiting on it, while the wazungu observe it), the role of the government, the investors and tourism companies - and then finally the people of the land.

Which again leads on to a debate about what people have the right to what land?

A question which is going to be more and more relevant for Africa in the time to come.

Read: Mr. Museveni, Please Come to My Wedding

I love the Ugandan Insomniac for its severe Ugandan irony:

You see, Mr. President, my better half and I have agreed not to get married until you leave power. We know it won’t be in 2011, but that’s okay. Take your time. It will give me the opportunity to work off the extra fat and to get a plush job in the National Social Security Fund. That way I can look my personal best and he and I can rip off a few working suckers to afford a yearlong honeymoon in Cape Verde.

My fiancé doesn’t mind …

Read the rest of the blog post Mr Museveni Please Come to My Wedding here.

New blog: Why work when you can sit?

Read a new Tanzanian blog dedicated to discussing the culture of allowances so characteristic of Tanzania's civil service.

Very much needed!

Go to www.whyworkwhenyoucansit.blogspot.com/

Old enough to become a real Tanzanian politician?

Zitto Kabwe is only 32 years old. MP for Kigoma North, and many young Tanzanians' favourite MP. The young man, who is also a deputy secretary general of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), one of the two biggest opposition parties in Tanzania, caused a stir in late August by announcing that he would be challenging Freeman Mbowe (48), the party's secretary general, in the party's forthcoming elections.

Chadema has 11 seats in the National Assembly. Five are constituency and the rest, special seats. Chadema is the second strongest opposition party after the Civic United Front (CUF), which has 32 seats.

Yesterday, however, Kabwe, withdrew his decision, which has caused a really interesting stir. The assumption goes that the elders of Chadema have persuaded Kabwe to withdraw. Kabwe himself reiterated to the Daily News that his decision to withdraw came from "the deepest part of his heart" and it was for the best interests of the party. And Kabwe admitted that he had always believed in socialism whereas Mr Mbowe believes in capitalism, the fact that has often provoked strong debate between them.

In the Citizen Dr. Azaveli Lwaitama from the University of Dar Es Salaam is challenging Tanzanian politics. It is no secret that the tradition in this country tends to favour the wazee over the young. But it hasn't always been like that, he notes;

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere was one year younger, 31, when he contested and was elected as chairperson of Tanganyika African Association in 1953. Lwaitama suggests that leaders of the 1950s were more prepared to allow youth participate in politics then.

Today a candidate must be 40-50 years to be considered material for a leading position. Kikwete is namely considered young, in spite of the fact he is 59 years old (!)

Lwaitama does also refer to the young late politician and MP Amina Chifupa (whom the singer Nakaaya by the way also asks us to remember in her popular song Mr. Politician, encouraging politicians to shake up), who like Zitto was extremely popular among youth.

Back in the Citizen Lwaitama lifts the problem up on a higher level, by emphasizing that these elders do not seem to appreciate that Africa is passing through a period similar to the one it passed through in the 1940s and 1950s in terms of seeking ideological clarity to guide political struggles.

In a country where youth make up around half of the population, it is rather interesting how little space they are granted for participation in democracy. At one point you are no longer young, you stop thinking from a young person's perspective, and then you can become a politician.

But maybe a change is in the making? Maybe this really is about something else?

Photo from here.

Zanzibar: The first meal of the Ramadhan

Saturday was the first day of the Ramadhan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar where the Muslims fast, initially in order to concentrate on reaching a higher degree of patience, modesty and spirituality. Amongst others. In Dar Es Salaam, a Muslim friend of mine is hoping that the Ramadhan might help him combat his smoking habit.

In Stone Town during this period of time a lot of restaurants close at day time, and you are advised not to eat or drink in the street when others are going through the hardship of fasting. At 18.32 yesterday, the fast was broken, and eating was allowed. I know for certain, as yesterday evening I was sitting in the car of Isidori with his cousin brother, Hamisi, and our common Italian friend, Simona. We were stopping to buy passion juice in a little duka at the outskirts of Stone Town on the way to Isidori’s home where dinner awaited us, when we heard the call for the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib.

Obviously, I feel lucky to be invited inside, to someone’s home. Possibly also due to the fact that I’m Danish. I come from this country in Scandinavia which previously and rather randomly has offended Islam, its culture and its people on several occasions. Most infamously, probably, through the publication of the cartoons, however, less known are all the indirect ways the Danish politicians try to distance Danes as a nation from other cultures and religions which, according to our democratically elected politicians, appear strange.

I’m not proud of it. In fact, it makes me both angry and ashamed every time I have to read in a Danish newspaper that another Danish politician tries to define what is strange and ‘non-Danish’. Last week the Conservative People’s Party suggested banning women wearing the bhurka, (un)aware that possibly only 50-150 women wear the bhurka in Denmark (!)

I do understand the dynamics which occur in your head, when you find yourself in a culture which works completely differently than the one you grew up with, and that this can evoke a certain degree of confusion and fear. But I can’t watch silently when politicians use this fear and confusion to create unnecessary stir, when the politicians move people’s attention from the real problems, or when no proper research is being done.

Last night back in Stone Town on the island of Unguja we celebrated the first meal of the Ramadhan with a Zanzibari family. Not a traditional family, but food wise we certainly went along the classical Zanzibar dishes: We had mhugo wa nasi (cassava with coconut); mwali wa nasi (rice with coconut); pweza wa nasi (octopus with coconut), jodari (tuna) and kaimati (small, sweet and spiced donuts).

And of course, the passion jusi. ‘No beers’, our host smiled and apologised rethorically.

After all, this is the Ramadhan, the holy month, and in spite we deal with young Muslims who declare themselves 'happy muslims', who don't go to the mosque to pray five times, and who refer to their Ramadhan practice with a 'nusu nusu' (half half), they do fast during day time. In my opinion and in regard of the few young Muslims I know, I reckon that trying to do your best to follow the concept of the Ramadhan is in fact not such a bad idea. Researching for this blog post, I read that there is an increasing group on non-Muslims practising fasting, too, during the Ramadhan, pursuing the same aim. 

But to be honest, I have no clear, conceptual idea of a good way to get familiar with a new culture which on many levels is far off your own. I was raised in a home where at least one adult throughout life has been voting for the Conservative People's Party and the other for the Liberals ('Venstre' in Danish), but I was also taught to behave politely towards strangers, say 'yes' and 'thank you very much' when offered something, and to greet people with respect. I know for sure that the adults raising me with these values had no idea - what so ever - that I'd be practising these in Zanzibar.

However, I know that there is a lot to learn by observing how others go about it. The majority of wazungu hang out in the regular tourist places, and so would I have done last night, if not for my Italian companion, Simona, who is so much better than me about this. Curiousity is another good thing - apropos trying to figuring out the differences of another culture - my sympathy goes to this guy. Curiousity is probably my main strenght in this perspective.

Our evening ended at the Forodhani Gardens (photo above), which has been renovated with the support from the Aga Khan Foundation, and has finally given Stone Town back its vibe. Zanzibarians were munching food, sugar cane juice and smoking cigarettes. According to the rules of the Ramadhan you must get up before dawn to eat Sahur, the pre-dawn meal, and then perform the fajr prayer. There is no eating or drinking before the call for prayer starts until the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib. You may continue to eat and drink after the sun has set until the next morning's fajr prayer call.

Basically, it is about getting a routine going and planning. For some people, I guess, it turns day and night around, and probably lowers work efforts in some offices. The Ramadhan is ending at September 19th, and will be marked with an important celebration; Eid Ul-Fitr.

Now, my question is; Who's gonna invite me for this?

Read more about the Ramadhan here, which has also been used as the source for the Ramadhan facts in this blog post.
 

Danish politics: Time to find the red paint?

I have been far away for the past few days, but noted a huge amount of Facebook statuses commenting on the political situation in Denmark. Many have spread adverts for demonstrations and support to concrete intiatives supporting a group of Iraqi asulym seekers who had been given refugee in a church in Copenhagen, but August 13 was kicked out by the police in what turned out to be a rather violent raid.

One of my good friends yesterday noted how tired he is of politicians talking about 'Danish values', and asked 'when is it time to talk about human values?'

Most of the time it is difficult to follow what really is going in Denmark here from Africa. However, I knew my position had I been back home, and I must say that my support goes to the Iraqi refugees, and to ones who don't accept the xenophobic approaches in Denmark or the conservative interpretation of what democracy is; who went out to support the refugees directly; who show up at demonstrations; and who speak up.

The discussion now roughly goes between the perspectives if Denmark have crossed the line of what is humane and decent, or if you shouldn't be granted special treatment just because you occupy a church.

Not to forget the fact that the Danish Minister of Integration, Birthe Rønn Hornbech, somehow intimidatingly, claims that she has faith in the fact that the Iraqi authorities will keep to their word. Or that the Danish Minister of Justice, Brian Mikkelsen, comtemplates: I think we would have preferred not to have to use force. But we happen to live in a democratic society which is built on people abiding by the country’s laws and rules – and there’s no special treatment just because you occupy a church.

For me this is a terrifying example of how laws and rules make up the concept of a democracy the Danish politicians refer to. A so-called democracy without respect and decent human values (?) A democracy run and defined by people about whom you can't even say that they are guided by their brains (?) Evidently not their hearts, but it is also obvious that they go about using very little intellect in their way of interpretating other people's destinies.

It makes me utterly ashamed.

Where is, what Desmond Tutu would call, 'the ubuntu'?

'A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.'

There simply isn't a democracy if some members of a community are humiliated or diminished.

Not even in Denmark.

For my non-Danish readers: The referrence to the red paint comes from an incident described here, when the then Prime Minister, Rasmussen strongly supported the 2003 Iraq War. As in most European countries he faced considerable opposition, both in the parliament and in the general population. Subsequent opinion polls suggested the Danish population's opinion was split on the issue. One vocal protester managed to get into the Danish parliament during the period before the war, where he poured red paint on the prime minister while yelling "Du har blod på dine hænder" (literally: "You have blood on your hands").

Photo Caption; 'Don't sit here' the writing on the wall says.

Nyerere. Still an icon.

Everywhere you go in Tanzania, you'll find Nyerere. Here in the village of Iquachanya in Njombe District the local sign painter has made his version.

In a green suit, obviously.

Lords of the Bling

A presentation depicting the amount of treatment that could be paid for with the amount of money spent on extravagant purchases and events by political leaders. Check it here.

Obama in Africa (only a reflexion in Tanzania)

Yesterday I came by this Tinga Tinga painting in Oysterbay in Dar Es Salaam.

A young boy is holding up a mirror (?), reflecting Obama in front of the Kilimanjaro.

But he wasn't here.

Was he...?

NB. The painting isn't finished, and is lacking some colouring.

Tanzanians soon to be introduced to a national dress

African Bambataa puts politics in interesting perspective in a blog post called Things That Make You Go Hmmmm... when linking to this article from the Guardian, which certainly also made me - along with African Bambataa - wonder about the government's priorities:

Tanzanians will soon be officially introduced to a national dress, a move that would help put in place a dressing code to preserve African tradition norms and culture, the Parliament was told yesterday.

Responding to a question by Hafidhi Ali Tahir (Dimani, CCM), who had wanted to know if Tanzania has a national dress, Deputy Minister for Information, Sports and Culture, Joel Bendera said the process of introducing a national dress was progressing well.

Bendera admitted that the style of dressing by most young Tanzanians was not satisfactory despite efforts made by the government and its stakeholders in sensitizing the community on decent dressing.

“If this habit is left unchecked, it might lead to moral decay among young Tanzanians,” he said, adding that dressing in provocative outfit presents a negative picture of the nation. “The whole nation, I believe, is not impressed by this,” he said.

He said the government has been issuing directives on indecent dressing through music groups, artists and beauty contestants.

Bendera said the government realizes that if this culture is left unchecked, it will also affect the future generation of the country.

“The task of discouraging this habit should not be left to the government alone. The whole community, especially the parents and the guardians should play a role in this,” he said.

Unfortunately the article is avoiding asking questions which could shed light on why and how this proposal is going to be implemented in real life.

Repetition: Saba Saba

Last year I forgot that it was the Saba Saba, and went to work. I won't tomorrow.

Saba Saba is not meant for working.

The seventh day of the seventh month is an important day in Tanzania's history. On July 7 1954 Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) was founded by Julius Nyerere, who lead Tanzania to its independence in 1961. It also refers to the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair held every year at this date in the Saba Saba grounds in Dar es Salaam.

A Sign Painter's Shop in Dar es Salaam

Yep, it is Osama on the right.

Obamania in Kenya

More Obamania here from Africa.

All in one place: Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Julius Nyerere - and Barack Hussein Obama

Shop owners, offices and institutions in Tanzania are obliged to have a picture of the present president hanging on the wall.

In many cases the former president, Nyerere, hasn't been taken down.

Obama pops up in various forms all the time as a constant reminder of the fact that there is more to life.

I just read his recent speech from Cairo here, which filled me with hope. I know that the rest of the world is working overtime to analyse what the speech really will mean.

Sometimes things are what they are, and should just be kept simple.

Like when expressed on a kanga.

High politics and daily life

Just returned from a short trip to Pangani and Tanga - a trip which as usual gave a lot of interesting inputs.

Religion in Africa is evidently approached very differently than in Europe. To a Dane the most interesting issue, however, is how Africans seem to make religions co-exist and integrate in daily life. Especially Tanzania - along the Swahili Coast - is very unique in this matter.

In Tanzania the population is more less half-half Christian and Muslim, but also Hinduism and a few other religions are practised. Few think of the fact that President Nyerere, who resided over Tanzania for 24 years, was Catholic, or that the present President Kikwete is a Muslim. For sure I never did, till I saw a picture in the newspaper of Kikwete celebrating the Ramadhan last October.

I don't refer to high politics or the religious fanatics, but to the ordinary Tanzanian making daily life in Tanzania work. The girls at the photo (from Picha na Ndege, a small town outside Dar es Salaam) is not a rare sight.

In Denmark it is.

In Denmark we have turned it into politics on all levels, and for the past 10 years Denmark has provided space for a heated - but unfortunately not always very nuanced - discussion on to what extent religion an religious symbols should be allowed in our daily lives. A veil is for instance still something many Danes simply can't accept.

In Tanga I went with a friend for a visit to a clinic run by an Islamic organisation, in many ways similar to a Christian mission station. Here the northern Sudanese director invited us both to visit Kharthoum one day, he being happily unaware of the Sudanese ban of issueing visa for Danish citizens. He also didn't know of the reasoning behind (the controversial Muhammad cartoons), and my friend and I didn't feel a greater urge to go into details. If curious about the cartoon crisis, read more here.

When I watch a group of children in a place like Tanga walking home from school, a mixed school - some girls wearing veils, some not - I can't help wondering what's Denmark's real problem?

Fear? Lack of confidence or awareness of one's grounding or roots?

The Economist: Waiting for that great leap forward

THE country already gets 40% of its government budget in aid, but now it wants even more foreign cash to help it through the economic downturn. How much is enough? Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, smiles grimly. “We’re trying to bring down our dependency, but we’re grateful for what we receive.”

Read the whole article from the Economist here.

Only in Tanzania...

In many of the rural areas in Tanzania people are now starving. The masika - the long rains - appear to be over, but in many places there was no or too little rain, resulting in drought.

It basically means that many among the 80% of the Tanzanian population, who depend on agriculture as a means to get something to eat, have no food.

On top of this, food prices go up (they always do when food is scarce, adding on irony to a grotesque situation).

According to the Guardian 'the price of main food crops like maize and beans have doubled compared to the previous months, whereby a 100-kilogramme bag of beans is sold at 120,000/- instead of 50,000/-. Maize is sold at 48,000 /- per 100kg bag compared to the previous price of 15,000/-.'

Lack of modern agricultural techniques, for instance irrigation, adds on to the problem.

Now people in 10 Tanzanian districts are asking for food, either free or subsidized. Tanzania has massive resources, if well-spent, it could reduce problems of this kind.

I should think so, however, I am no expert on agriculture.

Trying to find answers to why Tanzanians are starving due to a combination of predictable factors - among them drought, lack of agricultural skills and techniques and a decent infrastructure - I can' help thinking that the answer somehow indirectly is to be found somewhere around cases like this. As this blogger says; Only in Tanzania.

Habari za leo?

Cycling coaches to attend seminar. Yes, Tanzania also has a cyclist association: CHABADA. Read  more here.

And in the northern part of Tanzania the government plans to include the legendary Oldonyo L'engai, referred to by locals as ' the Mountain of God' in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), resulting in frustrated villagers. Read more here.

Tanzania has a deputy minister for Community Development, Gender and Children (interesting combination), called Dr Lucy Nkya, who has just called on Tanzanians who failed to take part in the countrywide referendum exercise to name suspected albino killers, bandits and drug dealers to name them through letters to regional police commanders and other regional leaders. Read more here. (Some people also call that a sophisticated kind of mob justice).

And finally, the Tanzania Communication and Regulatory Authority (TCRA) is busy working on the final details to ensure registration of all mobile phone SIM cards effective July, this year, as part of the strategy to clamp down on the theft of mobile phones and their misuse. Read more here.