Saturday, April 17, 2010

When Africa calls, how will we respond?


Absence makes the heart grow fonder. For those of us who live away from the hustle and bustle of Dar-es-salaam, or anywhere else that we may call home, we constantly look forward to the day we step on home soil. I, like many other Tanzanian youth, left home years ago to pursue a higher education, with the aim of coming back home and helping my country and continent. It is the sense of patriotism that inspires us to want to make a difference somehow in some way. But how realistic are we being? The more I am away from home, the more I wonder, can we actually solve the problems that our continent is facing? How many of us will actually go back to make that difference and how many of us, will stay afar, because we feel our contribution won’t make an impact?

When you live abroad, especially in North America and Europe, the media constantly reminds you of the problems facing Africa, particularly, disease, poverty and bad governance. This is also the case living at home; you cannot escape from the reality of these issues. Whatever the case, when you start thinking of solutions, you consequently find yourself limiting your solutions to these sorts of issues, telling yourself, I must find a cure for HIV/AIDS, I must find a way to help the poor, I must be a leader…but is this it? Why aren’t we challenging ourselves to think more broader, to explore solutions for challenges we may not see and do not hear about in the media?

For instance, Africa, as you may know, the continent that contributes least to greenhouse gas emissions, is the continent that will suffer the most as a result of climate change. Living in America, I hear a lot about creating a green economy, creating green jobs and exploring ways to consume and produce in a sustainable manner. But back home, this is not something you hear much about. Also, when we think about the deforestation that takes place in Africa, how many of us understand the impact it poses on our present and future? The same goes for the loss of biodiversity and our water system… why are we not talking about these things in the mainstream media as much as we should?

Is it because we think poverty, disease and bad governance are more important than the impact of climate change, deforestation and so forth? Are they all not interconnected? When are we going to realize this interconnectedness and challenge ourselves to address some of these problems in a multi-faceted manner by realizing that addressing one of these issues impacts all of the other issues?

But now let’s be realistic, as leaders of tomorrow, when I personally think about this interconnectedness, I first feel inspired to make a difference, but immediately after, I feel overwhelmed and disempowered. I know like many Tanzanians and Africans out there, we all feel like we need to do something. But the problems seem so grand and so complex, so I ask myself, how can I make any kind of difference? But then I realize that there are ways that each of us can contribute, but we each have to find our own way. The question is, how do you find your own way without getting discouraged by the enormity of the challenges facing our people and our home?

When Africa calls (and Africa has been calling since we gained independence in the 1960s), how are we going to respond?

That’s the question.

44 comments:

  1. Wow. I feel the same way.

    I had a conversation about this with a Kenyan friend the other night (I myself am Tanzanian), and we reached the same conclusion - there is not much we are doing for our home countries when we are physically working and contributing our ideas in the Western world.

    But we also decided that we were becoming experts in our fields, and that the more we communicated with eachother about our fields and how they could work together for Africa, the more we came closer to working at and for home.

    So I think the bigger problem we need to address is "how can we bring Africans together and consolidate our service for Africa"?

    Because I think everyone will say the same thing - "we want to help". But there needs to be a means by which we can (1) see *how* we can help, and (2) how we can consolidate our efforts to make one big, collective effort.

    Am I making any sense? Khairoon, I look forward to reading more. Asante.

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  2. Very good point and very valid. Yes, we need to find a way to bring Africans together. A lot of people who work abroad all want to "come home and contribute" - at least that's what they say. But then I see people who came here for university and never left and have decided to have families and careers here.

    I always wonder if its best to contribute when we are in our most active years, i.e. late 20s-30s, or do we need to wait to become "experts" to contribute?

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  4. I've had this discussion with my friends a million times. We all share the same dream of helping africa, but these dreams usually fade with time.As Khairoon has pointed out, the best time to help out is probably just after college. Before starting a family and being busy with our careers.

    However, those problems facing africa cant be solved within a few years. From the regular discussions i've been having with people still in Tanzania,i get the feeling that many people are hopeless. The are tired of the system. They say its better to worry about your family and let the system be. You wont achieve anything but a feeling of frustration.

    So apart from coming up with a feasible solution, keep in mind that you have to come against the status quo. In my opinion thats probably the biggest barrier.

    In my case, i'm interested in renewable energies, specifically solar cells. There are products and solutions already available in the market to solve some of the problems. They are also affordable. But the problem is convincing the people to stop using short term solutions for long term problems.

    Instead of buying kerosene, batteries,charcoal....etc and spend around 50 dollars a year... they could buy some of those products for more or less the same amount.

    I got those facts from TASEA (Tanzania solar energy asociation) and ISES (International Solar energy society). I'm an active member of those two societies.

    I'll end by saying that, in my opinion we are all obliged to help out. We've been blessed and lucky to be able to study abroad. If not us. who? if not now when?

    @anonymous...I'm sure you can still make a contribution, even if you live abroad. Its up to you to figure out the *hows*. Tanzania is counting on you...i'm sure you are smart enough to figure out something..

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  5. Interesting post, which reminds me of the book called No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe. Now how is this so, Obi wanted to do the same when he returned back to Nigeria, just to be sucked in into the system and disappear. The point I am trying to make here is, don't try to change the system coz you'll be disappointed and then frustrated. Thats why I believe in independent NGO's but not so much on Government agencies to be the source of change.

    The issue of why we dont talk about things like greenhouse, its not like we dont think they are important but when you are poor your options and your priorities are very different. Americans and Europeans have that "luxury" of talking about such things, but if you are poor in the third world, your life is reduced to living for today coz there is no hope for the future.

    Tanzania recently held a meeting of the Diaspora in the UK, to try and see how Tanzanians living abroad can contribute more. This is when the issue of dual citizenship comes in and other issues for example independent candidate because there are people who want to help and they are bright but they dont want to deal with the politics of the confused opposition partys and the corrupt ruling party.

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  6. That's true; the political system is discouraging when you think of all the corruption and the "short-term" - ness that defines the majority of the population. I must say, it will be a challenge for us to find a way to contribute and change the mind frame of people. We always think of the present, the now, and our decisions and planning clearly reflect that. Thinking about how the present affects the future, we need to do more of that.

    Is it possible to create a road map of how we can contribute? How can we do that while we are away? And for those of us who will go back, how can we stay inspired to contribute without being discouraged by the political system and the corruption that is sadly rampant throughout the country?

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  7. Thats true, a friend of mine attended the diaspora meeting. People vented their frustrations about the system..tax authorities on issues of clearing goods at the airpot,.. dual citizenship..as many other issues.

    What I find shocking is on the issue of income generated from Tanzanias living abroad....for Tanzanias is maybe less than 50mil US dollars...Kenya and uganda is more than 500mil...I dont have exact figures...i could be slightly off..by not much..

    We are so far behind compared to uganda na kenya. We have a long way to go. As bahati has pointed out again..dont try to change the system...understand the system...use the system to your advantage..and be realistic of what you can achieve..

    Many people living abroad are a bit out of touch..on how to get things done in Tanzania...in my case I might probably be forced to bribe some people along the way to get my way..

    I would definetly do in order to achieve my lifetime goal of providing tanzanians with solar energy. If I lie to myself and try to be hard headed..and try to change everything...nothing will get done...i'm looking at the bigger picture.

    Again, I end my post by saying. You have to be honest with yourself. The process of helping Tanzanian wont be smooth sailing. You definetly have to make sacrifices...going back home would be the best solution..if not, you can figure out how to help from abroad..think of people like Nyerere..sokoine. Its a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

    Almost everybody tells me the same thing here, if I stay in europe and work for the rest of my life.. I would be just another person...but If I go back home I can make a bigger impact. So the choice is yours.

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  8. @ Khairoon - Nice post! From now on I will be waiting for a blog from you every week! :)

    Bata (nice name, by the way), this wont be your last post in this discussion because I am going to start some 'havoc'...

    I agree with almost everything you guys have discussed so far, especially the fact that we should not depend on the Govt. But I think there is another crucial point you failed to take into account: How well is your family back home.

    I have observed that ppl whose families are fairly well off back home - have got stable family businesses, nice and secure 'network', probably jobs with huge salaries waiting for them... - are less reluctant to return. On the other side, the youths who don't have that luxury seem to have a lot to lose, thus their reluctance. And I do understand their concerns as I know how insecure most 'old heads' back home are.

    I guess you all remember the dude who studied in Russia and decided to start THAT heart institute in Dar. Last time we heard about him he was wrestling with politicians re: the taxes/rent he owed the Govt. (I am sure he didn't want to follow the 'system flow').

    Another thing we shouldn't forget about is the social life in general. Most of us spend our most productive yrs abroad..we mingle; we get used to the Western life/customs and mostly important, the SYSTEM. You know how hard it is to change that and start 'begging' for what you entitled to? Looking around, and you see how your peers have moved on and have completely different lifestyles. The idea of failing to fit in starts to "move in" to your mind.

    Anyway, as Bata said, there are a lot of sacrifices to be made and -- I think -- at the end of the day I might have to get my hands dirty!

    So, Tanzanian youths living abroad better start get in touch with reality back home - by researching or blogging - just to obtain the right mindset! And I hope most of us will end up making the right decision.

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  10. Charity begins at home. Family comes first, Tanzania comes second. I do agree with you SN on the issue of where your family stands financially.

    I think you should not put all your eggs in one basket. You should definitely have a day time job while pursuing your project. We still need to provide for our families regardless. Hence, you should start on a small scale. Keep in mind that, success is not guaranteed.

    2/3 of start up companies usually fail in the first 2-3 yrs because of money. Moreover, experts on start ups will tell you, many people usually succeed on their 3rd try. It goes without saying that, Plan B is a must.

    Look at it as a lifetime project. Don't expect results in 2 or 3 yrs. Even if you end up helping 10 Tanzanians, that's something... hopefully others will carry on..It should be a collective effort...unless you want to follow the one man army approach...

    As SN has put it, have a right mindset, be realistic and be pragmatic. There is a reason why we've been having these problems for years ,if not decades. Its because they are complex and big.

    It would take sometime before you find your way through the maze. Take your time.

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  11. Kwa sababu mada inahusu Tanzania na mnaoshangia ni watanzania mjadaba ungekuwa kwa kiswahili basi. Hiki kiingereza ni njia mojawapo ya kukumbatia mambo ya nje na kusahau ya kwetu!!

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  14. Nimekusoma Anon, lakini nadhani mwandishi alikuwa anawalenga Vijana wote kutoka Afrika. Na utumiaji wa lugha ya Kiingereza sio njia ya kukumbatia mambo ya nje kama unavyodai. Na siamini kwasababu makala imeandikwa kwa Kiingereza, basi watu watashindwa kutoa maoni yao.

    Unaweza kuchangia kwa lugha yoyote ile unayotaka; tunasubiri maoni yenu kwa lugha yoyote ile - Kiswahili au Kiingereza.

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  15. kwa comment kama hizo kweli tunashangaa ni kwa nini Africa bado ipo nyuma...suala kubwa ni kuwa wengi wetu tunaogopo sacrifices zinazotokana na kuijenga nchi yetu...kuna jamaa hapo amemzungumzia Dr. Masau wa Tanzania Heart Institute...ni kweli kuwa anapambana na vipingamizi kibao visivyo na kichwa wala miguu...jamaa ana credentials za kutosha na angeweza kutimka muda wowote lakini bado yupo na ameumana meno na sysytem ili kuweza kufanya ambacho anajua kuwa ni kusogeza mbele gurudumu la tiba ya magonmjwa ya moyo haha nchini...ni ngumu mno mno na ninaamini kuna watu ambao hawaelewi ni kwa nini anajiumiza namna hiyo...jibu ni kuwa ili kuleta mabadiliko yanayohitajika nii lazima kujitia muhanga na kuinyima nafsi yako..ndivyo mataifa makubwa yalivyojengwa na kuwa hapo yalipo....ni sacrifices za watu wa namna hiyo... za akina mama mashambani wanaolima kwa jembe la mkono...wataalamu kama Dr. Kilahama wa Kitengo cha Misitu Wizara ya Maliasili na Utaliii anayepambana na system ili na kuwahi hata kutishiwa maisha kwa ajaili ya kulinda maliasili ya misitu...sooo kama tukiendelea kuamgalia CNN na kukubaliana na majina wanayopa Africa ni wazi kuwa hata siku moja hatutakuwa na ujasiri wa kusema kuwa ngoja nirudi na kwa uwezo wangu kama wamamnchi wa kawaida ...kama kijan wa kitanzania nikachangie katika ujenzi wa Taifa hili..(by the way that cartoon is insulting) kweli in summary hilo ndilo tunaloweza kusema kuhusu Africa??????

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  16. WELL I'M READY TO HELP, SINCE I'M BLESSED.
    WHERE TO START IN AFRICA.

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  17. Me nadhani hatuwezi kupata mafanikio yoyote katika kulikomboa bara letu la Afrika mpaka pale tutakapo waondoa viongozi wenye mawazo mgando,viongozi ambao wapo kwa ajili ya maslahi yao binafsi na familia zao na wapambe wao!inasikitisha sana mpaka sasa tunaongozwa na viongozi ambao wapo madarakani tangu miaka ya sitini na sabini,ni aibu kubwa sana kwetu sisi vijana ambao ni wasomi tunapo shindwa kujipanga na kuingia kwenye system ya kuongoza nchi ambapo tunaweza kuleta mabadiliko ya kweli sio kulalamika kwenye mitandao ambapo hakuwezi kuleta mabadiliko yoyote makubwa ktk jamii yetu ambayo sehemu kubwa wanaishi vijijini ambako hawana uwezo wa kupata taarifa za ya zile za propaganda za hao watawala wetu wanaotaka kutawala milele.Kwa mtazamo wangu mabadiliko ya kweli yaanzie kwenye sanduku la KURA mwezi OCTOBER mwaka huu kwa sisi wa TANZANIA,tukatae kutawaliwa na watu ambao wameisha kaa madarakani zaidi ya miaka mitano na hawajaonyesha japo ACTION PLAN ya kile ambacho watatufanyia tukiwapa ridhaa ya kutawala tena miaka mitano mingine,hii itasaidia kuwafanya viongozi wetu wawe waoga na kutuletea maendeleo ya kweli!!wananchi wawe na madaraka wa kumuwajibisha kiongozi yeyote anayeshindwa kutimiza majukumu ambayo tutampangia sisi tunaomuweka madarakani!NA HAKUNA WA KULETA MABADILIKO HAYA ISIPO KUWA NI SISI VIJANA WA BARA HILI LA AFRIKA KWANI WAZEE WETU WALISHATULETEA UHURU NA SASA NI ZAMU YETU VIJANA TUAMKE!!!!

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  18. Quite remarkable posts, just to add some few words. I for one has been trying to make some effort in terms of contributing to the development of the country in one way or another. Apart from the government red tapes being a stumbling block there is also the mindset of the people. A lot of people back home especially on government offices are scared of changes, they do talk good talk about it but when it comes to act upon it, u find them hiding behind red tape excuses while in reality its them who don't want to see any changes. For instance I took some people to Tanzania who are interested in real estate development and it has been a hard fight trying to explain to one of the authorities there, on the advantages of cities being developed by developers rather than waiting for individuals to build sporadically. Up until now the authority still insist on selling plot of land rather than working with developers.

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  19. @anonymous April 20, 2010 4:13 AM

    Nakubaliana na wewe. Sisi ni taifa la leo. This is our time. Tusibakie kuilalamikia serikali na viongozi. Mimi nina uhakika unaweza kufanya mabadiliko yako bila kuhitaji viongozi.

    @anonymous April 20, 2010 5:09 AM

    Hao sio kwamba hawaelewi. Inawezekana wanataka rushwa. Nimekutana na watu kama hao mara nyingi tu. Mtu unamuonyesha data, facts kibao..yeye bado anasema haelewi tu...what is there not to understand...mfinye tu huyo na kitu kidogo..

    Kama wachangiaji wengine walivyosema. Watu wana mawazo mazuri...kama real estates, institute ya upasuaji wa moyo....n.k. Ila system inawabana. Kwahiyo ielewe system. Halafu itumie ili ikufikishe unakotaka kwenda.Usiwe mbishi sana.

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  20. Huyu mtu aliesema kua hiki kiingereza ni njia mojawapo ya kukumbatia mambo ya nje na kusahau ya kwetu... jamani naomba ubadilishe mawazo yako maana si kweli. Kingereza ni moja wa lugha yetu ya taifa. Kuongea na kuandika kingereza haimaanishi kua ndio tunasahau mambo ya kwetu. Inabidi na sisi watanzania tuendelee kidogo na tuelewe kua kama tunataka maendelea lazima tujiunge na "global community" - and this involves communicating in English. Sasa naomba niwaulize, je watu wa Uganda na wakenya ambao wanaongea Kingereza kuliko hata lugha zao za kitaifa, je wamesahau mambo ya kwao au wameendelea kuliko sisi watanzania?

    Niliamua kuandika nakala hii kwa kingereza kwasababu kuna watanzania wengi tu ambao hawajifunza kusoma na kuandika kiswahili. Mimi mmoja wapi. Nimesoma Kiswahili hadi darasa la sita tu. Kwahiyo kwasababu nilitaka kuwatouch/kureach watanzania wengi zaidi ambao wanaisha nje ya nchi, ndio maana nimeandika kwa Kingereza. Na pia, hili swala la kusaidia nchi na bara letu, sio tatizo la watanzania pekee, waafrika wengi pia wanajiuliza swali hili: je, tutalisaidiaje bara letu la Africa?

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  21. @ Bata,

    still working on it, but how far are we prepared to go with this petty corruption? Sometime corruption is not even the problem but greediness from our leaders and I'm not talking about the political leaders here rather than directors of public institutes

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  22. Vijana nimewasoma. Mimi ni mzee na ninaishi huku nyumbani Tanzania. Niliwahi kuja huko ughaibuni kusoma halafu nikarudi nyumbani. Kutokana na michango yenu naona kwamba mna persimism ambayo labda inatokana na kuwa hamjaja nyumbanu muda mrefu na sources zenu za information kwa kiasi kikubwa ni Western media which has never been generous to Africa. Nakubali kuna matatizo na changamoto nyingi kuishi na kuendesha maisha hapa lakini vile vile kuna fursa nyingi. Ninyi kama watu mliobahatika kupata elimu nzuri na exposure kwa mambo mengi huko mlipo ni wajibu wenu kufikiri namna mambo mnayoyaona au kujifunza huko yanavyoweza kutumiwa (to be adapted) kwa hali ya Tanzania. Wageni wengi wanakuja huku, hasa wazungu bila chochote, na kutajirika baada ya muda kidogo. Tofauti na sisi ni kwamba wanakuja na ideas za mafanikio. Nashauri mjenge mitandao ya kuchangiana mawazo, kutafuta mitaji, kuibua miradi inayofaa huku na namna ya kuitekeleza, na kadhalika. Kwa mfano, hakuna bidhaa zozte huku ambazo mnaweza kuagiza huku, hata shehena zenyewe zikiwa ndogo, mkaziuza katika masoko ya huko nyinyi mkiwa ndiyo mawakala wa wazalishaji wa huko? Watu mpaka huko vijijini wameishaelewa faida za solar energy. Je, ni solutions zipi ambazo ni rahisi na affordable mnazoziona huko ambazo zinweza kusaidia huku? Kuleta tofauti siyo lazima ufanye mambo makubwa sana (grand). Simple things matter to poor poeple. wachina waliinua huduma za afya za watu wao kupitia matabibu wenye utaalam mdogo waliojulikana kama bare-foot doctors. Msikate tamaa kabla ya kuanza. We who are here are not dying of hunger.

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  23. Anonymous: Indeed, it is the simple things that matter. A lot of us come home to visit at least once a year, so we are in touch with the reality ya maisha halisi ya Tanzania. Mama yangu nae alisoma nje ya nchi na alirudi Tanzania na sasa anafanya kazi nyumbani. And it is the same lesson she tells me, kwamba it's best to do simple things.

    I think challenge yetu ni kwamba, because we look at the bigger picture a lot, labda it becomes intimidating. Our love for our country makes us want to "make everything better" badala ya thinking where we can contribute and focus on one or two things. Sijui kama nimejieleza vizuri... Labda as young people we need to just create our own road map and focus on a few things kuliko kutaka kusaidia every aspect of every problem our country/continent is facing.

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  24. Thank you all for being realistic and speaking the truth about Africa and Tanzania in particular, i wish we had ppl like you in the leadership positions maybe we could get to a better stage from where we are standing now.. its a shame that we dont seem to move forward and most things are discouraging at home.. we have so many problems and people like us could have done some potential things that would have helped our country but we are never given the chance and our leaders dont like to be told the truth.. fikira mgando.. May you all be blessed for all these posts, i wish all Africans were thinking like you all, we could make great leaders out of you..

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  25. Nimefurahishwa na maoni ya Anon (April 20, 2010 7:31 AM ). Ni vizuri kusikia maoni ya 'wazee' ambao wameshapitia mambo kama haya, labda mchango wako utabadili fikra za vijana kadhaa.

    Tafadhali, endelea kutembelea Vijana FM na changia pale unapoona mawazo yetu yanapotoka au yanahitaji kupata picha halisi ya mambo mbalimbali.

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  26. Anon (7:31 AM). Mzee wangu umesema na tumekusikia. Leo tu nikishauriana na mwenzangu juu ya vijana kufikiri kuhamia mikoa mingine zaidi ya Dar na nikamtolea mfano wa Mbelgiji mmoja niliyekutana nae Dom. Kijana huyo alikuwa akifanya research yake ya PHD huko Dodoma na akanigusia kuwa akimaliza masomo ana mpango wa kuhamia katika moja ya vijiji huko Dom. Nimekuwa najiuliza kwa muda sasa ni kipi alichokiona huko mpaka afikirie kuhamia kijijini. Jibu linalonijia ni kuwa wakati sisi tumelala wenzetu wameamka na wako mbioni kufanya kweli. Tanzania ni nchi kubwa na ukitembea utaona kila mahali kuna potentials za hali ya juu. Vijana tuhamishe nguvu zetu huko, ulaya iwe ni pa kujifunza na kuchukua ujuzi. Tuondokane na siasa za vijiweni na maneno ya muda kama ufisadi bali tutumie muda wetu kujenga taifa letu.

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  27. Tanzania is our home, but there comes a time when a few of us have to give up the upkeep of this home, in despair. I am a true patriot, one of those who left everything in europe (including family)in order to contribute to the development of my country, Tanzania. That was 30 years ago: I was young, with a British PhD and very enthusiastic. I believed that change, in the form of human development, must come to Tanzania. I worked hard, very hard, towards that change. After 20 years of hard work in Dar es Salaam I looked back and realised that we have been moving backward: education and other institutions for public good had drastically deteriorated; corruption was ruling. Yes the few had money, lots of money and everything they wanted, but I was not satisfied with the way of life, as a society. Around us was growing devastation, poverty, disharmony, anger, frustrations and despair..........I think I became frightened and saw no future there for my little kids. For me, time was running out. I LEFT. I am now a citizen of another country, but I still LOVE Tanzania. I dedicated more than 30 prime years of my life trying to make change in my country - I FAILED. I hope that someday my kids will go back and try again. Someday.

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  28. Anon (April 20, 2010 8:29 PM ), could you please drop me an e-mail: snyabero (at) gmail (dot) com.

    Thank you in advance!

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  29. Yaani hizi posts mbili zimenigusa sana.

    @Anonymous April 20, 2010 7:31 AM
    @Anonymous April 20, 2010 8:29 PM

    Mimi binafsi ningeshukuru sana kama hao wachangiaji wawili wangetupa mawazo mawili au matatu ambayo yatatusaidia sisi katika haya mapambano ya kuikomboa nchi yetu tanzania na bara la Afrika.

    Mungu ibariki Tanzania. Mungu ibariki Afrika.

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  30. Mtoa mada, matumizi ya lugha kwenye MJADALA yanategemea walengwa wako. Hii ni tofauti na 'postings' za kawaida kwenye blogu. Kwetu watanzania, kama unalenga wasomi, kiingereza ni sawa. Kama unalenga watanzania wengi zaidi, ikijumuisha wasiosoma, kiswahili ni bora.Utakubaliana nami kwamba inaweza chukua muda zaidi kwa watanzania kutoa maoni yao kwa haraka na ufasaha, kwa kutumia Kiingereza zidi ya Kiswahili. Mimi vile vile ni mhamiaji wa siku nyingi tu huku Ulaya. Nchi niliyopo hatutumii Kiingereza, kwa hiyo sina shida nacho sana, wala hiyo TOEFL, etc. Nilidhani Kiswahili ndio kinatuunganisha wote, kama watanzania. Uganda na Kenya ni tofauti, sababu wengi wao wanaongea 'kiingereza,' ambacho hata hivyo ni cha kulazimisha na kisicho na ufasaha. Haya endelea na Lugha ya Malkia!

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  31. @ Anon 21, 2010 5:05 hahah, hiyo mpya eti lugha ya malkia.

    Tanzania kama nchi nyingi za dunia ya tatu zinavutwa pande mbili tofauti huku umasikini na kule walafi, sasa aliyekatikati akatambike kama hatatumbukia katikati kutokana na mpasuko.

    Tanzania leo kinahitajika chama kipya cha kisiasa, ambacho hakitabebeshana na mizoga bali damu mpya. Chama hiki kipya kitabidi kipange sera zake madhubuti alafu kitumie muda wa kutosha kujijenga, manake vyama vingi vinakurupuka. Inanishangaza ikikaribia uchaguzi kunaongezeka vyama, mimi naviwekeaga uwalakini na nia yao hasa juu ya kusaidia wananchi au kukomboa njaa zao binafsi.

    Matatizo ni mengi nyumbani, lakini inatia aibu Rwanda majuzi kulikuwa na vita, leo uchumi wao unakuwa kwa kasi ya ajabu, Tanzania bado tunahangaika na safari za Marekani kila kukicha.

    Mimi ningependa kuona mdahalo wa wagombea urais mwaka huu, wakibanwa na maswali. Kila siku tunawasikiliza wao wanataka kutuambia nini, leo inabidi tuwaulize maswali, utajenga barabara kivipi?, unasema umeboresha sekta hii mbona uchunguzi unaonyesha vinginevyo, yaani tatizo la porojo litakwisha, na watu watafikiria mara mbili kufunga viroba vyao kuelekea Ikulu. Lazima tufanye njia ya Ikulu rahisi kama uwezo wa Ngamia kupita kwenye tundu la sindano..hah!!

    Ombi langu moja, kila siku watu wanasema hiki na kile, je mipango ya mabadiliko ipo au tunapiga soga tu. Yaani ninamaana, ifike wakati mijadala isiwe ya maneno matupu.

    Mtu mwenye wazo au mpango ambao unahitaji msaada, hiki ndicho kijiwe. Asante, jamani mwaka huu basi tumieni busara zaidi katika kuchagua rais, bora kuweka X kuliko kuchaguwa watu fulani fulani...tehe tehe..nimemaliza

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anon (April 21, 2010 5:05 AM).

    Tumekuelewa. Nadhani umeelewa kwanini mwandishi ameamua kutumia Lugha ya Malkia. Lengo lake hasa ni kuunganisha Vijana kutoka kila kona ya Afrika - na wewe ukiwa ni mmoja wapo.

    Naafiki kuwa ni ngumu kumfurahisha kila mtu, lakini tunajaribu kuandika makala kwa lugha zote mbili. Na kama nilivyosema hapo awali, unaruhusiwa kutoa maoni yako kwa lugha yoyote unayotaka (kwenye mjadala wowote ule).

    Kwahiyo, endelea kutembelea Vijana FM.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Of course we can help, it is just a matter of paying our dues to our country which educated and groomed us.

    The old guards are still there, the msekwas, malecelas, sittas, kingunges etc. How will the country move forward with these old dogs still around, they cant be taught new tricks, they still think the same as they used to be, that they and their families come 1st, that they will have mansions, shangingis, children educated abroad and if sick, treated abroad.

    Its time our votes to count, the walalahoi to see the bigger picture, use our votes to bring change in a peaceful manner.

    To be involved you have to be in TZ, things can’t be run with a remote control, we all have to decide to start some kind of migration to our beloved country, get involved, either in the public or private sector. We shouldn't be afraid of lack of water or electricity and other infrastructural privileges. Over here (abroad) we will comment and publish our views, but the substance will be seen if we are there, of course the dual citizenship will help the course if it happens, but before that, what are we doing to help our countries?

    There are businesses we can open, in terms of recruitment agencies, more supermarkets with affordable prices, transportation, infrastructure, health, education, energy and water supply.

    We can’t be blaming our country while we ourselves are not showing any signs of doing anything!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is a great question, Khairoon. I have finally sat down at a quiet time (the semester has ended) to try and respond somewhat thoughtfully. But, I would like to expand those to whom you directed your original question (Tanzanian-born) to anyone, such as myself, who have lived and benefitted (economically, socially, spiritually) from such a unique life experience as living in E.Africa...Tanzania in particular. What is our responsibility? Is there indeed one? How can we contribute?

    I arrived in Tanzania from the U.S. as a young college graduate teaching at IST. Over the years there, I expanded on my speciality in sport, to that of youth development-still with a focus on sport. This area of interest emerged as I ventured out from the confines of IST to areas around the country. Over the years I advanced to become a professor in sport in the United States.

    With this title, I am able to develop areas of special interest. Mine has expanded upon the notion of youth development in sport to that of sport and children in armed conflict. This line of research has taken me back to E. Africa. This was mostly by choice with a little fate thrown in to the mix.

    I now conduct research and fieldwork in the conflict area of northern Uganda. I work with extreme passion on this project, not for the indirect benefits it brings me, but for the children and communities who are the beneficiaries of this work. A great deal of this passiion and drive is attributed to the interconnectedness I feel with the E. African region.

    I originally felt very consumed with the notion that I could never really make a difference with my fieldwork and research. What does one say or do when a former child soldier tells you of his killing exploits or when a young girls discusses her exposure to sexual violence? I felt overwhelmed and somewhat hopeless in thinking my work would ever make a difference. By developing a more pragmatic/realist approach to my work, I became less obsessed with this notion and focused on the task at hand. I am pleased that the research continues to shed light on the plight of young survivors of war and contributes to holistic youth development programming in the region.

    Recently, I have been able to reconnect with my Tanzanian past mostly through social networking. This includes a good friend and partner in youth development - the creator of Vijana FM, AK. It is through our conversations and my return visit to Dar that crystalized my dedication to this region and willingness to support opportunities for youth in the region including Tanzania.

    So, I am back to my aforementioned question. Do individuals such as myself -lived, worked, schooled in such a setting - share in this responsibility? Where does our contribution fit into this picture?

    Dean M. Ravizza, Ph.D.
    Dept. of Health & Human Performance
    Salisbury University
    Primary Investigator: Sport and Children and Youth in Armed Conflict Settings (SCYACS) research project.

    ReplyDelete
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