Scientific research and society - a lecture by Kofi Annan

Theme: Scientific Research and Society
Venue: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) - Zurich, Switzerland

Today I was fortunate enough to attend an overbooked lecture by Mr. Kofi Annan, the former UN-SG and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. For this year's Richard R. Ernst Lecture at the ETH Zurich, Mr. Annan delivered a captivating lecture on the role of scientific research in solving the needs of society . He urged young researchers to delve into research that crosses boundaries of their fields through interdisciplinary work and international collaborations with less technological advanced nations. Addressing a multitude of young researchers and students, Mr. Annan pointed out that scientists should provide the necessary leadership in research policy when political support is lacking. This could be through creating innovative solutions to societal needs that gain public support of the target communties. He pressed on the need of academics to refuse to remain in the ivory-tower, but rather become actors through research that makes a lasting impact to society. During the lecture, he quoted the Indian statesman and foremost actor in its R&D revolution, Jawaharlal Nehru, who once said "we are too poor to not invest in science and technology", to highlight the importance of science and technology for solving incessant problems of the south - food shortage, climate change and diseases of poverty.

The full lecture

(c) ETH Zurich, ITS-MMS

Below are amateur video clips of the panel discussion with Kofi Annan chaired by the 1991 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Prof. Richard R. Ernst.

Lakers secure 16th NBA championship

Congratulations to LA Lakers and their fans!

Enjoy the mini-movie of the final game (yeah, everything seems cool in slow-motion):

Does the world need nuclear energy?

Nuclear power: the energy crisis has even die-hard environmentalists reconsidering it. In this debate, Stewart Brand and Mark Z. Jacobson square off over the pros and cons. A discussion that'll make you think -- and might even change your mind.

Because this is 2010 Shanghai Expo!

By BK

Can you imagine a water city where you live like a fish, a space city where the city is in orbit, an intelligence city, characterized by sophisticated electronic meeting places, production, marketing, and distribution system. Or an eco-city where nothing is wasted but used in an ecosystem-like fashion? Can you imagine a toilet that intelligently detects biochemical substances? Can you imagine the kitchen of the future, or an energy garden?

This is an account of the places I found interesting at the Shanghai Expo 2010 and in the city itself. I will also write some of the things that my other group members and I did for the entire time of our stay. We visited the Expo 2010 courtesy of an award from a project competition we won at Jacobs University - our project: the usage of snake robots for underground pipe system maintainance in megacities.

Our journey was quite long but of a great experience. Having left Bremen on June 1 at 1815 (German time) we arrived in Shanghai on June 2 at 1355 (local time). We were then picked up and accompanied to our hotel. That evening we went out for a walk at the People's Square and on to Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road is a commercial street, nicely decorated with a lot of lights. We loved this place so much for its liveliness, and nice shops.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai

On June 2, we drove from our hotel to the Expo 2010 site. Located in Zone E at the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) we first visited the Jacobs University stand where we were shown the multimedia interactive exhibit of the university displaying the university's core objective of preparing leaders of tomorrow-who, in abundance, will become global citizens. We were then shown the Bremen Case-for Bremen and North-West Germany.

Future oriented projects are showcased that range from a simple but highly beneficial car-sharing concept and electric cars to nature, energy and science. Just like the name suggests, with a car-sharing concept, cars will be owned by a special body and everyone would use a car without having to worry about maintenance but their bills only that are payable at the end of the month. This would be of advantage to young people or people who cannot afford to buy cars. Most importantly, it would reduce heavy traffic and environmental pollution.

Bremen Pavilion at EXPO 2010

At the Bremerhaven stand, the Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), tells us that beautiful Shanghai will be underwater if proper measures to control the climate change are not taken. They have other nice projects too.

I personally loved the Beluga stand that proposes tapping wind energy using wind turbines carried in a huge ship that floats in an ocean. The concept is much more complicated involving a strong base for the ship to resist storm winds and water waves. Also the tapping of wind energy using wind turbines built in the ocean is exhibited.

Airbus, Kaefer, Werder Bremen, and Hochschule Bremen (University of Applied Science) are also there. We then helped out with some tasks at our stand before we went on to see the rest of the pavilions at the zone.

Oh, I loved the Pavilion of Future! Seeing it I was reminded that we human beings are highly limited by our imagination. While others dream the future others might just be observers. As you may anticipate, this pavilion showcases cities of future; water city, eco city, energy city, space city and intelligence city. They have a multimedia visualization projected on a really huge screen, in a huge dark building.

The intelligence city was so amazing. I think I did not grasp it well, but everything is "electronized" in this city. For example if you wish to move from one place to the next you do some "electronic magic" and you have a skate or something. Just nicely and all over a sudden you start moving. All you need is a remote control.

We visited the Hamburg pavilion. We saw the Theater of the Future at the Taipei Pavillion. I also went to Dusseldorf City, Seoul, Cairo, Information and Communications pavillions.

In the evening we decided to cross the Huangpu River to go shopping at the Super Brand Mall in Pudong District. But we were late and the mall was closing. Because we knew that we could be late, we had plan B in mind; to visit Lujiazui where The Oriental Pearl Tower is located. This street is the skyline of Shanghai. It has many (expensive) restaurants, banks, hotels and offices. We could not climb the tower, but took a lot of photos. We later enjoyed a nice view of the Bund in Huangpu District from the other bank of the river. The Bund is characterized by European-like archicture. We took lots of photos and a video of it.

Apart from the fact that Shanghai Streets may be considered as very superficial with unnecessary lighting leading to power wastage, there is a lot of amazement in it.

Oh! Wait! I love the way business is done in Shanghai. No price is final. Bargaining is the right way to go. And you really have to be hard at it.


The energy garden, the future kitchen, and the elderly lounge, elderly bedroom, elderly parlor and bathroom are found at the Shanghai Pavilion. The Wine Bar at Barcelona's case is where Spain's famous Torres wine is sold is also a good place to chit-chat and enjoy the Spanish wine.

On Monday June 7 we met our professor while later in the afternoon we met our University president. We then went to Tongji University, one of China's finest universities to visit the Department of Environmental Research and the university as a whole. On June 8 I visited a large International Logistics Fair at Expo. On June 9 we visited Zhujia Jiao, an ancient water town. On June 10 my friends returned to Bremen and I went to Xi'an, Shaanxi province in Northwestern China. I will head back to Germany on June 18 to begin my internship.

BK, a Tanzanian national, is a final year student of Electrical Enginering and Computer Science at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany.

Bremen Pavilion feature, ICS

A family tree for humanity

All humans share some common bits of DNA, passed down to us from our African ancestors. Geneticist Spencer Wells talks about how his Genographic Project will use this shared DNA to figure out how we are -- in all our diversity -- truly connected.

First capsule to an asteroid

The first capsule to land on an asteroid returns to Earth.

Japan's bribes on whaling; old news?

by Felicity Ogilvie
A conservation activist says an investigation into claims that Japan bribes small nations for their support on whaling is confirmation of what has been common knowledge for a long time.

Two reporters from Britain's Sunday Times newspaper posed as the lobbyists of a fictional Swiss billionaire and set out to buy votes at next week's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.

Six countries told the reporters they were willing to consider their offer, but the reporters were told they would need to better the aid the countries are already getting from the Japanese.

Tanzania's IWC commissioner is recorded saying that as well as aid, politicians from his country are flown to Japan where they are offered prostitutes.

Geoffrey Nanyaro told the undercover reporters he has never used Japanese prostitutes.

"As a Christian, I live by the Bible, so I never indulge in such [activities]," he said.

Mr Nanyaro says when he visits Japan he is put up in a five-star hotel, and women offering massages often call his room.

"They start by saying you know, do you want massaging, you know, it will be free massaging, you know. Are you not alone there?"

Nicola Beynon from Humane Society International says the undercover investigation adds weight to what environmental groups have long suspected.

"It has been common knowledge for a long time that a number of countries that vote in favor of commercial whaling at the IWC are not actually voting because they genuinely want to see a return to commercial whaling, but they are voting because they are beholden to Japan and Japan's very generous fisheries aid," she said.

"This is confirming what has been common knowledge for a long time and there has been very few occasions where we have had proof of it."

Continue to read...(There is an audio report on the right hand side of the page.)

If you don't know what 'Whale Wars' are all about (you probably don't watch Southpark, I guess), check out this clip:

Media Relations: Press Releases and Targeting Reporters

Your social enterprise has a cool event or story it wants to share with the world. Perhaps the first conference of African women entrepreneurs is happening in Tanzania on June 27th and you want to tie in an event from your start-up on women artists in with coverage on the symposium. Or perhaps one of your board members will participate in the symposium and you want to let the media know she would be a good go-to person for quotes or commentary in an article they are already drafting about the event. In either case, you will be addressing your intent to the media via press release.

What is a press release?
A press release is a statement directed to the media about a story, a spokesperson, an event, a product, or a service. It's a way of attracting publicity around a story. A press release is sent to members of the media that cover that particular beat, or topic. You would not send a press release about a new pharmaceutical drug to a reporter in the Daily News or Sunday News that writes on politics; you would send it to the reporter who covers health related topics.

The format of press releases differ depending on the intent of the press release but most are no longer than one page. Templates also differ and you can find many examples of press release templates online. Here's what a typical press release authored at my firm would look like:

---

COMPANY LOGO HERE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (in caps): Contact: Contact's name
MM/DD/YYYY or contactsemail@youremailhere.com
DD/MM/YYYY Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx

Use A Catchy Headline Here:

A byline is the line after the headline which elaborates on the story. Not needed for all press releases. Usually italicized.

Location Here, Tanzania (the location will be where the story, person, event, etc. is located) - This is the body of your press release. Paragraph one should include all important information. Reporters are succinct and straight-to-the-point people; they need to be able to get the gist of what your story is in the first paragraph.

You can go into depth on the story here and include quotes from any spokespeople from your start-up, if appropriate and if it adds to the story. Include the how, etc. Write in the active voice: Amy sings sad songs versus The sad songs are sung by Amy, which is in the passive voice and unnecessarily long-winded.

The last paragraph should be a few sentences about the start-up sending out the press release (you).

###

---

Make sure you do your research and identify the key media members for your story. Ask them how they prefer to be contacted and honor the request. If the reporter wants you to email them the story don't call them; if they want it via fax don't email it to them. Create an Excel spreadsheet and input the information for all reporters into it including:

* First Name
* Last Name
* Title
* Beat (Topic they write on)
* Outlet (Are they writing for Daily News or are they a producer for a radio show on RTD?)
* Phone number
* Email address
* Fax number
* Preferred method of contact

---
Please note: don't send a press release a day or two days before a story is to take place. If your start-up is scheduling a conference or an important event or if they are participating in an event, make sure you send out the press release ahead of time. Reporters have deadlines on stories and don't appreciate being asked to follow through a story without having enough time.

Furthermore, if a reporter decides to write a story or interview your spokesperson, have all important information available. Let them know you are at their disposal. You don't want a reporter to ask you for the contact information of your start-up's spokesperson and you don't have that information on hand.

READ MORE:
Media Relations 101: Getting media coverage.

Follow Stephanie on Twitter: @radiomorillo

Mbu na harufu ya pombe

Habari si njema kwa 'wanywaji' bongo. Utafiti umeonyesha kuwa, mbu wanaosababisha malaria wanavutiwa mno na harufu ya aliyekunywa bia. Mbu kama wadudu wengine wengi wana uwezo mkubwa wa kuhisia harufu mbalimbali - insect repellant nyingi zinatumia sifa hii ili kufukuza mbu. Katika utafiti huu uliofanyika huko Burkina Faso, watu 43 pamoja na mbu takribani 2500 walitumika ili kuweza kudadisi athari zozote kwa mbu zitokanazo na unjwaji wa bia.

Watafiti hawa wanaeleza kuwa metabolism ya bia mwilini inabadilisha kemikali fulani za harufu zitokazo ngozini na hivyo harufu itokayo baada ya kunywa bia yaweza kuwa inawavutia mbu hawa. Pia wanadokeza kuwa, baada ya bia kunywewa kinga mwilini hupungua, kwahiyo mbu kwa namna fulani wameweza kujenga uwezo wa kuhisia upungufu huu na hivyo kupendelea zaidi harufu ya waliokunywa pombe. Utafiti zaidi wahitajika ili kufahamu ni signatures gani za harufu zinazobadilika ambazo zinavutia mbu hawa. Itabidi tuanze kupiga 'tungi' ndani ya neti.

Usalama wa watoto

Kama ulidhani kuacha kuvuta sigara na kunywa pombe wakati u umjazito itakuhakikishia usalama wa afya ya mtoto wako, fikiria mara mbili:

Media Relations 101 - Getting media coverage

I work for a strategic communications firm that caters to a strictly non-profit clientele; as such, I have had to do a lot of research for clients on issues as diverse as arts education, community colleges, healthcare for the elderly, and immigration. Any social entrepreneur will need to learn the ropes about communications and media relations, i.e., getting the word out there. Seeing as there is so much to learn and know, I will be posting up articles regularly on strategic communications. Sharing the knowledge is what it is all about!

What are “media relations” and “strategic communications”?

Every startup wants to project a favorable image of itself in the media. In order to accomplish this, in-house or contracted public relations professionals develop a rapport with media outlets, reporters, producers, etc. This is media relations. If your startup has to do with arts and East African women, you would develop relationships with key members of the media, such as reporters in arts, women’s rights, social issues, economics, business, and education, for example.

This goes to say that when your startup wants to let the media know about something your organization is doing or premiered, you would probably release a press release and pitch a story to the media. We’ll have more on that below.

Strategic communications means developing communications plans and initiatives to further an organization’s goal. Web sites, news conferences, brochures, and social media are all examples of strategic communications. How does your web site further your goal as an entrepreneur? What can the website do for you? What aims will social media address? These are questions you should ask yourself.

The first thing I’ll discuss today will be “pitching” a story and creating a reporter’s database.

What is “pitching”? It means getting on the phone or e-mail and letting reporters know what’s going on. How do you know which reporters to target? If your startup is local, regional, or national in focus, it should target media outlets that also have coverage on that level. However, some media outlets with national coverage also have local bureaus depending on the locality; you can also contact them if you want to target a local, audience for example. Once you have honed in on what kind of publication you want, read the paper, listen to that radio station, or watch that TV news channel. Look up on Google or on the outlet’s website “education, arts, women, East Africa, social issues” and see which reporters are writing about those issues. Sometimes you can get the reporter’s e-mail address from the website; if not, phone the media outlet and ask for the reporter’s contact information. When you are pitching, you want the reporter to know you have read their articles. For our example, you may want to tell the reporter you have read their latest article on an NGO using theater to empower women in small villages, and you thought they would be interested in knowing about an event a women’s arts organization will be hosting.

Before you start pitching, you should begin with researching media outlets and reporters who may be interested in your story. Identifying key players is of utmost importance. You don’t want to contact a reporter who writes about parenting if you really want to speak with someone who writes about business; in the event you don’t know who to contact, call the media outlet, and briefly explain your aim. Then ask who would be the right person to speak with. If there are many, ask for an editor.

You will want to create a database of names and contacts for that particular story. If your arts and women’s startup wanted to get coverage of a panel discussion from business leaders who will be talking about arts and business, make sure you target those kinds of reporters. On a simple, Microsoft Excel worksheet, put in pertinent info such as “Salutation”, “Name”, “Outlet”, “Beat”, “E-mail”, “Phone”, “Website”. A “beat” is the topic a reporter covers; a business reporter’s beat will be “business”; a news reporter who writes about “social issues” will have “social issues” as a beat. Once your list is completed you can start pitching!

Another important thing; don’t pitch the same story to two or more reporters in the same media outlet; if an education reporter and metro (or local news) reporter from Newspaper X find out they are to cover the same event, they’ll get annoyed. The key is identifying THE key folks, and no one else.

Follow Stephanie on Twitter: @radiomorillo

READ MORE:

Bad Pitch Blog - things to do and NOT to do when pitching to journalists. Great resource and links to many other sites.

VijanaFM @ TEDxDar

I was able to attend TEDxDar on Saturday along with another member of VijanaFM so I wanted to do a quick review of the event while it was still fresh in my mind. I've been trying to post this since Monday, but alas the internet in Dar has been letting me down.

The event overall was very well organized and coordinated for a grassroots effort and the first event of its kind in Dar. It was even streamed live on the net as well as supported by live blogging and tweeting. There were some minor technical hiccups and heavy rain but those were overcome relatively smoothly. It was also a great networking opportunity to meet likeminded folks in the city as well as drive change through collaborative work.

There were a range of speakers at the event ranging from a retired professor speaking about the need for equality between Swahili and English to a social entrepreneur working on a carbon offset venture. They spoke along the themes of ‘What would Nyerere do?’, ‘Hadithi zetu’ and ‘In Between the spaces’ each sharing their perspective on one of the themes.

To give you a feel of each of the speakers I’ll try summarizing some quick points:

Prof Pete Mhunzi

• Why equal bilingualism (giving Swahili the same importance as English in business and formal communication) is key to shaping Tanzania’s identity and culture.

Jamie Yang (Co-Founder EGG Energy):

• Spoke about what he has learned through his startup.

• Its expensive to be poor because water, money and electricity cost more per unit than in the ‘west’?
• The poor actively manage their finances and have their own unique portfolio of cash, assets as well as short and long term borrowing.
• The poor value quality products and will pay for them.
• We need to see more social investment.
• More businesses need to serve the poor first then grow up instead of the other way round.

Sarah Mikes and Mejah Mbuya (Street Level):

• Promoting preservation of Dar Es Salaam’s architectural and cultural heritage.
• Created a series of cartoon sketches that depict daily life in Dar as well as landmark buildings.
• Dar is a dynamic city with a lot of history.
• How can we create a more sustainable city?
• How can we influence policy makers to be more sustainable?

Babu Sikare – Spoke about his experiences with albinism from his childhood days till present. He also expressed his reaction towards the albino killings in Tanzania. He’s started an NGO – Afrobino Inc that is working to educate albino’s about their condition and what they can do to prevent skin cancer which kills an average albino before the age of 35.

Rakesh Rajani – Told two stories. One of despair and another of hope. His first story illustrated the lack of education and medical in rural Tanzania. Swanky clinics are being built but there are not sufficient teachers, medical equipment, medical staff etc. ‘The hardware exists but none of the software’ is available. The second story was about a farmer who on the surface was just a subsistence farmer but in reality had a lot of profitable side businesses. Plenty of dynamism and innovation exists, we just need to get out of people’s way.

Selemani Kinyunyu – Started east Africa’s first carbon offset company ‘Offset Africa.’ He’s working with rural communities to offset carbon emissions whilst also improving local farming/environmental practices.

Vicensia Shule – Spoke about art, drama and dance in Tanzania and in particular about the cultural policies that have been established over time since independence. She was critical of Mwalimu Nyerere in that a concrete cultural policy was not defined during his tenure which left a gap till today in how the government views cultural affairs.

Modesta – Discussed the lack of human resource talent in Tanzania. She envisions confident, tenacious, professional, altruistic, entrepreneurial and patriotic Tanzanians and this will only be possible if we have a national vision to fill this gap with every policy geared towards this vision.

Young Kimaro - Described how each and every Tanzanian must change their cultural habits so that they do the best they can every day, every week, every month, every year if we are to compete with other nations. She compared how tiny Mauritius is able to draw 100 times more tourists because of their great service all the time.

My biggest critique of the sessions was that a lot of the discussion was geared around identifying or communicating problems that exist and less on identifying concrete solutions that could be put into place. Maybe I’m a little too optimistic.


What are your thoughts on the themes/issues discussed? Did you attend the event in person or online? Please leave your comments.

Tanzania ni Nchi ya Wapole

Mzazi: We Sikuzani, embu acha hiyo!

Mtoto: Kwanini!?

Mzazi: Kwasababu nimesema!

Haya ndio yaweza kuwa majibizano mafupi katika familia nyingi tulizokulia. Mtoto hapewi nafasi ya kujibiwa swali lake, na mara nyingi majibu yatolewayo ni ya ukali au ya kuonyesha utawala. Mara nyingine ukiuliza 'kwanini', unaweza kubalazwa kofi, kwasababu tu umemjibu mzazi!

Nimeamua kugusia mada hii muhimu ya malezi baada ya kusoma kitabu cha Annette Lareau kiitwacho Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Kitabu hiki kinatoa mwanga kuhusu tofauti za malezi zilizopo kati ya familia zenye kipato kikubwa/kawaida (mtaani tutaziita za 'geti kali') na zile za kipato cha chini ('uswazi'), yaani middle-class vs. working-class parenting. Muandishi amejaribu pia kueleza ni sifa gani zinawasaidia au kuwaathiri ukubwani watoto kutokana na tofauti ya malezi kati ya matabaka haya mawili. Ingawa tafiti ya kitabu hiki inahusu familia za marekani, kwa kiasi fulani mengi tunaweza kujifunza kuhusu mazingira ya malezi tuliyonayo Tanzania na jinsi gani tunajenga taifa potofu la wapole.

Lareau anaanza kwa kueleza tofauti mbili za malezi: malezi aina ya concerted cultivation (yanayofuatwa na wale wa 'geti kali') na ya accomplishment of natural growth (yanayofuatwa na wa kipato cha chini). Tofauti kati ya aina hizi ya malezi nitaziainisha hivi punde.

Ili kufahamu tofauti zilizopo katika aina hizi ya malezi, Lareau alifanya mahojiano na wanafunzi zaidi ya 80 wa darasa la tatu na nne kutoka familia za wamarekani weusi pamoja na wazungu. Katika kipindi cha utafiti wake, aliweza kubainisha kuwa aina ya malezi ya watoto inategemea na kipato (tabaka) cha (la) familia, wakati kabila (race) ya familia haina uhusiano wowote.

Kwenye malezi ya concerted cultivation aligundua kuwa, wazazi hawa wengi ni wa kisomo cha juu. Wazazi hawa wanahusika mno katika malezi ya watoto wao nyumbani na kwa kiasi kikubwa pia katika shughuli zao nje ya nyumba (kama ufuatiliaji wa maendeleo yao ndani na nje ya darasa). Wazazi wanashughulikia kuwatafutia na kuwaandikisha wanao katika shughuli za nje ya darasa zinazohitaji usimamizi wa wakubwa, mfano: uskauti, mafunzo ya kuogelea, mafunzo ya kupiga kinanda, n.k. Nia yao ikiwa kuwasaidia watoto wao wawe all-rounded ili kupata ujuzi zitakazowasaidia katika maisha ya ukubwani – hasa hasa katika kazi za utaalamu (white collar jobs). Pia, wazazi hawa mara nyingi walikuwa tayari kuingilia kati pindi kukitokea tatizo shuleni kuhusu watoto wao, pamoja na kukutana na walimu wa shule kuulizia maendeleo yao.

Pamoja na hayo, mazingira ya wanayokulia watoto hawa nyumbani ni tofauti (sio kifedha, bali kijamii). Laureau, anaeleza kuwa wazazi katika familia hizi wanajihusisha zaidi kuongea na wanao, na hivyo kuwasaidia watoto kukuza vocabulary au hata ari yao kujiamini. Ari hii ya kujiamini, inakuzwa kwani wazazi pia wanawahimiza wanao kuuliza maswali au ku’negotiate na wakubwa ipasavyo. Pia, amri zinazotoka kwa wazazi huwa zinaambatanishwa na maelezo ya kwanini wanatoa amri hizo. Hivyo, watoto hawa wanakuwa na mazoea mapema ya kuongea na wakubwa na kujua namna ya kujieleza (mf. matumizi ya eye contact), na hata kuwa na uwezo wa kujieleza mbele ya umati. Kumbuka watoto waliofuatiliwa ni wa umri wa miaka kati ya 7 na 9. Laureau anaeleza kuwa, 'ubaya' wa malezi haya ulionekana kwa ukithiri wa watoto kulalamika-lalamika ovyo, kutaka kuwa centre of attention, kuwa wabishi/watundu, kimbelembele, kutojua umuhimu wa pesa, pamoja na kutokuwa karibu na ndugu/koo.

Wazazi wa familia zenye kipato cha chini walifuata aina ya malezi ya accomplishment of natural growth. Katika malezi haya, mzazi hajihusishi mno katika dunia ya mtoto zaidi ya kutoa chakula, malazi, elimu, na mavazi. Tumaini la wengi wa wazazi hawa ni kwamba mtoto atakuwa (atapevuka) tu, sponteaneously – yaani, 'muache mtoto awe mtoto'. Lareau anaandika kuwa, watoto wa malezi haya muda wao mwingi baada ya shule hutumia kucheza na wenzao na hawana ratiba iliyobana ya extracurricular activities kama waliokuwa nayo wa 'geti kali'. Katika malezi haya mazingira au ‘dunia’ ya nyumbani ya mtoto na mzazi ina mipaka thabiti. Mzazi hajihusishi kwa kiasi kikubwa na kazi za mtoto za nyumbani, na mara nyingi wazazi wanatoa amri/adhabu kwa wanao bila hata kumueleza mtoto ‘kwanini’ (mf. Sikuzani na mzazi). Hivyo, watoto wanakuwa na woga kujieleza kwa mamlaka (watu wazima), na mara nyingi wanakuwa na heshima binafsi ndogo (self-esteem). Uzuri wa malezi haya yanafahamika na wengi, kwani katika jamii ya nchi yetu ni aina hii ya malezi inafatwa. Sifa chanya ni kama watoto wanakuja kuwa wakarimu/diplomatic, waangalifu katika masuala ya pesa, n.k.

Lareau anaonya kuwa, hakuna mzazi mbaya au mzuri. Ila, malezi ya concerted cultivation yanawapa advantage fulani watoto ukubwani, hasa katika utafutaji wa kazi (job market). Baada ya miaka 15, Lareau alifuatilia maendeleo ya watoto hawa ili kufahamu wanajihusisha na nini. Watoto waliokulia malezi ya concerted cultivation (geti kali) wengi wao wanafanya kazi katika kazi za utaalam (white collar jobs), wakati wengi wa waliolelewa kulingana na modeli ya accomplishment of natural growth walikuwa bado wanabangaiza.

Mara ngapi umemuuliza mtoto swali dogo tu mtaani, na akaficha uso/mdomo na kukujibu kwa kunong'oneza, hii kama hajakupa jibu: "sijui"? Kwanini watoto wengi (hasa wasichana) Tanzania wanakula chakula chumba tofauti na baba mwenye nyumba?

Nchini Tanzania ni aina ya malezi ya accomplishment of natural growth yanayofuatwa na wengi. Hii inachangiwa sana na hali ya umaskini (mfano: mzazi hajui kusoma/kuandika), ila kwa namna kubwa inachangiwa na mila/desturi zetu tulizorithi kutoka mababu. Ni muhimu kutafakari kuwa mila na desturi hizi nyingi hazitatupa advantage yeyote katika dunia ya sasa na kesho ambayo vijana wachakarikaji wanahitajika. Hali ya umasikini wetu kwa namna moja au nyingine inatokana na aina ya malezi tunayokuza watoto wetu.

Jinsi dunia inavyozidi kuwa competitive, ndivyo tunavyotakiwa nasi kubadilika na kujenga taifa la vijana wanaojiamini walio na umahiri wa kuchukua nafasi katika kila anga. Tunahitaji wananchi wasioogopa kuuliza maswali kwa viongozi wao, hivyo wasio rahisi kudanganywa uchaguzi baada ya uchaguzi. Wananchi wa aina hii ndio wasioogopa kuleta mapinduzi katika jamii ili kufuta status quo. Wananchi wa aina hii tutawapata kama tukiwalea watoto wetu kupitia malezi ya concerted cultivation. Ni hivi tu, tutapata wafanyabiashara mahiri, professionals chungu nzima, na muhimu zaidi raia wawajibikaji. We need less submissive citizens and more of whom are ready to take charge.

Nimechoka kusikia kutoka kwa wageni kuwa: “watanzania ni wapole”.

Ningependa kumaliza kwa kumnukuu David Brooks: “todays rich don’t exploit the poor, they outcompete them.”

picha:

http://www.worldvision.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.201

http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2010/04/masai-children.html

Bring on the learning revolution!

Creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish.

I certainly did enjoy the talk! Which part resonated with your spirit?

Leadership = knowing what, how, and why

Outliers: the Story of Success

Hivi punde tu nimemaliza kukisoma kitabu cha Malcolm Gladwell kiitwacho Outliers: the story of success. Nimeona ni vyema kuwasilisha hapa machache kuhusu kitabu hiki ili nawe ukinunue na kukisoma. Kabla sijaendelea, ningependa kuweka bayana kuwa kitabu hiki sio 'self help book' - yaani vile tabu vinavyotoa listi ya ni yepi ya kufanya ili ufanikiwe kimaisha.

Katika makala iliyopita, SN alitupatia maswali na hoja muhimu kuhusu suala la motisha na mafanikio kiujumla kimaisha. Ndani ya Outliers, Gladwell anatupatia mwanga kuhusu sifa zinazowaunganisha watu kadhaa wenye 'mafanikio' katika nyanja mbali mbali. Anaeleza kuwa 'mafanikio' hayatokani na kipaji pekee yaani talent au genius, bali ni mjumuiko wa sifa ambazo mara nyingi hatuzifikirii kama bahati, malezi, mila, historia ya familia/uzawa n.k. Ni muhimu pia kuweka bayana kuwa hapa haongelei ile bahati kama ya kushinda bahati nasibu, bali aina ya bahati ya kuwa 'at the right place at the right time' na kuwa na uwezo wa kuitumia nafasi hiyo kwa manufaa yako kiufanisi.

Malcolm Gladwell ana kipaji cha kuchambua tafiti mbalimbali za sociology na kuzielezea kwa ufanisi kwa mtu wa kawaida (layman). Kwenye Outliers, anaelezea thesis yake kwa kutumia mifano ya maisha ya akina Bill Gates, Mozart, kundi maarufu la muziki the Beatles n.k. Anatuelezea kuwa Gates, ukiachilia mbali uwezo wake kielimu, mafanikio yake katika software industry yalitokana na kuwa na 'bahati' ya kusoma katika shule ya sekondari iliyokuwa na computer maalum isiyotumia punch-cards (pekee nchini US kwa wakati huo) iliyomwezesha kufanya mazoezi kwenye fani hiyo kuzidi wenzake. Nafasi hii na nyinginezo zilimwezesha ku'accumulate zaidi ya masaa 10,000 ya programming kabla hata hajaanza chuo, na hivyo kumfanya awe mtaalam kwenye fani. Anatueleza pia kwamba wale Beatles, chimbuko la umahiri wao katika muziki ulianza tu baada ya kupata 'bahati' ya kualikwa mara kwa mara jijini Hamburg kwenye shoo ndogo-ndogo zisizofahamika, na hivyo kuweza ku'accumulate masaa yao 10,000 ya mazoezi kabla hata ya kuanza kutumbuiza katika shoo kubwa.

Ndani ya Outliers, Gladwell anaeleza mifano ya umuhimu wa uzawa katika mafanikio, anatoa maelezo kwanini wayahudi wengi wanaendesha uchumi wa miji kama New York. Ohh, na pia hujawahi kujiuliza kwanini Wachina/Wakorea/Wajapani wengi ni wakali katika hisabati? Hasa hasa Wachina tunaokumbana nao vyuoni huku ulaya na marekani? Gladwell anaelezea kuwa chimbuko ni kutokana na lugha zao kuwapa advantage fulani katika kuhesabu, yaani zipo very concise kuzidi lugha kama kiingereza au nyingine nyingi. Sijui kiswahili kikoje katika fikra hii, ila hii ni mada nyingine ukizingatia kuwa nchini TZ hisabati bado ni gonjwa sugu.

mwandishi Malcolm Gladwell

Kitabu hiki kinachochea fikra, na ni aina ya vitabu ambavyo kijana wapaswa kusoma. Binafsi nimevutiwa na insights hizo mbalimbali, ingawa katika baadhi ya 'stori' kunakuwa na oversimplification fulani katika kutafuta chanzo - masuala ya causality na correlation. Ila utaweza kupata mwanga kuhusu ni yepi yanawafanya baadhi ya watu kuwa wa pekee. Are YOU an outlier? Je, tayari umeshakusanya masaa 10,000 katika fani uliyopo sasa?

Waweza kukinunua Outliers hapa: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316017922
Soma kazi zake nyingine hapa: http://www.gladwell.com/

Kufundisha Viongozi

Msomaji, nadhani wewe ni mmoja wa watu ambao wamebahatika kupata elimu. Je, unadhani unaitumia elimu yako na ujuzi wako ipasavyo? Matatizo unayoyaona kwenye jamii inayokuzunguka yanakugusa kwa namna moja au nyingine?

Mwezi uliopita niliandika makala kuhusu viongozi ambayo ilikuwa imeegemea kwenye siasa zaidi. Lakini leo ninakuomba uangalie video ifuatayo ya Patrick Awuah, kutoka Ghana, kuhusu viongozi kwenye nyanja nyingine muhimu kwenye jamii. Patrick anazungumzia fikra na mawazo yetu; umuhimu wa kuwa na fikra za majukumu ya kijana kwenye jamii. Kama wahenga wetu walivyosema 'samaki mkunje angali mbichi', Patrick anaongelea jinsi ya kuandaa watu kuwa Viongozi -- kuwafundisha na kuwafinyanya ili fikra zao ziweze kuwa na mawazo ya kutatua matatizo mbalimbali kwenye jamii.

Tafadhali, ukipata muda msikilize Bw. Awuah kwa makini:

Reflections on the World Economic Forum for Africa

"We produce what we don’t consume and we consume what we don’t produce."

The World Economic Forum for Africa concluded on Friday May 7 in Dar-es-Salaam. We put up a post about the beginning of the forum, but this post is to draw some conclusions and invite opinions as to the direction of Africa's economy as a whole.

The title of this post is a line from Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete's speech, which was extracted from his quote on this press release. It describes the disproportionate ways in which African economies are integrated into the world financial markets. That is, the trend has so far been for African countries to produce and export goods and services while return are of lesser value. President Kikwete emphasized that it is time to "move Africa from the periphery to the centre of the global economy."

South African President Jacob Zuma also seemed optimistic that Africa is going to experience positive economic change, especially due to this summer's FIFA World Cup. According to Zuma, “in a short period of time, Africa is going to be the place for doing business globally. Foreign Direct Investment will come on its own.”

Others, including Pat Davies who co-chaired the meeting as Chief Executive of Sasol South Africa, felt that time is being wasted, and that the focus needs to be on giving "business reasonable certainty and predictability and we can [create] partnerships". That is, yes we can talk about laws and regulations, but let's get moving.

As for youth - who are 60% of what we call "Africa" - not much was said. Ajai Chowdhry, CEO of HCL Infosystems mentioned "make your human capital capable, and entrepreneurship will happen." Of course, the Young Global Leaders Summit was held in conjunction with this conference, which may have delved into the potential of youth more than the World Economic Forum for Africa.

More comments from the Forum from various individuals can be found on the press release.

That being said, it is difficult to decipher anything concrete coming out of this conference. I just checked the World Economic Forum website and it's filled with headlines about the EU bailout package for Greece. So I would like to pose a few questions in an effort to gauge what we should really be focusing on as youth who see ourselves as stakeholders in our countries' development.

Therefore, I would be keen to discuss the following:

1. Considering that the World Economic Forum has a mandate, and that this mandate is known to member countries, and further that each member country outlines its goals and responsibilities before joining such bodies, what has this latest conference changed since the last conference?

2. Considering that the role of youth is somewhat encompassed separately under the branch of the Young Global Leaders Summit, and considering that the Young Global Leaders Summit does not seem to be run by anyone under 25, where can the youth themselves go to express their ideas for sustainable change?

3. If a forum is defined as a commonplace for open discussion, do forums necessarily have a "start" and an "end"? That is, is the purpose of the World Economic Forum for Africa to meet once in a while to check up on things, or is it rather a constant engagement with the means to satisfy objectives set at each conference?

4. Considering the response to number 3 above, is there formal protocol to host a constant engagement with the political, economic, and social roles of youth Africa?

5. About that graphic above, which I picked up from the press release "illustrations" page, why are we talking about designing and organization still? Most of (political) colonialism was done about 40 years ago, folks. Where are we in our own "design process"?

For further reading:
World Economic Forum for Africa updates
WEF reflections press release
Photo gallery
Interviews
Image (above) in PDF link

Voices from Tanzania

by Stella Evelyn Tesha
MD, Green Waters Foundation, Brittenoord 21, 3070 KA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

'Voices from Tanzania' is a poetry collection to be published in 2011. Some of my previous poetry works are: Love as Flowers and A Journey into Life.

As the above title implies, the collection will be of voices from different people who have a connection with Tanzania. This means, they don't have to be Tanzanians only. Our aim is to raise awareness that will contribute to positive change and development. Also, to motivate more people to get involved in the development and positive progress of Tanzania.

Rules and guidelines for poetry submission:
1. The poetry submitted should be your own work, and it shouldn't have been published before.
2. Poetry submitted should have relevance to Tanzania.
3. All subject are allowed. We specifically encourage people to focus on development issues such as: gender, street children, youth, nationalism, democracy, corruption, farmers, situation in rural areas, the people, culture, beliefs, etc.
4. Sarcasm and humor is ok, but there should be no use of abusive language.
5. Harassment or racism poetry won't be published by us.
6. Poets submitting poetry must provide us with their full legal name. We do not discourage poets submitting poems using a pseudonym name. We can publish poems submitted by poets using their pseudonym name, however for legal purposes the full legal name is required.
7. We reserve the right not to publish your work.

Please note: This is a project under Green Waters Foundation. All (if any) resulting earnings will be re-invested in capacity building project in Tanzania.

If you have read the guidelines and decide to submit your work of poetry for publication, please don't forget to fill in the following details: Full Name, Contact Address, Location and Nationality.

If you wish, you may make a financial contribution towards the publication of the book to:
Holder of the A/C: Green Waters Foundation
Bank A/C No.: 3458111 (ING Bank)
IBAN: NL57 INGB 0003458111
Address: Groeninx van Zoelenlaan 125
Postal Code and Location: 3078 AW Rotterdam

For more details, e-mail: stella.tesha (at) green-waters (dot) org

A Journey Into Life

Book Review:

In "A Journey Into Life", Stella Tesha takes us on a journey of life from Europe to the villages of Africa and back again. Nothing hidden here; these are straightforward poems written from the heart.

A young woman asks her lover "Would I be enough for you" forever? A girl lies in bed thinking of her new husband "old enough to be her grandpa." An eleven year old girl becomes bride eligible when she experiences her first menses, and her mother holds her weeping in her arms while her father, overjoyed at the bride price of a cow, looks at all the ways their lives will be better when cow is brought home.

In "I'm always so hungry", an orphan girl roams the streets stealing food, outrunning her pursuers and the stones they throw, thinking:

Why am I running away?
If the big stones get me
then hunger will be gone.

I'm always so hungry.
I'm hungry to be a child.

The love poems express her love for her daughter, her sweetheart, love and life. Her heart is big, it encompasses much. "A Journey Into Life" is a book I will go on mining for the rest of my life.

For more details (about the author, the book and buying) click here. You can also drop her a line: stella.tesha (at) green-waters (dot) org