It Hurts...

As a citizen who loves his country, sometimes I just wish that things would have been a little bit better. Sometimes it aches to the core when I see other countries succeeding in achieving their social and economic goals. It really hurts when I know for sure that some of those countries are not endowed with so much of resources like we do. It hurts to know that repeatedly there are stories of corruption and lack of accountability.

It hurts to know that there are folks we have entrusted with the country, only to loot it and steal from it. It hurts to see innocent folks still living in slums and huts, while the folks entrusted with the country are living large in their big old shangingiz. It hurts to see them let the wazunguz treat us like trash in our own country. It hurts to see them let wazunguz come and loot our country. But what hurts the most, is that these folks in power are no dummies, from an academic standpoint. These folks are learned. These folks are even educated in the whiteman's land. These folks boast of PhDs and advanced degrees. These folks attended some of the best institutions in the world such as Harvard University.

Upon graduation, these folks were supposed to take their education and go back to Bongoland and apply it. These folks were supposed to develop the country post colonial days. These folks, being our own people, were supposed to look after us - their hommies, their peeps, their blood, their grandpas and grandmas. It has not turned out to be that way, has it?. What went amiss then? What went wrong?

See, you could have made an argument that these fellas have not seen what the rest of the world is doing. But that argument does not hold water. Some of these folks have spent a good chunk of their years overseas. Some of these fellas have even returned their greencards to the US Embassy with such a fanfare. But why aren't they delivering? Why aren't they measuring up?

May be because they are incompetent. May be because they just don't want to. May be because wananchi have accepted their poverty. It hurts because none of us in the diaspora would tell you that we are happy being exiled ughaibuni. Most of us are discouraged by a broken system. I am disheartened by a repeated lies and deception. I am tired of political blah blah that have been around since December 9, 1961. I am tired of those catch phrases and slogans such as "Fagio la Chuma" that didn't sweep anything. That's why I am here...slaving for Wal-Mart, sweating off at a home care facility...etc. I mean, if someone like Amina Chifupa is a law maker, why would I be encouraged to go back to Tanzania? It hurts.

It just hurts...it just stings knowing that we could do better.