Stinking Thinking (2)

The slogan of United Negro College Fund goes like this: A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

I am not certain of how one’s mind could be wasted. Nonetheless, the fact remains that we are given our minds to think. As such, the proper use of the mind should be its application to understand and conquer one’s environment. “Wastage” of one’s mind must then the non-utilization or underutilization of the mind. Why the heck would United Negro College Fund use the slogan? I am sure they figured out that almost every aspect of our lives is tied to the mind.

We have covered that already in my previous posts, so I am not going to dwell on it.

The only thing that saddens is the fact that some folks are still struggling with making the connection between an individual’s mindset or attitude and their socio-economic status. I am recognizing the fact that there are natural limitations to what we desire to achieve, regardless of our mental attitude. For instance, I am a not a good soccer player. As such it would be insane of me to just “motivate” myself into becoming the best soccer player ever. So whom I am addressing is actually a talented soccer player, who thinks they are not good enough or can’t be successful due to a twisted mental outlook.

I like to move from this mind thing. Nonetheless, for some reason it appears that the more I think of it, the more I see cases in Tanzania where the core issue is the mindset. I was going through my daily rounds of the Tanzanian media online and I came across a story on IPP Media about the Motivational Talk Show, an event that was organized by the International Platform for Young People to discover and develop their potential in collaboration with Familia Newspaper.

Read the story for yourself here .


One of the speakers at the event was Reginald Mengi. I liked what he said, because his speech highlights what I have been preaching all along. That is, success or failure is tied to the mindset. I am glad Mengi talked about that, because some of the readers of this blog have been questioning the essence of the mindset and I am “wasting my time on it”. He also pointed the fact that God plays a role. For some folks this spiritual aspect might not make any sense, but as a believer, this is 100% true.

I hope I will not be getting more questions about the mindset. Reginald Mengi has helped me settle everything.

Despite all the good things that Mengi said, you couldn’t miss one Tanzanian in the mix with just plain stinking thinking. The culprit, ladies and gentlemen, was this dude called Mr. Eric James Shigongo. I have no adequate information about this dude, but my Internet search revealed that he is or could be some sort of a novelist. This is what Eric said:

“Tanzania has a lot of resources that could make it a rich country but propaganda from western countries and the USA that Tanzania is the poorest country was what made people relax in fighting against poverty”.

I don’t know about you, but that is an epitome of stinking thinking. It seriously wonder where Tanzanians got the notion that our problems in 2007 are caused by the western propaganda. I just find it hard to swallow such nonsense. For one, propaganda is just what it is – propaganda. It is difficult for me to find a connection between what CNN shows to the American audience about Africa, for instance, with the failure of Tanzanians to execute our own strategies. If find it hard to believe that CNN’s broadcast in Atlanta, Georgia, is actually making a drunkard out of a villager in Dodoma. Secondly, has Mr. Shigongo looked into the effect of the Azimio la Arusha on the spirit of private enterprise? Let me not even go there.

These are tired and stupid arguments that should be eliminated from the minds and the lips of Tanzanians. Let’s start preaching hard work, innovation, competition, intelligence, accountability, responsibility, etc. That is because success and victory are about overcoming something. This is a man-eat-man world. No one wants to relinquish his or her position. Given that fact, we have to fight. We have to compete. We have to conquer. That is the nature and the reality of the free market, the new wave we have embraced. Forget about the mkoloni in 1945. The game we are playing in 2007 requires more brain than muscles. You have to be tough in the mind.

Taking the same concept to a personal level. Would a neighbor’s “uzushi” in the your “mtaa” that your children are dirty stop you from washing your kids? Wouldn’t that be a motivational factor to prove that your kids are the cleanest in the neighborhood? Better yet, if your children were truly dirty, wouldn’t you find ways and means to clean them up? I really don’t know how what others say about your true situation stops you from change it. It is amazing that we entertain this crap.

Some ideas and notions make a very good political speech in the Tanzanian context, but on a serious note, they are damaging the mindset of the rest of Tanzanians. I wonder what the University students in attendance got out of this, but it is a sad thing that Mr. Shigongo just contaminated the minds of young folks who needed to know the realities. He just fed their minds a political junk that has no logical and intelligent justification.

As much as I want to move away from exploring the effect and the influence of the mindset in connection with one’s development and change, I find it hard to do so. It appears to me that we need to dwell on it some more. It seems that we need to work on this some more to help Tanzanians. As a novelist, I am sure Mr. Shigongo is a thinker and full of imagination. What startles me is this: how did he load his head with this junk? If he is a representative of folks who are influential in Tanzania (given the fact that Mr. Shigongo was invited as a motivational speaker, he should be regarded as influential in Tanzania), then we have a huge mindset problem in Tanzania.

How I wish that Tanzanians (the majority) could see how the wrong mindset is killing them…

Photo: Mpoki

Please Sell Me Some Shares…

In my last post I talked about desire as another key ingredient in making meaningful economic progress. Obviously, we have taken a lengthy discussion on the importance of the right mental attitude. It is a pity that some folks still struggle with those two concepts. But you know what? We are not created the same. As such, others will always drag their feet, even on those issues that are quite obvious to the rest of us.

It is not my intention to be dwelling and reflecting on Tanzanian issues only from a negative perspective. Nonetheless, I feel compelled doing that given the fact that stuff that happened in 1980 are still happening in the Tanzania of today. It appears like Tanzanians are not growing at all. If they did, you couldn’t do the same crap over and over again.

I am delighted today. I am delighted because on of the issue I blogged about naintin kweusi finally took a beautiful twist.

It appears the government has granted Young Africans Sports Corporation Ltd an official registration . I once reflected on the inability of Dar-Es-Salaam Young Africans and Simba Sports Club to utilize their minds.

Please read my previous blog on the issue.

Talking about a proper mindset? It appears those manazis at Young Africans Sports Club are loosing the battle and are starting to get it. You know what? Sometimes when you resist change, change will just end up giving you a nice little whipping.

See the problem with the wrong mindset is that one will drag their feet on non-issues. One of the readers of this blog once pointed out that education is key to the transformation of one’s mind. I totally agree. It could have been that Yanga Asili got so stuck in outdated thinking, failing to recognize the Club’s true economic potential. Ignorance really sucks. I mean, how awesome could it be to witness your Club whipping the crap out of the other teams, while you end up getting your dividend distribution at the end of the year!

Apart from an economic stride that Yanga is trying to make, it is my opinion this is a psychological boost for the indigenous Tanzanians. That is because for so long Yanga and Simba have been two big soccer clubs that were nothing but a good depiction of the beggar’ mentality. I mean, these two Clubs could beg despite having so many resources. I have nothing against my brothers of the Asian decent, but I can’t tell how their “sponsorship” of these two teams has transformed and improved the quality of soccer in Tanzania. May be they can argue that internal squabbles and get-rich-quick mentality that Club officials and members entertain contributed to the demise of these Clubs.

I just hope that Young Africans and Simba Sports Club, being the top two teams in Tanzania, will lead the way in transforming soccer in Tanzania. While they do, please let me know how I can contact Young Africans Sports Corporation Ltd and buy me some shares. Guess what? As a shareholder, I would have a voice in how the company is run.

I won’t care whether Mzee Yusuf Mzimba yaps gibberish as long as I get my dividend at the end of the year. I won’t care whether Yanga Asili hijacks the team and take to Bagamoyo (or whatever they do do in hope of making the team win), as long as the rental properties or other business ventures generate enough revenue to adequately pay players, I can hold back my verbal jabs towards them. Trust me, the dynamics in the Club will certainly change, but I hope the Club really recruit top-notch business minds.

I am willing to help. Hopefully, this is a new day for the Tanzanian soccer.

The question is, jamani; why did it take so long?

Photo: Msengi

It Is Also About Desire...

I have to admit it. I liked the last blog post and the comments that followed. I was delighted to know that most folks agreed that the main issue crippling Africa, and Tanzania in particular, is the mindset.

Looking inward could be hard to do, given our past historical experiences. That experience, in some ways, has pushed Africans into looking outwards for justification of our circumstances. While I could make a good political speech in an African setting by blaming everything on Westerners, I would only be fooling myself by taking such a route. I think it is about time for Tanzanians to have a paradigm change. Lets have a new attitude. Lets do the best from within and then we could be justified to blame some robbers from the West.

Unless we change our mentality, I will continue to challenge and question the intelligence behind a Tanzanian president getting his regular health check-up in Germany instead of building top-notch hospitals in Tanzania. I will continue to cry for change in our thinking unless Tanzanian leaders will get it in their heads that buying expensive cars before building good roads is plain stupid.

Seriously, I am passionate about a change in attitude and mindset. I strongly believe that this will open doors we never imagined.

Despite the fact that a change in attitude is needed, I believe that another key ingredient that is required for true progress is desire. So what’s this thing called desire? My Google search for the meaning of the word revealed that desire is the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state. In essence, desire is to covet, to earnest wish for. To desire something, one has to passionately long for it and not casually.

The following quote came from my pastor and I liked it because it is right on the money: There are things that we wish for in our lives that will never come to pass until we are desperate enough to earnestly desire for them. It’s the heart’s desire that will fuel passion in you, and passion will overcome obstacles.

As the quote above indicates, there are two things that having a desire for something will bring up: passion and the ability to withstand and eventually overcome obstacles. Looking at the definition of the word and what desire can bring in us, I seriously doubt whether Tanzanians (generally speaking) have a desire to eradicate poverty. I doubt that because we appear to lack neither the drive nor the passion for change.

I know this is a call for self-introspection and it might rub some folks the wrong way (based on my past experiences as some folks would rather find a scapegoat than take personal responsibility), but I believe it is about time we look inside and question whether we, as Tanzanians have the right mind, attitude and a true desire for change. I am challenging that because we do plenty of things very casually. We do things in a manner that indicates the bora liende mentality.

I hate to do this, but I will go back to the kilimo ni uti wa mgongo wa taifa mantra that Nyerere came up way back to highlight the fact that Tanzanians can be truly be a joke. You can agree with that if more than 80% of the population derives employment from agriculture, there would have been deliberate policies and strategies to make Tanzania the best country in the world when it comes to agriculture. Even true, the drawn strategies would have been fully executed. But you know the story; the issue of pembejeo is still the talk in the Parliament. The reason for this blah blah is because nobody, including Nyerere himself, was passionate enough about developing agriculture. It is a joke that we can the name Tanzania could be synonymous to agriculture, yet we still face hunger.

Folks pursue things they are passionate about. Folks pursue things they desire. Folks give priority to things they desire. Folks become obsessed with their desire. I don’t see such a fight in Tanzania. I don’t see a true hunger for progress. All I see is a country stuck in the mud. I see a country that is passionless. I just see leaders who have given up. I see leaders who are hopeless. I don’t see a burning fire for progress. None.

The sure sign that we don’t have a true desire for progress is we don’t yearn for results. I know someone will scream that Tanzanians do yearn for results. Nonetheless, you could not be serious about results, yet hold nobody accountable for failure to produce. Dr. Msabaha and Richmond, anyone? Folks who desire progress will go to the extent of demanding zero tolerance for stupidity and lack of accountability. But we both know that lack of accountability and doing things that don’t make logical sense is the norm in Tanzania. You know what they will call you in Tanzania if you have high expectations? They will call you a mzungu. They will tell you how your ideas and aspirations are not workable. They will ridicule and laugh at you.

That brings us to another attribute of folks with a true desire. They hardly accept the word impossible. This is a word that easily flows in the lips of Tanzania. We are quick to ask why, but why not. If you have desire for change, you will certainly find ways to solve your problems. But we both know Tanzanians are quick to point fingers and tell you why attaining a certain goal is impossible. Honestly, I sometimes look at the simplest things as snow removal in the United States and wonder: hivi hii ingekuwa Bongo si tungekufa?

The impossible attitude is clearly indicated in the way that the Tanzanian government has recently embarked on the hiring of foreign “consultants” to run Tanzanian companies. I know the issue is somebody’s 10%, but on the other side of the coin, it is an insult to wazalendo Tanzanians are painted as incapable of managerial skills. Worse enough, it is confusing, given the fact that the President promised to create 1 million jobs. It is that bad. But may be it is because we have no sense of urgency (which is another sign of people who have no desire for change). or may be it is because we’d rather celebrate the “No hurry in Africa” crap than quickly change.

Regardless of what we do, I know that we ain't going anywhere unless we build a desire for progress.

Photo: Mjengwa

It Is All In The Mind...(2)

I have tried to explain why I write. Unfortunately, it is appears that some folks have not fully grasped it. So I will go on record again: I don’t write for fame. I don’t like to be paid. I don’t like to get recognition. I write simply because this is something that I feel is a calling. It is a noble calling that I have to fulfill.

As I also said it, I don’t write because I have all the answers. I greatly appreciate comments from readers. Those comments balance my thinking and provide the other side of the coin that I might have overlooked. Had I been dictatorial, I would have been deleting those comments that oppose my views. But I strive for democracy and I would not do that.

So let the best idea win.

Given the long string of comments that have been flowing through the last post, I will extend the discussion in a whole new post. So this post will be a response to the issues raised by a contributor, Dr. Anonymous who said this:

“There are over 1,000,000 of problems in Tanzania depending on how you will choose to classify them. The issues of extreme poverty, unemployement, and low output are the ones deserving immediate attention because their solutions would help to raise the standard of living, quality of life, and level of democracy.”

I don’t think so.

Honestly, I have to commend Dr. Anonymous for trying, but those are symptoms or results of an underlying deeper problem.

Let’s take poverty for instance. It is undeniably true that Tanzania has plenty of resources. If that is the case, what is the issue then? The issue is the Tanzanian inability to utilize the resources to improve lives. So when we talk about lack of ability, we are not talking about physical strength here, we are talking about lack of deliberate policies, strategies, discipline, and the attitude to make things happen. Those are issue of the mind. Those are issues that are tied to our thinking.

Right thinking always lead to right actions. You can’t tell me that a government that would rather spend billions on expensive cars instead of improving health care and agriculture is serious and thinking right. A stupid person would always paint a falling house colorfully instead of strengthening the foundation. Our government, in a clear sign of stupidity, has always done something similar to that. If “kilimo ni uti wa mgongo wa taifa" (in this case the house foundation), wouldn’t you do everything you can to strengthen that? Why do we still have hunger despite a huge arable land?

Hear this: I once had a conversation with a guy who has been in the Tanzanian government for a long time. He came to the United States to visit his son. In the conversation, he happened to say this: "Unajua, wanasema bonde la Kilombero linatosha kabisa kuzalisha mpunga wa kulisha nchi nzima". And I said to myself, why isn't Tanzanian government exploring and fully utilizing that potential then?

Tanzania has been a recipient of donor monies for as long as I can remember. As a matter of fact, about 40% of our budget depends on donor funds. The major question is what have we done with the money. The core question is how we have utilized those resources to better ourselves. The fact that billions of shillings are misappropriated by various ministries (that has been consistently the case in recent years according the Auditor General’s report) shows that we are far from having the right attitude and the right mind about accountability and seriousness in alleviating poverty. And that is the issue of the mind.

Let me give a true story to illuminate my point.

Over twenty (20) years ago, a certain American missionary in our small town sought donor funds and established a very cool irrigation system for the village. Since we lived close to Lake Victoria, the mzungu brought solar panes to power water pumps that would draw water from the lake. The irrigation program started with a few mission hospital employees, and the plan was to expand the program to other residents in the village.

As I recall, the irrigation plan ensured steady supply of stuff like rice, vegetables and fruits all year. As a matter fact, the project was so cool that Aboud Jumbe, by then the VP, visited the project resulting in a national attention. You would think folks appreciated what the mzungu did and that they would do everything to protect the investment, right?

Not really. A few and known young men in the village started to steal the solar panes. Despite the fact that everybody knew whom they were, no measures were taken to ensure that solar panes were recouped. Even worse, none of the were culprits severely penalized. I guess that is because none of the citizens spent their pennies to buy the solar panes and establish the irrigation system. Today, the thieves are still alive and kicking, but the irrigation project finally died. The mzungu gave up and is currently back to the United State of America.

The moral of the story is this: A person who cuts the hands that feeds them is stupid. What is really sad is that stories like this are numerous in Tanzania and we all can relate to them. Not only do ordinary citizens do that, government officials also cut off the hands that feed them.

So this is the question: would you pump more money in the village highlighted above or simply help them get rid of stupidity? Or better yet, do you think the problem in the village was lack of capital or lack of better attitude?

With a better attitude, this small village in the shores of Lake Victoria would have been asking this question: Hunger? Unemployment? What are you talking about? Instead, they fell back right where there were before the mzungu tried to show them the way.

It is all in the mind…whether we agree or not.

Photo: Mroki

It Is All In The Mind...

Some folks have questioned the point of blogging, if bloggers like me are not going back to Tanzania to actively participate in causing a change. I can clearly understand such a point of view, for most folks really desire for true change in Tanzania. I can sense a strong desire for a true leadership in that country. My worry for the most part people who hold these sentiments tend to think that the only way to cause a change is for one to become a politician.

The truth of the matter is this: not all major changes in societies around the globe have been caused by politicians. There writers, poets, artists, activists, regulars Joes that have really played their role well in transforming their societies. Besides, there are all sorts of leadership. I like to call my blogging a “thought leadership”. I have said this once: I could be the best thinker but the worst leader, for various reasons. I like the idea of being a thought leader and I will stick with it for now.

The reason I prefer “thought leadership” over everything else is because I recognize the power of the mind. I can be more influential if I challenge one’s thinking that stepping up on a podium to tell lies just to be elected. I understand that ideally political leaders work for the people, but we all know it very well that in a Tanzanian context, that is a Utopian notion. So I regard my calling as a noble one, and I wouldn’t want to belittle my role.

In my previous post, an esteemed reader left a comment. But what caught my attention was this line: “...there is nothing wrong with the way people think or do things in Africa”. My understanding of that comment is that the way African do things and think is just fine. Then I thought to myself, why are poor then? I mean, Tanzanian has been independent for over 40 years, and some folks have not seen a light bulb (literal bulbs) go on in their huts.

You know what? This reader has the right to the point of view. Besides, what I do here is just share my opinions. I can’t claim to be right and know it all. But this is my deepest conviction, in order for Africa to move forward, Tanzania in particular, there must be a major change in our thought process and mindset. That is simply because by keeping one’s mindset constant, the course of action is guaranteed to stay the same. And we all know it; you will get the same result by doing the same thing. The point is this: in order for us to get rid of poverty, we have to have a paradigm change.

It appears that some folks underestimate the power of the mind.

My spiritual orientation is that of a Judeo-Christian, so I will draw some of my references from the Bible, since that is a spiritual book I am well acquainted with. This is what the Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinketh so is he…” That is deep as deep could be. You could discredit that notion because it is coming from a religious book, but its core message will remain to be true. And that truth is that we are a perfect reflection of our thinking. You can’t go where you don’t think about, nor can you do what you don’t think about.

As Tanzanians, this concept shouldn’t be hard to grasp. That is because it is hard to argue that the Tanzanian experience post independence was and has pretty much been shaped by Nyerere’s thinking. Even across the globe, the power of the mind has brought about both negative and positive experiences. Ask Jews about the result of Hitler’s thinking. Ask Ugandans about Iddi Amin’s thinking. And the list is almost as long as human beings have existed. If a single individual's thinking can change lives, just try to imagine how the right thinking among the majority can change things around.

Given the fact that the mind or one’s mindset is the central point of one’s being, it is scary to imagine that some folks actually believe that there is nothing wrong with the way people think or do things in Africa. My belief is contrary to that. As Africans, our problems are magnified, for the most part, by our mode of thinking (which is of a victim and not a victor’s mentality).

The fact that a country like Malaysia was as poor as Tanzania in 1957, but changed made economic progress over time proves that fact that we truly need to change what we do and how we do it. I can understand the strong patriotic feeling that “borrowing” the Western thinking is some sort of a cultural or economic slavery. Nonetheless, the truth is that we have no way out. Our patriotism is nothing more than impractical, because the last time I checked, every African country is pretty much hawking their country for foreign investments. Guess what happens when foreigners bring their money? They also bring their cultural influence. So whether I say it or not, it is happening anyway.

Most Chinese and Indian kids are plenty in the American universities because they are there to borrow a leaf or two from the Americans playbook. The goal is very simple: learn as much as you can and take the knowledge back to their native countries. If folks still struggle with open and hardcore ideas that I publish in this blog, then I wonder if the Tanzanian society is truly ready for shakers and movers, who happened to be educated abroad.

So my message is this: as long as we keep on thinking and doing the same things in Africa, nothing will change. We need to change. Progress starts in the mind. Period.

Photo: Mroky

"A Fool Is As A Fool Does"

That is an American saying. I am not sure if I know of any Swahili equivalent. The saying highlights what I have come to admire about the American culture, and that is the strongest and the brightest idea wins. It is not the fastest talker or the loudest in the crowd. Because the American culture believes in making logical decisions, a person who fails to exercise common sense is deemed foolish or stupid, regardless of their age, gender, academic accomplishments or any other social status

I once had a conversation with an old Kenyan college buddy of mine. We just happened to marvel at how changed one’s life become once you step on the American soil. It is not clear when such a mental u-turn happens, but I am sure the change is so gradual that it is difficult to notice.

A change that one goes through hits you when you interact with folks that are “fresh” from Tanzania, for instance, or even going there. A simple conversation that you could have with an American or even a Tanzanian, who has been in the Diaspora for a while, could turn into a huge cultural fiasco that you cannot contain. For example, having a logical conversation with a typical Tanzanian is difficult. That is because you cannot ask for someone to give you a logical explanation for his or her position on an idea or concept. If it is your dad, it is granted that age will be thrown in the mix to thwart your strong logical position. If your parents sense that they are about to lose a mental battle, be advised that threats of curses and stuff will be thrown your way so that you can stop challenging the status quo of your dad or mom’s thinking.

My theory is that we struggle so much in Tanzania, even among seemingly educated folks, because critical thinking is not part of our experience. Feelings and norms tend to be the deciding factor, and not pure intellectual analysis. That is not to discredit feelings and norms, but it stinks when that those elements are taken to the extreme.

The reasoning for bringing this American saying up is simple: there are plenty of education folks in Tanzania who would easily and justifiably fall into the fools’ category. And that is not because they can’t read, write, or hold PhDs. It is because they act like fools. You think I am kidding? Let’s just review this story published by Daily News on January 10, 2007. I had planned to reflect on this way back, but got held up by other issues.

The story is about how the Ministry of Energy and Minerals was optimistic that following the RDC’s ownership swap between the Gire brothers and the Dowan Holding of the UAE, nothing bad would happen. Let me quote the reason for such optimism:

“ We went to South Africa to South Africa and did the technical inspection and three engines to produce 60 MW were in good shape. We did not, however, do any tests”.

Just stop right there. Notice anything?

Let me break it down for you. These guys went all the way to South Africa to perform a “technical inspection”. Why in the world didn’t they perform any tests? How then did they conclude that they engines are in good shape? By looking at the paint? Reading some materials? If that was the case, why not just send somebody from the Tanzanian embassy in South Africa to go take a look at the engine and fax or PDF some manufacturer’s specifications for the completion of the “technical inspection”? See, I don’t see anything technical about this inspection if they didn’t perform any tests.

See, a fool is as a fool does. So let’s use a car buying experience to highlight my point. Who goes to a car dealership and buys a car simply by looking at the car’s body paint and reading some papers or listening to a salesperson pitch? If you are intelligent enough, and knowing that the car is probably necessary for your economic and social well-being, wouldn’t you take the car for a test ride?

You know what sucks, they Ministry calls this due diligence. Are you kidding me? Let’s be real. These folks went down to South Africa to get their per diem. That’s it. No more, no less. So they came back and handed over a report to Tanesco’s Board of Directors, who also blindly endorsed Dowan Holding due to their “satisfactory financial and technical capabilities”. Well, I can’t say anything on Dowan’s financial capabilities. Nonetheless, we know for sure that Dowan’s technical capabilities stink.

If not, why are Members of Parliament up and arms?

I don’t like everything about America. Likewise, I don’t like everything about Tanzania. But at least for now, I can tell you that Americans recognize that fools are those who do foolish things, regardless of the social position, bank account balance, age, gender, etc. I am yet to find a reason to not to regard these people who conducted a “technical inspection” in a non-technical way as fools.

If there were a pill that folks could take to transform their minds, I would have supplied that in Tanzania long time ago. Seriously.

Snoozing Folks...

I am trying to picture the old good days without blogs and the internet. The days that the only information outlet in Tanzania was the Daily News, Uhuru and RTD. In those days, the disgusting image we see here wouldn't have made it through to everybody. How I love technology!

In a nutshell, this is just pathetic. I mean, these are some of the "thinkers" in Tanzania.

I don't want to sound like a genius, but I once blogged on the fact that ours is a snoozing government. I only didn't realize that some day, I will come to witness literal snoozing.

Just visit my previous blog , so you can see my musing on the sleeping government.

Photo: Mroki

"Get Over It"....

It is my intention to keep this balling rolling all the time. Nonetheless, it is difficult to do that when some other pressing issues pull me away from this “house”. Despite that fact, my heart is always here. So what I do when I am not writing is to reflect off line. It is insane, but I do that.

I had planned to muse on some issues that caught my attention during my regular rounds on the Tanzanian media, but I had to skip that. The reason for my detour is that I came across a very interesting argument, that I thought to myself, why not blog on this?

I was watching CCN about three days ago. One the news items that they covered was this incident where one legislator from Virginia, Frank D. Hargrove, wanted black folks in the United States of America to get over slavery . The legislator made his remarks in opposition to a measure that would apologize on the state's behalf to the descendants of slaves.

I know most black people, especially those who have been playing the slavery and colonialism card for a long time, would not like my point of view. As painful as it is for some people, I agree with Mr. Hargrove. It is about time to let go of these tired excuses.

See, I am not condoning slavery nor am I supporting colonialism. Certainly, those institutions damaged the integrity of black people. However, those institutions are long gone. As I have said it before, Africans in particular, must define where it wants to go and how it wants to get there. Blaming each and every failure, some of which are our making, on the historical happenings is plain irresponsibility.

I was born after the independence of Tanganyika from the British. I cannot sit here and blame power outages in Tanzania on the British. I cannot sit here and blame corruption and lack of accountability on the British. I cannot sit here and blame lack of vision, creativity and hard work in Tanzania on anyone. But that is exactly what black folks, generally speaking, like to do around the globe.

What stinks the most is when an educated black brother or sister, goes on CCN and demands that the American government to apologize for slavery. What ticks me off is the fact that this brother or sister would go on television and cite the number of black men in jail. Fine, there are tons of black men that are jail. Nonetheless, the question is this: how did they get there? How did this articulate brother or sister get their education, if those chances are denied to black people? Or better yet, why wouldn’t blacks who feel that they are being denied a chance to succeed in all other institutions go to historically black colleges that are available?

The point is this: if I can “succeed” in America, despite all the immigration hurdles that I had to go through, I can’t understand why a black person in this country is running the streets and blaming that on slavery. Doing drugs is a personal choice, which has nothing to do with slavery. The last I checked, there are plenty of black millionaires in America, some of which are not even football or basketball players. How can I sit here and blame colonialism for a stupid contract that was signed by an irresponsible government official in Tanzania? It does not make sense, but black folks do that.

What stinks is that a typical black would rather idolize a rapper than an individual who is actually putting sense in their heads. For instance, the last time Bill Cosby challenged black folks to go to school, they shot back at him, claiming that he is only saying that because he is now rich. That is the point. He is rich. Would you take a lesson from a fellow failure?

It is apparent that black folks are not practical enough. Let’s say, for instance, that the American government apologizes for slavery (of course they have done that through Bill Clinton, who apologized for slavery when visiting Uganda). Would that change anything? Would that change the state of mind of some wicked white folks who are fond of racism? Would that get black men out of jail? Would that change the rate of single mothers in the black communities? I am sure it won’t. If it won’t, then we have to ask some serious and tough questions.

Of those questions, which black people have failed to ask themselves for years is this: how did we get under colonial and slavery masters? My theory is that we got under those institutions because we were naïve. Sad enough, none in the African continent is acknowledging that fact. As a result, we have not learned anything more than 300 years later. Despite nice suits and expensive cars, most of our leaders are still running on the same old Watemi mental outlook (see my previous blog on that ).

My point is this: We need to get over slavery. We need to get over colonialism. Throwing a pity party won’t change anything. We need to change our thinking mode if we really need to make progress. If in 1957 Malaysia was as poor as Tanzania, do you think they got where they are today by feeling sorry for themselves? It is 2007 and I don’t think white folks will relinquish their position anytime soon…if we want to compete; we have to learn the rules of the game. Unfortunately, we are not learning.

I know that my point of view could be politically incorrect, but let the truth be told.

Are We Cursed?

I like being logical. That, however, has not precluded me from being spiritual. As matter of fact, I believe that you cannot be logical and miss the essence of spirituality or spiritual realities. When science hits a wall and fails to provide answers to some burning questions of our generation, a light bulb has to come on in your head. There must be a higher being somewhere. I call that higher being God. Getting to understand and connecting with God is the highest level of enlightenment, trust me.

One of the burning questions in our generation, that is the African generation, is why the continent is still poor. The majority of human kinds out there understand the concept of progress and socio-economic development. Learned individuals have come up with the theories of development. Some societies have actually gone as far as implementing those theories. Given that Africans are not living in isolation, why can’t we learn and change? Why can’t Tanzania, for instance, make any meaningful progress?

I like to share ideas. Believe it or not, opening up and allowing yourself to be vulnerable is the best way to learn. My thinking is not 100% superb all the time, but I understand my shortcomings when I hear what other people have to say.

I happened to have a dinner table conversation with a friend and a brother. Being Tanzanians, one of the topics that came up was a “comparative analysis” of Tanzania v. USA. The conversation entailed the six million dollar question – why is Tanzania still poor? Obviously, my brother; who recently moved to the US from Tanzania, believes that Tanzania and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa is still poor because of the Europe and North America’s neo-colonialism tactics. Such tactics, he contended, include manipulation of the world market, investing in Africa under unfavorable terms, etc.

But then my brother dropped a bomb. He came up with the conclusion that the core issue facing people of the Negroid decent is purely spiritual. Briefly, the African problem is not mental, technical, scientific, but plainly a spiritual curse. He went to justify his argument by citing African-Americans in the United States who, generally speaking, are not doing any better than their relatives in the African continent.

For all y’all who are not Biblical scholars, the curse theory comes from a Biblical account. Briefly, the Bible tells us that of the Noah’s three sons; Ham, failed to cover his father’s nakedness and a result, got cursed. See Genesis 9: 20-27 .

Personally, I have trouble with this theory. For one, Ham was not particularly and specifically cursed, it was his son Canaan (see Genesis 9:25). The belief that the Negroid Africans are cursed is largely due to the belief that Africans are largely Hamitic, because Cushites (see Genesis 10:6) are thought to have lived where Ethiopia is today. This is my argument, and I believe most Biblical scholars will agree with me: even if the Cushites are truly Negroid Africans, the Bible tells us that Canaan and not Cush was cursed!

I truly believe that African problems are more attitudinal and cultural than spiritual. I am ruling out mental and intellectual reasons because it has not been proven that Caucasians, Latinos or Asians are more intelligent than Negroes. Let me speak to Tanzanians who claim to be Christians for a minute. Assuming the curse is truly there, Africans are not bound by the old covenant. If we have to make an assessment of the African situation from a Biblical perspective, Africans (gentiles) are under the New Testament (covenant)– the covenant of the blood of the Jesus. Besides, nowhere in the copy of my Bible it is written to conclusively contend that Africans are cursed. As such, Tanzanians must simply wake up from their deep slumber and take a very hard look at their own faces.

Tanzanians and other African countries must grow. The reason Europeans and North Americans treat us like kids is because we are act like kids (you can’t deny that, given that our presidents would rather boast of meeting a British president and not solving domestic issues). We come to the major league with minor league mentalities. If Tanzania is doing better than Malawi, for instance, it does not mean that we have mastered the game. The major league countries will still whoop us. Wearing a European suit does not give you a European thinking capability.

Citing a spiritual curse as the reason for the African poverty and pathetic social situation is a clear indication that we are missing the point. Just looking around the world today. One cannot fail to observe the fact that most materially prosperous societies are falling into a spiritual emptiness and a “curse” that is astounding. Values in the United State of America for instance, are becoming a foreign notion. One prominent American preacher once made this observation: Americans may look at African as a third world economically, but the reality is that Africa is the first world spiritually.

I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

My personal conviction is that Sub-Saharan African is not cursed. The continent has simply failed to define where it wants to go and how it wants to get there. The continent, in my point of view, has decided to resign in a corner and throw a pity party. At some point, we have to be hard on ourselves and institute accountability as part of our vocabulary. Curse or no curse, nobody progresses without being accountable. At some point, we have to separate imaginary curses from our own stupidity. The faster we realize that, the better we will become.

You are as big as your mental outlook.

Stinking Thinking

I have heard of so many reasons as to why Tanzania is still poor. Some have blamed colonialism, while some have blamed imbalances in the world trade. Very few have plainly put the blame on us. I tend to lean towards placing the blame on us. The reason for my inclination is very simple: there are success stories in the African continent, despite sharing the same historical experiences. Truthfully, we have failed to utilize our mental faculties, not mentioning the fact that our leaders have become overly shortsighted and selfish. Those are things you cannot pin on a long-gone mkoloni.

I am not exposed to any other spiritual book other than the Bible, so I will make my reference there. All truths is God’s truth, my pastor likes to say. So let’s get to it. Proverbs 23:7 says, “ As a man thinks so is he…” I simple terms, you are a reflection of your mental outlook and attitude. You become what you think. You will always be defeated or victorious once you start viewing yourself as such.

My conviction is that we succeed by overcoming obstacles. Dreaming is OK, but at some point one has to lift their butts off and work. Try customer service in Tanzania and you will agree with me that we are stuck in wrong attitudes. And certainly bad attitude does not move you anywhere, regardless of whether you have plenty of resources (like in Tanzania) or not.

I believe that as a society, Tanzania stinks because our attitude and thinking is the same. That of course, is generally speaking. There are plenty of brilliant minds in Tanzania. If it weren’t for a crappy system; these minds would have taken Tanzania to the moon. Seriously.

Recently, DHW reported that Tume ya Kurekebisha Sheria has proposed the introduction of duo citizenship in Tanzania. According to DHW , the Ministry of Internal Affairs has ratified the proposal. The expected next move is presentation of the proposal before the Ministerial Cabinet, followed by the Bill formulation.

It all sounded good until the stinking thinking I was referring to, kicked in. The culprits being some officials from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

According to DHW, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, pointed out that they are not in a hurry to present the duo citizenship Bill, citing “ high costs of educating regular mwananchi on duo citizenship and implementation of the changes” as the reason. That kind of reasoning makes my jaws drop in amazement.

Wait a minute, pals. There is a plethora of Bills and policy changes in Tanzania that were introduced without consulting or educating wananchi first. So how do we make a determination on issues to educate people on and otherwise? Beats me. See, I am not against consulting and getting stakeholders’ views, but such a step should be taken when there are strong arguments. For instance, would you go back to consult your village health officer, if a PhD holding surgeon recommended surgery on your foot?

The point is this: Tume ya Kurekebisha Katiba is comprised of technical professionals whose recommendations shouldn’t be politicized. I would like to believe that they are working for the interest of Tanzanians. As such, we should educate wananchi on the Tume’s responsibilities and not on every judgment they make. Taking the later option is nothing more than insanity. Besides, aren’t we paying the Tume to come up with recommendations for changes in the Law?

Let’s get real for a second. Statistics claim that 80% of Tanzanians are farmers, mostly lacking even a Secondary School certificate. Given that fact, why expect to get any meaningful feedback from an individual who have not even traveled outside his or her own District? I am not trying to belittle the hard working farmers, but it is safe to presume that the concept of duo citizenship is complex for an individual who have not found a use for a Tanzanian passport.

The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs pointed out that tabling of the duo citizenship Bill would be suspended, as the priority is creation of the national identification cards. That is fine on the surface. Getting down to it, national IDs is not even within this Ministry’s jurisdiction. Correct if I am wrong, but I believe that national identification cards is the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs. That strikes out the Ministry of Justice’s reasoning ( I know they can hit back with a collective responsibility card, but that is a bunch of crap in itself).

Furthermore, the Ministry contends the exercise that will be costly to the Tanzanian government. Citing high costs is a load of crap. For one, the Ministry has utilized the “high costs” as a blanket statement to mask lack of thorough thinking. If not, why give a general statement? What is the actual cost? In other words, how high is high? Secondly, how much would it cost the Tanzanian government, for instance, to allow a Tanzanian in Sweden to become a Swedish citizen? My quick calculation: Zero shillings to the Tanzanian government. Zero. Nada. Bure kabisaaaaaaaa.

Sana sana, applicants who want to become Tanzanian citizens will have to part with application and processing fees, enough to cover government printing and processing costs. You know what? The government can even make a few shillings from the process. If there are any initial financial outlays, that could be recouped from applicants. Sasa, where did these folks come up with the conclusion that it would cost the government plenty of money to implement the duo citizenship Law?

Honestly, I think folks smoke something in the Tanzanian government. It seems like you the general qualification for being a government official in Tanzania is inability to think and an expertise in coming up with weak excuses. Seriously.

Thinking in Tanzania, generally speaking, is definitely stinking. I have not seen anything to prove me wrong on that. Tanzania is not going anywhere, progress wise, unless we change how receive, perceive, process, and utilize information.

Bundle Of Joy

That's my boy! For real...

I just wanted to let you know that I have an addition to my family, clan, United States of America...(but hopefully, the boy will become a Tanzanian citizen if this duo citizenship thing is passed).

Baby Jedrick was born on Friday, December 29, 2006 at 6:31 am. He is mighty healthy and I couldn't thank God enough for this wonderful experience.

You are certainly allowed to share with me in this joyous occassion.

Hopefully, through my blogging he will grow to see a transformed Tanzania, which we all desire and aspire for.

JMK: You Are Employed By The People

I have nothing personal against President JMK. So when I hammer his thinking and whatever he does, it is not that I hate the guy. I am just fulfilling my obligation as a citizen. Besides, I am the boss. I put him in office. He is accountable to me.

The most compelling reason though, is the fact that the president is the head of the Tanzanian household. When head of the household is not thinking straight, it is a sure thing that we will be in deep trouble. And truly speaking, Tanzania has started sinking deeper, in case you haven't noticed.

I can see some people flinching in shock. No, truly, we – wananchi - are the bosses. But I guess some politicians snatched the power from you that you feel so small. Sorry lady or gentleman, I know my position. I am the boss. So I will provide my scorecard, whether the system likes it or not. That is the nature of the beast.

So today I will just send a short memo to Ikulu:

From: Mwananchi, The Boss
To: The President of the URT, Employee

Dear Employee,

Re: Your Obligations

Given your recent comments during an exclusive interview with the Guardian, in which you gave the following comment: “ British Prime Minister Tony Blair has invited me on January 16 to visit London. Should I say I am not going to meet him because there are Tanzanians complaining about my trips outside the country?”, I would just remind you to watch your mouth and know your obligations.

Tony Blair did not employ you. The regular Hamisis, Sikudhanis, Matonyas and Ngoshas that you are despising employed you. You are accountable to them. If any of these regular wananchi feels that you need to sit your butt down and deal with domestic issues, you have no choice.

Do you think Tony Blair would continue meeting you in Dar, for instance, if there is a crisis in London? How many times have you heard national leaders halting their foreign trips to deal with domestic issues? What do you guys drink and smoke at Ikulu? It seems like whatever you drink and smoke at Ikulu causes an epidemic of arrogance, bad thinking and shortsightedness.

I don’t understand why you African presidents think it is cool to get foreign leaders’ approval. You know what it is? It is simply a bad case of inferiority complex. It was stupid of your administration to belittle the power crisis, while boasting of your meetings with the Blairs. You priority is the Tanzanian people, not foreign leaders. Period.

There is nothing wrong with making foreign trips that are justified, and you should make such trips. But making foreign trips so that you can simply show your face is plain, well, stupid. Do I need to remind you that you were once a Minister for Foreign Affairs and most likely these folks have intelligence on you and they know you better than you think? Do I need to remind you that we have ambassadors charged with representing your policies and priorities to foreign entities? So why run these errands yourself?

I hope you are listening. I hope you are paying attention, because the boss will run you out of Ikulu sooner than you think.

Mwananchi, The Boss.

Mr. President, Please...

I don’t think intellectual capabilities alone are good enough to make a good leader. Nonetheless, I am convinced that an individual who is empty upstairs cannot make a wonderful leader either. You don’t have brainpower like Einstein to become a president. We cannot also yank someone from Mirembe and make him or her our president. A president can just have an average level of intelligence – as long as he or she is capable of handling the office.

That being said, the kind of a president I would like is the type that has the ability to grasp and put issues in their proper context. Honestly, I have doubts whether Mr. JMK is that type of a president. Uncommon situations require uncommon solutions. Tanzania requires a very special leader. If anything, Mr. JMK sounds more of a common, Katibu Kata, operating from Ikulu. I have reflected so much about his government, but my current conclusion is based on his speech on the RDC issue.

One has to wonder, is Mr. JMK for real or he is just playing dumb? Reading the article above, I couldn’t just believe his rationale. So here are my thoughts Mr. President.

1) Throwing the God/nature card is a cheap, stupid excuse.
We need better crisis management process and contingent plans in place. Period. Folks, I have blogged on this before . I don’t have to repeat that.

2) Time isn’t on our side.
Successful people understand the value of time. Apparently, Mr. President, your administration is acting like you have plenty of time in your hand. This is what you said in January, according to yourself: “ During my first speech, I discussed fears of the looming drought, that we were going to grapple with food scarcity, after which I discussed the condition of power generation. I gave precaution on January 31, this year”.

This is the deal Mr. President. Identify problems is just the very first step in finding a solution. Nonetheless, when you want credit for identification of the problem without actually producing swift remedial actions, you are just good for nothing. You identified the power crisis on January 31, 2006. What happened between then and now? Please don’t tell me the engagement of RDC and finding a temporary solution in 10 months is the fastest your government could do. I wonder what Kasi Mpya means to you.

3) Fools rush in.
I am still to find a VERY good reason for engaging RDC. Nobody makes a seriously decision solely on a few factors. It seems to me that the only reason the government engaged RDC is because they charged a cheap rate. That only sounds good on the surface.

Smart people or governments do their homework before getting into a business venture. They perform a due diligence. It is obvious that the Tanzanian government rushed in. If you have power crisis in the country and you are looking for a solution, wouldn’t you go for a company with a proven track record? So, isn’t the following sentence from a president who is just shooting in the dark, with no specific target or goals?

“ …Richmond turned out to be a small company with little capacity, and their hopes were that once they got the contract they could secure loans from banks, which refused to do so”.

There is no such thing as “turned out to be a small company”. You should have had that information before sitting on the negotiation table with RDC. You know why banks refused? Because they did their homework, while your power committee members were just nursing their vitambis. Honestly, given the magnitude of the power crisis in Tanzania, it was stupid of the Tanzanian government to gamble. I cannot forgive you for that.

Smart people perform a cost-benefit analysis. Specifically, the government.

4) What kind of contracts did you sign?
I thought UDSM teaches Law. I thought the Attorney General knows something about Law. I thought the contract between RDC stipulated remedies to the government in case of RDC’s failure to perform. I don’t understand the Mr. JMK’s government contention that if the RDC was revoked, they might have taken advantage to take the matter to court and seek redress from the government. How lame and stupid is that?

What kind of contract did you sign Mr. JMK? You mean to tell us that the government didn’t have any clause in the contract that covers the government’s back in case of breach of contract by RDC? You are kidding, right?

There are official tests out there, such as the IQ tests that can tell of someone’s intelligence. Nonetheless, I am convinced that acting in a way that is consistent with common sense is a sure sign that your fellow jirani or ndugu is intelligent enough. When they consistently miss on little common sense things, then we must start questioning.

As I sit here, I am just wondering – do we really have intelligent leaders in Tanzania or just some dimwits who got lucky? I mean, how come common sense seems to evade them? If not, how come they have PhDs and big time credentials?

May be politics turns people into zombies. I don’t know. I just don’t.

Beggars Mentality (3)

I love Bongoland leaders. That, of course, is a sarcastic statement from me. Honestly, I am still looking for anything to love my fellow Tanzanians who are given the responsibility to take us to the Promised Land. It is not my intention to depress you, but I don’t think the qualities I am looking for will emerge anytime soon.

See, there are fundamental things that a responsible human being will do. For instance, you are in a squeeze for money. A neighbor comes to you with a proposal. He or she proposes that they will contribute to your bank account, but the only simple condition for you to do that is bath your children. See, the reason why you needed the money was to fund the remodeling of your house. The problem, however, was that your children kept on getting sick, and the doctors advised you to bath your children quite often to save yourself of hospital trips.

So the neighbor, knowing that a fundamental change that you need to make is to bath your children, laid out a beneficial condition for you. Bath your children and I will give you money, as simple as that. So what would you think of a person who fails to accomplish that simple contractual obligation and end up missing the neighbor’s contribution? Stupid isn’t it?

I believe for allowing the contractual time with the Danish government to elapse before tabling the anti-corruption bill, the Tanzanian government has just acted the same - stupidly.

See, corruption hurts. It sends our economy and social progress ailing all the time. So wouldn’t it be the priority of a Tanzanian government to table the corruption bill as agreed upon with the Danish government? Phillip Marmo, the Minister of State in the President’s Office responsible for Good Governance contends the government could not rush to table the Bill in Parliament before seeking people’s views as provided for in the country’s legislative program.

That is crap, given you had a contractual agreement. I know of plenty of Bills that went against the people's will. So don't pull that on us.

One would quickly think that Marmo’s arguments make a strong case, but they are not. This is my question: when the Tanzanian government was signing the aid package, didn’t they know it would take much longer to fulfill the requirements set forth by the Danish government? Why didn’t the Tanzanian government bring that up during negotiations? This is not a surprise all of a sudden, isn’t it?

Tired politicians will always come up with tired arguments.

The bottom line is this: the Tanzanian government agreed to table the Bill not in February 2007, but earlier than that. So shut up and accept the fact that Tanzanian government is irresponsible.

So I just felt like slapping Mr. John Momose Cheyo for his comments regarding the Danish government’s move. Here is what he said: “These people! How can they do a thing like that? Is it that they want the people to go against their own government? Whey they slash aid, it is the people who are going to suffer, not the government. Their priority should be the people, the government in power”.

Either way Mr. Cheyo, wananchi cha moto wanakiona. Just look around you.

Can you believe that this is a guy who actually wanted to be the President of the United Republic of Tanzania? It is very sad that the word responsibility and accountability is not part of the Tanzanian culture. Because of that, we have a twisted mind. I mean, whose responsibility is it for the Tanzanian people, the Danish government or the Tanzanian government? Seems to me like Mr. John Cheyo thinks the Danish government should be more responsible to the Tanzanian people that the Tanzanians’ own government. How stupid is that?

What ticks me off is the fact that we are beggars, but we act like we are on top of the world. I have not done research on this, but I am convinced that holding on to the beggars’ mentality for too long has brought us to the point where we take everything for granted.

I agree with Mr. Idd Simba. Slash the stupid aid. We have plenty of gold. Let’s be responsible for our own actions and decisions. We kicked the British out so we can do that. So let’s do it then. Besides, financial aid has not done much. The last time I checked, if traveling by bus from Arusha to Dodoma, it is a sure thing that your eyelashes will be full of dust when you get there. Wasn’t that the case before the British left the country 45 years ago?

You know what sucks the most? Having clueless leaders. Kwa mwendo huu, Vision 2025 is just a dream. Si mtaona?

Lack Of Hope Is…Well, Dangerous

If you go through my profile, you will notice that one of my favorite movies is Shawshenk Redemption. What stands out for me from that movie is one catchy line at the end of the movie. That line goes like this, “Hope is a good thing. May be the best thing”.

To me, that is a profound statement.

We all do what we do because we have hope for something. I go to work because I hope for my pay at the end of it. I studied hard in school because I hoped for my degree and eventually a “good” job. I have not verified this from any terrorist, but I hear they do what they do because they hope for some spiritual reward. Hope, therefore, is this wonderful thing in us that drives us. It is our engine.

Whether we drive towards the right direction is another thing. Nonetheless, lack of hope is, well, hopelessness. It is desperation.

I am not a psychologist, but I read somewhere that when human beings are faced with a desperate, frightful situation they resort to two options – fight or flight. I believe that when we are facing dangerous situations head on, the choice to fight or flee is not an intellectual one. We tend to lack intellectual capacity to create a “choice diagram” to come up with the best route. We do it by instinct. We become animals that we are. The choice between “ngumi mkononi” or “mguu kichwani” becomes a matter of natural tendencies in you.

Hope, however, is not a utopian concept. That is particularly true when one’s hope is based on another person’s promise. At some point, the “promisor” must deliver to the “promisee” (that sounded legal, didn’t it?). Failure to deliver by the promisor can prompt the promisee to change their expectations, attitude, and course of action.

We must admit it, Mr. JMK came to power thunderously. I mean; racking up 80% of the votes in 2005 was not an easy feat. His early days, as I have alluded to in my previous posts, were promising. Nonetheless, of late he has been falling into this darkness and abyss that only he and him alone understand. That light that shone late 2005 and early 2006 is slowly turning into darkness. Plainly, I don’t see any hope for Tanzanians. He appears to have lost direction and the ability to rule. People, was the RDC issue really that difficult?

I can see a sense of desperation looming over the Tanzanian sky. I can see an eruption of pent-up emotions in the near future. When hope is gone, stuff happens. Things change.

See, my Tanzanian people have been duped for so long. I am not making a prediction of change solely because I desire one, but I know that nature has to take its own course. You can only fool people for sometime. The problem, however, is that CCM is slumbering. They are taking voters for granted. They are taking folks for imbeciles. I am sure Mr. JMK thought that getting 80% of votes was a special present with no strings attached. Well, Mr. President, the 80% votes you got signifies a level of hope folks assigned to your presidency. The problem is, you and CCM have been acting as if you owe Tanzanians nothing.

I cannot blame CCM that much though. Absolute power corrupts. Would you be shaken if you have been in power for, well, forever? It is like nothing moves you. Nonetheless, just ask the Republicans who faced the wrath of desperate people. When you have treated folks as fools for a while, they are bound to wake up. And when they do, they will definitely run you out of the park.

All of us desire to hope in something. Soon and very soon, Tanzanians will find something to hope for and hope in. I am sure there hope will not be in CCM or Kikwete. It won’t be in a system that appears to be incompetent by the day. It will be in something fresh, true and honest. Mark my words and watch out in 2010.

Hope is a good thing. May be the best thing. Lack of it is a dangerous thing. And CCM is facing that danger right in the face. So go ahead and sleep baby CCM, for Tanzanians are about to claim their country back. Pretty soon.

Those Who Travel Faster ...

Friends and readers,

I must start by apologizing. It is my goal to share my fresh thoughts on a regular, timely basis. Nonetheless, life throws challenges our way. I had to face some life adjustments in the past week that kept me away from this little “cubicle” of mine. But guess what? I am back!

Man, there are plenty of things to talk about and reflect on when it comes to life in Bongoland. One of the major issues, obviously, is the fact that RDC has failed to deliver electricity on time. That is not from me, but from Bongoland news all over the mtandao thing. Of course the reason is incompetent (the Company’s resume does not indicate any experience in power supply), but they have come up with plenty of excuses. Wasanii ni wasanii tu, ngojera lazima watatunga .

But I wouldn’t blame RDC. They did what they had to do in a broken system. The blame goes right back at the dude in Ikulu. Well, one would ask why Mr. JK should be blamed. The answer to that is very simple – he appointed these suckers called Mawaziri and Manaibu, whatever their titles are. I mean, Mr. JK got played straight up by Dr. Msabaha and Masha, but what did he do? He recycled them. What the heck is that?

That, in itself, is a problem. Nonetheless, there is more that troubles me. One of them is that inability to enforce contracts that we have entered into with other parties. In an ideal situation, one would expect that all contractual terms with RDC are clear, and that remedies to the government and penalties to for failure to perform are all stipulated. Then what is this thing about extending the time for RDC to deliver? Honestly, that is stupid. That is crazy.

I am not a law scholar, but this is the little I know. By verbally extending the time for RDC to deliver, the government just entered into a modified contract with RDC. If the new verbal terms are accepted by RDC, then we have an implied contract (law scholars, please correct me if I am wrong). But why go through all of this, while the Tanzanian economy is continuing to sink because of some incompetent company? Why not just go ahead and choke their necks for failing to honor the contract?

It stinks and it stings.

I understand that Mr. JK came up with this “kasi mpya” mantra when he took charge of Ikulu. This is my word for his Excellency: those who travel faster, travel lighter. Right now, it appears you ain’t traveling faster. If you can’t solve the simplest things as ensuring steady power supply, how are you going to create the promised 1,000, 000 jobs? (Or didn’t you know that job creation is indirectly linked to increased production, which is highly dependent on steady power supply? I hope I didn’t confuse you there Mr. President)

So if you want to live up to the kasi mpya song, please get rid of the junk that is hanging all over your back. Try trimming down incompetent folks in your cabinet as a starting point. The longer you keep the junk, the slower you will become. Read my lips - or my blog.

But the simplest, but important question that I have for you is this: do you know where Tanzania is going or you are just fumbling your way through? Seriously, I can’t tell if you have any idea. The fact that your own PM thinks power problem is a Third Phase government's issue shows that you folks have no idea.

Before you kill me though, check out what my favorite columnist, Mr. Lusekelo, had to say about the RDC issue.

Was Kambona That Bad? (2)

It wasn't my intention to extend this topic. But I had to, given that some folks might have misunderstood the objective of the first article.

It is my opinion that Tanzanians, in general, are wimpy folks. I can’t quite put my fingers on it, but belief is that it is all because of the Nyerere effect. I mean, we got so scared of the guy to the extent that even years after his departure, we are still afraid to question him.

Jamani, Nyerere amekufa. There are no secret service guys who will drag you to Msasani. OK?

One could contend that given that Nyerere is dead, we don’t have a reason to discuss his legacy. But I would beg to differ. And I will do that by a quote from one of my readers, Maiki:

“ History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity. The study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind; for in history you have a record of the infinite variety of human experience plainly set out for all to see; and in that record you can find yourself and your country both examples and warnings; fine things to take as models, base things rotten through and through, to avoid. Without knowledge of the past we would be without identity, we would be lost on an endless sea of time”

Adding or subtracting to that will be injustice.

So my intention was more than to question Nyerere’s legacy. I wanted us to take a very hard look at our history and what we have been long taught and gauge whether our perspective and perceptions are correct. But in order to effectively do that, we have to be objective and let go of our political biasness. Unfortunately, the Tanzanian history is tangled with Nyerere’s legacy.

In order for us to create the right future, we have to unearth some of the wrong foundations and beliefs that we have held on for so long. I don’t want my children to grow up thinking that Nyerere was the best think that has ever happened to Tanzania, while that could not an objective assessment. I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that Oscar Kambona, Mzee Mapalala, or Kassanga Tumbo were villains simply because they didn’t fit into Nyerere’s thinking.

What troubles me, for the most part, is when finding quotes such as the following, and never really understanding where Nyerere was coming from:

"Without any question, the manner and the implications of the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar is the most misunderstood aspect of Tanzania's political development. It may not matter very much when foreigners get confused, but unfortunately there are many times when Tanzanians themselves appear to misunderstand it."

Former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere.
Dar es Salaam Government Printer, July 1970. p. 3.

Source: victorian.fortunecity.com

Unfortunately, 42 years later, I still don't get the objective of the union.

The question is: why didn’t Nyerere clearly explain the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar? My only guess is that he thought Tanzanians were dumb enough (given he was one of the very few indigenous people to obtain a Masters degree) and never really deserved clear explanations. I truly have trouble when such a manipulative person is considered the best thing ever.

Honestly, I really long for objective arguments justifying the labels that the Tanzanian history has given Oscar Kambona, JK Nyerere, James Mapalala, etc.

Somebody, please help me.

How Did Elijah Know?

Let us get back to the basics today. Let us go back to the things that really matter. Let us talk about God. I can see someone almost looking away. How is it that when everything is cool and nice we forget about God, but when it gets sour we all become religious all of a sudden? Try visiting a funeral and see what I mean. I have never come to the point of understanding why churches only get full on Easter and Christmas days either.

You are not one of them folks, are you?

I am not a very good Bible scholar, but I will courageously share my questions and thoughts. If I get something theologically wrong, I am welcoming corrective comments.

I am fascinated about God. That is because I have experienced his power and goodness. That is a personal experience that I cannot clearly articulate. See, experiencing God will never come to you by looking for a scientific or a logical way of proving his existence. Scientists have done a remarkable job, but at some point they hit a wall. When they hit a major wall, they resort to this nice little word – nature - as their explanation. That is crap. Just admit it is God.

I know for sure that when it gets to that point, it is God establishing his supremacy and his infinite wisdom, as He has confirmed in Isaiah 55: 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord”.

See, I am convinced that knowing God changes everything about one’s outlook in life. A true knowledge of God, which is not of a religious routine, is such a powerful experience. Folks who have experienced that tend to exude an aura of confidence. My favorite verses, which shows such an aura, is an account of three young men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego when faced with a death sentence for holding on to their faith are Daniel 3:17-18. This is what these dudes said: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up”

Talking about gangster love for God? Talking about mad love for God? Talking about a deeper knowledge of God? You got it in those verses.

I am convinced that we sometimes miss the mark because we have our own idea of how God operates. When God reveals Himself to us in a certain way, all of a sudden we want to build a tent on it (even some disciples of Jesus tried to do that). As a result we build denominations and religious practices out of just one experience. I believe that our God is deeper and higher than we think. To be honest, I believe we have not seen anything yet.

In 1 Kings 17: 11-12, the Bible reads “The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

This story really fascinates me. Looking at this story, we can clearly see how quite often we have construed certain religious experiences to represent God’s presence. While it is true that all the physical evidences – powerful wind, earthquake, and fire – have been associated with God’s presence before, how did Elijah know the true presence of God in this particular incident?

I really don’t have an answer to that, but my conviction is that Elijah had an intimate relationship with God, which enabled him to move when God moved. He knew God personally and not religious. Out of that relationship, he was able to distinguish the true voice of God from “noises”. Just think of all the religious experiences (“noises”) we think represent God today. It is insane.

I don’t know about you, but I desire to attain a spiritual sanity by getting to the point of knowing God intimately the way Elijah did. So the question is: do I personally know God or I am just having a fruitless religious experience?

I guess the fruits that are coming out of your life will tell. But the greatest obstacle that stands on your way is sin. But you knew that already, didn't you?

Was Kambona That Bad?

An old respectful Tanzanian lady dropped by for a visit last night. She dropped her hello for my brother who just moved to the US from Tanzania. That was a wonderful courteous Tanzanian gesture. Quite naturally, the conversation touched on politics and “maendeleo” topics. Given that my brother just landed, we all expected a fresh perspective from Bongo. Obviously, when you talk about “maendeleo” you cannot avoid throwing Mwalimu Nyerere into the mix.

I have had a taste of what it meant to live in the Nyerere era. I understand the mystique around this late dude. This lady happened to be an old guard who strongly believe that Nyerere is the best thing that has ever happened to Tanzania.

Really?

How do we know that Nyerere was the best thing? See the problem I have with folks who regard Nyerere highly is that we don’t the alternatives, at his time, to make a logical, objective comparison. I am not even sure if we know Nyerere for who is or what he wanted Tanzanians to believe. He managed to create an aura of admiration and worship. He created an atmosphere where no one would question his ideas.

Remember the days when we couldn’t read anything other than Uhuru, Mzalendo, Daily News and Sunday News before Mfanyakazi came into existence to provide some kind of an entertainment relief? You remember the days when the 8:00 PM RTD news bulletin would be followed up by a “Ujumbe wa Leo” propaganda? I have to give it up to Nyerere. He ensured that Tanzanians couldn’t run or hide from his ideology. If you feed someone junk for twenty (20) years, they would believe that crap. He even went as far as insulting our intelligence by putting a hoe against himself in the election. A hoe or a hammer, can you believe that? Who elects a hoe as the president?

What ticked me off is the fact that he forced us to sing derogatory songs against Oscar Kambona. We sang this tune during our morning mchakamchaka routines in High School, “Kambona ameolewa! Wapi?! Wapi?! Uingereza!” Was Kambona really that bad? What is the historical truth?

Since I was born past the time Kambona took off, I had to dig into the history materials to find out for myself. This is what I found.

When the TANU National Executive Committee met in Arusha January 26-29 1967 it turned out to be a stormy session. At this meeting Nyerere proposed that Ujamaa become the official policy of the government. Oscar Kambona objected strongly to this policy. Twice during these sessions, the Executive Committee adjourned in order to allow their three leaders, Nyerere, Kambona and Kawawa to go into private session. Each time that they returned to the Executive Committee it was apparent that Kawawa had supported Nyerere to defeat Kambona. The result was that the Arusha Declaration was adopted.

Source: Maryknoll Africa

It gets me mad to realize that I actually sang derogatory songs against an individual who did nothing wrong. If at all, his crime was to express his opinion against Nyerere’s utopian dreams. The worst part is the fact that the introduction of free market economy has proven that Kambona was right and Nyerere's ideas were just a disaster in the making.

I strongly believe that Nyerere was just another dictator. A very intelligent dictator though. The dude didn’t physically kill anyone, so you cannot put him the same pile with the likes of Bokassa or Idd Amin. Nonetheless, he softly killed Tanzanians mentally and intellectually. He killed private, independent thinking. He hypnotized the majority of Tanzanians.

The saddest part if that the majority of Tanzanians are too lazy to question and explore the truth even today. Some have not awakened to the fact that the Nyerere’s legacy could be all inflated, if not manipulated to glorify his persona. Great people don’t lie, and I feel Nyerere lied to me about visionaries like Kambona whom the Tanzanian history has deliberately marginalized.

I am sure there are plenty of folks who would think that I am crazy for questioning Nyerere’s legacy. But am I, really?

Ching Ching From Education: It Is That Real

Taking things for granted is one of the fatal mistakes we can ever make. Some things in life are so crucial and valuable, but we can downplay their importance if we aren’t careful. One of those things that folks in Tanzania are taking for granted is education. I am convinced that the Tanzanian government and the entire society have not come to the point of comprehending the true value of education -- $$ wise.

Being enlightened through education is probably the most wonderful thing that can ever happen to a human being. I am not kidding; even the Bible stresses the value of education. See for thyself. Proverbs 4:7 says this “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding”.

Generally, educated folks command a higher pay rate. On the other hand, education is a product/service that can be commercially marketed. Most governments are compelled by the citizens to provide free elementary and secondary education, but from that point it is all about commercialized education. Even at the primary and secondary level, parents send their kids to private school, if they perceive private institutions to offer a quality education than public ones.

Good education is highly priced. Try Harvard. Try Yale. Try Oxford. See? The list goes on and on.

Apart from American kids who have no compelling reasons to pursue good college education somewhere else in the world, the rest of the world is willing to search for quality anywhere, regardless of the distance from the homeland. And Africans are good at logging some major miles in search of good education.

So lets talk about the dollar signs behind education. According to The Christian Monitor, international students pumped in $13.5 billion to the United States economy in 2005. No wonder Dina Habib Powell, Assistant Secretary of State is working to woo more Chinese kids to the United States .

But what really stink about this is the fact that despite bringing in the money, most international students stay behind in foreign countries, adding up to the already bad brain drain situation. Trust me, I know that, because my mind could have been utilized in Tanzania, but instead helping the American society to grow.

I wonder if anybody in the Tanzanian government is aware of these realities. I wish that the Tanzanian government would create an environment in which our higher learning institutions will become the greatest in the Africa, and later extending that supremacy to the entire world. I wish that we would come to the point of making Tanzanian the destination for the African kids pursuing higher education.

I understand that this probably would not make sense for some, but trust me; Kenyans and Ugandans have already set a trap for the Tanzanian kids and parents. All well-to-do families are sending their kids to Kenyans and Uganda for secondary and high school. These kids are not studying there for free. We are dropping some major ching-ching to the Kenyans and Ugandans. I am not sure if the kids learn anything superior other than the ability to speak English, but it is working.

Creating top-notch institutions will require more than just giving podium speeches. Such an endeavor will require a deliberate move. The fact that CBE graduates are not even able to grasp changes around them shows how crappy our education is, to some extent. The fact some academicians, such as Professor Bavu of the University of Dar Es Salaam, who recently confessed that the university has been offering some irrelevant courses proves that we are miles away from creating superior institutions.

Worse is the fact that the Bongoland government is not funding research, but would rather buy an expensive radar, an expensive presidential jet, or a fleet of expensive sports utility vehicles.

So before you go to bed tonight, just think about the fact that the United States ripped-off $13.5 billion (not millions) from foreign students in 2005. If we have a strategy in place, we can certainly get a piece of that cake, especially from African students. What is cool is the fact that just 1% of that amount alone will translate into about $13.5million to the Tanzanian economy.

I wonder if we can get there though, given we have failed even to ensure a steady flow of power supply. And we have been “independent” for how long?