Vision 2025: Yeah Right...

I am fighting the temptation to go back on the globalization debate, but I will refrain from it. That is mainly because I don’t see strong of an argument for the claim that African’s pathetic state of economic condition is MOSTLY contributed by the Western tactics and colonialism. I am yet to see a clear and articulated way the Western has contributed to that. I am also yet to be shown why Africa’s own self-destruction is being completely taken out of the picture.

I am a strong believer in the power of one’s mind (mindset, attitude and what have you) of acting as a guiding campus towards one’s goals. I strongly believe that a less educated person who sets him or herself to hard work and perseverance can do wonders compared to an educated person who is lazy. You can clearly tell the difference in mindset when two individuals face similar adversities – one can chose to rise up and the other can elect to crumble.

It is all in the mind and willpower.

So Tanzanians have this wonderful goal of eradicating abject poverty by 2015. You know what? I really commend the CCM folks for having a vision and a goal that is clearly stated. Nonetheless, it is one thing to set goals and another to follow through. It is one thing to draw “intellectual” strategies and it is a different animal to see the practical side of what you are trying to accomplish.

The reason I’m touching on this is because we have only 8 years to 2015. That is a very short period of time given that Tanzanians typically drag their feet. But the most interesting aspect of it all is that the government is showing signs of panic. Just read the Prime Minister’s reaction to the slow pace in achieving the goal. Well, on the other hand the PM’s reaction is sign that the government is “concerned”, but from my end, that is just a bunch of crap. These guys are professional politicians and certainly he is trying to pull some tricks to build political equity.

The government is simply not serious. There is no willpower to make progress.

May be seriousness in Tanzania is equated to coming up with fancy words alone. What about seriousness that is accompanied by deeds? I just think that a serious government would not spend tons of shillings on expensive sports utility vehicles (which are not part of your poverty eradication strategy) at the expense of infrastructure or education, for instance. But again, that is just how I see it.

I would like to hear all those wonderfully crafted excuses as to why Tanzania failed to accomplish her goal of eradicating poverty come 2015. I won’t be surprise if someone will tell us in 2015 that we failed to reach our goal because of colonialism or effects of colonialism. You think I am kidding? Just read the comments in my previous posts. Some folks actually believe that Africans’ problems are mainly due to some Western game, while our own mental attitude has nothing to do with the current state of affairs.

There is no way we can get to year 2015 as a “rich” country. You know why? How can we get there while we are currently struggling with even very basic things? Ask yourself this: how can we eradicate poverty while we can’t even collect trash in our own towns and cities? Seriously, do we need EEU or Japanese help for trash collection? May that is also the effects of colonialism, or may that there are some Western tricks that are prohibiting us from collecting trash and ensuring steady electric and water supply.

Take it from me. As long as we keep on doing the same crap, we will continue getting the same crap. As long as Tanzanians keep electing crappy leaders, nothing will change. The cycle will continue unless we get someone in the State House who has the right mindset. Until that happens, we can continue to be poor year 2025 and beyond. I know the thought of that stinks, but until “miracles” happen, that is the reality.

Vision 2025. Yeah right…

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Photo credit: Mjengwa

That's Moving Foward...(2)

I’m not trying to be apologetic, but it is not my intention to come hard on my fellow Bongolanders on every corner and on every occasion. I don’t think that everything is so bad in Tanzania. It is just making changes I suggest will make us a much better society. May that is because I don’t just like the minimum. If we can go 10 miles, let’s go there, though 5 could be “adequate”. Successful individuals and societies shoot for improvement.

Let me ask this: what was wrong with the way we used to listen to music in 2003? Absolutely nothing! But Mac folks thought we could have iPods. Of course the reason behind Mac’s innovation was to make money, but the company knew that customers who appreciate something better will consume the iPod. The improvement phenomenon is not confined to Western societies alone, but it happens even in Tanzania. Though we could say that change in Tanzania happens at a very slower pace. So when I give my take, it is just I believe in changing.

That being established, I just wanted to say that I always get thrilled when the right stuff happens in Tanzania. The latest news is that the Tanzanian government will embark on a tourist advertising campaign in the United States and Canada through CNN and various US airports.

You can freely access the article right here.

If anything, this is moving forward. See, I am believer in taking personal responsibility for one’s destiny. I know there have been folks who ascribe to this belief that Africa is not making progress because the West is holding the keys to our breakthrough. To me that is a bunch of baloney. OK, let’s assume the West actually have our keys. What makes someone think that the West will just hand over the keys?

Unlike some folks who are still holding to the “blame the West” mantra, the Tanzanian government is certainly showing signs of maturity. We could ask why it took the government too long to aggressively advertise our tourist attractions, but I will give them credit for taking this first step. I applaud them for realizing that crying wolf against the West will not help, but drawing own strategies is the key.

It is my hope that along with the advertising campaign, the government will embark on a deliberate move to prepare indigenous service providers on the best customer service practices. That is because I think that customer service in Tanzania, generally speaking, needs improvement.

Regardless of everything else, I think spending advertising shillings to attract tourists is definitely moving forward…and in the right direction.

Photo Credit: Mjengwa

WaTZ and Globalization: Beats Me...(3)

IT is not my objective to prolong the discussion on the globalization and Africans versus the West. Nonetheless, I feel that it is necessary to bring this point home: It is the Africans responsibility to push their course and get where they want to go. That process must start by the definition of a desired destiny, followed by a strategy to get there.

If the West becomes a hurdle along the way, so what? Who said the success comes easily? I honestly think that most Africans are living in this cozy Utopian land, where success is handed like peanuts. I can tell you that there are plenty of Africans succeeding in the United States, while there are plenty of African-Americans living in public housing.

At the core of it, it is a matter of perspective and attitude.

It appears that most Africans are still hung on blaming the West for everything or the majority of our issues. I will change my stance if some can come up with the proof that internally, Africans are doing the best to succeed, except that G-8 is standing on the way. I would like someone to give me a “blame scale”, for instance, 60% goes to the West and 40% goes to Africans themselves, etc. Until that happens, I will blame “us” for not getting where we want to go. Honestly, I don’t think we want it bad enough.

Did I say that we need strategies to get where we want to go? Yes I did. Just to prove what I was talking about, here is an excerpt of the speech given by the Tanzanian Minister for Planning and Economic Empowerment, Hon. Dr. Juma Alifa Ngasongwa to the Parliament on June 14, 2007 (I am providing the English translation as the speech was in Swahili):

“…Our challenge is to increase exports and to motivate production at quality that meets the world market demands”

“…The government will push for the execution of the Export Development Strategy to increase the quantity and quality of goods exported, add value to our products by processing good before export, invest in production of new products for export, and to fully utilize all opportunities afforded to export our products such as through the AGOA and EBA programs and other opportunities in Canada, Japan, China and Korea, and looking for new markets for our products”
You can read the entire report here.

Need I add more on that in relationship to he discussion we have had about the developed world ability to penetrate the Western market? I think Mr. Ngasongwa just backed up my arguments.

Folks, it is the responsibility of African countries (including Tanzania) to draw strategies that would enable those countries to enter, satisfy, and capture international markets. So for all my friends who think that G-8 is putting a lid on our attempt to enter the Western market, think again. The ball is on our courts to meet the market standards.

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Update: June 22, 2007

Just read the article below to see how the failure of Tanzanian businessmen to penetrate foreign markets is mainly attributed to their lack of business skills. This came from Daily News

WaTZ and Globalization: Beats Me...(2)

As much as I hate dedicating a whole new post as a response to a reader’s comments, I have to do this. In the last post on some Tanzanians’ reaction to globalization, I received yet another comment, which in my view, is another representative of a popular position. Given that my blog is dedicated (for the most part) to providing an alternative thinking, I will try to “educate” a little.

It should be understood that by doing this I am not playing a genius, I am just trying to be honest and stretch our thinking a little. I know I have blind spots somewhere, so I would greatly encourage feedback and comments.

I have to start by providing snippets of the comments from this esteemed reader, so that we can all be on the same page:

“In fact the whole concept of globalization or international economy has been designed with giant players in mind and the new roles for action accommodate their best interests. The industrialized countries impose barriers on agricultural products from African countries that are five times higher than the manufactured products from their countries”.

The reader went on to add:

“ Since the intensification of globalization, the debt burden of African countries has risen tremendously. In 1973, Africa had a debt of $13.1 billion. Currently, the debts of 52 African countries have reached $315 billion...”

That sounds as a serious attack on globalization. That sounds like someone who’s very, very mad at the industrialized countries. The good news is that I will try my best to provide an alternative thinking. That is not because I’m “westernized”, but because as a true African, I feel that Africans, particularly Tanzanians, have to embark on a whole new thinking mode. I can honestly see the above comments being given by sorry African leader who has no clue what is going on. I sincerely hope that my reader is above that level.

So here is my “rebuttal”…

It is the responsibility and the right of EVERY country in the world to do what is best for her citizens. Fulfilling that duty includes having protectionist policies with regards to the quality of products and services that are delivered to citizens. I dare you to name me a country that is just running wild without some sort of policies and regulations geared towards serving the best interest of her citizens. Well, may be in Tanzania.

With regards to market entry –which the reader complained about – the truth is this: regulatory environment is part and parcel of a market condition. As such, it is the responsibility of the African business community and producers (since Africa is pretty much moving towards private enterprise, this goes to the Mengis and the Manjis) to produce what meets the market demand and meets or beats the regulatory environment. Besides, isn’t the entire free market phenomenon based on letting the market decide? The problem is this: we are sooo used to just doing the minimum in Tanzania. When that minimum does not cut it when we get outside Tanzanian borders we start complaining.

But even in Tanzania, don’t we have Tanzania Bureau of Standars, which is charged with putting some major roadblocks on products and services deemed inappropriate or of low standards for the Tanzanian consumer? (Case in point: Tanzanian government has imposed restrictions on importation of used/second hand vehicles) Why then, would a Tanzanian in sound mind, complain that United Kingdom, for instance, is imposing sanctions on fish fillet from Tanzania that the UK government regards as of low quality? It is their prerogative. If a Tanzanian businessman wants to sell fish fillet to UK, they HAVE to produce, package, and price it in a way that meets the demand. I don’t see anything Africans v. Europeans in that. It is simply business.

Part of the reader’s challenge, which I didn’t include here, is that I should provide solution to the problems I identify. I believe I have been doing that. Nonetheless, with regards to barriers to entering the industrialized countries’ market, I don’t have to provide any strategic solution. All the business folks in Tanzania need is to change their attitude. Well, even Tanzania Chamber of Commerce’s chairman, Elvis A. Musiba, thinks that Tanzanian business community has never been serious about business opportunities, including the AGOA opportunities. That is an attitudinal issue, which has nothing to do with strategy.

I am glad that the obversation came from TCCA boss, not from me. Now, some people in Tanzania still think the issue is with the market, and not with the marketer. That is a twisted mentality, which does not make any sense from a practical standpoint.

With regards to ballooning of the African debt, we can’t simply run and attribute that to globalization. First of all, how that does globalization, which is pretty much a free market concept, cause African countries to acquire more debt? I would seriously need more education on that. As far as I know, the expansion of debt is an outcome of strategies, vision and policies. Case in point: the United States’ debt , which has grown over time, but has increased or decreased based on whether Democrats of Republicans are in power. All that is happening while the country is purely capitalist. So why would one tell us the African debt has grown because of globalization?

This is would be my explanation as to why African debt has grown over time. The African population is growing and policies are changing. With that comes the need to expand infrastructure and other services. Question: what was the length of paved roads in Tanzanian in 1973 compared to 2007? Was the paved road expansion done for free? What is the most likely source of funding of such capital projects? You bet it is through acquisition of debt!

Well, leaving aside policies and strategies, we have to take a deeper look internally. Do you know why donors coined the buzzword “good governance” as a condition for financial aid? It is because Africans leaders have failed, by the Western standards, to do the basics for their own people. Good governance does not only translate into such areas as media freedom, it also goes down to fiscal discipline.

Let’s take Tanzania as an example. What can we really show as a “product” of debt that we took, let’s say in 1992? Even, better, did Tanzanians starve because BWM decide to service the prior debts? I strongly believe that the reason African debt ballooned over the years is this: Leaders got the money, but they never used it for its intended purpose. As a result, the capacity to service the debt flew out the window (not to mention lack of a strong will to service the debt in hope for cancellation). If you think I am kidding, just read the recent Auditor General’s report on fund misappropriation. In 2005/2006 alone, ten ministries, departments, agencies and ten regions incurred payments of roughly $67 million lacking proper documentation. Try to imagine how much has been "stolen" in the last ten years.

And then we have the audacity to sit here and condemn globalization for our problems?

This is my point. Africans need to be responsible. We do all the wrongs things, but quick to shift the blame somewhere else, most likely on the Western world. As far as I am concerned, industrialized countries are doing what is best for them – and that is their prerogative. If we truly want it, we have to go get it. Nobody will ever hand you anything, particularly in this era of fierce competition. If you can show me that African leaders and business folks have done the right things, but the only thing that is blocking them is some Western trickeries, then I can honestly shut my mind down. But as far as I see it, a typical Tanzanian thinking leaves a lot to be desired.

As I said it before, I’m saying it again: If we (Tanzanians) don’t play, we’ll get played. It is that simple. Well, it just happened that Kenyans and South Africans are playing us right now, while we are dancing to Bongo Flava tunes. Please ponder this: why can’t Tanzanians penetrate the Kenyan market? IF we can’t even knock at the neighbor’s door, why do we think we can effectively handle the American or European markets?

I am not willing to jump on the “we are not developing because of the West” bandwagon. Not yet. Even more, I cannot blame globalization for African own bad attitude and mindset. That is up to us to solve first. Sadly, it appears we are not willing to take an internal inventory of our own doings.

Photo credit: Mjengwa

WaTZ and Globalization: Beats Me...

Recently, one of the readers of my blog posted a comment on my previous post on dual citizenship. As I pointed out earlier, I don’t know everything. I just try to be honest with my writing. Telling it like I see it. With the territory comes criticism and corrections. You are welcome to do that. That’s the way we grow.

Well, the reader decided to challenge me on my comment regarding dual citizenship. This is what I said:

“Unfortunately, the world of physical borders is slowing eroding and we are increasingly becoming a global village.”

That didn’t sit well with this esteemed reader. So the reader threw the following challenge my way:

“Who is benefiting from become a global village? The answer will be USA and EU multinational corporations. Why there is no CRDB branch (benki ya mijini na vijijini) in the US, UK, or other EU countries?

I typically don’t like the idea of having a entirely new post on a reader’s comment, but I have to do that at times. That is mainly due to the fact that some of the comments, in my opinion, are respresenting a position that is more likely than not taken by a majority. Since my blog is dedicated towards correcting some of the misconceptions we (Africans and particularly Tanzanians) have towards the West, I will take my time on this.

From the very core of it, the above comment is echoing (please readers, correct me if I am wrong) inferiority complex. I have no idea where this is coming from, but I am guessing it is due to a constant barrage of negative messages we have received from our cheap politicians over the years.

This is my message: get over it. Nothing is going to change because Africans are crying foul.

Secondly, the message has failed to take a critical look at a typical Tanzanians’ attitude towards business skills and competition. That is the very reason that Kenyans have a bank branch in Tanzania, while we continue to play politics. So this is the question regarding the banking industry, which the reader decided so cite as example: has CRDB managed to spread its operations across the entire Tanzania , even as far as Kenya? Well, the answer to that is a plain NO. That demands a second question, why not? The answer to that is lack of strategic vision, seriousness, aggressiveness, lack of true business mindset.

Due to globalization, there are plenty of opportunities for Tanzanian businesses. Just to name a few,IPP Media has a TV station that broadcasts both in Kenya and Uganda, Sumaria Group is running some businesses in Mozambique. You know why they are able to do that? Because they have a business mind. These companies don’t just play politics in their strategic planning. They are aggressive. They go where the market is.

This is my contention. Fear of globalization is based on relatively meaningless arguments. But it appears that Tanzanians are very good at coming up with cheap excuses. I was in high school when there was this commission appointed by then President AHM to collect views on multiparty system. Guess what was one of the reasons cited against the multiparty system? That Tanzania will get into a political and social turmoil like that in Rwanda or Burundi! A bunch of crap.

Baseless phobia is plain stupid. You know what? Everytime a change happens, there are beneficiaries and victims. In my personal experience, flexible folks who understand and go with the times tend to be the beneficiaries. Those who resist change, for no apparent reason other than their love for the status quo, tend to be on the receiving end. I would definitely not like to see my fellow Tanzanians being on the receiving end, simply because they opted to be whiny and whimpy.

Globalization brings with it a competitive spirit. Can you look me straight in the eye and tell me that the only reason CRDB don’t have a branch in Uganda is because some white man is putting a lid on their expansion strategy? Have you tried CRDB customer service of late? That should tell you the story.

We have the AGOA opportunities, right? What did Tanzania do with it? Very little. For instance, Kenyans export to the US on the AGOA program was $249 and $352 million in 2003 and 2004, respectively, compared to a pathetic $24 in both 2003 and 2004. And they you sit and cry about globalization? If we don’t play, we will get played.

Photo credit: Mjengwa

Wasteful Leaky Buckets...

I meant to reflect on this way back, but sometimes life just gets on the way...

I know some people will chew me for repeating this, but it is true. The primary and fundamental problem with African countries, particularly Tanzania, is the wrong mindset. We have just got our minds set on wrong things. One of the things that really irks me is this constant whining about how our problems are caused by colonialism blah blah blah…Don’t get me wrong, I know we have inherited some of the colonial mentalities that put leaders above ordinary citizens, like the colonial masters used to be, but it has been an average of four decades since the white folks got done with Africa. So let’s skip the whining, would you Africa?

I had a chance to visit Bongoland in late 2004. There is no way I could be in Tanzania and never visit my hometown – Shirati. True story: I know folks who would go home from the States, only to end up staying at Kilimanjaro Hotel and such. They would arrange for their parents to come and meet them in Dar. If you ask the core of it all, is that they have a western, civilized spouse, who can’t stand flies in villages. Talking about loss of identity and inferiority complex? There you go!

Man, I would go anywhere. As a matter of fact, I would board the daladalas with everybody. I know of some sophisticates fellas who would not want their American t-shirts to get dirty. Obviously, I have to adjust to the fact that the majority will not have deodorant in the bus. But who cares? I used to do the same. I would spray cologne in the direction of my armpits. Guess what happens when the Bongoland heat hits you? It is one cool stench! But that’s what I knew, so I would definitely cut my people some slack.

I think I just lost my trend of thoughts…well; I was talking about my visit to Tanzania in 2004. I came across a cousin of mine. His business proposal when we met? I send him a tractor, since I was in the land of opportunities. I was afraid to ask if he had sent the same proposal to a bank - him a retired civil servant and all. I didn’t want to offend. You know how folks tend to be sensitive in Bongoland. I didn’t want to bring up logical questions, for such questions never receive a logical response. The only you will end up getting a bad rap for being disrespectful. Age, feelings and emotions always take center stage in discussions back home. And old lady would not tell you that she needs money, but the virtue of visiting your home at 6:30 am before everybody fully wakes up and her emotional story of how she has been sick of late should tell you the message.

Now, let’s go back to my cousin’s story. That is a typical Tanzania mentality. Nobody would go to a bank for a loan. They would rather ask from a relative. And you know very well what happens in case of default. You could never recover your monies. The ukoo vikaos will condemn you for being such a capitalist, if you press for recovery. That’s the predominant culture and regardless of how much I blog about it, it will never go away easily.

The message the culture sends, however, is that it is OK to be beggars. It never puts every member of society to task with regards to his or her personal responsibilities. I understand that there are people who are victims of circumstances. Those should definitely be helped. Nevertheless, what about folks who decided that they would never use their brains, but sit around waiting for this cousin or that nephew in America, for instance?

You know what stinks? The begging mentality has spread so bad that even the president would consider it a success to beg and eventually secure foreign aid. The worst is this: we don’t use donor funds with respect. Donors used to send us money and money alone. Later they discovered we weren’t using the money as planned, so they decided to send the money and the personnel to oversee the use of the money. Nobody seemed to care though, because this wasn’t our hard earned money in the first place.

As I highlighted above, beggars do not like the idea of personal responsibility. As a matter of fact, I believe begging starts when someone feels that their success or breakthrough is dependent on someone else’s hands. So recently, the Auditor General’s report came out. Guess what? There has been rampant squandering of public funds in all directions.

We are certainly a joke, as a nation and collectively. I don’t see a sense of urgency or seriousness. Not from the president. Not from the PM. Not from the cabinet. Not from the MPs. Occasionally, you will see some flames of seriousness. For the most part, the folks we call leaders are a bunch of clowns. Serious folks would consider it a serious offense to squander the little resources we have. Try tipping over a food plate of a hungry man and see.

See, what makes me conclude that the president JK, like his predecessors, is a joke is because he is not viewing misappropriation of public funds as a serious matter. I mean, you deal with misappropriation in terms of billions by issuing a warning statement? I mean, how many times have we heard such songs before? What about prosecution of the offenders? But I guess the prosecution of the offenders would not occur. If you read the Auditor General’s report, some of the offenses occurred under the president’s own watch when he was a minister. So there you go folks, who ties his own hands?

See, the president can do whatever he wants to do as long as he is producing progress for Tanzanians. I really don’t have a problem with that. But isn’t it stupid to go out and beg and put all your “water” in a leaky bucket?

You be the judge.

Photo credit: Mjengwa

Do We Have Low Self-Esteem?

I’m a member of an email group that is mainly for Tanzanians living in Columbus, Ohio. As such, I do receive communication from other members. I get all sorts of messages – folks promoting their businesses, baby shower announcements, bridal shower announcements, birthday party announcements, misiba announcements, etc. Occassionally, political agendas, which are typically followed by a lengthy debate, would surface.

I love it though. It keeps the community flowing.

So a few days ago, one of the members forwarded the following message. I will let you in on it:

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Kenya Airways na Ubaguzi

Couldn't help but wonder about the way the Western Media cover the KQ crash. Look at the following quote from cnn.com:

"The people on board included one American, five Britons, one Swiss, one Swede, six Chinese, and 15 Indians. The remainder were Africans, including at least 35 from Cameroon and at least nine from Kenya, according to airline figures."

So, the most important passenger was the American, followed by the Europeans, the Asians, the Southeast Asians, then the rest were just Africans.

Hey, doesn't matter that Africans comprised of the majority of the passengers in the fateful flight. The western media! Prejudice never fails to show its face.
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You know, you could read the above message and sympathize with the writer if you elect no to exercise your mental muscles. In a very simplistic, African-politically-charged thinking, the above statements appear to make sense. Nevertheless, the above statements, which could have very well be given by any African politician, is just an expression of an epidemic of low self-esteem or inferiority complex that has engulfed the minds of most Africans, particularly when it comes to the way they view themselves relative to the Western counterparts. In my opinion, that is very pathetic and very sad.

So this is the deal, lets get deeper a little bit. Didn't the quote say "according to the airline figures"? Why can't we assume that this was the Kenyan Airways own presentation instead of going into the West vs. poor Africans card? Besides, don't we, as Tanzanians, tend to group all white folks into wazungu group and not according to their nationalities? Isn't true that the rest of the victims in the plan crash were Africans?

The western media is trying to communicate with the western audience - which still believes that Africa is one country. Read Tanzanian own reporting. Their focus wasn't on any other persons, but a Tanzanian soldier onboard the plane. Just read the Guardian’s article to prove my point.

If the Tanzanian media chose to focus on a Tanzanian citizen onboard the plan, why then would any Tanzanian cry foul when the Western media is highlighting their own?

News is supposed to be relevant to the audience. If you understand the Western audience, you can get where the using the general term Africans come into play. I come across American folks, both white and black, who have no clue where Tanzanian is located on the map. Some would actually want to verify whether Tanzania is an island in Australia!

We can surely criticize the Western media in some other instances, but that does not preclude us, as Africans, from being practical. If anything, this was (at best) an overly political reaction. The worst-case scenario, which I believe is the underlying psychological truth, is that we have a very, very, very, low self-esteem when it comes to the way we compare ourselves to the wazungus.

And that is just very sad. Isn’t that circling back to the idea of how one’s mindset affects they way they view life and themselves?

Photo credit: Mjengwa

Should Nations “Mature”?

I love to learn. I love to grow. That does not mean the learning process is enjoyable all out. Sometimes, the process is painful. As painful as it is, most of us only learn through mistakes. Some of these mistakes could be very costly – including losing a limb or ones job. I have not gone to those extremes, but I have had my own less than glamorous moments that really help me grow and mature.

I hope I am not alone on this one. So don’t front. I know you have received your mama’s whopping now and then. If not your pops or mom, mwalimu wa zamu had a feast on your butts or hands with a number canes. This could be considered some sort of abuse by today’s standards, but I went through it.

One of the ways that I learn is to read and reflect on what other have to say. As a matter of fact, I think the entire global education is based on others’ ideas and insights. Just think of Mr. Newton in Physics. I know the stuff he brought to light would have been discovered by some other crazy genius, but thus far he is attributed to the Laws of Motion. Just pay a visit to a bookstore or library; you will get what I mean. These joints are full of ideas – other people’s ideas to be precise, that are nicely put together into a binding called a book.

What’s my point? We learn through others.

So the other day I was going through Kitururu’s blog and I came across this particular post.I didn’t run out on the streets naked, but I surely got mentally stimulated. Essentially, Simon’s reflection was on whether at some point, just like babies, nations should mature and stop acting like infants.

I really don’t have any concrete answer to Simon’s challenge, but I think it is worth paying a serious attention to. See, I have personally been an advocate for developing countries, Tanzania in particular, taking responsibility for their state of affairs. I don’t believe that being on the West’s welfare recipient list will ever improve anything in Tanzania. That is due to the fact that Tanzania has received an astronomical amount of grants and financial aid in the past, but there is no evidence of improvement in the lives of ordinary, poverty-stricken Tanzanians.

I can see the spirit behind financial aid to developing countries, so I can’t say financial aid to poor countries is meaningless. In a spirit of brotherhood, financial aid is necessary to jumpstart a needy brother’s vitality. Nonetheless, we have to be honest with ourselves; aid flowing to Tanzania is not helping. If it does, it is helping to fatten the pockets of a few crooks. I believe that aid is just strengthening a beggar’s mentality and a growing justification for dependency.

It is true that countries do not develop at the same rate you would expect natural human beings to grow. Things take a while. As such 46 years of political independence for a country like Tanzania, in a wider perspective, is not much. I would equate that to a 7 or 10 years old kid. Despite the young age of Tanzania, relatively speaking, there should be signs of maturity. We would expect that a 10 years old kid to know how to read and write. You don’t expect a ten year old kid that stopped wetting their bed at four (4) years of age to revert back to those bad habits, would you? Then why Tanzania is going back to fiscal indiscipline year after year? My point is this: there are things that Tanzania should be doing right now, given her age. I don’t think a nation ought to be over 300 years old to understand that spending money on expensive cars while there are no good roads is stupid.

I know this will probably not go anywhere, but I will go ahead and suggest it anyway. Financial aid to developing countries should be phased out. These countries are out to mature and grow. At some point the West has to stop babysitting countries that are deliberating wetting their pants and crying like little kids. Tanzania is included on that list. Look, Uganda decided to grow and growing they are doing. So we can’t justify our low GDP while we have plenty of resources.

Tanzanian is growing a moustache, but we still insist on breastfeeding. That is a mega shame. So Mr. Simon Kitururu, I think you are right. At some point, age limit should be set on countries from receiving certain financial aid. Writing a blank check to Tanzania, for instance, is senseless. If that doesn’t stop, we’ll continue wetting our pants while we should be courting for marriage.

You think I am alone? Even the Tanzania former president, Mr. BWM, is getting the fact that African countries are ought to grow (though I wonder why he is providing such wonderful insights that he couldn’t fully implement while in power). Guess what? Even IMF is starting to think that Tanzania should come of age.

What do you think?

National ID Cards: Thumbs Up...

I must admit it. I have been critical of the Tanzanian government; particularly on the way it has been making decisions. To be honest, and at least from my perspective, most of the decisions that the government has made are just ridiculous.

I have also committed myself to being fair. When the government makes a good decision, I will not hesitate to commend that. Besides, what I desire is for the government to constantly make great decisions. Good decisions do not only indicate a sign of maturity and accountability, it shows a sense of intelligence and superb common sense application. In the very end, the regular mwananchi becomes a winner. Isn’t a great a win-win situation?

One of the areas that have been a black spot in the Tanzanian government is the perceptions and reality that corruption is rampant when it comes to granting of major contracts. (But I think I can cut the Tanzanian government a slack, since signs of kickbacks and gross graft cloud contracts in most countries).

So through my web browsing, I came across news that the Tanzanian government has awarded Digimarc a contract to generate voters’ identification cards. That’s what Digimarc’s official website is saying, but I think these identification cards will be regarded as national identification cards.

The Tanzanian national identification card project will cost a huge financial bill. At the estimated $160 million, (according to story published by the Guardian, the cost of implementing the project is estimated to be TShs 162 billion, which is roughly equivalent to $160 million) that is not a small change for a country like Tanzania. I know there has been a debate on whether spending such an amount is justified or a priority given the fact that most school kids do not have school supplies or even desks and chairs. I am not going to dwell on that, but I like to run some numbers to make sense of some things.

Just by doing quick calculations, you can tell that $160 million divided by 35 million people (that is an estimate), will give you roughly $5 per each Tanzania. That is about TShs. 6,000. Given that national identification will be issued to every Tanzanian, there will be not preferential treatment in getting the national IDs. I would cry foul if just a fraction of Tanzanians will benefit, if the cost per each person was extremely high.

Besides, Tanzania is the only country in East Africa without national identification cards. It is about time we get one. If you ask me what the identification cards would do the lives of ordinary wakulima, I would not honestly be in a position to give you a straight answer. Nonetheless, I know some things are just necessary evils.

In the past, I know such contracts would have been awarded to some shoddy companies like Richmond Development Corporation or the like of Dowans whatever. I don’t know how Digimarc got the contract, may be through oiling somebody’s palms, but given that generation of identification cards is what the company does, I hail the government for selecting a company that will play within its core competency.

In addition, given that Digimarc is a publicly traded company, we can officially log a complaint against the company with the United States government, if we come across information that will indicate that the company has violate the United States laws, which includes paying bribes to secure contracts or do business in foreign countries. In addition, we can vouch the company’s background and past performance.

I am admitting it; the government has taken the best route with regards to engage an appropriate company for generation of national identification cards. For that, I sincerely commend them.

So this is the deal: If you are a Tanzanian living in the United States or Canada and can buy shares, just go ahead and buy Digimarc’s shares as a piece of your portfolio. That way, we can always take “our” money back. And I think that is smart.

Leadership? What Leadership?

I take time to reflect on my life occassionaly. Given my background (which I would not disclose here, but if you think I am one of those kids who grew up in Oysterbay and Masaki you have dialed the wrong digits), I am very thankful for God’s amazing love and grace. I have been places that I never imagined I would. I have accomplished things I never thought I could, given my background (if I had to follow the prevalent mindset in Bongoland).

Of all the things that I am thankful for is the opportunity to obtain both the Tanzanian (technically sound) and American (critical thinking rich) education. That is a lethal combination. I guess that’s why folks in Tanzania who have never experience this tend to assume that their colleagues educated in the West are just a boastful bunch. I just wish they could listen and learn. I am glad the western education enables me to think “outside the box”. Honestly, I think I was “smart” even before I came to the United States, but I wasn’t able to put issues in their proper context. I wasn’t a critical thinker then.

I believe critical thinking is a struggle among many educated folks in Tanzania. Obviously, they have nailed hardcore, technical stuff down, but once you take them outside that comfort zone, you only get disappointment. A good example is how someone with a doctorate could not give a very good logical rationale for squashing dual citizenship. You know why Dr. Msoka, for instance, made a booboo? There weren’t any chapters to memorize on the dual citizenship thing, just common sense and critical thinking. And he failed on that.

As hard as I try to deny it, I think I am a sports fanatic. May be it is the art involved in sports or just the raw athleticism. I mean what is better than watching a 5’9” tall person like Nate Robinson of New York Knicks block a shot on a super tall player like Yao Ming?. That’s crazy stuff that makes sports fun – at least from my perspective.

I have been away from Tanzania for quite sometimes, but I still follow-up on what Simba and Yanga are doing. I guess that is partly because I was a fan of one of the teams. Or partly because I love sports, period, and I would really love for Tanzania to make meaningful strides.

Not surprisingly then, the news that the recently “hired” Simba’s Brazilian coach – Nielsen Elias – has quit coaching the club , caught my attention. In reading the reasons for his departure, the coach sighted lack of serious and quality leadership in the club. Was it surprising that the coach left? Not to me. The likes of Patrick Phiri and Jamhuri Kiwhelo have seen the wrath of bad management in that club.

See, I am firm believer in that you only accomplish what you have envisioned. I know sometimes we exceed our expectations, but for the most part you can’t pursue goals that are beyond your mental horizon. Bringing that down to Simba and Yanga, it is apparent that the vision that these two clubs have is just overly narrow. It appears that these two clubs – in the minds of their members – exist for a sole purpose of whooping each other. A Simba’s coach, for instance, who manages to make the team the league’s champions but losing to Yanga in both games of the season would likely end up being fired. Success, in the minds of Simba or Yanga fans is to avoid ridicule from the other team. And that is very narrow of a vision, given there are even more lucractive continental tournaments that the clubs should focus on.

I wish the Mwananchi newspaper were keeping prior copies of their stories, I could have linked you to the original story ran by the newspaper on the Brazilian’s departure. In a nutshell, the Brazilian contended that Simba is a bigger club beyond the ability of current leaders to manage.

Did you hear that?

Obviously, the Brazilian didn’t elaborate on what he meant by the “bigness’ of the club. Nonetheless, that does not stop us from presuming that he was making a reference to the club’s size in terms of the number of fans, which equates to popularity. The club’s popularity comes with other potential positives, such as being potentially being a marketing magnet. I have addressed this before.

The problem of leadership, as you might have guessed goes beyond Simba and Yanga.

I really struggle with the core reason for lack of quality leadership in almost every aspect of life in Tanzania. May be the simplest explanation is that the majority of Tanzanians are ignorant. Given that leaders are typically generated from this pool of ignorant members, it is now wonder we end up with less effective leaders. While that could be a very tempting explanation, I will go beyond that and contend that leaders are visionaries who are able to lift societies beyond the minimal expectations. Leadership is about leaving a wonderful legacy and not simply conforming to the status quo. It requires courage to test the uncharted waters.

I can clearly understand the Brazilian’s frustration with the Simba’s leadership. It is rare to find a Tanzanian who is gunning for the next level. The poor guy came in expecting that Simba’s leadership to have a clear understanding of what they wanted to accomplish, only to realize that it is zimamoto and bora liende type of environment. The poor Brazilian found out that Simba’s (just like Yanga’s) leaders are not thinking of building a 21st century club.

Did I tell you that my brother just moved from Tanzania recently? Well, I am learning a lot. Through our conversations, I am learning how the Tanzanian thinking – which is mainly centered on the impossibilities rather than possibilities – is killing Tanzanians. It is like every citizen is paralyzed and none of them is daring to think outside the box. I am also getting a sense that the Tanzania education is not geared towards equipping people with the ability to solve practical things and put issues in their proper context, but centered on theories and “big things” that don’t have practical application. No wonder you have PhD holders who can’t think in practical terms.

It gives you the impresssion that talking in practical terms in Tanzania is not regarded as "intellectual" enough.

As sad as it is, the reality is that we aren’t going anywhere unless we learn how to identify and groom leaders who can formulate and carry out a vision. This Simba case is just a tip of the iceberg. The truth is that we are in deep trouble as a society. And that scares me.

Photo: Mjengwa

This Union Thing: I Just Don’t Get It…

I don’t have hatred for Zanzibar. As a matter of fact, my very own young brother lives there. Nonetheless, from a political standpoint, I don’t get it when Tanganyikans are forced forgo everything their own while letting Zanzibaris keep everything theirs. Coming to think of it, I don’t even blaming Zanzibaris for that. They got the best deal out of Nyerere’s utopian dreams of forming a union.

So this is what is really puzzling me, if not ticking me off: why would Zanzibar reject the applicability of the corruption bill in Zanzibar, while members of the parliament from Zanzibar apparently attend and vote during the Bunge sessions (which is an implication of representation and binding of their constituents)? Why don’t they just stay back in Zanzibar, particularly on those bills considered “non-union”? Why do they make their way to the mainland to collect their daily per diem funded by the Tanganyikan taxpayers?

The core question is this, why let Zanzibar members of parliament make decisions for Tanganyikans, while Tanganyikans can't do the same in the opposite direction?

Some issues don’t make sense to me.

If this were a marriage in its true sense, Nyerere courted and married a girl she hardly knew. The only thing I see is unnecessary complexities that we can avoid by either forming a true marriage or calling it quits.

I would prefer calling it quits, quite honestly.

Dual Citizenship: There's More To It...

I live in the Diaspora. That alone gives me an experience edge over most of the folks in Tanzania. I know some folks would regard that as bragging, but it is not. It is a matter of fact. Obviously, my experience has helped me grow. Not only intellectually, but as a total person. I have come to see how similar human beings are in terms of their motivations. We all want to be happy, prosperous, powerful, recognized, etc. The only difference, however, is how different society achieves their goals. That to me has been the separating point between the West and Africa, for instance.

I came across this article from Daily News on how the University of Dar-Es-Salaam scholars blasted the idea of dual citizenship. Reading every rationale provided by the scholars, I almost went bananas. Read the original article yourself, lest I get accused of making up stories.

I seriously respect the UDSM scholars’ opinions. It is their prerogative to express their views. Nonetheless, I would like to express my opinions too. And my take is this: the view expressed by most of the quoted UDSM students and professors is myopic.

I can understand tying single citizenship to true patriotism, but that is a debatable argument, particularly in the Tanzanian context. From a practical standpoint, the track record of single citizens – some of whom are holding Tanzanian diplomatic passports – does not give an indication of a serious and true commitment to Tanzania. These are the same folks who have brought us RDC, the radar saga and endless of swindling of public funds. True patriotism goes beyond paying lip service and an abundant supply of meaningless rhetoric. It appears that the UDSM scholars are ascribing citizenship to a very narrow view of what it stands for.

Just a little further, globalization means mobility of labor and resources. Isn’t that’s why Tanzania is trying to lure foreign investors? If that is the case then, fear of foreign “invasion”, which has been cited as reason against dual citizenship, is more than a narrow view. Foreign “invasion”, if anything is imminent. Recently, the Tanzanian president has been trotting around the globe marketing Tanzania. The simple translation to that is the foreigners will flock Tanzania whether dual citizenship is a way to go or otherwise. By the way, Vodacom or Barrick Gold are not Tanzania owned companies. As such, singing patriotic songs will not change the global forces. The only wise thing we can do is to be proactive and manage those trends.

I gather that our “educated” mass at UDSM is still stuck in the Tanzania of 1975 when anything patriotic and Pan-Africanism sounding made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, the world of physical borders is slowing eroding and we are increasingly becoming a global village.

The loss of true Tanzanianship, if I can coin the expression, is about to end anyways. I don’t know what the UDSM scholars are seeing, but from my view point, the introduction of the East African passport will mean the end of Tanzania citizenship. If the EAC thing goes through, we all know that Tanzanians will become Kenyan and Ugandan citizenship, if you will. So why would educated folks fail to see what is actually up close and under their noses?

I guess they were busy being too patriotic.

I really can’t understand why Tanzanians would think that they are all that. The last time I checked, Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. Let’s put that in capital letters: ONE OF THE POOREST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. Check the CIA fact figures . With an estimated $29.25 billion GDP in 2006, Tanzania was below Kenya ($40.77) and Uganda ($51.89 billion. Given those facts, why would an “educated” person in Tanzania think that there would be a mass influx to Tanzania simply because of dual citizenship? Why would we think Ugandans are imbeciles for allowing dual citizenship (despite having the highest GDP in East Africa)?

Just go ahead and look at the list of other countries (including many other African countries) that allow dual citizenship. The truth is that most of these countries are doing much better economically than Tanzania.

Well, some folks have contended that only a minority group is pushing for dual citizenship and therefore eliminating the need of granting dual citizenship. Have the “educated” elite of Tanzania thought about the fact that the majority of Tanzanians are farmers that have never seen a Tanzanian passport? Furthermore, I really don’t understand why an informed minority in a country would be denied a right to choose, simply because the majority group is ignorant.

Well, some Dr. Colman Msoka made this comment, which I honestly think is shortsighted if not stupid: “ If they (I guess he was referring to Tanzanian living abroad) love this country they should come and stay here. Why allow them to come and go?”

Well, Dr. Msoka, staying in Tanzania could be an outward expression of loving Tanzania, but is that truly the only, absolute way that one can express their love for their country? Let’s be honest. Who’s the number one enemy to Tanzania: those Tanzanians who chose to look for employment elsewhere or those Tanzanians in Tanzania who are looting the country left and right?

Deducing that Tanzanians stationed in the Diaspora are sell-outs is more than stupid. For one, it is the prerogative of every Tanzanian to travel abroad. I think that is why Tanzanian passports are issued. Secondly, it is the right of every Tanzanian to look for employment anywhere in the world (provided they don’t break the law in those foreign countries), particularly in this globalized economy. Are the white managers in Bulyakhulu less Canadians because they are stationed in Shinyanga?

It appears to me that Dr. Msoka is undermining the economic contribution of Tanzanians living abroad. I have given this example before, but I will do it again for the benefit of the ignorant likes of Dr. Msoka. I live in the United States. My mother lives in Shirati, Tarime. On a monthly basis, I send money to mom. My mom does not hide that money under her pillow. She circulates my money into the local economy. I know of other folks from Shirati right here in the United States who do the same. I know folks in Dar-es-Salaam who do the same. We keep the Shirati’s economy rolling. So do you mean to tell that a person from Shirati who decided to be stationed in Dar-es-Salaam, for instance, for economic reasons does not love Shirati enough?

There are other cultural reasons to consider also. For instance, I have a son born in the United States. He is an American from a legal standpoint, but a Tanzanian from a cultural perspective. His grandmother is still in Shirati and she pretty much considers him her bloodline. I wonder if the likes of Dr. Msoka are considering such unique situations. There are so many countries out there that are allowing dual citizenship, but my son does not have a reason to be a Ugandan, for instance. He is tied to Tanzania. Unfortunately, there are people in Tanzania who think my son does not deserve a chance to make a connection with both the country of his birth and the land that is housing his grandfather’s grave.

Honestly, I think patriotism without critically looking at all pertinent factors is just stupidity, if not craziness and irrational fanatism.

Brand Tanzania: Please Do More

According to income statistics in Tanzania, tourism is generating almost a third of the GDP. That being the case, one should expect that the government would do all it can to ensure that more tourists or the few that come spends more loot in Tanzania.

I did a little research and came up with the following website,which kind of highlights the tourism profile in Tanzania. The site talks about a few strategies to increase revenue from tourism, but it is full of generalities that do not really tell much as far as strategic actions are concerned.

I will have to dig in so more on what the allocated $70million for Tourism Infrastructure Project will do, but I am assuming it would help get rid of some of the obstacles. My worry, however, is whether the Tanzanian government is serious enough (leaving aside political promises which lack serious focus). My worry is based on the fact that we have so much theories and “mipango ya maendeleo” that have yield little results.

If someone doubts whether Tanzania is serious about tourism, just compare the number of tourists that visited Kenyan in 2005. That figure was a whopping 850,000 compared to a meager 290,000 that Tanzania experienced. That is a joke, given the fact we have more to offer.

What prompted me to write about this is a “postcard” from The Amazing Race reality TV program that I came across on the web. Please view the postcard yourself here.

The card has so much (positive stuff) to say about Zanzibar as a tourist destination, but then at the very core of it, it drops a serious bomb on the Tanzania’s seriousness on tourism. I quote:

“ Tanzania may be less welcoming to tourists than its neighbor, Kenya – sun is scorching and the wilderness raw – but for seasoned travelers, the country’s possibilities are endless”

The quote sends two damaging messages: 1) we just don’t have an environment for tourists to enjoy compared to Kenya 2) Tanzania is for seasoned travelers. Which, means inexperienced tourists could find Tanzania less appealing.

I know folks at the Tanzanian Tourist Board or other government officials will not really grasp the impact of that card. Nonetheless, the card could either promote Tanzania, if the readers will choose to ignore the “shortcomings” part and focus on what Zanzibar has to offer or kill our chances with the American tourists. That is due to the fact that The Amazing Race is one of the most popular TV programs in the United States. According to Reality TV World, the program was able to draw about 12.5 million viewers in one of its programs in 2005.

That is huge.

I am not sure of how many people will or have actually read the above “postcard”, but given that wws.msn.com is one of the widely visited websites, the damage could be even greater and the Tanzanian government has a mountain to climb.

My point is this: perception is reality. If the American tourist is being told that Kenya is a much better tourist destination than Tanzania (without even the Kenyan government paying for the message) we have to bring our top game. We have to change our game plan to change the perception that is already out there about Tanzania as a tourist destination.

By the way, do we really know who our tourist is or we just lump him or her in one category of wazungus?


Photo: www.msn.com

JK: Mugabe Is Not Our Problem

I strongly believe in being a good neighbor. I also believe in being a good brother. Nonetheless, I don’t believe in just losing my sleep , especially when my brother's issues are self-imposed. I think the most responsible thing to do is to rebuke my brother when he is messing up. My point is this: I know Mr. JK is trying to be a good brother with regards to the Zimbabwean saga, but that will be wasting Tanzanians’ precious time.

Mugabe knew this was coming. He deliberately chose to drive Zimbabwe through a concrete wall. Honestly, I am struggling to find justification for supporting a guy who thinks there is nobody else worthy of being Zimbabwe’s president. That is insanity.

As I have pointed out earlier, I am not one of those who advocate blaming the African situation entirely on colonialism. Unfortunately, sticking to the blame-the-west bandwagon seems to be the most popular position in the minds of most Africans. I tend to think that is due to mental laziness and failure to own our problems.

Apparently, a writer/journalist by the name of Hillary Joseph thinks the west is responsible for the sinking of Zimbabwe. I don’t think so.

While the effects of colonialism are there and true, this is almost 27 years since Zimbabwe got independent. Mugabe could have been ideal for the Zimbabwean situation in 1975, but the question is this: is he still relevant in 2007? Has he evolved and changed to face the free market economy? Has evolved to lead young Zimbabweans who can't relate to the "independence fight" ideologies? We live in a very complex world that require uncommon wisdom and tactics. Nonetheless, it appears to me that Africans are so predictable. It seems that as long as an African points a finger at Westerners (while begging for their money) that makes a good policy.

I know this is not a popular position to take, because for such a long time Africans have never taken ownership of their problems, but I strongly believe this is a new direction that we should take. Essentially, when stuff happens, we should ask this question: what could we have done better instead of finding a scapegoat. Development will not be handed over to us. We have to fight for it!

Given that there are success stories (relatively speaking) in other African countries such as Uganda (who, by the way, had civil war for ages), Botswana etc, the colonialism argument is irrelevant. It is about a desire to make strides. The question is: when Tanzanian leaders, for instance, would rather buy expensive (and unnecessary) cars instead of building hospitals, could we blame that on the long gone British? At some point, we have to stop this foolishness and face a very tough world.

If we have to herald Mugabe as some kind of an African hero, can anyone tell me the contribution of Zimbabwe in science in technology in the past twenty years? Nada. Zero. And that is the point. If Zimbabwe was doing much better ten years ago than today, then that is regression. I cannot, in my sane mind, praise that. What has he done lately for Zimbabweans? Clubbing them for opposing his views? Is that what we think is patriotic, cool, and worthy of our support?

I am glad that the Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa is being realistic. I am glad he is being my type of African. He is the only president to recognize that Zimbabwe under Mugabe is a sinking Tinatic.

I wonder if our guy, Mr. JK has the same guts. But even if he did, I don’t like for my president to be playing Foreign Minister, while there are tons of local issues to deal with. Mugabe’s fate is not our business. Besides, Mugabe rode the boat deliberately on the iceberg.

I am glad also that other writers, such as Adam Lusekelo, are not allowing themselves to be pushed into thinking inside the box. I really liked his position on the Zimbabwean saga. The question that I have is this though: how many folks out there really understand what people like Lusekelo, Mwanawasa and I are talking about? I am not sure if it is the majority.

It stinks to see that Africans themselves are killing Africa. It is sad that Africans have not fully come to grip with realities of our contributions to the demise of the continent. So I get amazed when I see writers such as Bilal Abdul-Aziz trying to paint Zambian President as some sort of a western puppet. That is shortsightedness and I could not just help but wonder where this level of ignorance is coming from. Assuming that the Zimbabwean conflict stems from land policy alone will be an oversimplification. That would be undermining the opposition , which happens to have black Zimbabweans. Besides, when they got beaten up, were they demanding for the return of land to the whites?

It bugs me when some Africans assume that if you don't support African self-destruction, you are some sort of a western puppet.

My position is this: despite that typical African political rhetoric from Mr. Joseph and Abdul-Aziz, no politics will EVER save Zimbabwe. No amount of pep talk will revive the situation in Zimbabwe unless Mugabe just bows down and walk. I know most African folks don’t like what Levy Mwanawasa said, but that is the honest assessment: Mugabe stinks.

So when it comes to Zimbabwe I would not like to see Mr. JK playing hero. You can never resuscitate a dead body. Unless the President and other Africans like Hillary Joseph and Bilal Abdul-Aziz are in denial. Besides, Zimbabwe is not our problem. Let him who messed it up fix it

I hope I won’t be regarded as a lesser of an African because I hold a different point of view.

Apology

In trying to tweak some things about this blog, I inadvertently block everyone from submitting comments. I apologize for that. Nonetheless, I am hereby informing you that I have made necessary modifications and you can now share what is on your mind.

Losing The Moral Battle

You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that one of the many factors that are dragging Tanzania down is lack of quality leadership. We have plenty of figures that we call leaders, but in my opinion they are nothing more that opportunists and career politicians. Relatively speaking, we have made progress since independence, but given all the resources we have, it could have been much better.

I could blame Nyerere for setting up the wrong stage as far quality leadership is concerned. That is because we recognize him as the Father of the Nation. Given that fact, corruption, irresponsibility, self-righteousness, abuse of power and all the negative things that we note with regards to Tanzanian leaders, are attributed to him. I know, I know, folks would say that he did what he could, given a few educated folks he had at his disposal. That is fine and I respect that, but that was in 1961. In 1985 when he left office (twenty-four years later) certainly he could have set the stage for more educated and responsible folks to take the leadership reigns.

My point is this: a responsible father leaves his house in order. And Nyerere didn’t.

I just wanted to bring that historical perspective, so that we can understand why we have leadership problems in Tanzania. I don’t believe that problems started when Nyerere left office. Most of the folks in the leadership ranks in Tanzania have been recycled ever since I was born. The leadership decay and crisis in Tanzania started way back. Think I am kidding?Just read this.

And this was way back in 1982. So all of a sudden Nyerere became a champion of a fight against corruption after his presidency? Please. If anything, that is hypocrisy, given that he had failed to fight the same.

If he was serious, why didn’t he sack anyone? Beats me and I guess we will never find out. So we can’t start shooting AHM or BWM for all the evils. Nyerere simply didn’t have the guts to do anything during his tenure. He just talked. He gave very good speeches, but no action was taken. So is anyone surprised the “recycling” tradition is still going on? Or could it be that his “boys” knew Nyerere’s own evils, such as having cable TV at his residency, while denying the entire country the privilege of having a TV station? I am sure they knew about some skeletons in Nyerere’s closet.

Given what we know, Nyerere was not justified to accuse Mwinyi of running a corrupt government, while his own government was full of crap.

It is not surprising then, that over the years; the concept of good leadership has escaped the minds of most Tanzanian “leaders”. Honestly, the majority of MPs, for instance, stink of evil. How could anyone elected through the influence of takrima boast of being a “good” leader? I am sure they would content that it doesn’t matter as long as the said MP is capable of “working hard” for the people. You will see that in a minute.

It appears that the requirement that good moral standing be a must for our leaders is being thrown out of the window. I guess the only prerequisite for being appointed to stand election by any political party is loot in one’s pockets. A classic case of the deterioration of our moral standards as a country is the story about the MP for Buchosa, Mr. Samuel Chitalilo. In a nutshell, the dude “cooked” his educational qualification, but thinks it is no big deal.

In Mr. Chitalilo’s mind, which I believe is a representative of that of many in the CCM camp, failure to be of a good moral character is not something that a leader should be penalized for. Surprisingly, he confessed that even CCM, collectively as a party, would not penalize that. What I am gathering out of that is this: tumekwisha. I understand that based on the Laws of the land, Mr. Chitalilo didn’t commit any offense. But that does exonerate Mr. Chitalilo from moral charges, which holds him accountable for even higher standards.

And think that guys is right. The legacy that Nyerere left behind does not call for accountability on violation of moral rules. So Mr. Chitalilo must be aware of the extent to which dirty things are within CCM and the entire system. Besides, wasn’t it CCM that ratified takrima, which is bribe in principle? I am sure when they start pointing fingers at Mr. Chitalilo, he would have his own finger pointing to do. Are you surprised that CCM has remained mum on this? I am not. It is all dirty in that house.

And that is pathetic. It is pathetic because this is a party of members who could not even uphold its own constitution (please see chapter 2, section 8, subsection (6) of CCM’s constitution, which outlines character requirements for a member). You can view the constitution from CCM’s own website.

Despite Nyerere’s failure to leave a good foundation for good and quality leadership behind him, we can’t dwell on that for the rest of our lives. Our generation has a responsibility of building and sustaining a culture that values good and quality leadership. Because if we don’t, we will be losing a moral battle, which those currently in power have stopped or failed to fight.

Photo: Darhotwire

That's Moving Foward...

As most bloggers and writers would agree, there is a temptation to reflect or write on controversial topics to garner attention. Getting comments or feedback from your readers is certainly a nice way of knowing whether your writing is meaningful or a waste of time. I believe that all human beings like the attention. It is natural, so don’t even try to front that you don’t like it. That is true whether you are just an average Joe or a celebrity. I think the only bad thing would be if you were obsessed with the notion to the extent that you get depressed when you get less or not attention at all.

I like to get the attention. I mean, this is some a personal media if you will. Try to imagine having a newspaper without a readership or a television station without viewers. That would certainly suck. That would stink. I can see some folks starting to question whether I do this for attention (the selfish type of attention) or other ulterior motives. I don’t. I do this to get your positive attention. I want us to go on a journey that would enrich us both.

That being said, I would like to express my appreciation for the comments that I have been getting on this blog and for those who signed by guest book. Honestly, there is nothing more encouraging than that. The more I hear from folks, whether they agree with me or not, the more I get fired up to do this. The most wonderful thing though, is the fact that the more I read, I get a common thread out of it: we both desire for a positive change in Tanzania. May be the only difference is that we differ in the way we want to achieve that. You know what? We see things differently and that should be the case.

The best reward about this whole writing thing for is when I see what I write about being implemented. That is not to say that decision-makers are reading this blog as their source of information, but it is certainly refreshing to see that decision-makers can apply the principles of common sense. Honestly speaking, I don’t think I bring anything new to the table. I have only tried to reflect on issues in Bongoland in connection with what general common sense would contend.

I was happy that Young Africans Sports Club finally got their heads together, given that I had previously blogged on them. So this week I decided to not become like most Tanzanian’s journalists who hardly do their research. Of late, they have been many talks about the media and freedom of information bills to be tabled by the government. I decided to take a personal look at the bill’s draft (the freedom of information) to see the contents. Honestly, I was impressed. Take a look.

As I said before, I am not a genius by any imagination. Nonetheless, I feel pretty good knowing that I blogged on this and it happened. Again, I am not saying the government acted on my blog post, because it is very possible the draft was prepared even before I blogged, but it feels good to know that Tanzania is certainly making positive progress in certain areas.

I will praise when praise is due. If this bill is implemented (and followed to the final dot), then we should expect things to change. The truth is that corruption is bred when only a few individuals have access or hold public information. I am sure this bill will put a dent into certain corrupt schemes. Would this help eradicate grand corruption? Probably not, but it would certainly help with nuisances of petty corruption that bugs wananchi on a regular basis. I know the majority still don’t even know their basic legal and constitutional rights, hence raising question of the effectiveness of the bill, but we can appreciate the conception and (hopefully) the eventual implementation of the bill for now.

This bill is certainly a good thing. Imagine this: You apply for a passport and the guys at the Immigration office are giving you a painful run around. Guess what? Under this new Act, you will be able to file for the release of the information pertaining to your passport application so that you can see the stage of your application. If some government office mess you up some 25 years ago, guess what? You can retrieve all the information and know what transpired. Isn’t that cool?

And that is moving forward.

Note: I understand that some folks visiting this blog have been questioning and wondering about the impact of our mindset on everything that we do. Well, courtesy of one of the esteeemed readers of this blog, Mbwana, I am hereby posting a link to another blogger who's "preaching" on the mindset issue. Go here and enjoy!

Photo: Mpoki

On The Brink Of Breakout

The last comment I received as a response to my last post went like this: “Too much critics stinks!!! Change your attitude brother”. Obviously, from the comment I am gathering that the reader construes my writings and reflections as too critical. Well, I can’t deny that. I know it. I do it deliberately. Nonetheless, I don’t do it for fun. I don’t do that for kicks.

There are over 80% of Tanzanians living in rural areas with no running water and electricity. There are over 80% of Tanzanians without adequate healthcare, while the big shots take trips to Germany for regular check-ups. That is unacceptable. Someone fortunate enough to see the light has to represent them. Someone has to act as a big brother, since those they have trusted have only ended up abusing them.

On the other hand, I understand that Tanzanians (generally speaking) have been battered for so long mentally that they have lost the courage to ask critical questions. It is no wonder the voice such as mine, sounds strange. I have read comments on this blog that suggest I only say what I say because I have been influenced and mentally colonialized by the Western world. Really? How many readers out there truly know my background to come to such a conclusion?

Just for the record: I have had the guts to critically think and question things way back before I landed on the United States of America’s soil. There are plenty of Tanzanians in the United States of America, but how many of them do what I do or say what I say? Some things are just a personal calling, and regardless of where you are, you will always do what you were born to do. There are critical thinkers in Tanzania such as Generali Ulimwengu. Do they say what they say because they live in and are influenced by the Western world? Hello?

The principles of justice, hard work, right attitude, critical thinking, intelligence, ethics, morality, etc, are universal. They are applicable everywhere. Why then would one think that Africans are exempt? Seriously, if we think that, then Africans must be very stupid compared to other human races. Given that it has never been proven that other races are intelligent than the Negroid, I will not make that conclusion. We are smart enough. I am assuming that my readers are intelligent enough to grasp my goal and the context in which I am addressing Tanzanian issues. It is disheartening to see that not all of us are blessed to see the light.

I believe that the comments from the anonymous reader that I have quoted above are representative of the majority’s sentiments. I am not very worried about those sentiments, because I believe in my calling. I believe in my responsibility to help a few Tanzanians who through access to the Internet could frequent and read my posts. If I veer away from that course, then I am good for nothing. I know the above anonymous reader is of the opinion that I am very critical or very pessimistic. The truth of the matter is that I am very optimistic about the Tanzanian future.

I believe that we are just a change in attitude away from getting there. As such, I have to press in. We have plenty of resources. We have folks who are eager for change. The other day, another reader asked me to provide alternative strategies instead of talking about an attitude change. You know what? Just read MKUKUTA and MKURABITA documents. Those are good strategies. We are not executing those wonderful strategies because we lack commitment – which is a question of attitude. I just don't understand why people would downplay the importance of attitude (Mbwana, I apologize in advance for bringing the attitude issue again)

The call for a change in African’s outlook on the reasons for our situation is just not coming from me. The more I look into this attitude thing, the more I realize it is a phenomenon that most progressive Africans, such as Ali Mufuruki, are talking about seriously considering. Just take a look at this article from Arab News and you will understand what I am talking about.

I would not like to force anyone into embracing my thinking. I believe that each one of us is given a fundamental right to formulate and hold his or her own opinion. Nonetheless, that does not eliminate the fact that there have been a few opinions and visions that eventually come true. As such, I don’t mind being viewed as a lunatic. There are scientists who contended that the earth was flat, ridiculing those who believed otherwise. We know that those who believe the roundness of the earth won in the end.

My point is this: Tanzania is changing. Some of the forces are from within (deliberate) and others are external. From my point of view, I see a very prosperous country. I see a country that has plenty of potential. I see a country on a brink of coming out economically. But that will only be achieved if we tweak some things a little. One of those things we have to change is our attitude and how we view ourselves in a wider scheme of things. Nonetheless, it is funny and sad that some of us have chosen to embrace the old, traditional, political thinking that is not fitting in our current world. I just don’t like for one day to come back and write another article titled “ I told you so”.

Smart people understand what time it is. Smart folks change with time. Some of the comments I read on this blog make me wonder if people are really getting the season and times in Tanzania. The good thing about change is this: if you don’t change, you become obsolete. You don’t change you find out that your neighbors are holding Umoja Unit shares while you still insisting on lining up for sugar at a “Duka la Ushirika"

Fools In Expensive Suits…

Honestly, I think the Mr. JK is “cool” in terms of social skills, but as far as getting down to having a full of grasp of critical issues, I don’t think he is my type of guy. Anapwaya, if I had to borrow a leaf from Swahili. Na anapwaya vibaya mno. May be he is a victim of a rotten system that made him. May be his hands are tied. May he just doesn’t have the guts. And that is a big issue, because changing Tanzania requires an extraordinary visionary. Kasi Mpya? Yeah right, the guy looks and sounds tired already.

So our beloved President thinks that the reason Tanzania entered into numerous stupid contracts is because the country lacks professionals with trade skills (I didn’t mean to steal your thunder, Mr. Msangi,I just had intended to reflect on this some more). I am not sure what the president had for dinner the previous night, but that is one stinking rationale. It is simply ridiculous.

We both know that that the core issue is the love for 10% and lack of seriousness in the Tanzanian government. If the issue was lack of professional with trade skills, how did Mr. Kikwete himself pull off a contract review agreement with Barrick Gold? Did he accomplish that through some sort of a Norwegian expert? By just listening to his talk with Tanzanians in the UK, nothing magical was done to convince Barrick, except by revisiting some financial fundamentals. Which should be done all the time. No foreign experts needed.

This is 21st century and the reality is that Tanzania is still a developing country. That being established, it is also an undeniable fact that Tanzania has plenty of resources and great years ahead of her. Nonetheless, the country’s potential could only be exploited and fully utilized for the benefit of all if we have a President and leaders who possess not only the right attitude, but also an intellectual capacity to understand the cause and effects of certain relationships.

The 21st century leadership must move Tanzania away from the old rotten mindset that has gotten us nowhere. Part of that thinking is this notion of being powerless, and that we have no control and responsibility over our problems. We must have a leader who feels equal to foreign countries that are our development partners. I am not sure if Mr. Kikwete understands that. If he did, he would have not termed the Swedes and the European Union as “wakubwa” in his
recent talk with Tanzanians residing in the United Kingdom. I can understand the use of that word in the Tanzanian context, because it is somewhat similar to words such as mheshimiwa, mkubwa, mkurugenzi, etc, that are used in social circles meant for interaction. Nonetheless, it is different when the head of state refers to other countries as wakubwa.

We typically speak of what we understand, feel and perceive. I can’t make any assumptions and conclusions on what Mr. JK was thinking, but clearly his choice of words was a clear indication of the mentality that these “waheshimiwa” carry with them to the international meetings. Could it be that we have been beggars for so long that we can’t even lift our heads up and feel dignified? Could it be that we have been psychologically wounded for so long that we can’t even visualize ourselves as successful and powerful? I have no answers to that.

Sad enough, Mr. Kikwete demonstrated such a negative attitude when he held talks with Norway's Minister for Development and Cooperation, Erick Solhein. I am not sure how the conversation about the inability of Tanzania to negotiate and sign equitable contracts with foreign entities came up or what other topics were covered. Nonetheless, given that Mwaura Mwingira, the president’s reporter made this the main story, I am justified to assume that this was the highlight of the conservation between the President and Mr. Solhein.

The major problem with the begging mentality is that it impairs one’s ability to think straight. I mean, of all developmental issues that the President could have discussed with Mr. Solhein, how did the president select the issue of contracts as a major topic? What about expanding market for Tanzanian products? What about asking for more scholarship opportunities? Do we have adequate divers since the MV Bukoba accident, just to name a few areas? How did the president ended up begging for experts that we really don’t need? Could it be that when beggars are given an opportunity to beg, they end up begging for ANYTHING, even if it is useless?

Mr. President, please hear me out: The cure really, is not the importation of Norwegian experts, but changing our own attitude. I don’t think that Andrew Chenge is that dumb. I don’t think that Dr. Msabaha is stupid. The problem is within the system that condones irresponsibility. Which brings us to this question: It is true that the Norwegian expert that the President so admired had more skills than Tanzanians or that the expert simply had the right work ethic and an attitude that would now allow stupidity to go through?

Mr. President, you can’t import attitude. It has to come from within. And you are responsible for causing and driving a change in attitude in Tanzania.

So I am just wondering: What was the Norwegian Minister for Development and Cooperation, Erick Solhein, truly thinking given what he knows about irresponsible, begging Africans? I’m sure he just nodded, smiled and shook Mr. Kikwete’s hands in expression of diplomacy. Nonetheless, I am certain deep inside he was just laughing out aloud, knowing that he has just logged on another day with a shortsighted, begging African in an expensive European suit.

Lack of experts with trade skills is not the reason for signing stupid contracts. It was not the issue behind the radar purchase. It was not the reason for engagement of RDC or IPTL. It was due to rampant corruption. Mr. Erick Solhein knew that. We both know that.

I just don’t like to see my president making a fool of himself. That is because what you ask for or say really tells the story behind your intellectual capacity. This is 21st century. Mr. Kikwete should strive to be a 21st century type of president. Nonetheless, he cannot accomplish that unless he transforms his thinking and perception about a lot of things.