Wednesday, September 3, 2008

KESI YA ZOMBE!!

Leo ni jumatano, septemba 3 2008,
Siku ya 247 tangu mwaka kuanza, zimebaki siku 119 kuumaliza mwaka 2008. Chungu cha pili Ramadhan 1429 Hijria.

Baadhi ya watu waliandamana na msafara wa Mahakama kuu, ilipohamia katika msitu wa Pande kujionea eneo ambalo wafanyabiashara wasio na hatia waliuawa na polisi kwa kudaiwa kuwa ni majambazi.

Mabishano makali yalizuka jana katika Msitu wa Pande Mbezi Louis, kati ya aliyekuwa Mkuu wa Upelelezi wa Mkoa wa Dar es Salaam (ACP) Abdallah Zombe na mshtakiwa wa 11 Koplo Rashidi Lema, wakati Mahakama Kuu ilipohamia katika msitu huo kuona eneo linalodaiwa kuwa wafanyabiashara wa madini wa Mahenge na dereva teksi waliodaiwa kuwa majambazi waliuawa huko.

Mabishano hayo yalitokea muda mfupi baada ya mahakama kukamilisha shughuli zake katika eneo hilo, wakati watu walipoanza kuingia katika magari yao wakiwemo washtakiwa ili kuendelea na msafara, kisha Zombe alisikika akisema kuwa hajawahi kufika katika msitu huo.
“Walahi wabilahi sijawahi kufika huku mambo haya makubwa kumbe mji huu ni mkubwa namna hii!” alisikika Zombe.

Baada ya kutoa kauli hiyo, mshtakiwa wa 11 Koplo Rashid naye alisikika akimjibu Zombe kwa hasira.“Hilo utaeleza mahakamani na utaeleza sehemu mliyokuwa mnanywea bia siku ile na bia zilinyweka ngapi,” alisema Rashid.Koplo Rashidi ndiye aliyeeleza kuwa majambazi yanayodaiwa kuuawa na polisi yaliuawa katika Msitu wa Pande na si eneo la Sinza C kama polisi walivyodai.

Mahakama ilianzia msafara wake katika eneo la Sinza C, ambalo linadaiwa na polisi kuwa majambazi hayo yalikamatwa eneo hilo.Katika eneo hilo la Sinza kabla mahakama haijaondoka, Jaji Kiongozi Salum Massati aliwauliza washitakiwa kama walikuwa na lolote la kuzungumza lakini walijibu kuwa hawakuwa na lolote.

Katika eneo la ukuta wa Shirika la Posta kunakodaiwa kuwa na matundu yaliyotokana na mapambano ya polisi na majambazi, Zombe aliiomba mahakama itafute mtu ambaye atapewa bunduki na kupiga katika ukuta huo ili kubaini ukweli wa matundu hayo.Jaji alimjibu Zombe kuwa suala hilo litazungumziwa mahakamani.

Baadhi ya mahojiano baina ya wakili wa serikali Alexander Mazikila na Kamanda wa Polisi, Mkoa wa Tabora, Kamishna Msaidizi wa Polisi (ACP) Edson Mmari, ambaye ni shahidi wa 30 katika kesi hiyo yalikuwa kama ifuatavyo.
Wakili Mzikila: Je, mlipofika hapa (Sinza) waliwaeleza ni magari gani ya polisi yalikuja?
Shahidi: Walisema lilikuja gari la Bageni (mshtakiwa wa pili) na gari la Makele (Mshtakiwa wa tatu).

Wakili: Waliwaeleza baada ya kuwakamata marehemu walielekea njia ipi?
Shahidi: Walielekea njia ya upande wa magharibi.
Wakili: Wakati majambazi hayo yanakamatwa waliwaeleza wao walikuwa wapi?
Shahidi: Walikuwa eneo la Maduka.
Wakili: Baada ya kutoka eneo la Sinza C mlielekea wapi?
Shahidi: Tulienda Sam Nujoma kwenye eneo ambalo fedha za kampuni ya Bidco ziliporwa.
Wakili: Je, fedha hizo zilikuwa zimebebwa kwenye gari gani?
Shahidi: Zilibebwa kwenye gari aina ya Mercedes Benz la Kampuni ya Bidco.
Wakili: Katika eneo hili (Sam Nujoma) kuna mabadiliko yametokea, je, kitu gani kimekufanya ulikumbuke, uliweka alama?
Shahidi: Nimelikumbuka kwa sababu upande wa pili wa barabara kulikuwa na Banda la Kampuni ya Konoike.
Wakili: Baada ya kutoka hapa mlielekea wapi?
Shahidi: Tulielekea katika eneo la ukuta wa Posta mahali ambako kunadaiwa kulikuwa na matundu ya risasi yaliyotokea baada ya majibizano ya polisi na majambazi.
Wakili: Wewe ni askari wa siku nyingi na pia ni mpelelezi unazungumziaje matundu haya?
Shahidi: Hata kama ungepiga kwa karibu na risasi ikapita kwenye mwili wa binadamu lazima ingepasua ukuta zaidi.
Wakili: Kwa kuwa Bageni aliwaeleza baada ya mapambano yale kulikuwa na majeruhi, je, nyie katika uchunguzi wenu mlibaini nini?
Shahidi: Kulikuwa hakuna majeruhi.
Wakili: Je, mliangalia kama kulikuwa na kitu kingine chochote kilichoashiria mapambano?
Shahidi: Tuliangalia ukuta wa pili lakini hatukuweza kuona kama kulikuwa na matundu ya risasi.
Wakili: Baada ya hapa mlielekea wapi?
Shahidi: Tulielekea Msitu wa Pande ulioko Mbezi Louis kwenye eneo ambalo wanaodaiwa kuwa ni majambazi waliuliwa kule.
Wakili: Je, mlipofika hapa (msituni) mlizikuta maiti za hao majambazi?
Shahidi: Hatukuzikuta lakini tuliambiwa walizichukua na kuzipeleka katika Hospitali ya Taifa Muhimbili.
Wakili Majura Magafu: Je, baada ya kuonyeshwa hili eneo mliweka alama yoyote?
Shahidi: Hakuna alama maalum tuliyoweka.
Wakili: Bunju mlienda lini?
Shahidi: Siku hiyo hiyo.
Wakili: Mlipofikia hapa (Bunju) mlifanikiwa kupata nini?
Shahidi: Hatukupata kitu zaidi ya kupiga picha za kawaida za video.
Wakili: Je, picha hizo zilipigwa na nani?
Shahidi: Sajent Elly alipiga picha za video na Sajent Moja alipiga picha za kawaida.

kwa ufupi, mambo yalukuwa hivyo. Kesi hiyo inaendelea kwa wiki nzima.
Haki!!
Thomas!!!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Miaka 44, Bravo JWTZ.

Thomas Mushi
Dar es salaam September 1 2008 JWTZ………..
Jeshi la wananchi wa Tanzania limeadhimisha miaka 44 tangu kuanzishwa kwake kwa kuahidi kuendelea kutekeleza kwa vitendo madhumuni ya kuundwa kwa jeshi hilo likiwemo jukumu la ulinzi wa nchi na utoaji wa huduma kwa raia wakati wa dharura.

Maadhimisho hayo yamehudhuriwa na waziri wa ulinzi wa Comoro Mohamed Bacar Dosar na Mkuu wa Majeshi wa Comoro Brigedia Jenerali Salimoo Mohamed ambao wamelikushukuru jeshi la wananchi wa Tanzania kwa kufanikisha kumuondoa madarakani kiongozi muasi Kanali Mohamed Bacar katika operesheni ya kijeshi visiwani Anjouan.

Viongozi hao pia walitoa mkono wa pole kwa wajane wa askari wawili wa Tanzania waliofariki dunia nchini Comoro. Askari hao ni Coplo Rafael Sarakikya kutoka Arumeru Arusha aliekufa maji siku mbili kabla ya kuanza kwa operesheni hiyo wakati PRIVATE Hamis Makame kutoka kaskazini Unguja alifariki dunia kwa kuugua siku chache baada ya kumalizika kwa opesheni hiyo.

Akizungumza katika hafla fupi Makao makuu ya jeshi upanga jijini Dsm, Waziri wa Ulinzi na Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa Dr Hussein Mwinyi amesema,jeshi la wananchi wa Tanzania linajivunia rekodi yake ya mafanikio makubwa katika operesheni zake wakat wa amani na zile za kivita ambazo zimeiuletea nchi heshima kubwa

Akizungumzia hoja ya kuwataka askari wa jeshi hilo kulipa nauli katika vyombo vya usafiri, waziri Mwinyi amesema, chombo chenye maamuzi ya kutangaza agizo hilo ni Sumatra, baada ya kufanya mashauriano na wadau. Ameongeza kuwa, kufuatia ukimya wa Sumatra katika suala hilo, ni wazi kuwa bado majadiliano hayakamilika hivyo watoa huduma wasubiri agizo la Sumatra na si vinginevyo.

Kuhusu mafanikio makubwa ya opesheni Democracy Comoro iliyofuatiwa na ahadi ya Rais kuwapa nishani askari walioshiriki,mkuu wa majeshi ya ulinzi na usalama Jenerali Mwamunyange amesema, nishani hizo zinaandaliwa na zitakapokuwa tayari umma utajulishwa.

Katika vuwanja vya Jeshi, Mkuu wa majeshi jenerali Davis Mwamunyange na Mnadhimu Mkuu wa Jeshi Luteni Jenerali Abdurahman Shimbo wamewaongoza maafisa, askari na wananchi katika sherehe hizo ambapo wimbo mpya wa jeshi ulizinduliwa rasmi baada ya mchakato mkali uliosimamiwa na wataalamu

End……..

Thursday, August 28, 2008

‘Olympic Games Vs Human Rights’

By Nicodemus Thomas.
Some few days before the starting of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing China, The Chinese authorities were reported to have broken their promise to improve the country’s human rights situation and betrayed the core values of the Olympics, according to a new Amnesty International report.

The report evaluates the performance of the Chinese authorities in four areas related to the core Olympic values of ’universal fundamental ethical principles’ and ‘human dignity’: these include persecution of human rights activists, detention without trial, censorship and the death penalty.

In the run-up to the Olympics, the Chinese authorities have locked up, put under house arrest and forcibly removed individuals they believe may threaten the image of “stability” and “harmony” they want to present to the world.

There were a lot blames from people of almost all groups as one quoted,” By continuing to persecute and punish those who speak out for human rights, the Chinese authorities have lost sight of the promises they made when they were granted the Games seven years ago,” said Roseann Rife, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

The report ordered the authorities that they must release all imprisoned peaceful activists, allow foreign and national journalists to report freely and make further progress towards the elimination of the death penalty.”

World leaders were urged to speak out against the violations before and during the opening of the games as another activist quoted "We continue to call on world leaders planning to attend the Games to speak out now to prevent the authorities from using their attendance as a tacit endorsement of violations perpetrated in preparation for the Olympics’ Said Gerry Harris.

Beijing Authorities routinely denies allegations that it abuses human rights, arguing they have improved the situation and saying its economic management has improved the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people.

When it was awarded the chance to host the Games, China said it would uphold the values of human dignity associated with the Olympian tradition such as an improvement in human rights, media freedom and better provision in health and education BUT
Amnesty says, they have witnessed people been made homeless, journalists have been detained, websites blocked, and the use of labor camps and prison beatings has increased.
For a long time, China's human rights record has proved troublesome by Media, Human rights Agencies an even the World leaders where by some of them have decided openly to talk about it and explain their dissatisfaction with the matter especially with the connection of the ongoing confrontation between China and Tibet.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed to attend the opening ceremony on 8 August but at one stage Mr Sarkozy said he had not ruled out boycotting the Olympics in protest over Chinese actions in Tibet.

His announcement followed by that of US President George W Bush, who promised to be present at the opening ceremony while Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper planed to stay away the events, leaving the ball to the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who had confirmed to attend the closing ceremony only and probably to say a word on the saga.

NYERERE. Clear thinking, hard implementing!!

One of Africa’s most respected figures, Julius Nyerere (1922 – 1999) was a politician of principle and intelligence. Known as Mwalimu or teacher he had a vision of education and social action that was rich with possibility.

Julius Kambarage Nyerere was born on April 13, 1922 in Butiama, on the eastern shore of lake Victoria in north west Tanganyika. His father was the chief of the small Zanaki tribe. He was 12 before he started school (he had to walk 26 miles to Musoma to do so). Later, he transferred for his secondary education to the Tabora Government Secondary School. His intelligence was quickly recognized by the Roman Catholic fathers who taught him.

He went on, with their help, to train as a teacher at Makerere University in Kampala (Uganda). On gaining his Certificate, he taught for three years and then went on a government scholarship to study history and political economy for his Master of Arts at the University of Edinburgh (he was the first Tanzanian to study at a British university and only the second to gain a university degree outside Africa.

In Edinburgh, partly through his encounter with Fabian thinking, Nyerere began to develop his particular vision of connecting socialism with African communal living.
On his return to Tanganyika, Nyerere was forced by the colonial authorities to make a choice between his political activities and his teaching. He was reported as saying that he was a schoolmaster by choice and a politician by accident.

Working to bring a number of different nationalist factions into one grouping he achieved this in 1954 with the formation of TANU (the Tanganyika African National Union). He became President of the Union (a post he held until 1977), entered the Legislative Council in 1958 and became chief minister in 1960. A year later Tanganyika was granted internal self-government and Nyerere became premier. Full independence came in December 1961 and he was elected President in 1962.

Nyerere’s integrity, ability as a political orator and organizer, and readiness to work with different groupings was a significant factor in independence being achieved without bloodshed. In this he was helped by the co-operative attitude of the last British governor – Sir Richard Turnbull. In 1964, following a coup in Zanzibar (and an attempted coup in Tanganyika itself) Nyerere negotiated with the new leaders in Zanzibar and agreed to absorb them into the union government. The result was the creation of the Republic of Tanzania.

Ujamma, socialism and self reliance
As President, Nyerere had to steer a difficult course. By the late 1960s Tanzania was one of the world’s poorest countries. Like many others it was suffering from a severe foreign debt burden, a decrease in foreign aid, and a fall in the price of commodities. His solution, the collectivization of agriculture, villigization (see Ujamma below) and large-scale nationalization was a unique blend of socialism and communal life. The vision was set out in the Arusha Declaration of 1967 (reprinted in Nyerere 1968):

The objective of socialism in the United Republic of Tanzania is to build a society in which all members have equal rights and equal opportunities; in which all can live in peace with their neighbours without suffering or imposing injustice, being exploited, or exploiting; and in which all have a gradually increasing basic level of material welfare before any individual lives in luxury.

(Nyerere 1968: 340)
The focus, given the nature of Tanzanian society, was on rural development. People were encouraged (sometimes forced) to live and work on a co-operative basis in organized villages or ujamaa (meaning ‘familyhood’ in Kishwahili).

The idea was to extend traditional values and responsibilities around kinship to Tanzania as a whole
Within the Declaration there was a commitment to raising basic living standards (and an opposition to conspicuous consumption and large private wealth). The socialism he believed in was ‘people-centred’.

Humanness in its fullest sense rather than wealth creation must come first. Societies become better places through the development of people rather than the gearing up of production. This was a matter that Nyerere took to be important both in political and private terms. Unlike many other politicians, he did not amass a large fortune through exploiting his position.

The policy met with significant political resistance (especially when people were forced into rural communes) and little economic success. Nearly 10 million peasants were moved and many were effectively forced to give up their land. The idea of collective farming was less than attractive to many peasants. A large number found themselves worse off. Productivity went down. However, the focus on human development and self-reliance did bring some success in other areas notably in health, education and in political identity.

Education for self-reliance
As Yusuf Kassam (1995: 250) has noted, Nyerere’s educational philosophy can be approached under two main headings: education for self-reliance; and adult education, lifelong learning and education for liberation. His interest in self-reliance shares a great deal with Gandhi’s approach.

There was a strong concern to counteract the colonialist assumptions and practices of the dominant, formal means of education. He saw it as enslaving and oriented to ‘western’ interests and norms. Kassim (1995: 251) sums up his critique of the Tanzanian (and other former colonies) education system as follows:

1. Formal education is basically elitist in nature, catering to the needs and interests of the very small proportion of those who manage to enter the hierarchical pyramid of formal schooling: ‘We have not until now questioned the basic system of education which we took over at the time of Independence. We have never done that because we have never thought about education except in terms of obtaining teachers, engineers, administrators, etc. Individually and collectively we have in practice thought of education as a training for the skills required to earn high salaries in the modern sector of our economy’ (Nyerere, 1968 267).
2. The education system divorces its participants from the society for which they are supposed to be trained.

3. The system breeds the notion that education is synonymous with formal schooling, and people are judged and employed on the basis of their ability to pass examinations and acquire paper qualifications.

4. The system does not involve its students in productive work. Such a situation deprives society of their much-needed contribution to the increase in national economic output and also breeds among the students a contempt for manual work. (Kassam 1995: 251)

Nyerere set out his vision in ‘Education for Self Reliance’ (reprinted in Nyerere 1968). Education had to work for the common good, foster co-operation and promote equality. Further, it had to address the realities of life in Tanzania. The following changes were proposed:

1. It should be oriented to rural life.
2. Teachers and students should engage together in productive activities and students should participate in the planning and decision-making process of organizing these activities.

3. Productive work should become an integral part of the school curriculum and provide meaningful learning experience through the integration of theory and practice.

4. The importance of examinations should be downgraded.
5. Children should begin school at age 7 so that they would be old enough and sufficiently mature to engage in self-reliant and productive work when they leave school.
6. Primary education should be complete in itself rather than merely serving as a means to higher education.

7. Students should become self-confident and co-operative, and develop critical and inquiring minds. (summarized in Kassam 1995: 253
Judged today, the educational reforms met with some success and some failure. The policies were never fully implemented and had to operate against a background of severe resource shortage and a world orientation to more individualistic and capitalist understandings of the relation of education to production. However, primary education became virtually universal; curriculum materials gained distinctively Tanzanian flavours; and schooling used local language forms (Samoff 1990).

Adult education, lifelong learning and learning for liberation
In the Declaration of Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere made a ringing call for adult education to be directed at helping people to help themselves and for it to approached as part of life: 'integrated with life and inseparable from it'. For him adult education had two functions.
To:
1. Inspire both a desire for change, and an understanding that change is possible.
2. Help people to make their own decisions, and to implement those decisions for themselves. (Nyerere 1978: 29, 30)

Julius Nyerere - The Declaration of Dar - es - Salaam
[Page 27] Man can only liberate himself or develop himself. He cannot be liberated or developed by another. For Man makes himself. It is his ability to act deliberately, for a self-determined purpose, which distinguishes him from the other animals. The expansion of his own consciousness, and therefore of his power over himself, his environment, and his society, must therefore ultimately be what we mean by development.

So development is for Man, by Man, and of Man. The same is true of education. Its purpose is the liberation of Man from the restraints and limitations of ignorance and dependency. Education has to increase men’s physical and mental freedom to increase their control over themselves, their own lives, [page 28] the environment in which they live.

The ideas imparted by education, or released in the mind through education, should therefore be liberating ideas; the skills acquired by education should be liberating skills. Nothing else can properly be called education. Teaching which induces a slave mentality or a sense of impotence is not education at all — it is attack on the minds of men.

This means that adult education has to be directed at helping men to develop themselves. It has to contribute to an enlargement of Man’s ability in every way. In particular it has to help men to decide for themselves —in co-operation—what development is. It must help men to think clearly; it must enable them to examine the possible alternative courses of action; to make a choice between those alternatives in keeping with their own purposes; and it must equip them with the ability to translate their decisions into reality.

The personal and physical aspects of development cannot be separated. It is in the process of deciding for himself what is development, and deciding in what direction it should take his society, and in implementing those decisions, that Man develops himself. For man does not develop himself in a vacuum, in isolation from his society and his environment; and he certainly cannot be developed by others. Man’s consciousness is developed in the process of thinking, and deciding and of acting. His capacity is developed in the process of doing things.

But doing things means co-operating with others, for in isolation Man is virtually helpless physically, and stultified mentally. Education for liberation is therefore also education for co-operation among men, because it is in co-operation with others that Man liberates himself from the constraints of nature, and also those imposed upon him by his fellow-men. Education is thus intensely personal. In the sense that it has to be a personal experience— no one cam have his consciousness developed by proxy. But it is also am activity of great social significance, because the man whom education liberates is a man in society, and his society will be affected by the change which education creates in him.

There is another aspect to this. A Man learns because he wants to do something. And once he has started along this road of developing his capacity he also learns because he wants to be; to be a more conscious and understanding person. Learning has not liberated a man if all he learns to want is a certificate [page 29] on his wall, and the reputation of being a ‘learned person’— a possessor of knowledge.

For such a desire is merely another aspect of the disease of the acquisitive society - the accumulation of goods for the sake of accumulating then. The accumulation of knowledge or, worse still, the accumulation of pieces of paper which represent a kind of legal tender for such knowledge, has nothing to do with development.

So if adult education is to contribute to development, it must be a part of life — integrated with life and inseparable from it. It is not something which can be put into a box and taken out for certain periods of the day or week—or certain periods of a life. And it cannot be imposed: every learner is ultimately a volunteer, because, however much teaching he is given, only he can learn.

Further, adult education is not something which can deal with just "agriculture", or "health", or "literacy", or "mechanical skill", etc. All these separate branches of education are related to the total life a man is living, and to the man he is and will become. Learning how best to grow soy-beans is of little use to a man if it is not combined with learning about nutrition and/or the existence of a market for the beans.

This means that adult education will promote changes in men, and in society. And it means that adult education should promote change, at the same time as it assists men to control both the change which they induce, and that which is forced upon them by the decisions of other men or the cataclysms of nature. Further, it means that adult education encompasses the whole of life, and must build upon what already exists.
Extract from Julius K. Nyerere '"Development is for Man, by Man, and of Man": The Declaration of Dar es Salaam' in Budd L. Hall and J. Roby Kidd (eds.) (1978) Adult Education: A design for action, Oxford: Pergamon.

Nyerere's view of adult education stretched far beyond the classroom. It is 'anything which enlarges men's understanding, activates them, helps them to make their own decisions, and to implement those decisions for themselves' (Nyerere 1978: 30). It includes 'agitation' and 'organization and mobilization'. There are two types of educator involved:

Generalists like community development workers, political activists and religious teachers. Such people are not politically neutral, they will affect how people look at the society in which they live, and how they seek to use it or change it. (ibid.: 31)
Specialists like those concerned with health, agriculture, child care, management and literacy.
Adult education, for Nyerere, doesn't have a beginning or an end. It should not be pressed into self-contained compartments. Rather we need to think of lifelong learning. Living is learning and learning is about trying to live better. 'We must accept that education and working are both parts of living and should continue from birth until we die (1973: 300-301).

By drawing out the things the learner already knows, and showing their relevance to the new thing which has to be learnt, the teacher has done three things. He has built up the self-confidence of the man who wants to learn, by showing him that he is capable of contributing. He has demonstrated the relevance of experience and observation as a method of learning when combined with thought and analysis. And he ha shown what I might call the "mutuality" of learning—that is, that by sharing our knowledge we extend the totality of our understanding and our control over our lives.

In practical terms this approach proved successful. Mass literacy campaigns were initiated and carried through (for example, between 1975 and 1977 illiteracy fell from 39 to 27 per cent - by 1986 it was at 9.6 per cent); and various health and agricultural programmes were mounted e.g the 'Man is Health' campaign in 1973, and 'Food is Life' (1975) (Mushi and Bwatwa 1998). Adult education initiatives have made a significant contribution to mobilising people for development (Kassam 1979).
Liberation struggles

A committed pan-Africanist, Nyerere provided a home for a number of African liberation movements including the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan African Congress (PAC) of South Africa, Frelimo when seeking to overthrow Portuguese rule in Mozambique, Zanla (and Robert Mugabe) in their struggle to unseat the white regime in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He also opposed the brutal regime of Idi Amin in Uganda. Following a border invasion by Amin in 1978, a 20,000-strong Tanzanian army along with rebel groups, invaded Uganda.

It took the capital, Kampala, in 1979, restoring Uganda’s first President, Milton Obote, to power. The battle against Amin was expensive and placed a strain on government finances. There was considerable criticism within Tanzania that he had both overlooked domestic issues and had not paid proper attention to internal human rights abuses.

Tanzania was a one party state – and while there was a strong democratic element in organization and a concern for consensus, this did not stop Nyerere using the Preventive Detention Act to imprison opponents. In part this may have been justified by the need to contain divisiveness, but there does appear to have been a disjuncture between his commitment to human rights on the world stage, and his actions at home.

Retirement
In 1985 Nyerere gave up the Presidency but remained as chair of the Party - Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). He gradually withdrew from active politics, retiring to his farm in Butiama. In 1990 he relinquished his chairmanship of CCM but remained active on the world stage as Chair of the Intergovernmental South Centre. One of his last high profile actions was as the chief mediator in the Burundi conflict (in 1996). He died in a London hospital of leukaemia on October 14, 1999.

Tom Porteous, writing in The Independent (October 15, 1999) summed him up as follows:
Slight in build, somewhat austere in manner, Nyerere was neither vain nor arrogant. He set great store by honesty and sincerity. A family man devoted to his wife and children, he was extremely loyal to his friends - sometimes to a fault.

He inspired among his people both devotion and respect and returned the compliment by complete dedication to his work on their behalf as head of state. He was ready to admit his mistakes, and to show flexibility and pragmatism, but never if this meant compromising his cherished Catholic, humanist and socialist ideals.

Nyerere’s life and career are an inspiration to the many Africans who dismiss the notion current in elite African circles today that justice, dignity and freedom should be subordinated to the single-minded pursuit of prosperity through economic liberalisation and structural adjustment. Africa needs more leaders of Nyerere’s quality, integrity and wisdom.

Meet Chagaz from Kilimanjaro!

This is what they say about us, Chaggaz from Kilimanjaro, I had no comments coz na mimi ni mtuhumiwa!!

I always knew that getting married to a Chagga woman is a headache,
especially if you are a kyasaka (Kyasaka is a Chagga name for any
person who is not a mChagga) – but my girlfriend's dad took the cake
and the cherry on top! The cream even!
With a mchagga father one never wins! You see, most Chagga parents
don't believe in inter-marriage. When the topic of marriage comes up
they will always insist that home is always best. In fact some
parents are so fast at hooking their children up!

"When is daughter coming back? Is she done with her law degree? My
nephew is just about to finish his doctorate. Maybe we should
introduce them when they get back from overseas."

Naturally when you hear degrees, overseas and such arrangements it
only means prominent families – with names and clout. Anyway, so
there they were, the two of them, sharing that father-daughter
moment. They used to have that, those two.
So my girlfriend brings up the topic that makes any possessive Dad
freeze. But since they always had that bond, he was down with
whatever.

"If I ever get married I will get married to a Mzungu," she
announces.
"Where from?"
"Hmm, say German."
"No, his parents will always make you feel like a second class
citizen."
"England?"
"They will never see past your race and colour."
"Okay, an African then."
"Great! At least we are home. But where from?"
"Okay, South Africa?"
"They will abuse you."
"West Africa?"
"They will probably sell you for your organs."
"North Africa?"
"They will put you in a harem."
"East Africa then."
"Great! At least we are home."
"Hmm, Uganda?"
"Uwii! HIV/AIDS!"
"Kenya?"
"They will harass you!"


"Jamani wapi sasa?" my girlfriend had started the topic to get at
her Dad, but now the tables had turned around. She was getting
highly agitated.
"How about home?" Her dad offered.
"Okay, how about Wagogo?" She asks about the tribe from Dodoma.
"Omba omba wale. You will be as poor as a church mouse!"
"Wahaya then?"
"They are too arrogant!"
"Wapare?"
"They like sex too much!"
My girlfriend giggles at this, thinking – as if there is something
wrong with that. The dad seeing his daughter's reaction gives
another point quickly.
"And they are misers!"
"Okay, Wakurya?"
"You'll be beaten black and blue!"
"Wasukuma then?"
"They will fatten you up and force you to bleach your skin and every
time is wageni time and kitchen is always busy and your husband's
village mate is your close relative when you succeed."
"Okay, I take it you will be happy if I got married to a mChagga?"
"That's what I have always been telling you!"
"WaKibosho?"
"They will beat you black and blue!"
"WaUru?"
"Very smart, educated but no maendeleo. You husband might end-up
being a shoe shiner with a pHd."
"WaMachame?"
"Wachawi! They can even bewitch the dead!"
"Wa-Old Moshi?"
"Washamba!" He spits on the ground, "they are so ignorant they don't
know the difference between a cell phone and a remote control."
"WaMarangu?"
"They are too arrogant!"
"Okay, so I guess you will be happy if I married someone from our
village."
"Absolutely, " he smiles. "But they are too …"
"I hear you, dad," my girlfriend interrupts, "someone from the same
community then?"
"Which clan though?"
"The Temba's?"
"The great grandmother was a witch."
"The Macha's?"
"I hear the aunt's cousin's sister's son's father was a mental case.
Your children might inherit it."
"The Mushi's?"
"They are thieves. They are so bad that they even steal their very
own livestock - jamani!"
"The Temu's?"
"They haven't gone to school!"
"Okay, I guess you will be happy if it was from the same street
then?"
"Absolutely! " The dad replies with a grin, "but which family
though?"

Kweli marrying a Chagga can be a greatest pain….
jamani, is it true??
mdau

Think twice Jo kabla ya kuja kwetu though ukitia timu, kupata maendeleo ni must!! Teh teh teh teheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

KARIBUNI WASOMI UDSM

Siku chache zijazo, Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es salaam kitaanza rasmi muhula wa kwanza wa masomo kwa mwaka 2008/2009. Ni kipindi kingine chenye ratiba ndefu na ngumu ki utekelezaji hasa kwa kuzingatia majukumu ya ki taaluma yaliyopo mbele ya wanafunzi na waalimu wao.

Ni kipindi ambacho wanafunzi wapya wanaanza kuzishuhudia hekaheka za kujipatia elimu katika asasi hiyo yenye hadhi ya juu kabisa ki taaluma hapa nchini. Kila mmoja bila shaka atakuwa akimshukuru Mola wake kwa kumpa nafasi hiyo miongoni mwa ma elfu walioitaka na kuihangaikia nafasi hiyo kwa kusoma tangu mawio mpaka machweo na wakati mwingine kwa kuugeuza usiku kuwa mchana.

Wanafunzi hawa watapokelewa na wenzao wenyeji kwa furaha, wataonyeshwa mazingira na kufundishwa maana ya misamiati kibao inayotumika Chuoni ambayo ni aghalabu kwa asiye mwana chuo kujua maana yake, boom, flight, kunji, desa,kilaza, kipanga, mmbu, araivoz na mingine kibao.

Zitafanyika pia sherehe katika kumbi mbali mbali ili kuwakaribisha na hapa lazima tupeane tahadhari kwani huu huwa ni mwanzo kwa wale wasio makini kujihusisha na mambo ambayo huwa na mwisho mbaya.

Serikali kupitia bodi yake ya mikopo itawapatia fedha wanafunzi hawa ili waweze kumudu gharama za kuwepo Chuoni na kununua mahitaji muhimu. Ni vyema wanafunzi wakakumbuka kuwa makini na matumizi. Wasijisahau na kuanza kula, kunywa na kuponda raha kwani fedha wanazopata ni kidogo ukilinganisha na matumizi yake kwa muda wote watakaokua shuleni.

Ni vyema busara ikatumika katika manunuzi ya vitu vya thamani kama vile nguo, viatu, marashi ya kupendeza, simu za kisasa, redio, tv, kompyuta na vinginevyo ili kuhakikisha kuwa wanabakiwa na akiba ya kuwasogeza hasa kwa kuzingatia ukweli kwamba, wengi wao hutegemea fedha hizo tu kuendeshea maisha yao muda wote wawapo Chuoni kwa kuwa hawana ndugu hapa Jijini au ndugu waliopo hawana uwezo wa kuwasaidia.

Umakini unahitajika kwa wanafunzi kutenga fedha za kutosha kwa ajili ya Chakula, kulipia malazi, matibabu, nauli pamoja na kununua vifaa vya muhimu vya kufanikisha masomo kama vile vitabu.
Kutotekeleza ushauri huu kuna madhara makubwa kwani uzoefu unaonyesha kuwa, wanafunzi wasio makini huishiwa fedha zao katika kipindi kifupi kiasi cha kushindwa kununa chakula na kukosa hata nauli ya kuwafikisha Chuoni. Huu ndio mwanzo wa kufeli mitihani na mwanzo wa safari ya kurejea nyumbani wakiwa mikono mitupu.

Huu ni wakati muhimu wa kutafakari na kuanza kujenga maisha yao ya baadae kwa kuwekeza katika taaluma na kuonyesha uwezo wao binafsi wa kujisimamia na kutekeleza matarajio yao na ya familia kwa ujumla.

Kwa upande wa taaluma, wanafunzi hawa wanatakiwa kujiwekea mikakati ya ushindi. Ndoto na dua zao sasa zimetimia, yale yote waliyokuwa wakiyasikia kama hadithi sasa watayaona kwa vitendo. Kwa wale waliozoea kulala, sasa itawawia vigumu kwani masomo yanaanza saa moja kamili asubuhi na kuisha sa mbili za usiku kulingana na ratiba, ni muhimu kuhudhuria kila kipindi bila kujali umepata makazi wapi, iwe ndani ya hosteli za Chuo au Uraiani.
Hapa pia watakutana na staili mpya za kusoma, ile tabia ya kuelekezwa saana na pengine hata kutengenezewa notes itakuwa imefikia mwisho. Kazi ya waalimu huku ni kukupa mbinu na maelekezo ya kufuata ili kupata maarifa wanayoyahitaji. Hii ina maana kuwa, kukosa masomo siku moja ni sawa na kuchezea shilingi chooni.

Muda si muda itaanza mitihani ya majaribio na itafuatiwa na mitihani yenyewe, hapo Chuo huwaka moto kwa kila mwanafunzi kujaribu kila liwezekanalo ili kuendelea kubaki CHUONI kwani vinginevyo njia ya kurejea nyumbani huwa ni nyeeupeee.
Japo hakuna adhabu ya viboko kama ilivyokuwa kwa elimu ya msingi na sekondari, ni wazi kwamba upo umuhimu mkubwa wa kusoma kwa bidii na kuzingatia sheria za kitaaluma zinazowaongoza kwa muda wote wawapo Chuoni.

Miongoni mwa mambo yanayolisikitisha Taifa, Jamii na wazazi wa wanafunzi ni pale vijana hawa wanapolazimika kurejea makwao kwa kushindwa kumudu mikimkiki ya Chuo. Muda na gharama zao zote hupotea na harakati za maisha hurudi nyuma kwa kiasi kikubwa.
Ndio maana jamii inawakumbusha kuwa makini, kuzingatia masomo na kuvumilia magumu yote yatakayojitokeza katika harakati zao za kujenga maisha kwa muda wote wawapo Chuoni.
Kupata nafasi ya kujiunga na chuo ni mojawapo ya nafasi hadimu na zenye heshima kubwa kwa jamii. Jamii yote humpa heshima msomi na humtegemea kuwa mfano wa kuigwa na mchangiaji makini wa mambo ya maendeleo na pamoja na kuelekeza mbinu za kuyashinda matatizo yanayoikabili jamii.
Kutokana na ukweli huu, ni muhimu tena sana kwa wasomi hawa kujikinga na vitendo vyote vitakavyoweza kuwaondolea heshima yao mbele ya jamii.

Kutimiza maagizo yote ya kitaaluma kutawasaidia kujiepusha na vitendo viovu kama wizi wa mitihani ambao ni kosa lisilo na mjadala. Mwanafunzi makini haitaji kujenga mahusiano na mwalimu wake kwani akili yake huwa smart na humudu masomo yake kikamilifu na wakati wote migogoro ya ki taaluma humpitia mbali.

Ki afya, hakuna asiyejua habari za gonjwa baya la UKIMWI. Taarifa zisizo rasmi zinadai kuwa, wimbi la maambukizi katika taasisi za elimu ya juu nchini ni kubwa hivyo kuna haja ya kujihami na kujiepusha na tamaa ambazo ndio chanzo kikuu cha kusambaa kwa gonjwa hili miongoni mwa wanafunzi wa ngazi zote!

Kila mmoja ajitambue na kuishi kulingana na uwezo wake, kama vidole vya mkono visivyolingana ndivyo watu wanavyotofautiana ki uchumi. Wapo watoto wa vigogo na wale wa walala hoi, hawa wana maisha tofauti sana ndio maana kujitambua ni jambo la msingi litakalompa kila mmoja uhuru wa kuishi kulingana na uwezo wake.

Wanafunzi wenyeji wana wajibu muhimu wa kuwaelekeza wageni namna ya kuishi Chuoni na hawategemewi kutumia ujanja wao kwa kuwarubuni na kuwapoteza wenzao, kuwaingiza chaka kama wanavyoita wenyewe-.
Ni vyema vile vikao vya mpaka usiku wa manane kule Mabibo hostel vikaepukwa na muda huo utumike kwa kusoma. Misafara ya usiku kwenye kumbi za starehe na fukwe za bahari nayo ikawekwa kando kwani matokeo yake huwa si mema sana hasa kwa dada zetu.

Kwa kutumia takwimu za matokeo ya mitihani, kila mmoja, mgeni na mwenyeji ajifunze, aogope jinsi ambavyo mamia walivyolazimika kukiacha CHUO bila kujali walikuwa mwaka wa ngapi kutokana DISCO, sio muziki bali DISCONTINUE, neno la kiingereza linalomaanisha kuwa vita imekushinda, huwezi kuendelea na unachotakiwa kufanya ni kurejea nyumbani.

Kila mmoja akumbuke kuwa ametoka kwao peke yake na atarudi kwao peke yake, matendo yake ndio yatakayoamua hatma yake.
Ukitaka kujua uhondo wa ngoma, uingie ucheze, mi nimeingia na kuicheza, na kujua uhondo wake, ndio maana nawaasa kwa kigezo cha experience, kabla haijawa too late., wazungu wanasema, aheri mapema, the early the better, na taarifa ni nguzo muhimu ya kufanya maamuzi sahihi , ‘information is the essentential tool for better decision making’!!
Kila kheri wanafunzi woote CHUO KIKUU CHA DSM

TNM [ BA.Masscom]
4.0 GPA, Upper 2nd Honours
Udsm Ijmc
2004/2007.
Sahara Communication
Media Reporter, Star Tv/ Rfa
Dar es salaam.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Internet Training for Tanzanian Journalists Day Three.

It was a good day, full of practical exercises to confirm the understanding of what has been taught by our Instructor. We learn how to up to dates our Blogs with new information and edit the previous ones if there is a need.

I/ we also visited a lot of websites and search for different information which was easily available as the Network availability was good enough for our exercises.

I/we managed to get the statistics of population of different countries, the capital cities and other important information available in their websites.We also visited some websites like www.whitehouse.gov/contact/,/www.tz.zain.com, /www.ebay.com/ and and pass though different information and cureent issued published there.

By searching from Google for example, we managed to get the latest figures on Tanzanian Population and a lot of information about it like the capital city, economic activities, the network speed fasten our exercises as we start getting the experience with the process and alternatives wherever there is a stumbling block.

Internet Training for Tanzanian Journalists Day two

Day two of the training was good and busy day as it was the previous one. i/We learnt a lot about the bloggs, visited some websites and opened our own bloggs.

It was really amazing, to do something that I didn’t know how to do it before. Since I made it, I feel proud of my self and I really see the value of training coz it was my wish one day to have my blogg and share different information with the world just like Michuzi.

i/We also visited a number of media Media Websites of east Africa like ippmedia.com and of other parts of the world, we learn on how Internet can enable News/ information from one part of the world to be shared by the majority...bbcswahili.com

The problem i/we encounter as always was the network cut off during the afternoon session. It makes the training difficult as our efforts to open different sites get the failure.

Even opening the blog was a bit hard exercise as the process need a number of procedures and re writing which sometimes make it to boring.

Otherwise i/we really enjoyed the training and from there, my best friend has been my own blogg, tying to advance it and add some materials so that it can slowly start to be known.
Bravo to myself!! Ndelyanarua.blogspot.com

Internet Training for Tanzanian Journalist Day One

The reason behind my decision to participate in this training is to learn and get some new ideas on how to have a better use an Internet service in my daily activities in my Media house.

I have been using it for about four years now but the problem has always been its speed. It is too low to download or get required information. I guess that through this training, I am going to get new methods of solving the problem like an alternative to speed it up or a short cut on how to get the full information I am looking from it.

The first day of this training was long was a busy day, tiresome one. I think it’s because of the time table that I left it behind some two years ago. Currently, my activities consume most of my time in movement from here to there, attending different occasions and making news from it and sometimes making some roving according to my news idea.

Despite been tiresome one, I was a good day, with new information and practical exercises of opening some on line materials, visiting a number of websites, reading and trying to make some orders of different items as well as looking at statistics of internet consumers in different countries .

It was also a good day to share ideas and experiences with our instructor, really, I admired how developed countries are benefited from the technological advancement like these of Internet where by educational, cultural and even trading can be done simply through the internet.

My expectations are still there, to get some new ideas on how I can make an internet my best friend in collecting and disseminating different information. The case of low speed remains there but I think having the knowledge is necessary coz if the net is slow here in Bongo, it is not in ufini, and so one day I will enjoy it by one way or another, if not in ufini, may be in Uswidi.

Thanks to MisaTan and people of Ufini for their organisation and facilitation.