Today, music artists in Tanzania will be in Dodoma performing with the aim of raising awareness on patriotism in Tanzania. Circumstantially last night over a couple of drinks with Aggrey Marealle and my sis Alilya Kwayu we found ourselves talking about this (Patriotism in Tanzania). Continue reading
Yesterday I was graced to attend the launch of the Children’s Book Festival held in Dar Es Salaam. The festival was organized by Soma Book Café, which promotes children literacy and reading habit. Mama Demere Kitunga Continue reading
One of my favourite songs is Diary by Alicia Keys. And some of the books that I’ve enjoyed the most are those based on diaries. The top ones being ‘The Diaries of Chris Mullin’. Continue reading
For the last 10 days or so I have been (gratefully) engaged in a consultancy assignment, which requires me to review higher education policies in Tanzania. This has been eye opening. Continue reading
Written by Clara Marealle*
On our way to Nafasi Art Space, we talked a lot of controversial issues in the car; the one that caught my attention the most was the existence of different worlds within our universe. Continue reading
So I left Serena after a productive and an eye-opening meeting with a Professor and a surprise meeting with Peter Bofin, to join my sister at a launch of Windsor Distributors Company Limited somewhere along Samora Avenue. On my way there my mind was immersed with the details of my conversation with the Professor. A challenge. Continue reading
So, for the last 3 weeks I have been “managing” my mom’s various informal businesses including a farm with dairy cattle, chickens (layers), crops (bananas and vegetables), and hay fields. She has a manager and 4 staff helping in the farm. The time my mom puts on the farm is 2 hours of morning before she goes to her “full time” business in town. Continue reading
In hindsight, here is what I think…
So, I call this ‘the image strategy’, which is (I am almost convinced- qualitatively) one of the factors stabilizing CCM against the opposition. Although, I don’t closely follow Tanzanian party politics, I do check the headlines and sometimes look at the pictures. In fact, I think am moving towards observing through pictures and what I see more than reading whatever news media are writing on party politics or party leaders are saying. Continue reading
Nick Dearden, the Director of World Development Movement, has expounded on what the Guardian exposed last week with regards to British aid money being invested in pro- finance and pro- big business. My PhD thesis, which was submitted in late 2011, just over one year after the Conservative-led coalition took over the British government, highlighted (in several times) the Conservative emphasis/ focus on directing aid to private sector and business entities. Below are some extracts on that from my thesis: Continue reading
Written by Samwel Ndandala
On 17 December 2011, a young street vendor in Tunisia went about selling his wares. He had contracted about USD 200 of a loan the previous day to buy his produce. His name was Mohamed Bouazizi, he had been a victim on police harassment and they were back again that day. Since he had no money to bribe them, they confiscated his wares. According to his family, a 45 year old female police official named Faida Hamdi slapped him, spat at him, confiscated his electronic weighing scale and tossed aside his cart. Mohamed was distraught. Continue reading