Stormy Insomnia?

Again one of those nights when insomnia hit...then my mind and hand wondered. If you ask me, I can't tell you what it means except for a product of an imagination. Trying to sort out through your thoughts in the middle of the night can bring forth strange results. :)

 

BOX OR NO BOX, THINK!

The current events we keep reading, watching or listening to in the Tanzanian media have got me "thinking" and wondering. What do they all mean? What do they all add up to? Such issues include, the bomb attacks, shootings, cases of acid attacks on foreigners and locals, hate speeches (religious and political), confrontations between Tanzania and some of its neighbours, etc etc. Why are they happening now? What has led to the culmination of all these episodes and what will be the ultimatum?

With most of our media outlets reporting "who says what happens where and when"; we are short of well researched reports that look beyond that. We are left with unconfirmed whispers and rumors in the streets (physical and digital) that sometimes ridiculously make sense. Are these events a result of the problems we keep turning a blind eye to or do we turn to conspiracy theories for answers?

 I admit that to this point I have more questions than answers but I feel that there are questions we ought to ask ourselves. What I'm sure of is that as Tanzanians we are at a point we don't want to be and shouldn't be. We are now in a Tanzania where chaos and hatred have plagued us to a terrifying extent. As young as I might be, I don't recall a more divided and selfish Tanzania. We had enemies and problems, yes,but these enemies were a common one like Diseases, Ignorance and Poverty; and our fight was one. Lately however, these are used as tools to destroy each other. Religion and faith based institutions were institutions treated with respect to uphold human dignity and propagate good will. Are they still so today? Politics was a means to organize the people and find the best means to build a free and developed nation, accountably. Again, is that what we see today?

In a society that is divided and chaotic, an enemy has an easier means to conquer. For years, Tanzania has been renowned for being the harbor of peace and unity; an example to live by in Africa. Now we hold scary statistics on the state of affairs in Tanzania; a nation of more than 47 million people. Government statistics indicate that the country’s unemployment rate stood at 11.7 per cent in 2012 from 10.7 percent in 2011. (guardian; January, 26 2013). The gap between the haves and have-nots has widen despite the growth in National GDP by 6%. The trend of drug abuse and trafficking keeps rising. The state of education in Tanzania leaves much to be desired while healthcare still faces a lot of challenges. In 2007, about 87% of the nation lived under $2 per day (WB, DRG). We have more youth graduating each year compared to those getting steady employment, disregard of those finding employment in their fields of studies. In short, do we have a canister full of desperate, easily compelled, hatred-fueled-with-little-to-lose youth just waiting to go off?

On the other side we have a government flawed by corruption, bureaucracy, lack of accountability, a monstrosity of contradictions; locked in more fruitless bull fights with the opposition every now and then. The Media on the other hands plays its watchdog role, barking and snarling on commands (on whose commands, is another question). But again we have more reports of minerals, natural gases and other naturals resources sighted, ripe for the picking. And we can't deny we have a bigger influx of foreign investors (I'm not against them) and more visits from international heads of highest ranks with talks of economic and social consensual benefits (again, neutral in this aspect). However, with the current world economic state of affairs, it's hard not to be nervous. Afterall, our neighbors DRC are a living example of what happens to a country once chaos turn full throttle to never ending wars; in the middle of a world whose natural resources are severely depleted. .

It's a conundrum, that brings me back to these main questions. What is happening to our beloved Tanzania? Where are we taking our country to?

FGM Scars More Than Just the Body, It Scars Lives!!

A few days ago I took a bajaji to an interview I had to conduct away from the office. It was a mighty distance away and with the afternoon traffics in Dar, it took us about an hour to get there. On our way we decided to strike up a conversation, with him doing most of the talking and i doing the listening.

He started speaking of his past relationships and how he messed up a relationship with a good girl and lost her. Promising himself not to ever let that happen again he decided to be true to the next girl who comes into his life. As true to life he finds a young girl (in her early 20's) and dates her for a few months before noticing strange behaviors from her when they were together. For instance, she never agreed to have the lights on when they were "doing it" and never allowed him to look at her womanhood. She did not agree to do it often and agreed only when she was very happy.

At first he let it be, pinning it on shyness or inexperience. However, when she persisted curiosity got the better of him. On a night when she was deep in her sleep he grabbed a torch and decided to see for himself. At this point, even with a disapproving frown I was very curious  to hear what happened. Never in my life could I have guessed what he told me. He was shocked to see her features so different and it took him a moment to realise that she had been severely mutilated. More over, he could also see that she had engaged in anal sex. He was distraught.

 The following day, without facing her with the truth he consulted his friends at work. Some of them advised him to leave her and some told him to talk to her first and hear her side of the story. Following the latter's advice he ultimately faced her with the truth. At first she denied undergoing FGM or engaging in anal sex. However, when he insisted she opens up, she finally broke down and told him what happened.

Apparently, when she was still very young her parents passed away and she went to live with some distant relatives in the village. Claiming it was a "tribal" custom of the Sandawe women they mutilated her. When she grew up, she came to Dar es Salaam and sooner or later realised that men found her strange and "unattractive." They demanded anal sex and she found that even more tolerant than the regular one. He was even more confused when he found that she was pregnant with their child. He cared for her deeply and since she was expecting his child, he made it official with her.

As it was with any couple, they had their fair share of problems. But when he came to find out that she was cheating on him, that was his limit. He came to learn that earlier on before they met, her relatives had married her off to an older man as a third wife and they had a child together. And even after the man left her and she got married to the bajaji driver, he was one of the men she still saw.

 I was curious to learn about what happened to his daughter during all that fiasco.So he told me that he had taken his daughter to live with his mother in the village when she was two. Suzy (the daughter's name) was four when her mother came to take her, which was after the divorce. So she went back to the village with Suzy. When I asked him if he still saw his daughter, I got the shock of my life.

When Suzy went back to the village with her mother, a few months later he got a call that his daughter was seriously sick. He told them to bring her to Dar and he'd take her to the hospital. Since he was employed at a security company then he sent his mother to go to the village and see her as he processed a leave of absence. When the mother got there she found out that Suzy had passed away and they were burying her. What was worse, he came to find out too late that she had died of over bleeding. Suzy, a four year old had undergone FGM and never made it alive. I never knew or met her but I couldn't help the tears.

 NO GIRL has to undergo that hell. Even when they survive the mutilation, the torture doesn't stop there. A woman's dignity is stripped off, the scars cause both physical and mental traumas for most of their lives. I kept asking him, "what did you do after that? Did you report them?" And he said he couldn't do anything since he hadn't any evidence.He lost a daughter to FGM and he still felt powerless to do anything about it. How many more are out there undergoing this same inhuman autrocity and still feel powerless? How many more lives should be lost, in death and trauma before we realise how dangerous FGM is?

That Awwww..moment

I came across this video and I was just amazed. It's never too early to teach our children something. These kids are simply adorable! 

From an Official Visit to a Leisure Safari!

Isn't it interesting how Obama's purpose in coming to Tanzania took quite a turn before and on cancellation?

Retrieved photo from africanculturedirect.blogspot.com

Let's take a look at what different media wrote on his visit from before and on cancellation; may be you'll catch my thoughtful drift.

On Obama's coming, much was said with regard to the purpose of the visit and how it would affect political and economical affairs; national and International.

"The president will reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders," press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
"The president will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues," Carney said, adding that "the trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity." (Yahoo!News|The Ticket; Monday May 20, 2013)


US president will be on diplomatic mission to make up for lost time, and some say the strategic neglect will cost America. And the winners are:  Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. Each will be rewarded for its democratic virtues next month when Barack Obama embarks on his first major presidential tour of Africa. (The Guardian, Johannesburg; Tuesday May 21, 2013)

Tanzania’s strategic position in the continent, its abundant natural resources and countering China’s advances to Africa have been cited as some of the reasons why President Barack Obama chose to visit Tanzania in his tour of Africa next month.

Mr Obama, who is the first African American US President, comes just about three months after new Chinese President Mr Xi Jinping visited the east African country. (The Citizen, Kenya: Wednesday May 22, 2013; retrieved from Africa Review, Friday June 14, 2013)


When President Obama goes to Africa at month’s end, the first African American president will have a rare opportunity to spread U.S. values to that continent. It would be a shame if his trip instead validated slavery.
By selecting Tanzania as one of the three countries that will receive a presidential visit on that trip, the Obama administration is honoring a government that has been in a multiyear diplomatic dispute with the United States over human trafficking. Now Obama is rewarding Tanzania with a presidential trip. “An official visit from the U.S. president is a gift that is utterly inappropriate after a Tanzanian government official committed horrifying human rights violations just a few miles from the White House,” said Martina Vandenberg, a human rights lawyer who represented the victim, Zipora Mazengo, pro bono.(The Washington Post, June 09, 2013)

Now comes the cancellation part and we hear...

 The WhiteHouse has cancelled a safari that US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were due to take in Tanzania over budgetary concerns, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The safari "would have required the president's special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-calibre rounds that could neutralise cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat," the paper reported. The Obamas had been expected to spend more than two hours at Tanzania's Mikumi National Park. (The Daily Nation; Friday June 14,2013)

Here we go again, every time President Obama and his family take a vacation, the right wing freaks out. President Obama cancels safari trip in Tanzania because of the cost of security, during his trip to Africa later this month. Of course, he won’t be applauded for it, instead,  someone chose to leak that snipers will be on hand to shoot any lions or other wild animals that come near the First Couple.(TheModerate Voice; Friday June 14, 2013)

Believe me, that was just a tip of the iceberg on how wrong it all sounded!

Every Insy Bitsy Counts!

Every word or number starts with a dot,
Every ocean is but a drop in billions of drops,
A journey of a thousand miles began with a step,
Two thousand years began with a second,
A million began with one,
Every lot started at little but just didn't stop.

Storms blew and drought ensued,
Life never stopped breathing,
No matter how far the dessert stretches,
Every ounce of hope, life still fetches.
Every heart beat, every breath inhaled,
It's a fight won and life prevails.

The Skies Don't Limit!

Explore your potential,

Chase your horizons,

Reach beyond the clouds

Defy gravity!