African verily needs to fight intra-racism

 

            Let’s name it; and own it. There’s an issue that, for many years, has been treated like a taboo. This is none other than Africa’s intra-racism or racism among Africans themselves. To many Africans, racism exists when whites or the so-called whites discriminate against them but not when they discriminate against each other as we’ll allude on in today’s piece that goes into the real belly of stinking racism in Africa committed by Africans against their colleagues under different red herrings.  Although Africans from the Maghreb namely Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia and the Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) complain about being discriminated against in the West, they too are responsible for stinking sin though not all. Luckily and accidentally, in the west, all people from Africa are Africans and Africa is one country. Is this because the west knows more of who Africans are than they do or simply because it is the one that divided them?

              Arguably, when it comes to Africa, it can be the most racially divided and ironically a racist continent either based on artificialities and other bunkums such as history, biological features such as the length of legs, noses, and slightly colour and hair differentials or colonial carryover such as modern ultra-nationalism wherein Africans discriminate against each other based on the colonial-invented-and-superimposed-and-maintained-by-black-colonialists borders and other codswallops such as Cameroon’s Anglo Cameroonians vs Franco-Cameroonians that are currently brutalising and butchering each other mindlessly.

            Likewise, Africans still discriminate against each other based on foreign religions i.e. Muslims vs Christians, Christians and Muslims vs the so-called atheists, pagans and traditionalists etc. It is no longer a taboo to hear some Africans calling each other names or even killing each other based on religion differences. Recent examples of massacres in the Central African Republic (CAR) speak volumes when it comes to such racism and hatred. Two Christian and Muslim groups, Anti-balaka (roughly means “invincible”) and Seleka (the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), the Union of Republican Forces (UFR) and the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP)) respectively engineered and carried out the killings of the members of each group not to mention the Rwandan genocide, 1994 between Hutus and Tutsis that premised on toxic ethnicity as a colonial carryover.

            Secondly, Nilotic Somalis discriminate against Bantu Somalis whom they refer to derogatively as Jareer-Jiffi or “stinky, kinky haired” Gosha or a riverine forest infested with tsetse flies, and Mushunguli (Bantu language) (www.somalispot.com, Nov., 19, 2016) or slaves; Ethiopians vs Oromo they call black slaves or Bareya or Shanqalla while they all are black themselves. Thanks to “victims of Arab/Islamic apartheid” (Huffington, Oct., 18, 2013), Northern Sudanese discriminate against Darfuris and South Sudanese they call slaves or abid or Sudan which, regrettably is the same derogative tag Afro-Arab in Maghreb and Arabs in the Middle East use to refer to all black people including Ethiopians, Somalis, Sudanese and anybody from SSA.

            A third category involves Indians whom British colonial rule brought to sabotage Africans who still practically and systematically discriminate against their African hosts. This is because, for the many generations they’ve lived in Africa, they’ve never fully integrated with their hosts mainly because of being allowed to maintain their caste system many post-colonial African regimes ignore up until to date. In India, Africans are referred to as kalu or monkeys or absiii or chimps (Mwananchi, Feb., 14, 2016); and they face lots of brutality from being beaten and killed to being refused to interact with Indians in public services such as pubs.  In the same breath, Afro-Arabs in Africa and Arabs out of Africa still discriminate against Africans. Arabs and Africans are connected by partly marriage wherein people of Arab descendants are semi-integrated by marrying African ladies (without reciprocity when it comes to their daughters) and Islam. On 24 September, 2018 there was a photo on social media of a gruesome murder of Zambian Chrispine Mwale who was killed by Chinese nationals simply because he was dating a Chinese girl.

             Another category can be drawn from the United Republic of Tanzania (URT) wherein Islanders discriminate against mainlanders who call each other machogo or uncivilised people mdebwedo or lazy ones (Mzalendo, Nov., 8, 2013). South Africans against their neighbours derogatorily referred to as makwerekwere or slang for foreigners in South Africa (Citizen South Africa, May 28, 2018). Further, the Citizen quotes Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) as saying that when it comes who is makwerekwere or not, it is only Khoi and San who are not makwerekwere. He says “we came from the north and the Khoi and the San people were in Southern Africa. The Khoi and the San welcomed us here and we settled here” to end up discriminating against others even those who contributed hugely to the liberation of South Africa from apartheid regime.

            Although Africans tend to turn a blind eye to this barefaced intra-racism, indeed, it exacerbates the division of Africa. There’s no way Africa can complain about or fight racism against its people without taking on its own messes resulting from the same vice. In fact, Africa needs to decolonise itself shall it aspire to move forward. Things like colonial nationalities emanating from the division and partition of Africa that created the modern day African states, religion and other colonial dregs are behind Africa’s miseries be they self or foreign inflicted ones. To do away with such self-inflicted wounds, Africans be they Maghrebians, SSA, Asian-Africans, need to be Africans first and something else last. Those who think their racial identities are more important than African so as to become Africans accidentally, should find; and go where they think they rightly belong.

            In sum, Africans and their governments should matter-of-factly start to fight against this vice so that they can know who belongs to them and who don’t in order to pull together and thereby deracinate Africa from such self-inflicted lesions resulting from its past and post-colonial eras. 

Source: Citizen, today.

Black Colonialists

They are guarded like thieves

They are afraid of their people

They exploit their sheepish people

They careless about the so-called their people

Even the term people is fickle

They fight for their stomachs they call people

They have private armies they call national armies

They condemn white colonialists while they're more notorious than those they condemn

They mobilise their people to fight colonialism while they colonise the same people they mobilise

They eat first before those they say they are defending and fighting for

If you ask them who is their enemy, they'll point fingers at their makers namely white colonialists

In actuality their enemies are nothing but themselves

These are none other than African colonialists who colonise their kin

Tafsiri ya Kitabu Changu Kipya

Neo-aid colonialism Gandhi and Malawi

  

          There’s a heavy storm battling Malawi currently revolving around what this column calls neo-aid colonialism. Malawi recently announced that it is going to erect a memorial statue for India’s first Prime Minister, Mohandas Gandhi aka Mahatma which I’d not like to call him due to not qualifying for such a title.  I call this neo-aid colonialism because the said statue is irrelevant to Malawians. By consenting to naming one of the roads in the capital named after Gandhi and erecting the statue, Malawi would get a US$10 million convention centre in Blantyre. It seems Malawi just like any African country to have had one too many so as not to see the shame of the gift so offered.

            Before delving into the matter, let us ask ourselves if such aid is important to Malawi. Whether it is or not Malawians can accurately tell us. The “Gandhi Must Fall” group that is soliciting signature to stop this ironic move was recently quoted by the Daily Nation (October 13, 2018) as saying that “Mahatma Gandhi has never contributed anything to Malawi’s struggle for independence and freedom.”

            Now let us see if Gandhi is relevant, especially for Africa. For those who know the history of Gandhi will agree with us that he was torpedoed by Africa after failing to secure a living in India as a lawyer. He thus had to move to South Africa where his activism was born and nurtured before returning back to India to participate in the liberation. Despite being created, mentored and supported by South Africa, he had this to say about South Africans the change.org (n.d ) quotes Gandhi as saying that “Indians are hardworking people, they should not be required to carry these things. But, black people are kaffirs, losers and they are lazy, yes, they can carry their passport but why should we do that? I think Gandhi’s xenophobia can be underlined in the last phrase that it was not fair to put Indians and Africans in the same class.  Ironically, this has been ongoing in post Africa due to the lack of interrogating whatever they come across.

            The Washington Post (Sept., 3, 2015) quotes Gandhi as saying that “we were marched off to a prison intended for Kaffirs. There, our garments were stamped with the letter “N”, which meant that we were being classed with the Natives. We were all prepared for hardships, but not quite for this experience. We could understand not being classed with the whites, but to be placed on the same level with the Natives seemed too much to put up with.” This proves that Gandhi didn’t do anything worthy for Malawi and Africa in general despite mentoring and nurturing him. In many of his writings, Gandhi used to refer to Africans as Kaffirs, the term apartheid used to use. This doesn't spare Gandhi from boers. They were all the same doing the same in the same bed.

            Prominent South Africa academician, Kuper, quotes Gandhi as saying that “they [Indian merchants and elites] frequently describe Africans as ‘simple’, ‘uneducated’ and ’without any real culture of their own.’” (p. 136). Does such a racist need to be iconised and immortalised in Africa really? On the same note, whenever I see places names after colonial agents, the Queen of England that colonised Tanzania or Bismarck  (Bismarck rock in Mwanza after the Germany Chancellor who convened the Berlin Conference 1884-1885 that divided and partition Africa so as to weaken it, occupy, colonise and exploit Africa resulting from the catch-22 situation Africa is wherein. Why don’t we call such iconic places after our heroes? How many roads are in India and elsewhere that are named after our true heroes and heroines? Who need a racist like Gandhi amidst his or her city to traumatise his or her people, especially the new generation? Is the aid that India extended to Malawi conditionally that it should brainwash, dupe and traumatise its people meaningful while it internalise dominance?

            It is ironic for the country led by a professor to behave in such a gullible way.  Malawians are not alone in refusing the erection of a racist figure. In Ghana, Al Jazeera (Sept., 21, 2016) reports that “academics, students and artists is calling for the removal of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi from a university campus, saying that the leader of India's independence movement was racist towards black people.”  Further, one senior lecturer Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua was quoted by the Al Jazeera above wondering that “how will the historian teach and explain that Gandhi was uncharitable in his attitude towards the Black race and see that we're glorifying him by erecting a statue on our campus?” when it comes to stinking racism, Ghandhi was not alone. Even to date, Indians still discriminate against African. Mwananchi (Feb., 14, 2016) quotes Dawson Kimenya who attended his tertiary education in India saying that racist Indians call Africans kalu or monkeys or absiii or chimps; and even the victims reported to the police, nothing was done to see how discrimination against Africa is endemic and systemic. Apart from this, Africans stranded in the Andaman Island are still used as tools for attracting tourists whereby Indians and others go there to view them the same tourists do to our animals. Ironically, despite this being known, no African leaders have ever asked why and what should be done especially if we remind ourselves that Indians British colonisers exported to Africa to help them exploit Africans have always treated fairly and humanely so as to become citizens in many African countries.

            In sum, considering evidence provided above, the readership can decide and judge if at all Gandhi and other colonial agents and dregs deserve a place amidst Africans. Essentially, Africa needs to be cagey of and about the aid it receives. For, some is nothing but the extension of colonialism.  Gandhi and other colonial leftovers must fall. Again, must Malawi wait and get the centre then turn tables on the donor? Maybe, this is why the govt doesn't want to open up.

Source: Citizen, today.

Eleven Years without Lucky Dube

On birth control; who’s wrong between Magufuli and worrywarts?

            When President John Pombe Magufuli encouraged Tanzanians to have many more children so as to create manpower, some worrywarts didn’t like his idea and japed him. Perorating aside, in this piece, I’ll rationate about the issue revolving around population control in order to let my readership decide which position to take and know what’s in the cards. My hypothesis is in the form of question: Is population a problem for Tanzania and Africa in general? If yes, how big or terrifying is it?

            To answer the above major question, I pose another question: If China and India can feed their humungous populations, why can’t Africa do? To put this in the context, China and India sit on the area covering 9,596,961 km² and 3, 287,263 km² with the population of 1.4 and 1.3 billion respectively; equivalent to less than 10% of 148, 940, 000 km² earth’s land mass without as many and precious resources as Africa’s except their people who are over 30% of all binadams. Ironically, Africa, for many decades, has generously been hosting Chinese and Indians while the same doesn’t export its people to these countries.

             Phillipising aside, while Tanzanians are questioning themselves whether they’d embark on family downsizing, Kenya’s an estimated population of 50.95 million which ranks 29^th in the world according to the worldpopulation review.com (21 September, 2018). Compare Kenya’s population to Tanzania’s 57.31 million based on their landmasses which are 580,400 km² and 947,300 km² respectively. Why’s it logical for Kenya, which’s nearly a half of Tanzania, to have almost the same population as Tanzania’s? If we seriously consider the population of the East Africa Community compared to its landmass, we’ll find that Tanzania’s bigger than Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda put together with the population of 57 million against approx. 104 million which sit on an area of 876,519 km². Comparably, Tanzania’s still better off. Before ringing a death knell, we must ask simple questions such as: Why does Kenya have bigger economy than Tanzania while it has a small landmass and fewer natural resources comparably? We can go further and interrogate why Nigeria despite being almost as big as Tanzania, still enjoys such humongous GDP despite having as big as three times population as Tanzania or South Africa?

            Whereas the East Africa and Africa in general enjoy on the up population, as Magufuli put it, some Western countries face critical and costly shrinking demographics. According to the CBC (8 February, 2017), some Canadian provinces face population shrinkage. Further, the CBC, for example,  notes that, in 2016,  the province of New Brunswick saw its population drop to 747,101 from 751,171 in 2011—a decrease of 0.5 per cent. Furthermore, despite slight population growth in Canada nationally thanks to migration, the CBC added that, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, more than 200 towns had fewer residents in 2016 than they did in 2011. Due to population shrinkage, the future of some provinces is bleak. For example, the CTV (7 September, 2017) notes that the population of Newfoundland and Labrador’s likely to take a nosedive from 519,880 to 479,907 by the year 2036.  Although the situation is dire, Canada has financial muscles that help it to attract qualified migrants to come in and live in Canada. So, too, Canada’s many incentives such as jobs, social services and well-performing economy. Is there any need for Africa to wait to face the same while it doesn’t have means to incentivise migrants? And if it uses it laxity, it’ll get aliens who’ll harm it even more drawing from the current experience.

            When it comes to Europe, like Canada, it is facing the same. According to the Guardian (Aug., 25, 2015), “across Europe birth rates are tumbling. The net effect is a ‘perfect demographic storm’ that will imperil economic growth across the continent.” Should Tanzania and Africa in general wait to reach this dire situation?  Due to this looming danger, Spanish business consultant, Alejandro Macarrón says “most people think we’re only talking about something that will be a problem in 50 years, but we’re already seeing part of the problem” he said. “If current numbers hold, every new generation of Spaniards will be 40% smaller than the previous one.”

 Apart from creating manpower to power the economy of Tanzania and Africa, population growth can act as what I call a womb bomb and weapon that can decolonised the world. If Africans increase just like others, Africa will be able to send its people, as it is currently doing to Europe, so as to force its former colonial masters to stop discriminating against and exploiting Africa under the current unequal world order.

What’d be done thus?

Tanzania and Africa need to invest in their people so that they can feed themselves the way China and India are doing. If population were an obstacle to development, China and India wouldn’t have been performing exponentially economically as they’re currently doing as the rising powers of the world. Methinks, apart from having able governments and good plans, the duo are able to achieve such development simply because they invested in their population. This reminds me of a friend who gave me a call after hearing that I’d welcomed my fifth born. He honestly told me that it’s enough. Before finishing his lecture, I told him that we still hoped to make another one that we made. I openly told him to his face that the problem wasn’t either to have a smaller or bigger number of kids but our mentalities. For, there are many single people I know that can’t feed their single tummies while those with many kids still feed and educate them. Truly, thereafter, our friendship hit the rocks up until now.

            In sum, after looking and considering the scenarios presented hither, I’m sure, my readership will ably decide what to do as a nation and a people, especially at the time the EAC seeks to introduce free residence in any of its country despite such disparities and uneven distribution of population. 

Source: Citizen, today.

19 Years without Nyerere

TUBURUDIKE NA MIZIKI YETU

MKO WAPI MLIOIMBA SHAIRI HILI?

Karudi Baba mmoja, toka safari ya mbali
Kavimba yote mapaja, na kutetemeka mwili
Watoto wake wakaja, ili kumtaka hali
Wakataka na kauli, iwafae maishani.

Akatamka mgonjwa, ninaumwa kweli kweli
Hata kama nikichanjwa, haitoki homa kali
oho naona yachinjwa, kifo kimenikabili,
kama mwataka kauli, semani niseme nini.

Yakawatoka kinywani,maneno yenye adili,
Baba yetu wa thamani,sisi tunataka mali,
Urith tunatamani,mali yetu ya halali,
Sema iko wapi mali, itufae maishani.

Baba aliye kufani, akajibu lile swali,
Nina kufa maskini, baba yenu sina mali,
Neno moja lishikeni, kama mnataka mali,
Kama mnataka mali, mtayapata shambani.

Wakazidi kumchimba, baba mwenye homa kali,
Baba yetu watufumba, hatujui fumbo hili,
Akili yetu nyembamba, haijajua methali,
Kama tunataka mali, tutapataje shambani.

Kwanza shirikianeni, nawapa hiyo kauli,
Fanyeni kazi shambani, mwisho mtapata mali,
Haya sasa buriani, kifo kimeniwasili,
Kama mnataka mali mtayapata shambani.

Alipokwisha kutaja, fumbo hili la akili,
Mauti nayo yakaja, roho ikaacha mwili,
Na watoto kwa umoja, wakakumbuka kauli,
Kama mnataka mali, mtayapata shambani.

Fumbu wakatafakari, watoto wale wawili,
Wakakata na shauri, baada ya siku mbili,
Wote wakawa tayari, pori nene kukabili,
Kama mnataka mali, mtayapata shambani.

Wakazipanda shambani, mbegu nyingi mbalimbali,
Tangu zile za mibuni, hata zitupazo wali,
Na mvua ikaja chini, wakona na dalili,
Kama mnataka mali, mtayapata shambani.

Shamba wakapalilia, bila kupata ajali.
Mavuno yakawajia, wakafaidi ugali,
Wote wakashangilia, usemi wakakubali,
Kama mnataka mali, mtayapata shambani.

Wakawanunua ngómbe, majike kwa mafahali,
Wakapata na vikombe, mavazi na baiskeli,
Hawakuitaka pombe, sababu pombe si mali,
Kama mnataka mali, mtayapata shambani.

Wakaongeza mazao, na nyumba za matofali,
Pale penye shamba lao, wakaihubiri mali,
Walikiweka kibao, wakaandika kauili,
KAMA MNATAKA MALI, MTAYAPATA SHAMBANI.
Chanzo: Ruhuwiko Blog

MV Nyerere’s tragedy and our refusal to learn from our miseries

            As this column joins Tanzania to mourn the deaths of our brethren who perished on September 2018 after MV Nyerere capsized, my heart goes out to the victims, friend and relatives as I try to think and speak loudly. With anger and angst, I’m asking myself. Have we become the nation that’s totally refused to learn from its miserable past in regards to avoidable and preventable accidents? Are we truly the nations of horrible forgettery? Preliminary reports have it that the ill-fated ferry was overloaded.  According to the CNN (Sept., 21, 2018), the ferry had more than 400 passengers as opposed to its capacity of carrying only 100 and one survivor, Bichompa Sendema was quoted on the video clip the Mwananchi (Sept., 22, 2018) aired as saying that the same ferry had carried approximately between 800 and 900 passengers on its way to Ukerewe before making an ill-fated route back to Ukara. And as it seems, this is a normal thing.

             As I look back 22 years after the ill-fated MV Bukoba sank and killed over 1,000 innocent souls, I can’t just get it how can such a thing keep on repeating.  Why have we allowed ourselves to turn our lives into doom and gloom pointlessly?  The recent ferry accident in Lake Nyanza is the case in point.  In this accident, over 200 people perished simply because somebody or some people slept at the wheel. Though the cause[s] of this particular catastrophe hasn’t been legally established, there are some obvious root causes which everybody knows; and sometimes some partake of either consciously or unconsciously. 

            As we ponder on what to do about this ill-omened situation that makes us catch hell, as nation and a people, we need to do some diagnostics and look at the root causes of such repetitive miseries; and what can be done to do away with them. Today, I’ll explore some situations, systemic and individualistic behind these diabolic penchants. Before doing so, let me update my readership about the trend of water accidents in Tanzania. On 21 May, 1996 MV Bukoba sank on its way from Bukoba to Mwanza and over 1,000 perished. Come September 10, 2011, MV Spice Islander I sank resulting to the deaths of over 200; and on July 18, 2012, MV Skagit sank leaving over 140 dead. These numbers are staggering by all standards provided that human life is precious.

            If I may say it, after the Zanzibar Declaration butchered the Arusha Declaration, practically, Tanzania became its own antithesis; it embraced all turpitudes it used to despise. For example, under Ujamaa, everybody’s treated as a brother or sister either by choice or by the force of law.  We’re poorer but happier than we’re today whereby everybody’s fighting for getting rich legally and illegally. The collectivistic nature of the nation was abandoned so as to systematically allow greed, lack of ethos, selfishness and ruthlessness to fill the vacuity. Thanks to laxity and unethicality, all over the sudden, we started seeing people going to bed paupers to wake up prosperous without showing cause. Slowly, our country slinked into corruption. Instead of showing these overnight tycoons our abhorrence, we started revering them.

            Over time, chronic and systemic dearth of ethos gave birth to unfathomable greed, carelessness and senselessness that are now displaying themselves in many forms such as corruption mammoth and Lilliputian, forgery, greed, heartlessness, impunity, myopia, nepotism, and thuggery. Thanks to the current regime under President John Pombe Magufuli who expressly says and shows that the untouchables are now touchable.

            Although we tend blame everything on the above vices, there are yet other reasons as to why such tragedies occur and claim hundreds of innocent lives needlessly.  No way can we blame the above ills without looking at the other side of the coin. On this, ignorance is to blame. Our people are packed like sardines simply because they allow themselves to be treated like that.  If our people were not part of this rot, some of the deaths would be avoided. For example, if you see that the boat, car or ferry is filled beyond its capacity, why do you embark yourself knowing what can happen?  Again, thanks to ignorance and partly poverty, people risk their lives simply because they’ve no other alternatives. They saying goes that a hungry man will listen to nothing even if it is a knell of death. Again, once ignorance and poverty converge, the results are dreadfully suicidal.

Now we know where it started beating us. As a nation, we need to ask a couple of questions and provide right answers. Firstly, how many’d die for us to wake up from the slumber? Does not learning from our past mistakes help? How’ll we change ourselves despite facing some hardships when it comes to not allowing ourselves to be taken for a ride as I’ve proved above? When will we seriously and practically resume the code of ethics and accountability nationwide by seeing to it that we all equally abide by them?

            Off the cuff

            I applaud the current government for initiating some efforts to build infrastructures such as, but not limited to, the construction of a new ship to replace the ill-fated MV Bukoba after two consecutive governments sat on the matter for no logical reasons.

Source: Citizen, today.

INTRODUCTION TO KUDOS MAGUFULI

When I look at President John Pombe Magufuli, I try, in inch-meals and details, as much as I can, to see through him, so that I can see what many seem to have failed to see. I see a man with big heart, ideas, dreams; mission-cum-vision, and insurmountable patriotism; the man who wants to sweep clear the country of corruption and ineptness. 

            Under Magufuli’s mantra Hapa Kazi Tu, I see a man struggling with big and unstoppable dreams, mission and vision of freeing his country from dependency while it sits on immense resources of value; the man who isn’t ready to give in or give up; a determined one struggling to radically make his mission and vision clearly understandable to his people, whom, though not all, it has begun to dawn on them. Sincerely, I see the man, who doesn’t preach water and drink wine; that talks the talk and walks the walk; who conscientiously understands what he’s into; its dangers, intricacies and snags; the man who determinedly seeks to snatch the victory from the jaws of defeat.

            Undeniably, I verily see the man many have failed to understand; whom I–at this age of mega corruption is rare to get–equate to a needle in the haystack. I see a poor prophet who, like Mwl. Julius K. Nyerere, once asserted he was–is not accepted in his town. Refer to how other countries emulate Dr. Magufuli while some of our people lampoon him.

            Actually, in this book, I see a no nonsense man who refuses to be politically correct; who honestly and openly speaks his mind regardless of what; who’s not after fame or jollification, but, pulling the country out of systemic and manmade miseries; the man whose love, oomph and tenacity for his country, apart from being second to none, are sans doute unparalleled or unquestionable.

            Verily, I see an intrepid man who’s ready to die for what he believes in; the one who makes corrupt and lazy elements in the country feel a shiver down to their spines; the man many have given many names, bad and good, depending on where one stands. I see the man who, now and then, time and again, unperturbed and truthfully, leads his people despite the hardship of fighting and stumping out corruption, graft, ineptness, laxity and lack of discipline in public business; a selfless man who has been in the upper echelons of power for over two decades; the man who knows the corridors of power like the back of his hand; and who refused to sell his soul for material things. Let’s reason together. For such a long time, if Magufuli wanted to become rich would he fail? He once said that some crooks tried to deposit some money in offshore accounts for him, but, totally refused to sell his people including himself.

            Indeed, when I see Magufuli, I see a formidable and forthright leader aspiring to detach from the past so that he can make the better present for the best future of his people; the man whose mind is pinned on development of his people with the determination to bring about change by daringly plod where many fear to. I might be wrong, but, not totally wrong. I might be right, likely but not otherwise. Looking at what Magufuli has already achieved within a short time, I can comfortably say that the man has heavily invested in the bright future. Again, do his people understand his mission-cum-vision?

            Jokes aside, this book portrays the man who resolutely believes that education is not only  key but also a key to the perky future of the nation; the man who, under whose watch Tanzania has seen school enrollment triple as the government support doubles, thanks to free education and the affordability of loans for higher education, not to mention the hospitals that are now offering services instead of offering nothing but claiming fees; the man who under whose watch Tanzania has actually witnessed the return of efficacy in public services and, above all, code of ethics that’s now evident in public services.

            More so, the book portrays the man to whom connectivity, mobility; centrality of infrastructures, advance ones, airports, bridges, ferries, flyovers, ferries, planes, railways (SGR), roads, ships–not to mention turning Tanzania into a modern workshop for modernisation; or call it the Magufulication–are non-negotiable. For instance, according to Radio Vatican (Dec., 18, 2017), under Magufuli, Tanzania saw 2,571 kms of road being repaired, the increase of tourists from 1,137,182 in 2015 to 1,284,279 in 2016. Further, in 2017, the government was able to connect 117 local government offices, 71 postal offices, 129 police stations, 90 hospital and 27 courts to the optic fiber networks, not to mention 425 schools that will get free internet.

            Moreover, according to the Maverick (Feb., 14, 2016), when Magufuli came to power, country’s revenue collection was Tshs. 900 billion. Henceforth, Tanzania saw revenue collection swell to Tshs. 1.5 trillion. Additionally, over 10,000 ghost workers were purged saving the government over $2 billion monthly (BBC, May 16, 2016); not to mention the forgers and the likes. Is this a small feat really? When it comes to the equanimity and peaceability of the country, Tanzania still is peaceful, thanks to having such a unitive, but, polarising figure; a go-getter per se who never throws in the towel come shine come rain.

            In sum, in this book, I see a person that Tanzania, for many years, yearned for after Nyerere retired; a martinet many future generations will mention with awe and howl shall he be supported to complete his programs for his country and shall he stay the course.

Source: Citizen today.

WHEN FALL BEGINS WITH SNOW!

Who'd expect to see white stuff at this time of the year? Who'd think that fall would signify the fall of snow but not leaves? This is what happened in Alberta yesterday where many cars spent long hours after the highways were closed. Is this the benefit of global warming or the warning that global warming is going to create many unprecedented situations? For more info, CLICK HERE.

MY NEWEST BOOK ON DECOLONISING EDUCATION IS OUT!!!!!!!!

NEW

ISBN	9789956550272
Pages	378
Dimensions	229 x 152mm
Published	2018
Publisher	Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon
Format	Paperback

DECOLONISING COLONIAL EDUCATION

Doing Away with Relics and Toxicity Embedded in the Racist Dominant Grand Narrative

by Nkwazi Nkuzi Mhango

This book on decolonising education chastises, heartens and invites academics to seriously commence academic and intellectual manumission by challenging the current toxic episteme – the Western dominant Grand Narrative that embeds, espouses and superimposes itself on others. It exhorts African scholars in particular to unite and address the bequests of colonialism and its toxic episteme by confronting the internalised fabrications, hegemonic dominance, lies and myths that have caused many conflicts in world history. Such a toxic episteme founded on problematic experiments, theories and praxis has tended to license unsubstantiated views and stereotypes of others as intellectually impotent, moribund and of inferior humanity. The book invites academics and intellectuals to commit to a healthy dialogue among the world’s competing traditions of knowing and knowledge production to produce a truly accommodating and inclusive grand narrative informed by a recognition of a common and shared humanity.