Skip to main content

The nation again

When I left college, I thought I wanted to serve the public sector in Tanzania. After working in civil society, I decided the private sector was a better use of time in chasing impact. Now, while running my own business, I am finding that the public-private division is an illusion. Governments are increasingly capitalist, while corporations are struggling to improve quality of life. 

Today, I am generally comfortable with approaching "work" in its stripped down definition - providing a product or service that can be exchanged for value.

I am also trying to advocate for "work" as meaning anything that sustains our existence as a collective human race. 

Of course there is competition, but this should be viewed as a positive challenge, either in identifying new areas of improving existence, or in improving previous methods.

But public and private sectors persist in their silos. Tanzania votes in about 20 days time. I am doing my best to learn civics because my sentiments are no match for the machinery we call political economy. 

You will have to see beyond borders - and everything that they come with - in your daily dealings with others. I don't see any other way. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Serving up the fix

Originally published on Vijana FM | 22nd July 2012 On a recent album release by Nas called Life is Good , Anthony Hamilton sings “The world is an addiction / serving up a fix”. The track goes on to discuss the dangers of selling out in pursuit of irrational dreams; indeed, “you gain your life just to lose your soul”. Sometimes I wonder if Tanzania is losing her soul. Perhaps – as time passes – it is me growing more conscious, or media becoming more pervasive to drama. But it seems like this country is chasing grandeur that is alien to her history and at odds with what she needs today. Her history and her needs; what do these mean? For the purpose of this post, I am pointing to Tanzania’s historical pursuit to be an independent nation-state, free of international dues and reliance on help. I am also referring to her current state of affairs, mainly consisting of an inefficient system of education coupled with an unbalanced system of trade. There are a few example...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tanzania is not Tasmania

Dear friends: Please let's stop refering to Tanzania as Tasmania. Here is why. Tanzania is located on the coast of East Africa, below Kenya. It is not origin of the the cartoon character from your childhood. Tasmania is an island which is part of Australia. The animal known to exist only on Tasmania is the Tasmanian Devil. Once again, you will see this is not the cartoon character you remember from your childhood. Let's summarize: Tanzania is not Tasmania.
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughts about Egypt

The city I was just in about 6 months ago - which owns more than a million years of human history - is now hearing a desperate, angry, and fearless roar of reform from its people, whose voice is reverberating across several Arabic-speaking countries. Egypt is an extremely valuable player on the global playing field. It's ancestors are known to have built one of the first far-reaching ordered civilizations the world has known. Medieval Egypt significantly advanced scholarship in the sciences and philosophy. In contemporary times, it has been looked at as a model of modernization amongst Arab states. Even more recently, Egypt has provided strong support in brokering peace in the Middle East, and negotiating as well as facilitating the transfer of resources from and to the Western world. The people of Egypt, therefore, have witnessed many, many changes in leadership. Moreover, they have experienced diversity in the most deepest historical aspect of the word. Surely, a people with s...
Post a Comment
Read more