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JPM was sworn in today . I spoke to a few people and what seemed common across all opinions was the gratefulness for peace. I interpreted this to mean that no matter who people vote for and what happens thereafter, the only implication is the effect all of this has on oneself. The public sector feels as such: You can't touch it, hold it, directly influence it, but it has a way of touching you in almost every way possible. 

On the 25th of October, around 8am, for the first time in my life, I voted for my government. It felt envigorating, after all this time doing research and making conclusions about Tanzania's public sector. Results have yet to be announced as of today, and Zanzibar has nullified her votes due to an unauthorized victory announcement from the opposition, but this is Tanzania's most fiercly contested elections in history. Whatever the result may be, I cannot help feeling that the next 5 years will be very prosperous for Dar-es-Salaam (not sure about the rest of our country). Whether this prosperity is works to the benefit of our people or not will probably be decided by what kind of administration is voted in over the next day or two. Mungu ibariki Tanzania.

It seems unrealistic for any society to have pleasantly smooth beginnings. Disruption seems inevitable in the first few decades of a society that is being built. TZ gets complimented on how "stable" it is. But does this stability come at the risk of complacency and lack of significant progress?

"In an unprecedented move, angry patients who had waited for services of a medical officer in vain were forced to flog him from a nearby bar where they found him drinking alcohol." From The Citizen today.

20.09.1974: "Comrade Nyerere is very much interested in education and public health. He is very interested in learning how we have faced the problem of illiteracy and the problem of educating our people. True, we did not have a situation as serious as Tanzania's, but it was serious in that in the early days of the revolution we had some 30 percent of illiteracy and almost 50 percent of the children were not going to school." - Fidel Castro on Julius Nyerere (13.19.22 – 14.10.99) and Cuba. Archive here .

I always knew our radio industry could be better, but today it got a bit more real. I see two scenarios: 1) We take global fun-talk (eg: fashion, Gaga and Cadillacs) and try to replicate it in TZ; something of a cosmopolitan-slanted-Westwards approach. 2) We take our talk (eg: corruption, Kubanda and Toyota) and try to understand the world through those lense.  ie: Should TZ radio bring the world to TZ, or take TZ to the world?

The thing about contingencies (in budgeting, planning, etc.) is that you cannot anticipate them. Likewise, you cannot anticipate their value (positive or negative). Yet, they are everywhere. Some markets have more pervasive contingencies than others. In an atmosphere where contingencies - such as delayed dues, or corruption - are inevitable, what kind of plan or strategy works?

Today was hard. I always manage to convince myself that my city of birth can't be hard to live in - it's my city after all. I've been over being clamped for no reason by confused parking authorities and lost a whole day of work as a result. I've been misfined by the police themselves. I've been robbed. But today was just hard. I almost hit someone because they were crossing the road without looking, and ended up taking all the blame for a burn-mark the size of my thumb on his knee... and being called a white racist who wants to murder people on the road. Funny how, no matter how hard you try, the stranger in the midst of the public is out to fight you quite hard because that is how the world looks to him. Therefore, it's got to look the same for everyone, otherwise people just get downright shafted. 

Barack is in Dar today and tomorrow. The country has seen crazy amounts of media focusing on his visit. To me, this is awkward. It's not awkward because it's overhyped. It's awkward because from what I know about leadership, security and communication today, a lot of it is engineered. Imagine you're in Barack's shoes: Your trip to Tanzania was tentatively scheduled about a year ago. You have an adviser who has at least 10 arguments why the US is politically and economically invested in the East African region. You have an agent who is advising you on the method of your travel; everything from the suit you will wear to the wheels of your car. You also have a media analyst who has been studying the country's most common and least common media topics. The set up can be further illustrated. My point is this: Barack isn't the only guy visiting Tanzania. He comes with an entourage, indeed a country. This comes with a complex set of co...

The essence of neighborhood networks lies in the people who send and receive information that the networks host. The "people" here refers to residents, business owners, community representatives and anyone else who has a stake in the well-being of people coming by the neighborhood. The developers of the neighborhood network are arbitrary, so long as they are not directly involved with the information that is sent or received. The developers only play the role of facilitating the flow of information. 

Of course, the information system would need to be sourced in the neighborhood it represents. Rather than having a central and physical go-to location, the system would need to be accessible to all involved - residents and businesses - such that they can update information at any time. Then again, residents and businesses are likely to have different preferences. Some may prefer to update via the web, other via e-mail or phone or even in person. 

Hypothetically, a neighborhood network would consist of a flow of information to and from people who occupy it. The information system coordinating this flow might: House residential and business directory information; Enable residents and business owners to register, update or remove their details; Encourage contributions from occupants themselves; Provide businesses with value-added services, such as showcasing products; Facilitate the physical movement of goods and services across the neighborhood; Promote events targeting all neighborhood occupants; Host discussions about infrastructural concerns of all occupants; and/or Assist community-based organizations in mobilizing knowledge and human resources. The information system could be based on: Print media, ie: leaflets, newsletters, magazines, etc. Visual media, ie: photo essays, videos, TV channels, etc. Audio media, ie: CDs, podcasts, radio, etc. All three, ie: a website.  An iterative needs-assessment ...

A neighborhood network, I speculate, consists of information flows between those who live, work and/or pass through in a particular neighborhood.  Neighborhood networks can be useful because they can: Increase one's own general knowledge of surrounding people, businesses and events. Facilitate communication between demands and supplies. Create new avenues of marketing and promotion that yield loyal responses. One potential reason why a neighborhood network would not be desirable is in the case of neighbors conducting activities that put each other at physical or mental risk. 

On one hand I think this could dangerously erode consciousness around language. But on the other (much stronger) hand, I am delighted to see the work that has been invested in giving people a free, easy way to learn words for the sake of rhyme! Check out Alcor's Swahili Rhyming Dictionary . 

On Vijana FM's poll this week, we asked whether traditional healers can work with doctors. So far, most people say "in some ways, sure". Coincidentally, I came across this article today titled Traditional Medicine Excels Where Science Fails . Here is an extract: "Traditional medicine is popular in rural and urban communities due to beliefs. High cost of living, which has made medical treatment unaffordable to many people, is another reason for the popularity of the customary medicines. Other factors notwithstanding, long distance to a local health facility has also pushed many people towards traditional medicine, which to most rural people, is more readily available.   "It is estimated that over 80 per cent of rural people in Tanzania depend on traditional healers for their primary health care needs. Since the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in the country allowed treatment through traditional medicines, clinics and shops, which give that service are...

We all have some kind of voice. Even for those of us who cannot speak, we have ways of expressing ourselves. A certain contradiction arises when we want to achieve a state of being where everyone can exercise their voice, because certain voices need to reign louder than others. This subdues the voice of those who are deemed to be less loud. However, the contradiction can be elevated by spaces. Certain voices can have certain spaces, as long as they are heard and are translated through the channels that are created for a particular state of being. Without hearing and translation, voice can lose its purpose.

There is a lot of deliberation at the moment on the language of instruction in Tanzanian schools. Public schools teach in Swahili, with a small minority of public secondary schools teaching in English. The popular perception among people is that English = quality global education. Yet, some argue that Swahili helps to maintain a cultural identity. What if we designed a system of instruction that combined both, local language and international languages? The core curriculum would be taught in the local language of Swahili - as is the practice in most countries - but if students and teachers wanted to talk or listen in English there would be ways to do so; either through extra overtime classes, or through a dedicated course on the English language, or through the use of subtitled text on screens (and other translation technologies). In order to even entertain the idea of this kind of system, resources would need to be invested. Teachers in particular would need to be prepared (and w...

Anson Stewart is doing some really cool work with urban transportation systems . I recently came across this map he made of dala dala routes in Dar-es-Salaam. A few years ago I had talked to my friend about how we needed a map like this so that public transport systems in Tanzanian cities could innovate further. Maps provide locational data that is important for many reasons. A few of them are: Being able to also map out specific stops (and other travel-related spots) along routes; timing route/journey durations; providing distance/time information to travellers; and eventually even providing such information to city planners who can then dedicate specific space on roads just for public transport. Exciting stuff! Thanks Anson .

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...

I'm watching it live, and so far there have been some interesting speakers! Many thanks to all the social media enthusiasts for making sure us folk who are away from home also get involved. This year's theme is: Who Killed Zinjanthropus ? Stream it live here . Other useful links: TEDxDar homepage TEDxDar on Facebook TEDxDar on Twitter Mikocheni Report updates The WayWard Press updates Vijana FM on Twitter