There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
Beverly Sills

The Politics of Tanzania

As a member of Cross Cultural Solutions, every night, we have a lesson on a different aspect of Tanzania. A few nights ago, the topic was politics. Since Zik was our teacher, of course it was very interesting and informative. I would like to share some of what I have learned with you. Hopefully you will be as hopeful as I am about the progress of this government, and although it does have a very long way to go, it is much further along than I had ever expected.

Most Tanzanians love the local government, it is a multi-party democratic party "in theory". There are some members of parliament from opposition parties. After their independence in 1964, long range plans were developed for Tanzania to combat the 4 main enemies declared by the president. I will explain these "enemies".

1. Ignorance - in 1964, only 13% of the population of Tanzania were literate. It was then decided that primary schools would be built in each village and primary education would be free of charge to children from the age of 7 until secondary school. Government grants would be given to those who chose to continue on to secondary school should they have the grades to be accepted. What I found from experience was that this is a very tricky thing because most children who are very poor like the girls of WAMATA, never make the grade. Since they are orphans, or have parents dying of AIDS, they missed primary school frequently and were subsequently "kicked out" of the education system. Once you are out, you are never allowed back into public schooling and must find an organization like WAMATA if you want to continue on.
They also built the first university in Dar Es Salaam - the capital

2. Disease- leprosy, TB, Small Pox are now a thing of the past. Inoculations were provided for all of them. Mosquitoes are now a major concern. The government has been working with citizens to change the architecture of houses to incorporate more make-shift windows so that mosquitoes can be seen.
Maternity check-ups are provided for all women.
Every family who brings in a picture and receives a certificate can receive free health care... this one I really do question!

3. Poverty- anyone 7 years and younger must attend school. It was also a dream that by the year 2000, everyone in Tanzania would have clean drinking water... this has not yet happened, but is in the works. At one point in time Tanzanians sold their children for money... so really they have come a long way.

4. Corruption- as a result of those in charge who misuse their power.
There are now organizations like the one Kara is working at that help provide loans to Tanzanians who want to get off their feet. All Tanzanians who work still have to have their own businesses just to stay afloat - this is due to corruption and is still a MAJOR problem.


As I was laying in my mosquito net last night, I was thinking about all I have learned and experienced to date in this beautiful country. Things are so very different. They have no infrastructure, garbage is burned every Wednesday, and people throw their trash right on the ground... everything smells a little different... everything is very very slow... everything for these people is difficult... everything... but still they move forward - still they work tirelessly every single day, no matter how insignificant their job may be, they do it with pride. For that I commend them, and really have begun to appreciate and respect these differences.