It is not only animals who are normally on heat.
Trees too. No, that is a joke.
Cars. Yes, that is true. Cars and machines heat
up. And so do big towns. Since 2005
when London was chosen to host 2012 Olympic Games – the fourth largest city in
the world has been on fire. Just a day after the announcement was made in
Singapore, terrorists struck London with suicide bombers that left 52 dead.
That was July 7th, 2005.
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Two weeks later another attempt was made.
London caught the culprits, while continuing to be nervous from the experience. Lately multiple arrests have been made. Plotters and threats continue to
shadow this city of heat. I keep saying heat but rain is really the major
feature –last couple of months. Which really upsets some Londoners.
“Where is summer 2012?” I keep hearing.
Rain brings snails like these two I caught mating right on my doorstep last week.
The
Olympics build up has been firing, nevertheless. Road closures, twists and
diversions have become coffee and tea.
London motorists have been appalled but somewhat adjust to the situation.
Driving through the city and expecting
delays and changes in routes is as typical as the heat of Dar es Salaam and her
legendary traffic jams.
A street musician says hello to a cat in Convent Garden, I thought this was cool. Typical London scenery. Pic by F Macha.
Only two weeks remain to the greatest show on
earth.
I heard on the grapevine that five or six Tanzanian
athletes (and their officials) are in town. I think Samson Ramadhani is our
hope for a marathon medal and Selemani Salum Kidunda will not let us down in
the welterweight division of boxing.
Dunda which means “knock out” in Swahili- surely
promises a pugilist trophy. And what about swimming? A sport always dominated by
whites. Who knows? Magdalena Moshi might
bring us an African swimming medal.
Beliefs, conviction and self assurance matter a
lot in sports. Look at Usain Bolt for God sake. Is there anyone who would say
the Jamaican lacks confidence?
Tanzania’s great confidence year in Olympics was
1980.
Back then we had a world champion- Filbert Bayi - winning medals since
1974 plus Suleiman Nyambui – another excellent Tanzanian runner and the female
sprinter Nzael Kyomo. She was so unique that her picture was in one shilling
postal stamp. Which in -economically tough 1980 -was significant and glorious. I interviewed Nzael Kyomo for London’s African
Woman magazine in 1981. She had captured
the hearts of the whole nation. While competing in an international tournament
someone threw a javelin spear which landed on her foot. Still bleeding and in
pain she did not stop running. Nzael’s heroism was applauded. Today she
promotes the Kyomo Foundation from Myers, Florida; a non-profitable
organisation that “provides quality education for the children of Tanzania”,
according to the foundation’s blog.
Queen Kyomo’s story reminds us of British tennis
player,Andy Murray who lost to Swiss veteran, Roger Federer last Sunday at
London’s Wimbledon. One headline read: “I have never heard such a heartfelt
cheers from a man who lost.” Normally losers are booed and mocked but Andy
Murray’s spirit and the fact that he was the first Briton to reach tennis finals
since 1936 turned the 25 year old Scot into a national hero. The column piece
(How I See It) by Robert Hardman in Monday’s Daily Mail... had a sub phrase:
“Murray Does Us Proud.”
Andy Murray in action. Pic by Tennis Server dot com
Pride is considered one of the 7 deadly sins in
Christianity- alongside lust, wrath, greed, sloth, envy and gluttony. When we
speak of national pride however, are we indulging in sin? When masses of people
come together to celebrate their social standing and identity, is that
religiously wrong?
How about the pride of Tanzania?
It would be
38 years since Filbert Bayi won a medal and a world record in Christchurch, New
Zealand.
When shall we have another Filbert Bayi?
Was he the only one?
I was watching a BBC documentary about a former
Irish athlete Eamonn Coghlan (pictured below campaigning to be a senator in 2011) coaching young Kenyan runners -emphasizing
technique and discipline.
At the
beginning of the program we see Kenya’s greatest winners: Kipchoge Keino, Ben
Jipcho, Wilson Kiprugut, Professor Mike Boit and today’s champion, David
Rudisha. This connection with the past is important. Speaking in the
documentary, Kip Keino (now a retired 72 year old elder) explains that the
secret of Kenya’s winning streak is “mental and physical preparation” while
Prof Mike Boit acknowledges the fact that “high expectations” are rammed into
the heads of young Kenyan athletes.
How much is that done in Tanzania?
Connections are crucial. Right now London has been
boosting the morale of young people vis-a-vis education. Schools are not only
teaching sports but also introducing the theme of dance, writing and
literature, music etc to the tune of past and present Olympics. Which means the
event will not only benefit sports but other aspects of life in the UK and
across the world...
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