TIMES ARE HARD BUT TOO MUCH BOOZE WON'T RESOLVE THE ISSUE...

I was in a late, late night bus heading home after a gig; tired but, satisfied that we had played our music well. Gratified that we had got paid too. These days being given wages promptly after any job can be a hassle. Money is a “tough ride.”

Dude,  I was slightly annoyed by unusual noises coming from the upper deck of the bus, but not too surprised though, as this is a normal scenario when you take a  London bus in the wee hours of the morning, to paraphrase the Scottish expression.

 Drama, melodrama and verbal theater.

WE SHOULD ALL SPEAK OUT AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION !!!

For decades now some of us have been disgusted by the cruel tradition of chopping off private parts of young girls, technically known as female genital mutilation (FGM). In mid 1980s when well known names began raising their voices against FGM, African American writer, Alice Walker, stood out. The award winning Ms Walker eventually published “Possessing the Secret Joy” a novel (below) describing “a fictional African nation where female genital mutilation is practised.”

These protests however, have no effect without government and law enforcing institutions.

Known as “ukeketaji” in Tanzania, the illegal practise has been condemned by high authorities since the times of  Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and his widow, Mama Maria Nyerere.

MWANAMKE WA LONDON ALIYEOANA NA MBWA ANATUKUMBUSHA NINI?

Amanda Rodgers akimbusu mbwa aliyefunga naye ndoa. Picha ya Medavia

                  

Majuma mawili yaliyopita habari za mwanamke wa London aliyeoana na mbwa wake aitwaye Sheba zilitangazwa  na gazeti la Metro. Metro hutolewa bure,  kila siku, kwa wasafiri miji mbalimbali ya Uingereza. Baadaye Bi. Amanda Rodgers alipohojiwa na  ITV mjini London alidai : “Nafahamu ndoa yangu na Sheba haitambuliki kisheria. Lakini ilikuwa njia nzuri ya kuonyesha ninavyomthamini Sheba. Sheba amekuwa nami miaka mingi, hunichekesha na kunifariji ninaposononeka.  Sikuweza kumpata mwenzi mwingine wa maisha kama huyu.”

Huyo ni Mbwa  anayeongelewa, babu eh.

Mwenzenu alishachoka, aisee.

VITAMBULISHO TANZANIA NA HOJA YA UGHAIBUNI...

Baadhi ya wananchi karibuni wamelalamikia suala jipya la vitambulisho. Wanadai linakera; eti  watu wameuawa. Kuna upendeleo. Ugumu, nk.

Kabla ya kusafiri ughaibuni miaka thelathini iliyopita  wakati wanamgambo walipokuwa wakisimamisha simamisha wazalendo mimi vile vile  nililiona suala la vitambulisho  ni unyanyasaji wa serikali. Ila baada ya kutembea na kuishi nchi nyingi duniani nimegundua  vitambulisho ni jambo la kawaida. Tofauti ipo namna vinavyoulizwa au vipi sera hii inavyotekelezwa na vyombo husika.

Tunavyojua suala la vitambulisho liliasisiwa Tanzania mwaka 1968 kwa sababu za kiusalama baina ya nchi jirani marafiki- Afrika Mashariki na Kati. Baada ya Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki kuvunjika (kutokana na sababu mbalimbali mojawapo kufariki Rais Jomo Kenyatta wa Kenya, 1978 na serikali dhalili ya Jemadari Idi Amin wa Uganda iliyoangushwa 1979), sera ilifyata. Hadi leo suala hili  limekuwa likifufuka fufuka na kutoweka, bila kujikita na kukaa kitako muda mrefu kama ilivyo mataifa mengine. Ndiyo maana leo  ni jambo geni na kero kwa raia, hasa vijana.

Idi Amin na Jomo Kenyatta -  miaka ya Sabini. Picha ya Kwekudee Blog

Mamlaka ya vitambulisho Tanzania(NIDA)- imeorodhesha vipengele kumi na moja vinavyoelezea faida zake kuu. Ndani ya orodha –  kipengele cha saba kinaahidi vitambulisho “vitafanikisha kuhakikisha kuwa mtu anapata stahili zake za jamii. Kwa mfano, kupata malipo ya pensheni, haki za pensheni, haki za matibabu, haki za kujiunga na masomo ikiwa ni pamoja na stahili zozote ambazo raia Tanzania anastahili.”

Kimtazamo ni ahadi nzuri na muhimu. Naomba nichangie namna mambo yanavyokuwa huku Ughaibuni. 

TANZANIAN PUBLISHES BOOK ON RUSSIAN EXPERIENCES DURING SOCIALIST ERA...

Some books have to be written. They must be published not for ego, money and fame - but future generations.

 “An African Student in Russia- Soviet Union” by Dr Onesphor Kyara is that type. Having failed to find a publisher (one of rejection slips hurled back by the mighty Penguin) Dr Kyara decided to self-publish. Thanks to our golden era of internet and information technology self publishing is easy in 2014.

 Available on Amazon,  E-bay, Apple i- books, as well Burns and Noble /Nook, “An African Student in Russia-Soviet Union” will soon reach  Africa based readers if Dr Kyara’s efforts succeed through  Mkuki na Nyota, local bookshops and South Africa’s Kalahari.

These are  early days.

It has only been two months...

 At the height of Ujamaa policies and the international cold war it was taboo to say certain things. 

Kyara and Marina at the height of their romance and subsequent marriage. The interesting book tells it all...

UBORESHAJI LUGHA NCHINI WATEGEMEA SANA WANAHABARI NA UJUZI WA FASIHI -1

Mzee Adam Shafi, mwandishi nguli aliyeanza shughuli zake kama mwanahabari zamani. Leo lazima kumsoma. Umahiri wake wa lugha hausemeki. Picha na F Macha, 2007.

Wiki iliyopita kulikuwa na mdahalo na majadiliano moto bungeni. Lugha ipi itumike kufundisha watoto wetu mashuleni? Tatizo hili si ngeni kwa nchi zinazotumia zaidi ya lugha moja kimawasiliano. Wakati ninaishi Canada miaka iliyopita niliepuka matatizo kwa vile kitongoji nilichoshukia kiliongea zaidi Kifaransa. Nilikuwa nimekwenda kusoma  mwaka mmoja. Kawaida Mtanzania unapofika  nchi isiyozungumza Kiingereza- hubidi utumie wastani wa mwaka mmoja kujifunza lugha. Haya yamewasibu wanafunzi waliokwenda Urusi, Ujerumani, China, Cuba nk.

Mwandishi nikifanya shughuli ya kutengeneza bustani, Canada, mwaka 1995...picha na S Vanessa.

Canada inazo lugha mbili : Kiingereza na Kifaransa.  Bahati  yangu wakati nikifanya kazi magazeti ya Uhuru na Mzalendo,  nilijifunza Kifaransa na ingawa ujuzi wa lugha hiyo si mzuri kama Kiingereza, ilinisadia sana masomoni.

MORNING CHAT WITH A FABULOUS, FRAIL ENGLISH OLD LADY

A good day becomes evident in the morning...so the Swahili proverb goes.

It was ice cold but the sun was shining. That means much to folks living in the Northern Hemisphere.  I had rushed to the bakery to get fresh bread. Now hold on. In East Africa eating bread is not that preferred as Maandazi, Vitumbua or Sambusa.

Maandazi - pic from Taste of Tanzania

Bread is the queen of light meals and breakfast in places like London.

I had just purchased a fresh loaf- still hot and soft and smelt so tantalizing that I  needed all will power to stop, slit a chunk and well...eating while rushing is not healthy, they say. Speaking of health, I had to pop into a pharmacy to buy something. This needed further will power because there was a queue. Next pharmacy was a further ten minute walk. So I decided to join the line. Gave my order, paid, bingo; told to wait.

“How long is it going to take?”

The sales clerk gave me a certain disapproving stare.

“Only  joking, sorry.” I quickly said. The annoying and menacing queue spoke volumes.