USIKU KUCHANGIA JENGO LA WASICHANA WANAOKWEPA UKEKETAJI TANZANIA

Niko hoteli kubwa la The Russet, katikati ya maskani ya wafanyakazi wa kawaida, kaskazini ya  London. Nimealikwa kutumbuiza ngoma za Kiafrika. Mauzo ya sherehe hizo yatasaidia kijiji kimoja Tanzania. Watayarishaji ni shirika la urafiki baina ya Uingereza na Tanzania, BTS yaani British Tanzania Society. Janet Chapman na mwenzake Jonathan Pace, ni wale wazungu wachache wanaofikiria mazuri tu kuhusu Waafrika, hususan Watanzania.

  Watu wa makamo.

Miaka 30 iliyopita  Janet alifanya kazi ya ualimu Sudan,  vijijini; akichanganyika na wakulima na wafugaji maskini. Kati ya jambo ambalo hakulipenda ni mila ya kuwatahiri wasichana wadogo au kwa Kiswahili cha kileo, ukeketaji.  Janet anasema kwa kuwa mwenyewe alikuwa na mabinti wadogo wawili- ambao leo wameshakuwa watu wazima- yalimgusa sana. Baadaye aligundua adha hii imeenea nchi nyingi   bara Afrika, Mashariki ya Kati na Asia.

 Takwimu za shirika la Afya duniani (WHO) zinakadiria wasichana na wanawake milioni 91 na nusu barani wamekeketwa. Kati ya hawa milioni 12 na robo wana umri mdogo wa miaka 10 hadi 14.  Tovuti la habari za ukeketaji (FGM) linadai nchi 26 za Kiafrika, ikiwemo Tanzania zinabeba bendera ya ukeketaji. WHO inafahamisha kati ya wanaotetea adha hii ni mama wazazi waliokeketwa na  baadhi ya wanaume.

WHY ARE SO MANY BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN LONDON SMOKING?

 I am walking down the road at a steady pace.

 Busy road.  London, late morning. Ahead of me is a woman in high heels, red jeans and matching red jacket. Her shoes are going clack –clack- clack, like a duck song. Beautiful woman. Her pace is similar to mine, if not faster and self confident. There is one problem, though. She is blowing smoke my way and adding to the menace of London’s polluted air, I can hardly breathe.  

“Many women are smoking, nowadays!” I moan to the other lady strolling beside me. Steady and springy and also click -click clicking her shoes.

“So what?” She brushes my question as though an unwelcome fly hovering over a cup of honey.

We carry on.

HOW IS COLOMBIAN WRITER, GABRIEL MARQUEZ RELEVANT TO US IN EAST AFRICA?

Gabriel Marquez busy at his desk.  AP photo from First Post....

Over forty years ago when I was at Ilboru Secondary School, teachers encouraged education in various ways. Take Mr Hopland from Norway. During my form two year he offered weekly prizes if you read many books. I recall getting my share of glory. It has since helped me in pursuit of knowledge. Or the beloved literature Zimbabwean lady, Mama Victoria Chitepo. She used to sit in front of our form three class, shouting sternly:

“Boys! I want you all to look at my face! Boys! Come on!”

It was slightly intimidating to keep a steady stare. Think. We averaged 16 and 17 years and uneasy about females.  The age of broken innocence- when you begin viewing women other than respectful mothers, aunties, sisters and grandmothers.

But Mama Chitepo  (pictured in the middle) had a peculiar manner of teaching. She was also foreign.  Around that time, Ilboru Secondary School- late 1960s to early 1970s... was a “palace” of international teachers. We had Scandinavians, Americans, British, West, East and South Africans, not to mention Tanzanians. Years of serious, serious education.

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.