Letter from Butiama: the temptations of leadership

I recently opened my Christmas present (Yes, because I have been traveling rather frequently and only had the chance to get to the post office in late March), and it contained contents of a coveted brand of biscuits. The biscuits reminded me of the following article I wrote.

The article, from my column "Letter from Butiama", was published in the Sundays News of 1 November 2009.

............................................................. I have developed a strong friendship with a group of children, some are my nieces and nephews but most are my neighbours’ children. The reason for the bond is evident: I frequently share with them sweets, bananas, but mostly, biscuits, having in recent years developed a keen taste for biscuits after having almost entirely weaned myself from a variety of Tanzanian lagers. Think of a highly popular leader, such as Nelson Mandela, as the principal candidate of a “dream ticket” comprising political figures from each continent, all working together on one campaign ticket and with me on the opposing side with hands tied, mouth gagged and under house arrest throughout the campaign period and I still would win the elections if these children were the only voters in that election. Not long ago, two of the children showed up and asked me for some of the usual treats. I said I had none, but recalled having an unopened packet of biscuits and went to my bedroom to fetch it. It was a brand that the supermarket attendant had recommended after I found they had run out of my favourite biscuits. I decided beforehand I would taste one of the biscuits before handing over the entire contents to the children. It was a decision that has altered our hitherto good relations. They were labeled “shortbread” but the exceptional taste I experienced had nothing “short” about it and undoubtedly contradicted that label. Contrary to my earlier decision to hand over the entire box, I ended up reversing my earlier decision: I gave them two biscuits each and retained the rest.   My Christmas present. I keep telling myself that it was only biscuits, that I was the only one with the compromising information, and no one was adversely affected, but I wondered whether relations, particularly of leadership, might produce similar choices to particular individuals where the stakes are much higher than a two thousand shilling box of biscuits, less four. However, leadership is not only limited to politics and the range extends to virtually every aspect of society, including parenting where the subjects end up licking the crumbs while the leader gets the cake. The Irish wit, poet, and dramatist Oscar Wilde wrote: “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Those who yield to various temptations will most likely support such comments, but such support accepts a weakness rather than confronting it. It would be ideal if those who cannot replicate acceptable leadership will yield, not to temptation, but to those who are likely to provide some semblance of exemplary leadership that does not succumb to temptation, although even such advice is easier said than implemented. In the recently ended local government elections in one village of Mara region voters were presented with two of what can only be termed as difficult choices for the position of village chairperson. One of the candidates, a former leader, had been accused in the past of involvement in selling off the village’s machinery and equipment in a questionable arrangement with a businessman, while the opposing candidate is accused of cooperating with armed robbers. Not surprisingly, what leaders of apparent dubious character cannot accomplish themselves, a little campaigning and the backing of political parties can make a difference. The campaign strategy of the winning team boiled down to the following: would you rather have a leader who hatches and perhaps profits from dubious deals or one who is a possible gangster? The voters chose the former. We do not always possess the possibility of choosing our leaders, because some choices do not involve a political process, but where it does and the choices are between an awful and a dreadful leader it is perhaps time voters are given the opportunity to reject both. An overwhelming choice against two unacceptable candidates should not only bar the rejected candidates from contesting, but should only allow re-election of fresh candidates and could encourage some introspection by political parties who then might present better choices to the voters. The temptation I faced when confronted with maintaining my good standing with my "friends" and retaining a packet must be trivial compared to those faced by some of our politicians, so powerful and overwhelming that if left to the individual candidate alone it is highly likely that it is the winning candidates who will feast on the bread while  the populace will be left with the crumbs.

36 hours in Butiama: what to do

If you have 36 hours in Butiama here's what I suggest you should do. Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzania's founding president was born in Butiama in April 1922 and was buried here in October 1999.

The village of Butiama is located south east of Lake Victoria in north-eastern Tanzania. There are two principal ways of traveling to Butiama. By road, Butiama is 40 kilometres (35 minutes) away from Musoma, the regional centre. Mwanza, is 190 kilometres (3 hours) away by road. Precision Air operated commercial flights to Musoma twice a week but it appears the service has been canceled, while Fastjet, Precision, and Air Tanzania have daily flights to Mwanza. The Kenyan border post of Isebania is only 120 kilometres (2 hours) from Butiama. Visitors to Butiama arriving through Mwanza have the option of using public transportation (passenger buses) plying between Mwanza and Musoma to travel to Butiama. Alternatively, arrangements can be made to hire vehicles to pick up and drop passengers in Mwanza.

As most of the activity is outdoors, it is best to visit Butiama in the drier months, between January and February and between June and October. However, even during the rainy season it is still possible to find non-rainy days where visits can be carried out, as is the case now.

My work as co-ordinator of the Butiama Cultural Tourism Enterprise (BCTE) has given me valuable experience in providing travel guidance to Butiama's visitors. In fact, I will be your guide leading you through the various attractions, if you choose to visit.

Why would anyone want to visit Butiama? Its mix of attractions is unique: history, culture, archeology, and - for visitors who have more than 36 hours - Butiama is only a short hop from the world-famous Serengeti National Park.

A Giraffe in the Serengeti National Park.

Here's the proposed itinerary for day 1 (full day):

• arrival in the morning
• visit mausoleum of Mwalimu Nyerere and the compound of Chief Nyerere Burito (his father) 
• visit the Mwalimu J.K. Nyerere Museum
• lunch and rest
• afternoon traditional dance performance
• visit Muhunda ancestral forest
• evening barbecue with Zanaki elders recounting Zanaki traditions and folklore

Here's the proposed itinerary for day 2 (half a day):

• breakfast
• visit residences of Mwalimu Nyerere, including his library of 8,000+ books, and a view of old rock art, dated to be more than 20,000 years old
• lunch
• departure for Musoma or Mwanza

Visitors in Mwalimu Nyerere's library.

For those who have more than 36 hours, the world-famous Serengeti National Park is less than an hour from Butiama and is one of several attractions that are worth visiting from Butiama.

Email me for more details on planning your trip to Butiama.

Find out current airfares to Mwanza:

• Air Tanzania
• Fastjet
• PercisionAir

Visitors to Butiama

Part of my work as coordinator for the Butiama Cultural Tourism Enterprise is to receive visitors and respond to questions on Butiama's historical and cultural heritage.

Recently I had another privilege of receiving visiting students and teachers from Kowak Girls' Secondary School. The students did not have a lot of questions to ask, but we posed for several photographs, including the one above.

A visit to an elderly woman, and revelations on a traditional brewing venture

For more than ten years I have paid school fees and other related expenses for two orphaned students who have recently completed secondary education. Today, I visited their grandmother at the neigbouring village of Muryaza.

A few days ago she asked to see me and I told her to remain at home and that I would visit her instead. Over the years she has been walking all the way from her house to mine to remind me of overdue fees, and to ask for my assistance on various issues. It is a round trip of about 8 kilometres; not a short distance for a woman who I estimate is at least 80 years old.

With Nyakwe Masura (left) at her house.

A few months ago when I delayed the final payment of the school fees for her grandsons she urged me to pay the fees as soon as possible adding: “You have eaten the whole cow; you only have the tail to finish.”

Now both her grandchildren want to join the army. And that was the reason why she called me today to ask me to help them enlist. Two weeks ago the younger of the two asked me for Shs.17,000 (approximately $US 8) for launching a brewing venture. I gave him the money after he reassured me he was not going to produce illicit brew. Today he gave me details of his new venture, and I am worried he might not join the army.

With the money I gave him he produced three containers of approximately 20 litres each, and sold them for a total of shs.105,000 (Over $US 50), a profit of over 600 percent. The brewing process takes about two weeks, but the produce is sold in a day to owners of shebeens.

As I left, I told him I was worried that if he continues making money at this rate he might not join the army anymore. If he overcomes the initial challenge of raising sufficient capital, earning $US 50 adds up to $US 1,500 per month. And that isn’t small change by Tanzanian living standards.

Letter from Butiama: Everything is new

As Tanzanians wait eagerly for newly-elected President John Magufuli to unveil his new cabinet in the next few days, I share an old article I wrote over ten years ago when Tanzanians, in quite similar circumstances, were attempting to make sense of newly-elected President Jakaya Kikwete's campaign slogan.

The article, from my column "Letter from Butiama", was published in the Sundays News of 15 January 2015.

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There are an overwhelming number of new names that Tanzanians have to begin to get used to. We have a newly elected president and we still have to get used to hearing “President Kikwete”; we have a new former president, and I was amused recently to hear someone say “Mzee Mkapa”, suggesting that only former presidents deserve that title; there is the new cabinet with new ministers and ministries.

What is probably not as new is President Jakaya Kikwete’s campaign slogan which first surfaced during the campaign period and left me, as one who writes in English, caught totally unprepared.

Ever since I first heard the slogan, I have attempted to translate it into English and it hasn’t been a pleasant exercise. It leaves me, as an English-language columnist with a sense that this government feels that English-language journalists should put in more hours of work than their Kiswahili-language colleagues. It is quite clear where the priorities of the administration lie. Kiswahili is on the rise while English is in for a rough five years, at the very least.

The Swahili words of the slogan, ari mpya, nguvu mpya, kasi mpya, which now has become a rallying call and is entering the day-to-day conversation of ordinary Tanzanians, convey pretty straightforward meanings. From a political standpoint the phrase has a clear and unambiguous meaning.

My interpretation of the slogan is an affirmation by a presidential aspirant and, later, presidential candidate that, once he gets hold of the steering wheel, he will apply  a little more power behind the engine of a car which is already in motion. Or was he, perhaps, thinking of fitting-in a new turbo-charged 12 cylinder monster of an engine to the vehicle? It would still amount to the same effect, just a difference of the power applied. The point, as I understood it, is he is looking at adding some impetus to a process that is already in motion. Any person, who understands Kiswahili and understands something about the political process, will undoubtedly understand the general intended meaning of the slogan.

The problem with language is that we always try to find the equivalent meanings in other languages, but sometimes it is not easy. I have heard a non-Tanzanian translate mapinduzi in Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) with the English word “revolution”, and so CCM to him was the Revolutionary Party. The images I get of a party that has “revolutionary” as part of its name is one that has spent years waging a war against an occupying force, with the AK-47 assault rifle as its weapon of choice. I suggested that the translation could have been improved.

In English ari is also zeal, enthusiasm, eagerness, initiative, and spirit, while kasi is less ambiguous and is the equivalent of speed. It is when I looked up the English equivalent of nguvu that I was left with a feeling that this administration probably wants English-language columnists to spend more time doing their homework. Nguvu is also force, power, strength; it can be authority, or supremacy; and it can be impetus, pressure, or solidarity.

The Swahili version of the slogan has a neat rhythmic sound to it. In English, depending on the words you use, the slogan can sound awkward, and produce an equally awkward meaning. From the several equivalent English translations provided of ari, nguvu, and kasi consider, “New (or is it renewed?) zeal, new pressure, and new speed”. I admit that translators and interpreters will, and probably already have, made a tidy sensible equivalent slogan in English.

Although, as I said, I feel excluded, I feel it is perfectly all right because the intended audience of the slogan is Tanzanian and Tanzanians understand Kiswahili better than any other language. Those who don’t understand Kiswahili can go to Kiswahili language schools. And those writers who do not want to spend too much time translating can switch to other subjects. To me it’s not even necessary to translate the slogan into English.

Perhaps a lesson can be learnt from the French. I know that one aspect of their culture that the French will defend, especially against English, to the last survivor is their language.

For all the love they have for their language I learnt from a fellow Tanzanian student in Canada, more than twenty years ago, that there is an English name that the French continued to use in speech: hot dog, that hot sausage enclosed as a sandwich in a roll of bread, the archetypal American food.

He told me that while the French in France continued to order their “hotdogs” using the original American name, the irony was that in Canada some staunch French Canadians from the province of Quebec would not have a single word of English in their discourse, and so to them the hot dog was chien chaud, literally “hot dog” – in French!