Monday, February 07, 2005
OK, the Cliff Notes INTRODUCTION TO TANZANIA, since Diane asked for it:
Historically, many tribes with lots of languages mostly based on Bantu language group, but with strong arab influence along the coast. Brutally colonized by Germany, as German East Africa (Duetsch Ostafrika), by strategy of playing chieftains off against each other, than double-crossing whoever came out on top. Given to Britain as a League of Nations Mandate after Germany lost WWI, and all the Lutheran priests from Germany were replaced with priests from the US. Where else could replacement Lutherans come from? Name changed to Tanganyika. Given to Britain as a UN Protectorate after WWII.
Gained independence peacefully around 1960 under leadership of Julius Nyerere, who called himself the First Teacher. Name changed to Tanzania. Nyerere was brilliant in uniting the country and overcoming tribal factionalism, in part by (1) making Swahili the national language, and (2) setting up education as primarily a boarding school system with student bodies scrambled to include as many tribes as possible in each school. Unfortunately he was also a strong socialist, and the economy went from nothing to disaster. For a time, Tanzania kicked out all the Asians and Indians who know how to run businesses, and made owning a business illegal.
The country is peaceful, and there is no threat of war. Its only war followed Idi Amin’s attempted land grab from Uganda. It took Nyerere about 6-9 months to build something that could be called an army, and the Ugandan army took one look at it and ran away. There is a continuing problem with the crime and guns that enter along with refugees at the western border with Rwanda and Burundi, however. This seems to be quieting down though.
The government has been supporting a capitalist economy for about 10 years now, and is getting tons and tons of foreign aid (more than 40% of its annual budget, plus all the NGO efforts). But the country is still saddled with an extremely high debt burden, highly exploitive long-term contracts with (mainly) South African mining firms (gold and diamonds) and the usual discriminatory World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund directives, plus political and general corruption. P.J. O’Rourke calls Tanzania a rich country full of poor people. He is right.
Politically it is a democracy and has now been forced by the WTO and IMF to support the formation of opposition parties, with the result that there are MANY parties that form before an election to receive foreign donations, and then quietly disappear until the next election. There is no real system of checks and balances. The President controls the legislature and appoints the judges.
Today: I call it a dependency culture – a leftover of socialism. Tanzanians do not know how to handle business finances, to start or run a business. The only way they see to get ahead is by getting a gift or donation somewhere, or more money from the government. Their traditional culture mitigates against anyone getting more than anyone else – if anyone gets a windfall, they are expected to help out all their relatives until they are equally poor again. Likewise anyone in crisis calls on his relatives, however poor, for aid. It is the Tanzanian version of a safety net. Unfortunately, it also means that heads of households inherit the families and widows of their brothers who died of AIDS, so HIV rapidly spreads through entire families.
But NOBODY dies of AIDS here. Premature, slow deaths are always attributed to maleria, pneumonia, bad liver, tuberculosis, something – anything – else.
Tanzania is about 1/3 Islamic, with the greatest concentration along the coast. Zanzibar (The old Spice Island is united with Tanzania – think cloves and ...) is essentially all Islamic. Otherwise, Catholicism is historic and strong, but Anglican and Pentacostal christianity is very strong. I am told that tribal rites and religious beliefs are still much practiced in the bush regions. Hence a continuing campaign against such brutality as female circumcision, especially since it is preformed as a rite, using one knife, and so spreads HIV.
General Background Reading:
Read Isak Dinesen’s “Out of Africa,” and think about what her attitude and those of the colonizers were toward the native inhabitants.
Kuki Gallman – “I Dreamed of Africa” is an interesting, quick read of a very self-absorbed woman who still accomplished a lot, in fairly modern Kenya.
Joseph Conrad’s “Cry, the Beloved Country” will give you a real sense of the cultural clash between native and European cultures.
The Song of Owino (try
Look at a bunch of african movies, just for the landscapes and scenery – Out of Africa, Piano Player, etc.
Historically, many tribes with lots of languages mostly based on Bantu language group, but with strong arab influence along the coast. Brutally colonized by Germany, as German East Africa (Duetsch Ostafrika), by strategy of playing chieftains off against each other, than double-crossing whoever came out on top. Given to Britain as a League of Nations Mandate after Germany lost WWI, and all the Lutheran priests from Germany were replaced with priests from the US. Where else could replacement Lutherans come from? Name changed to Tanganyika. Given to Britain as a UN Protectorate after WWII.
Gained independence peacefully around 1960 under leadership of Julius Nyerere, who called himself the First Teacher. Name changed to Tanzania. Nyerere was brilliant in uniting the country and overcoming tribal factionalism, in part by (1) making Swahili the national language, and (2) setting up education as primarily a boarding school system with student bodies scrambled to include as many tribes as possible in each school. Unfortunately he was also a strong socialist, and the economy went from nothing to disaster. For a time, Tanzania kicked out all the Asians and Indians who know how to run businesses, and made owning a business illegal.
The country is peaceful, and there is no threat of war. Its only war followed Idi Amin’s attempted land grab from Uganda. It took Nyerere about 6-9 months to build something that could be called an army, and the Ugandan army took one look at it and ran away. There is a continuing problem with the crime and guns that enter along with refugees at the western border with Rwanda and Burundi, however. This seems to be quieting down though.
The government has been supporting a capitalist economy for about 10 years now, and is getting tons and tons of foreign aid (more than 40% of its annual budget, plus all the NGO efforts). But the country is still saddled with an extremely high debt burden, highly exploitive long-term contracts with (mainly) South African mining firms (gold and diamonds) and the usual discriminatory World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund directives, plus political and general corruption. P.J. O’Rourke calls Tanzania a rich country full of poor people. He is right.
Politically it is a democracy and has now been forced by the WTO and IMF to support the formation of opposition parties, with the result that there are MANY parties that form before an election to receive foreign donations, and then quietly disappear until the next election. There is no real system of checks and balances. The President controls the legislature and appoints the judges.
Today: I call it a dependency culture – a leftover of socialism. Tanzanians do not know how to handle business finances, to start or run a business. The only way they see to get ahead is by getting a gift or donation somewhere, or more money from the government. Their traditional culture mitigates against anyone getting more than anyone else – if anyone gets a windfall, they are expected to help out all their relatives until they are equally poor again. Likewise anyone in crisis calls on his relatives, however poor, for aid. It is the Tanzanian version of a safety net. Unfortunately, it also means that heads of households inherit the families and widows of their brothers who died of AIDS, so HIV rapidly spreads through entire families.
But NOBODY dies of AIDS here. Premature, slow deaths are always attributed to maleria, pneumonia, bad liver, tuberculosis, something – anything – else.
Tanzania is about 1/3 Islamic, with the greatest concentration along the coast. Zanzibar (The old Spice Island is united with Tanzania – think cloves and ...) is essentially all Islamic. Otherwise, Catholicism is historic and strong, but Anglican and Pentacostal christianity is very strong. I am told that tribal rites and religious beliefs are still much practiced in the bush regions. Hence a continuing campaign against such brutality as female circumcision, especially since it is preformed as a rite, using one knife, and so spreads HIV.
General Background Reading:
Read Isak Dinesen’s “Out of Africa,” and think about what her attitude and those of the colonizers were toward the native inhabitants.
Kuki Gallman – “I Dreamed of Africa” is an interesting, quick read of a very self-absorbed woman who still accomplished a lot, in fairly modern Kenya.
Joseph Conrad’s “Cry, the Beloved Country” will give you a real sense of the cultural clash between native and European cultures.
The Song of Owino (try
Look at a bunch of african movies, just for the landscapes and scenery – Out of Africa, Piano Player, etc.
