Newsletter for MS-Tanzania

For MS partners and development workers in Tanzania.

November 2004

Editor: Information worker Michael Bech
Editor-in-chief: Director Finn Petersen

 

Spreading the word

The past month a lot of Danish journalists made it all the way to Tanzania . At the country office we were visited by nine reporters – all of them wanted to find good developing stories with certain angles of their choosing. Most of the stories even dealt with the development goals for 2015, and MS-partners were also visited.

Off course we don’t know if the stories are making it to Danish media – or how MS will be portrayed – but at least partners had the possibility of making themselves visible and spreading the word about development work that makes a difference.

We know of some stories making it to the Danish media, though. From our trip to the northern part of the country, Tina Loevbom Petersen and I have produced stories on development workers and the work done in the partnerships. And so far six different media are sending out the stories – and creating a bit of visibility on the long-term development aid to Tanzania . 

News from the director

This is the time of year when different parts of your body is aching. All because of the annual hazard you put into sports in the name of Nordic Sports Day (let’s hope it’s worth it), but it's fun, though.

Our PAB chair Rosemary Thomas has left Tanzania for further study abroad in a two years period. On behalf of the programme I wish her all the best for the future and thank her very much for all the effort she had put into the PAB work over the years. John Wihallah, partner representative from UVIMTA and PAB vice-chair, will be acting up till the annual meeting (17-19/02-2005).

A PAB working group has been established to start working on the recommendations from the MShikamano meeting regarding improving ‘Good Governance’ in all our organisations with a ‘Code of Conduct’ document. The group consists of: Josephine Kimaro, Chair, Alicia Magabe, Jesper B. Jonsson and Finn Petersen. The group welcomes all stakeholders to contribute to the development of this document. Please, forward your suggestions to mstan@mstan.or.tz and feel free to contribute, even before the first draft is developed, with good ideas.

Like last month we have news on child rights. The following article was sent to us by the Arusha Times. The journalist has been on the TCDC Children Rights course:

CRA Graduates shoot short film at MS-TCDC

The participants of the recently ended Children Rights Advocacy (CRA) course, which was being conducted at the Usa-river based MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (TCDC), have topped up their two weeks training with the shooting of a short Swahili film entitled, ‘Niseme?’ (Should I say?).

Directed by a veteran artist, Kachepa Edic Mango from Dar es Salaam, who was among the three course trainers, the movie is about the story of a mother and daughter who get forced from the comfort of their home into the street after the husband (father), realises that his wife only give birth to female children.

Set in a typical semi-urban African lifestyle where tradition rules over logic, the about 60 minutes shoot sees the husband’s sisters ordering their brother to ditch the girls producing lady shortly after she delivers yet another female child.

Left to their own resources and facing hard time, both mother and daughter embark on illegal beer trading, in order to put food on the table, but this irks the daughter who doesn’t find drunkard customers appealing, especially when they start to caress her.

She later escapes to town into what promised to be a much better life, working as a house maid, but is soon to fall victim of her male master’s libido, who doesn’t hesitate to defile the girl sexually.

Running in five successive scenes, the movie ‘Niseme?’ was entirely shot during the night at the MS-TCDC premises, with just a single video camera and without any script, but despite the shortcomings the film’s un-edited raw copy, proved to be moderately good.

‘Niseme’ stars, Mary Mkumbo from the Arusha campus of the International School Moshi (ISM) as the wife (mother) and co-stars Anna Matinda, who works with CORDS-Arusha, as the daughter who becomes a bone of contention in the family.

Also stealing the show is, Eyiiga Mudhasi Abbey from Iganga based, Kigulu Development Group of Uganda , who plays the witchdoctor despite not knowing any Swahili. Abbey turns out to be an uncanny yet hilarious, traditional healer who apparently, knows only English.

The short film is currently being doubly edited both here in Arusha and in Dar es Salaam, after which, the final cut will be printed and be made available at the MS-TCDC in Usa-river, KULEANA centre for children rights in Mwanza and its liaison office in Dar es Salaam.

Held between 27^th September and 8^th October 2004 , the CRA course was the second one to be conducted at MS-TCDC this year and according to the coordinator, Steven Ndosi, probably the most active, since the trend was established in 1999. It was attended by 23 participants from Uganda , Tanzania and Zambia .

The course was being facilitated by; Steven Ndosi, of MS-TCDC, children program, Abdallah Ibrahim from KULEANA and Kachepa Mango a freelance trainer from Dar es Salaam .

Apart from the film, the participants are also in the process of establishing a special Children Rights Advocacy Network (CRAN), whose efforts will include, exchange of information on the subject, educate the mass on the importance of children rights and to achieve these, they intend to soon come up with a special newsletter and later scale Mount Kilimanjaro to advocate for the mission.

By Valentine Marc Nkwame, Arusha Times

‘Another Tanzania is Possible’

A proposal of forming Tanzania Social Forum (TSF):

Efforts of Tanzania to prevail over poverty, disease and illiteracy have, since independence, remained the focus of national planning strategies and development goals. Tanzanias choice of socialism, and latter, of forced capitalism, as a public development policy strategy, all seem to have proved futile. Underdevelopment scourges whose such causes and effects have remained externally as colonial legacy and the prevailing North-South institutional and structural set up; and internally as attitudes and low hardware, organoware and software productive capacities, have propelled the far-reaching reversal thrust against endeavours to eradicating poverty and lessening of vulnerability.

Indeed, never have the World Bank and, or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sponsored and led fiscal and monetary (macroeconomic) policies, of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs), in their originality, down the road to the hybrid, Poverty Reduction Strategy Programmes (PRSPs); and finally globalisation, seem to be helping Tanzania solve her development and poverty problems, now and, or in the future.

Tanzanians need to do, and they must act now to attain best practices in governance and democracy; provision of education and health services; clean and safe water; human security including food security; high employment levels and the affordable external debt burden, to mention only a few social, political and economic performance indicators. BUT, as scourges of poverty are not Tanzania phenomenal exclusive, but again, the symbolic nature of all highly indebted poor countries, apparently the least developed countries, it is imperative therefore, for Tanzania to be cognizant of this fact and tie her efforts with those of counterparts worldwide.

Hence launching of Tanzania Social Forum (TSF) will be continuation of the Africa Social Forum (ASF) and Southern Africa Social Forum (SASF) that take place annually since Bamako , Mali (2002) and Lusaka , Zambia (2003) respectively. The ASF is a prelude to the World Social Forum (WSF) that was now an annual event that deliberately organised to coincide with the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum is a gathering of rich nations and powerful corporations from the North whom makes key decisions on global policies. The timing of WSF is meant to signify civil society voices opposing the high level profit motivated deliberations at the expenses of poor countries and their citizens.

The Tanzanian Social Forum will be a stakeholder's process organized by a coalition/network of organizations, individual organizations, mass movements and individuals that subscribe to the principles and ideals of the Southern Africa, Africa and World Social Fora and are opposed to globalization, capitalism, and neo-liberal policies that advance market forces at the expense of human life and the environment. There will be a Steering Committee (SC) that will be charged with the responsibilities of making all decisions and oversee the running of the forum.

The Tanzania Social Forum is an open meeting place reflecting thinking, democratic debates of ideas, formulation proposals, free exchange of experience and inter-linking effective action, by groups and movements of civil society that are opposed to neo-liberalism, domination of the world capital and any form of imperialism, and are committed to building a planetary society directed towards fruitful and peaceful relationships among humankind and between it and the earth.

Participation at the Tanzania Social Forum will be open to organisations, social movements and individuals that subscribe to the ideals and principles of the Tanzania Social Forum Charter adopted from the Africa and World Social Forum Charter of principles and values. Participation will be informed by organisations, social movements and individuals' opinions about issues arising from their experiences with local environments. Activities through which organisations, movements and individuals can air their views will include inter alia seminars, workshops, marches, testimonies, concerts, speeches, researches, debates, teach-ins, performances, exhibitions, conferences etc.

Participating organizations, social movements and individuals fund their participation to the Social Forum. The participation fee will be set by the Steering Committee each year and will be disseminated to all organizations that may want to participate.

CSOs which where represented at the World Social Forum 2004 and any other will be responsible for organizing the TSF and will form the secretariat, building and improving on the NGO forum organized by TANGO on an annual basis since 2002 and the Gender Festival organized by FEMACT biannually.

Contact tango@africaonline.co.tz  

By Mwajuma S. Masaiganah

Contact for the Newsletter: 
michael_bech@net.dialog.dk – mobile 0744 - 87 40 80