unsang heroes in medical science

Nachopenda kuhusu waganga wa kienyeji ni kwamba wanatumia uoto wa asili kama vile wanasayansi wa magharibi wanavyotegemea mimea hiyo hiyo katika kutengeneza dawa. Tulichokosea sisi waafrika ni kwamba mara baada ya kuja kwa wageni miaka 500 iliyopita tulipumbazwa na kusahau ustaarabu wetu wa kuwa karibu na ardhi na mimea yetu. Leo hii waafrika tunategemea tafiti za kizungu katika kutatua matatizo ya kimatibabu. Ingekuwa vyema tungekubali kurudi enzi za zama na kuwafadhiri akina Dr. Manyuki na wao wapige hatua za kitibabu. Tukubali kuwa kuendelea kutegemea dawa za kigeni na muundo mzima wa kimatibabu wa kimagharibu kunatugharimu sana na hatutafika mbali kimaendeleo. Leo hii Tanzania inatumia 10% ya bajeti yake katika nyanja ya kitabibu lakini wagonjwa na magonjwa mengi yanaibuka hata yale yaliyokuwa hayapo miaka 100. Huko vijijini huduma za kitibabu ni nadra kupatikana na huko ndiko akina Dr Manyuki wanapata heshima na wateja wengi.

sayansi ya kiafrika ;jamani tujivunie

Tukifanya tafiti za kutosha katika nyanja kama hizi, tatizo la kuvunjika kwa familia laweza kutatuliwa.
Serikali za kiafrika zikiwekeza katika 'wataalam' hawa wa asili tunaweza kuondokana na vyombo vya kipolisi vyenye mwelekeo wa kimagharibi vinavyoshindwa kuwarudishia watu mali zao mara tu wanapoibiwa.

SAYANSI NA TEKNOLOGIA YA KIAFRIKA

UTITIRI WA SHULE DAR ES SALAAM

Got this image when I visited T-MARC yesterday.

Dumisha mila ile wengine kwishashindwa!!! ( lyrics by a Tanzanian singer, Ebbo)

By the way should we copy everything from a white man? The gentleman is a receptionist at a big organisation in Dar Es Salaam. He is fluent in english and above all drives a good car.

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, non but ourselves can free our minds ( lyrics by Bob Marley)

Every society copies something from other societies. Not everything in Europe is entirely eurocentric. But for us, we copy and paste from aeroplane to a bulb.

Hang on! we're not coping! but we're literally using other people's technologies. Chinese copies from the west, imitate and then manufacture for our consumption.

TASWIRA ZA FIESTA 2009

wadau pateni taswira za tamasha la fiesta 2009 lililofanyika pale viwanja vya iliyokuwa chuo cha posta na simu eneo la sayansi, Kijitonyama, Dar Es Salaam.

Fiesta ni tamasha la muziki linalokutanisha wasanii kutoka Tanzania, na hapo tuliburudika vya kutosha. Tamasha hili linaloandaliwa na primetime promotion kampuni dada ya radio clouds fm hufanyika karibu kila mkoa wa Tanzania. Mwisho wa juma lilopita ilikuwa ni zamu ya Dar Es Saalaam. Katika kutia kachumbari pilipili , gwiji la muziki Busta Rymes kutoka Marekani alikamua mpaka majogoo.

pole!!!!!!

lakini umejisitiri kiaina!!!!!!

dogo umefaidi!!!!!!!!!!

dogo una pesa ya thupu?????????

Mmmh!, baada ya fiesta!

This is fiesta aftermath, coincidentally it the same area his 'father' gained education. Chuo cha posta na Simu.

Once upon a time, this complex used to train technicians for our public company, known as Tanzania Telecommunication Company.

What is the best way of turning this white elephant project into more useful way? Turn it into a FIESTA BONANZA, as witnessed by our youngsters booze above.

CHUO CHA POSTA NA SIMU

Once the bedroom of a student. Now, mmmmmmmmh!

CHUO CHA POSTA NA SIMU

OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE

This outdoor shop is found outside Steers joint in the Central Business Disrict of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Just opposite Tanesco headquaters.

Come on folks, Its 11.00am this gentleman is playing pool. Who says that africans are poor? A man in his right mind is supposed to be working at this time.

NBC sponsored garden at the centre of our Dar Es Salaam City. I think the goverment should apply fiscal policies such as tax cuts to companies that preserve our enviroment.

Dar Es Salaam at its best! I love this garden, big up NATIONAL BANK OF COMMERCE, the bank that takes care of this beautiful garden!!!, right at the Central Business District, close to Indian Ocean.

Africa needs USD93bn per year for Infrastructure- Report

Johannesburg

Sub-Saharan Africa needs to double its infrastructure spending to $93 billion a year, 15 per cent of regional output, to drag its road, water, and power networks into the 21st century, a report said yesterday.

The research compiled by the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa ( ICA) identified the continent's woeful electricity grids as its most pressing challenge, with 30 countries facing regular blackout and high premiums for emergency power.

Despite the gulf between its target figure and the $45 billion spent now, the report said goverments could narrow the funding gap to $31 billion by making $17 billion in relatively simple efficiency gains, such as making electricity users pay their bills.

The report said that infrastructure improvements to date, mainly in telecoms, had accounted for more than half of the pacy growth rates of recent years on the poorest continent. Analysts and policymakers have tended to regard high commodity prices, debt relief and improved governance as drivers of the 5 per cent average annual growth experienced from 2003 to 2008.

But frequently blackouts and poor roads still cause headaches and unnecessary costs for business and trade, the report said.

If all sub-Saharan Africa's 48 countries caught up with Mauritius, the Indian Ocean island that leads the region in infrastructure terms, overall growth would rise by 2.2 percentage points, it added.

'In most African countries, particularly the lower-income countries, infrastructure emerges as a major constraint on doing business, depressing firm productivity by about 40 percent.''

In the power sector, Sub-Saharan Africa needs to build 7,000 megawatts of capacity a year to meet the demand of the region's 800 million people, who currently have access to the same amount of power as Spain, with a population of just 45 million.

'Power consumption, at 124 kilowatt-hours per capita annually and falling, is only 10 percent of that found elsewhere in the developing world, barely enough to power one 100-watt lightbulb per person for 3 hours a day', the report said.

In other comparisons highlighting the extent of the problems, the report said the region had less than a quarter of the paved roads found in other parts of the developing world- but three-quarters of the numbers of mobile phones.

Poor economies of scale, or lack of competition in many countries meant Africa's services costs were 'exceptionally high by global standards'.

'Whether for power, water, road, freight, mobile telephones, or internet services, the tarrifs paid in Africa are several multiples of those paid in other parts of the developed world'.

For instance, moving a tonne of goods one kilometre in Africa costs between 4 and 14 U.S cents compared to between 1 and 4 cents in other developing regions, the report said.

Africa taxpayers are funding two-thirds of the current spending, with the rest coming from outside sources, such as private investors or overseas aid. Private investment was highest in technology and telecoms, the report said.

The ICA was launched at a G8 summit in Scotland in 2005 and its members include, among others, the G8, World Bank, African Development Bank and European Commission.

The full report, 'Africa's Infrastructure: A Time for Transformation'. can be found at
www.icafrica.org.

Source: The Guardian( Tanzanian Daily)

ACCIDENTS IN TANZANIA

I narrowly escaped this accident yesterday afternoon. Fuso truck emerging from Wazo Hill on the outskirt of Dar Es Salaam,nicknamed 'Wazee wa kifusi' with failed brakes missed a daladala I was boarded and ended up hitting this shop.

Luckly no one was injured, as a poor soul selling building materials on this shop ran on time and saved his life. As for me, and other passengers we cruised towards town centre, as if nothing had happened.

This morning I took these photographs only to find that a reckless driver went away with no charges. Eye witnesse confided to me that as long as no one was killed there was no point of taking the 'stupid' driver to the eyes of the law. ( Typical african justice)

But hang on, the witness said that had the driver claimed lives, angry folks would have killed him on the spot. ( typical african justice)

Why should authorities at our midst accept trucks to be driven with failed brakes? Does this mean SUMATRA( Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority) has no teeth? Is the police force incapacitated? Of course courts awaits for the plaintiff to place charges, but those guys did not see a point of taking the driver to the police. And again a traffic warden was at the site, he was cheaply bribed and driver went away.

It was Ali Mazrui ( The Africans) who wrote that Africa has abundant lives and speedy death. Perhaps we're too many to appreciate the value of life. And probably we die too many that death is now very much appreciated. We have a say in swahili , 'siku yako ikifika, imefika', This is an improper sentence in 21st century where the mighty will be soon inhabiting the space.

MEET A SWAHILI TEACHER

Swahili is the fastest growing language in the World spoken by 100 million people in East and Central Africa. The language is undoutedly the most african spoken dialectic in the whole continent.

As a visitor/ tourist/ academician/ or a would be resident, you'll certainly need an expert on this flamboyant language. Here is the tip:

Geraidine Robert is a well placed teacher not only of the swahili language but also of the east african culture.

Her contact is:

Geraidine Robert
P.oBox 4795
Dar Es Salaam

Tel no. +255 713717944

email ginaswahili@gmail.com

KARIBU AFRIKA.

NABAKI AFRIKA, is a company that deals with selling professional building materials of highest quality next to none. The company is based at mikocheni area, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Have a look on the swimming pools designed and delivered by these guys.

With NABAKI you will definitely forget the Ubiquitous chinese counterfakes as most of their products originates from NewZealand.

For up to the minute info please call

+255 784622254

web: http://www.nabaki.com/

NABAKI AFRIKA

TAMBAZA SEKONDARI

jamani hata kupiga rangi yashindikana?

Tambaza Sekondari

Moja wapo ya darasa la shule kongwe iliyotamba sana miaka ya 1970 80' na mwanzoni ya 90'. Ni kielelezo wazi cha jinsi ambavyo serikali imekubaliana na sera za kigaidi za magharibi, structural adjustment programmes. Baada ya nchi za kiafrika kuzidiwa na madeni ya nchi za magharibi, na baada ya wapambe wetu, wa mashariki ( USSR) kuishiwa nguvu ya kifedha, sasa tulilazimishwa kuachana na uwekezaji katika sekta muhimu za maendeleo, elimu ikiwemo.

Nani anajali? Tambaza ya leo imekuwa ya walalahoi, siye twapeleka watoto wetu shule za binafsi. Iko wapi sera ya elimu ya kitaifa?

Miaka hiyo sie tulipokuwa tunamaliza shule ya msingi, Tambaza sekondari ilikuwa ni ndoto ya kila mtoto aliyekuwa LY ( last year). Tambaza, Azania, Forodhani, jangwani, na Zanaki zilikuwa ni shule zilizokuwa ni uchaguzi wa wanafunzi wengi. Hatukuwa na utitiri wa shule za 'academies' kama tulizonazo sasa. Kwa siye tuliyefeli ( hatukuchaguliwa) ilituuma sana kwa kutochaguliwa kwenda Tambaza au Azania. Miaka hii mwanangu anapochaguliwa kwenda Tambaza nakataa kumpeleka huko, na kumtafutia shule za binafsi kama vile Alfa High School, St Mary's, nk. Kinachasikitisha hata wale 'vigogo' hawawapeleki watoto wao Tambaza.

Inapofikia mahala hatuna sera iliyonyooka ya elimu, kila mtu anachukua chake mapema. Tunapiga kelele kila kuhusu vita ya ufisadi, tunasahau kwamba tunajaribu kutibia ugonjwa badala ya kutibia chanzo cha ugonjwa. Hakuna mwafrika hasiyependa maisha mazuri kwa watoto wake, tunapenda watoto wasome pazuri, wale chakula kizuri, waishi nyumba nzuri, na wawe na uhakika wa maisha ya baadaye. Ni pale serikali inaposhindwa kutoa maisha bora ndipo hapo rushwa ndogo ndogo ( kwa wale walio chini) na kubwa kubwa ( kwa wale viongozi) inaposhamiri.

MIAKA 40 YA MTANDAO;HAPA AFRIKA NGOMA YA KIZUNGU YACHEZEKA KWA TAABU!

Afrika ina makabila mengi yenye tofauti kubwa ya kimtazamo, kimila na desturi. Hata tunapocheza ngoma wandebere wa Afrika kusini uchezaji wake ni tofauti na wagogo wa Dodoma, Tanzania.Kila kabila ina mila na desturi zake zilizotokana na historia na mapokeo ya kabila husika. Ni vigumu sana kwa mpemba kucheza ngoma ya kimasai na hii inatokana na sababu nyingi za kihistoria, kistaarabu na mapokeo ya makabila hayo mawili ambayo yanatofautiana sana. Wamasai hucheza kwa kurukaruka juu huku mashuka yao yakiachia wazi sehemu zao za utupu. Wapemba ambao wanamapokeo ya ustaarabu wa kiislamu kuonyesha utupu wao ni kinyume cha dini yao.

Miaka 40 iliyopita, (1969) saa tatu usiku ya tarehe 29th October, wahandisi wa kimarekani waliochanishwa kwa umbali wa miles 400 kati ya Chuo Kikuu cha Los Angeles ( UCLA) na Taasisi ya Utafiti ya Stanford ( SRI) walijiandaa kutumiana data kati yao. Lilikuwa ni jambo ambalo leo hii tunaliona la kawaida sana, lakini 1969 lilishangaza wengi. Mhandisi mmoja wa Stanford alichapa herufi 'L' na kumpigia simu mwenzake wa Los Angeles kama alipokea herufi hiyo, mwenzake alisema kuwa herufi hiyo ilimfikia. Baada ya hapo, kilichofuata ni historia, mtandao ulipokolewa rasmi na wanadamu.

Marekani ya 1969 ilikuwa ni nchi iliyokwisha tandaza mawasiliano ya simu nchi nzima na hivyo kuwa rahisi kwa mtandao wa internet kusambaa kuanzia pwani ya mashariki( Chicago) mpaka pwani ya magharibi ( california). Tofauti na Marekani, nchi nyingi za Bara la Afrika kusini mwa jangwa la Sahara zimeingia karne ya 21 zikiwa hazina mawasiliano ya uhakika ya simu za mezani( Landline). Katika ile hali ya kupigana na ukweli halisia, baadhi ya nchi za kiafrika zinajikongoja na kuchukua hatua za kurekebisha mambo. Nchini Uganda, serikali ilichukua hatua ya kusambaza teknologia ya mawasiliano ya mtandao nchi nzima hasa vijijini ambapo kampuni za za binafsi zilishindwa kuwekeza huko kutokana na kushindwa kung'amua faida. East African ( gazeti la kila wiki la ukanda wa Afrika mashariki) linaripoti kwamba Uganda Communication Council ( UCC) ilichukua jukumu la kufikisha teknologia ya mawasiliano ya mtandao kwenye wilaya na vijiji katika juhudi za kujaza uwazi wa 'digital divide' kati ya mijini na vijijini. Bado mkakati huo umeshindwa kwani council iliyaachia uongozi wa wilaya hizo gharama za kuendesha miradi hiyo bila serikali kuwekeza kwa kina. Vile vile viongozi wa wilaya wamekuwa wakilalamika kwamba tatizo la umeme vijijini limekuwa kikwazo cha utekelezaji wa zoezi hilo.



Ili internet iweze kufanya kazi umeme ni suala lingine linalotatiza nchi nyingi za kiafrika. Tuchukulie mfano, Tanzania, ambayo hivi karibuni imekuwa katika tatizo la mgao wa umeme. Hii ina maana kwamba computer zetu haziwezi kufanya kazi panapokosekana umeme. Ingawa wadau wamekuwa wakitandaza generators kama suluhisho mbadala, bado umeme ni tatizo linatuweka waafrika nje ya ngoma ya kizungu ya mtandao. Hata hapo Tanzania inapokuwa haina mgao wa umeme, bado usambazaji wa ugavi huu haujafika nchi nzima, ni asilimia 11% tu familia za Tanzania zina umeme ikilinganishwa na 100% ya Marekani.



Elimu je,? bado rasilimali watu yahitaji kupigwa msasa wa uhakika kama kweli tunataka kukumbatiwa na dunia ya mtandao. Elimu nzuri na ya kisasa ni chachu ya maendeleo ya teknologia na maendeleo ya nchi kwa ujumla. Nina mdogo wangu aliyepo kidato cha tano ambaye hajawahi kuwasha computer. Vyombo vya habari vya Tanzania hivi karibuni vili ripoti kuwepo kwa mwanafunzi wa kidato cha tatu mkoani Arusha hasiyejua kusoma na kuandika. Ikumbukwe kwamba matumizi ya komputa hayawezekani bila kujua kusoma na kuandika!!


Miaka 40 iliyopita, miundombinu ya Marekani ilikuwa tofauti sana na miundombinu ya Tanzania. Amerika ina ukubwa wa 9,161,923 sq km, ambayo ni karibu ya mara kumi ya Tanzania yenye ukubwa wa 945087 sq km, lakini Amerika ya 1969 ilikuwa imeunganishwa na miundombinu yenye uhakika, yaani barabara, miundombinu hii ni muhimu sana katika ufanisi wa uchezaji wa ngoma ya mtandao.

Hii ina maana kwamba Amerika ya 1969 ilikuwa imejiandaa kupokea teknologia ya mtandao kwa mapana kabisa. Leo hii hapa Tanzania msafiri anayetoka Dar es Salaam kwa usafiri wa basi kuelekea mkoani Kagera anapoteza masaa 30, wakati usafiri wa ndege kutoka hapa kuelekea London ni masaa 9. Inachukua masaa matatu kutoka Tegeta ( nje kidogo ya Dar Es Salaam) kuelekea kati kati ya mji, umbali wa kilomita 28, wakati ni masaa 4 kuendesha gari kutoka Reading town ( Uingereza) kuelekea Leeds, umbali wa kilomita 265!!

Mwalimu Nyerere aliwahi kusema, ' wakati wenzetu wanakwenda mwezini, siye bado hatujafika kijijini'.

Faida mojawapo ya internet ni kuwezesha manunuzi ya bidhaa kutoka sehemu moja kwenda nyingine. E-commerce ni mbinu ya kibiashara inayotamba katika karne hii ya 21 na huko Ulaya na Amerika vitu vinanunuliwa kupitia tovuti maarufu kama vile ebay, amazon, Japanesevehicles, n.k.Matumizi ya e-commerce kwa wakazi wengi wa Afrika itaendelea kuwa ndoto kwani barabara zetu ni mbovu sana hivyo uharaka wa internet unaonekana hauna maana.E-commerce imeharakisha biashara ya wenzetu waliondelea kwa kiwango kikubwa hivyo kuwaongezea faida. Barabara za Afrika, ni mbovu zilizo na muonekano wa maandaki na hivyo kuchelewesha usafirishaji wa bidhaa. Nchini Uganda kuna utani kwamba ukimuona dereva anaendesha katika mstari ulionyooka basi huyo ni mlevi.

Hata hivyo baadhi ya nchi za kiafrika zinajitaidi kuwafikishia wananchi wake walioko vijijini teknologia ya mawasiliano kwa kutumia njia nyingine mbadala katika ile hali ya kuyashinda mapungufu ya miundombinu finyu. Hivi karibuni Rwanda imeanzisha utaratatibu wa e-bus ambapo mabasi mawili yenye vifaa vya kisasa vya mtandao yamekuwa yakizunguka sehemu za vijijini. Mabasi hayo yana laptops zilizounganishwa na mtandao, printers, na scanners, na vile vile yana generators hivyo kufanikiwa kufanya kazi hata katika yale maeneo yasiyo na nishati ya umeme. Watunga sera wa kinywarwanda wanaamini kwamba e-bus itawezesha wakulima wadogo wadogo kujua bei za mazao, kujifunza kilimo cha kisasa, kutambua hali ya hewa katika muda muafaka, na hivyo kuunganishwa kiukweli na soko la Dunia. Inaaminika vile vile kwamba wanafunzi waliopo vijijini wataweza kujifunza kwa vitendo teknologia hii muhimu ya mawasiliano hivyo kufanikiwa kuziba pengo la 'digital divide' kati ya wakazi wa vijijini na mijini.

Kwa ujumla, ingawa nchi za kiafrika zimekuwa zikipanga mipango ya zima moto! na kujaribu kukimbia na kasi ya mawasiliano, bado inatubidi tuwekeze kwa mapana katika miundombinu ya msingi, yaani barabara, simu, umeme, na elimu ya kisasa. Serikali za kiafrika haziwezi kuwaachia wawekezaji binafsi jukumu lake muhimu la kuendesha nchi zao, hasa katika suala la uwezekaji kwa wananchi wake. Mwalimu nyerere aliwahi kusema kwamba hana matatizo na sera za kibepari, bali akasema anataka manahodha wa kibepari, siyo mabepari uchwara. Hivi karibuni kumekuwa na kelele nyingi za mitandao inayokwenda kwa kasi sana, mitandao ambayo zimefaidisha wakazi wachache wateule ( elites) wa mijini badala ya kusambaa nchi nzima.

Mungu ibariki Afrika.