Is Tanzania really alone?

Here, you will see and meet people who do not have jobs, yet live in this city amongst those with sustainable and recognized employment. They will talk to you like a friend, indeed a brother, and will invite you to have kahawa with them. They will be interested in your way of life, in your beliefs, and what you plan for the future. In turn, they will share their lives with you, and illustrate their beliefs. They do not have jobs, but they are happy with what God has given them, and somehow they make do.

Here, you will also see and eat fruits and vegetables you never imagined existed. You will smell the mishkaki cooking on the street, and people will constantly be drinking kahawa and smoking cigarettes. You will have bread with every meal, and bread will sometimes be a meal on its own, sometimes with butter, sometimes cheese, sometimes dates, sometimes yoghurt, and sometimes just on its own. Good old warm bread.

Here, you will find that those who are working see their time as precious. If you get into a taxi, you are likely to get ripped off if you are not sharp enough to bargain in their mother tongue. While you might not get ripped off with the local bus, you will definitely miss your stop if you do not ask them to shusha you. And if you do miss your stop, you are not likely to get any sympathy, and will be forced to find your own way.

Here, you will feel extremely hot and humid, without a cloud in the sky. You will find that people who are working are working very hard. They have little regard for time, because they have no time. They are likely to be sweating, and are likely to have views of the way their city is run that is not being materialized. You will find that while you may have the luxury of what you call “thinking outside the box”, the people working around you have no idea what you are talking about because they are tied into the box. They are likely to have very little choice.

Here, you will find that all people, even those that seem to have a choice, obey a certain system. The way they are governed is strict, and many things are prohibited. You will find that those who break the rules are dealt with severely, because people want to maintain a certain degree of normality. This is the only thing they can fall back on when chaos surrounds them; a system of governance that gives them the hope that they are rewarded if they work hard.

Here, you will find that the very system of governance that the people around you rely on is at sometimes extremely secretive. It creates a system for the people to be exposed to when it does not expose itself to the people, and to the world. Yet, it maintains some order, some peace, some coexistence that allows for the people to work together, live together, and produce things together, tangible and intangible.

Sound like home?

It is not. This is Damascus, Syria. I was enthused by how much like Dar-es-Salaam this city is. OK, maybe they call mishkaki msawee and sheesh here, and people speak Arabic instead of Swahili, but the vibe is about the same.

We need to realize that Tanzania’s journey is not isolated from the world. There are countries whose people experience similar accomplishments and challenges. While our histories differ immensely, Tanzania could learn from Syria’s preservation of its history and the importance of history to people, whether it be Christian, Islamic or Judaic history (amongst others). At the same time, Syria could learn from Tanzania’s openness to the world, and somehow, somewhere, maybe we can reach some middle ground.

What’s the point of relating to others? For one, it helps us not feel stupid for where we are at, because we see other people in faraway places going through similar things. Also, it gives us a sense of ownership about how we got here, what is immediately going on, and where we can help take our futures. We ain’t in this alone, but we need to pick up our pieces and build something, not wait for it to be done by “the government”. We are the government (at least we can try by not thinking of the government as separate, but part of us). Finally, we can collaborate. Yes, of course, nation states need autonomy and sovereignty in order to have a say in the world, but why are we afraid of how else things can be run? Why is it not possible for one president to discuss “tips of presidency”, perhaps, with another? Does it always have to be about free trading zones and monetary unions? Critically assessing what we need and why may be the key to creating something new between our country and those around or like us.

That is about all that has been on my mind. I will end with a two-parted question: In your perspective, is Tanzania similar to other countries? If so, what do you think we can do to work with them to better provide a platform of freedom for our people?

PS: Yes, we can use the colonialism card and say all formerly-colonized countries are the same, but are these countries talking, indeed working, together? (OK, I know I went one question too far, so consider it a bonus question if you are interested)