Why are we so slow? It’s no secret that we Tanzanians are very slow people… When you look at how sharp and alert our neighbours are, especially Kenyans, and look at us, we are always lagging behind. We have this mentality that it is okay to go “pole pole” and be “mpole” about nearly all aspects of our lives. I have no objection to this slowlness as long as it does not enter the professional sphere.
Here’s an example. I went to an office today and the receptionist could not comprehend a very simple task of calling the person I was meeting. It took her ages to figure this simple task out. She ordered me to sit down, which I refused to do because had I done so, it would have taken her longer. What’s even worse is when you are taken into this office and that office, when clearly its just a means of distraction as people try to figure things out. Why, I ask, are we so disorganized and slow? Even on our roads… driving in Dar can kill your mood, no matter how happy you were before you got into the car. Clearly, Dala Dalas are on a mission to get places quickly so there are drivers who give them all this leaway. But why? Aren’t we all in a rush? Can’t we just be a little more alert, my fellow Tanzanians! Please!
There are countless examples, we all know what being slow means… but for a country that is trying to catch up and actually develop, this “pole pole” mentality will just finish us… we think we are being polite and considerate, when we actually come off as passive and slow. Will we ever reach our goals in this environment? Tanzania, open your eyes, wake up, stay alert, be sharp and just work a little faster in all that you do. It’s not too much to ask for now, is it?
Excellent Khairoon!
I thought it was just me and “haraka zangu”, thank God other people are so pissed with this laziness as well, Khairoon, its almost all the public and some private offices engage with these practices, people seem not to care too much about time, its “bora liende, siku iishe, mshahara wangu uko pale pale!”, its a tragedy that nobody is taking any punitive measures about this.
When you go to pay for land rates, post office, or for any sort of inquiries or even attending appointments, people will take ages to respond, even if you have arrived on time!
Its like we are still living in dark ages, time has stopped and is waiting for us, the world is not moving. Remember these same people were really enthusiastic when they applied those jobs, they have forgotten their pledges and the bosses are too busy to do anything!
Sometime one job can be done by four people! And still the queue will not get better.
I once went to get a new Zain sim card, I swear to my God I would have bombed that place if I had the means (just joking!), it took 4 people to help me, and still the details were being passed from one staff to another, there is too much bureaucracy if you ask me.
No wonder the Kenyans are taking advantage of our laxness, the Kenyans are more aggressive, they show more initiative to their works.
So what should we do? Maybe bosses should be more hands on, by assessing their workers performances and targets, maybe they should.
Remember time was already lost in those killer traffics! Once in work we should not waste more time like this.
Khairoon there is a need to contextualize/historicize this slowness/sluggishness . What I find strange is that when the very people we call slow and laid back go abroad for a year or two and come back home they complain that everything is slow except them. How come a typical Tanzanian is slow in Dar es Salaam but not in Detroit? What account for the difference – institutional culture?
Try being a Dala Dala driver for a day, and then let’s talk about whether his life is actually slow or not.
I don’t think professionals in Bongo are slow on purpose. I think they are frustrated, confused, and desperate. They are frustrated with their salaries, confused about their posts, and desperate for change, just like you.
So when someone walks in expecting perfect business whilst these people are having a sh*tty day, well… what can we expect? Things cannot just change from the bottom, they also need to change from the top.
Du! Hii post kali… samahani dada. I feel your pain, but perhaps sometimes we need to look at the reasons why people might be slow?
I think you really need to look at every aspect that leads to the slowness and take that into account along with the other aspects that you have, I agree with AK, we do need to look at the reasons why people might be slow and not generalize..
I know we need to look at the reasons but how do we find the reasons? Its not just people who went abroad who feel that things are slow here … Its even Tanzanians that never left, all I hear is “lakini hii ndiyo Bongo yetu” – and I always say, NO it doesn’t have to be this way. We can change our attitude and be go-getters while being calm and collected. I think we are overdoing it with the “pole pole ndio mwendo” – we need to learn to move “chap chap” so that we aren’t the last ones in this race called life (and development)!