By Kiranga
As we mark the 49th anniversary of Tanganyika’s Independence I was forced to reflect on the question “So what exactly does independence mean to you?” A politically inclined young fellow I know poked public opinion on the state of our independence, and whether there is anything to celebrate or mourn. I heard the surity of a “You bet’cha” moment, unfortunately not with a commensurate security.
To be fair, that is a loaded question, how do you condense 49 years of the triumphs and travails of a people in a simply worded and rightfully scaled, measure for measure — even if Shakesperean — answer? How do you calibrate this answer with the theoretical perfect Aristotelian anger? You don’t. To be fair may be to be removed from reality. If you say you do, you subject yourself to dishonesty if not disposing your integrity to lying. Talking about weighing in national unity and peace is well and good, but to be honest, to me that is nothing but lowering expectations and embracing mediocrity. More about this aspect later.
If you have any sense, you would take the sure shot, which is almost always not the fair shot in these districts. The one that even the blind and non-initiates will have no problem following and attesting to, the one my learned friends like to call “beyond reasonable doubt”.
What is independence? Independence is the state of being sufficient, not dependent, free, not in any form of servitude. Granted, existence is intrinsically ingrained with inter-dependence even at the quantum “action at a distance spookiness” of Einsteinian fame that defies the speed of light (OK, I used up my quantum physics analogy quota for the day), but discounting that, we expect people who say they are independent to be able to pay their bills at the very least. Not claim independency and beg to balance the budget at the same time.
In the interest of openness, this is the reply I gave, verbatim.
“What Independence? Which Independence? Does donor dependency somehow painted by some half baked rhetorician-cum-politician in the ugly colors of dishonesty qualify as independence? We are still in the worst of dependency possible, we can’t even shift from a natural resources dependent economy to a more sophisticated existence. Fine, natural resources is where all sophisticated economies come from you say (backed by Adam Smith et al), but even that base economy we cannot control, we don’t produce enough, spend disproportionately to what we produce, are confined to the vagaries of the weather, and are still caught up in a “follow fashion monkey” mentality. What independence? Which independence I ask again? I mourn the train-wreck our governance has dilapidated into. And don’t even try with that glass is half full stuff, the glass is not even empty, it’s broken, we need a new one.”
Like a persistent journalist not satisfied with the first answer, which can always be excused as a slip of the tongue, he persists poking what needs no poking by asking. “What do you consider Independence? Will you celebrate or mourn?” No grey areas there, definition of independence, then black or white. Duh, dude didn’t see the agony above? Or was I blitzing too much now he didn’t even took it for agony? What am I doing agonizing anyway?
So I tell him — and now the rest of the world — if a bit condescending, but still called for.
“Independence means not being dependent, we are still donor dependent therefore we are not independent. My perspective informs me of a horrendous predicament even as my equanimity forbids me from either celebrating or mourning, I don’t even mourn the dead for they in some way embrace a blissful non-existence, so why should I mourn for the living?”
A step back. I do not wish to appear otherwordly, euthanesia friendly, or monkish jesuit to be plain, but sometimes I feel the dead are better than the living wretched proverbial — even medieval — short and brutish lives, so that takes back the “why should I mourn for the living?” in a “let the dead bury the dead” sense. There goes my biblical analogy quota.
To be truthful we have a lot to be grateful for. The above-mentioned national unity is no passing joke. We are witnessing the dream of a strong Ivory-Coast built by cocoa, French egalitarianism, and the capitalism of Felix Houphoet Boigny — complete with the jewel of a ” $ 300m basilica in the bush” — crumble from the darling model that every western capitalist used to point to, to the worst possible laughingstock the worst of African democracy could point to. I mean that Gbagbo crony standing up and scrapping the official results in front of all cameras was just extra-dimensional, not even next level from Mugabe.
I appreciate Mwalimu, and what he did for this country, but how long are we going to dwell on that? What is Dodoma if not another ‘basilica in the bush’ albeit to the church of “Ujamaa na Kujitegemea”? I hear the Nyerereites groaning, comparing Dodoma to Yamoussoukrou doesn’t sit well, but from the onset I did not mean to have my views sit well, just excite the imagination right. Isn’t Dodoma just as much of a “white elephant” as Yamoussoukrou? Well, maybe, not exactly, Dodoma may be an honest mistake while Yamoussoukrou is a royal indulgence (in the truest sense of the word, as in Boigny was royal — but so was Nyerere, so what?) Forgive Nyerere, he probably did more good than bad under the wretched circumstances he took us, the question is, what are we doing to build on his legacy?
The Americans are obsessed with the Chinese now, and not only because the Chinese are taking their lowly manufacturing jobs, but because the Chinese kids (at least those in the Beijing school system for now) are number one in some global academic ranking. Far above those in Helsinki and Sydney and many other affluent democratic capitals of the West, and don’t even talk about those in East New York which is sometimes pocketed into the so called third world by some New Yorkers.
My question is, can we really afford this procastination? This “No Hurry In Africa” which we seem to embrace so much? This act that some of us are so faithful to, like we have our own world class stock exchanges, universities and influential networks ? How can we afford not to be critical? Freedom is not free, independence is not for the taking. It requires much more than the formal sovereignty and historical glory which we are quick to point to. It requires a burning vigilance, one not to be confused with blinded patriotism. As a matter of fact to be truly independent one is required to curb his/her patriotism, for that inspiration may be detrimental to independency.
I did not promise a quota on Shakespeare, so that draws me to ‘The Merchant of Venice” which Mwalimu translated to “Mabepari wa Venisi” to make doctrinal points. It’s “Grand Inquisitor” moment, for those who enjoyed Dostoevsky (forgive the literally meander) is when we are taught about, Shylocking and the merchants who wants to get a pound of flesh for their loans of three thousand ducats, only to be defeated through clever lawyerly that works blood in the pound in a T.K.O, that alone is worth the admission — or rereading –, forget the vagaries of weather and shipwrecks. But my point is, do we learn anything from that? Do we ask ourselves why did Mwalimu choose that one Shakesperean play out of all? Are we comforted by the new cloth of today’s geopolitics which dethrones the merchants in favor of the newly cloned aid? In short, are we really free?
To celebrate independency one has to be independent. Are we independent?
I mean I will pour out some reasonable amount of Scotch for any excuse, but for real, independency?
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Kiranga is a regular contributor at Vijana FM
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Kiranga, thank you for the article. But, let me digest the questions posed, sleep on them, and maybe share my views tomorrow!
Good read (funny stuff in there)!!
Loved it! exactly my thoughts…
I don’t see independence, I see a neo-neo-colonialism, with the new master being the black colonials. I see regression where progress should be, declining literacy rates, our parents generation enjoyed a more robust education, actually it can be argued that people in their thirties now enjoyed a better primary education that today’s kids.
We used to have a foreign policy, Nyerere even uprooted some telephone lines laid by the Germans as part of aid, only because the Germans threatened the integrity of Tanzanian sovereignty and tried to determine our foreign policy, Nyerere used to trade jabs with the Reagans and Thatchers of the world, nowadays I doubt that we have an Uli Mwambulukutu type at Daily News to scan the international papers and possibly retort slander and misconception, if any.
The aid dependence issue is a crying shame, Tanzania, mainly due to what looked like sound policies on paper, benefited from massive aid programmes right from independence all the way to now, perhaps more than any other African country. With almost nothing to show for it.
According to Benno Ndulu, the B.O.T governor, a whopping 34% of the 2008/2009 budget was financed by donors, and these are government figures !
Even in a private environment, if you let another man finance a third of your households budget you automatically lose your independence.
I totally see how why some say we are not independent, all that the donor community has to do to undermine our independence is hint on withdrawing aid.
How independent can that be ?
Msangi, unakumbuka ule wimbo wa Twanga Pepeta “Kisa cha Mpemba (muuza duka)”… Mi’ naacha hela ya dona, halafu narudi nyumbani nakuta nimepikiwa pilau! Lazima nianzishe varangati mpaka kieleweke (bila hata kugusa pilau).
Ubaya ni kuwa wengi wetu tunatafuna tu, halafu baada ya kuvimbiwa ndio tunauliza maswali kama haya: “Sikuacha hela ya chumvi. Hivi kulikuwa na chumvi ya kutosha?” Badala ya kuulizia hela ya mchele na viungo vyote imetoka wapi. Sijui nimeeleweka?
Labda makala ya Kiranga itafanya watu wachache wafikirie.
Sisi sote tunaleta mizigo yetu ya ndani. Are we therefore ever really independant, even from thought?
Tanzania ilikuwa huru, lakini kwa uzembe wake ikajitungia katiba ambayo inatoa uhuru usio na mipaka kwa watu wachache. Watu waliofanya nchi ifike kutegemea asilimia 30 ya matumizi yake kutoka kwa wahisani licha ya rasilimali tele zilizopo.
Sioni tatizo katika dependency kwa nchi nyengine iwapo itasukuma wananchi kujitegemea na kuwa huru zaidi kifikra.
Japani moja kati ya nchi makini duniani, inafuata katiba iliyoandikwa na jopo la mawakili wanajeshi wa Marekani baada ya Japan kushindwa Vita Vikuu vya Pili vya Dunia
Katiba hii iliyoandikwa na ‘mtawala’ imekuwa chanzo cha wajapani kuongeza bidii zaidi ili kuepuka ‘kutawaliwa’ kwenye masuala mengine kama uchumi.
Kwetu sisi baada ya kupata uhuru tumebweteka, hatuna ile sense of pride ya kuthibitisha kuwa ‘sisi na chetu ni bora’
Zunguka utizame si katika utamaduni, lugha, sanaa na wala uchumi ambapo cha kwetu kinathaminiwa.
Uhuru unaanza kwenye fikra kwanza na mengine hufuatia, fikra zetu zipo huru?
This is a lot to take in – Thanks!
When readin this, I cannot help but wonder about the deficits of “models” for development that have constantly been applied onto Tanzania, the most recent being neoliberalist tendancies. As some have said, neoliberalism has vastly decreased the social and cultural solidarity in Tanzania.