The Weekly Sneak: It Takes a Lot of People to Kill an Education System

It is tough to wake up in the morning wondering what amazing abdication of responsibility my government is going to get up to on any given day. In addition to whatever other sublimely ridiculous thing it has concocted. By now I am sure you've heard the news about the disastrous results of our 2012 Form IV National Examinations. A failure rate of 60% is an amazing achievement in itself. The author of this event- the Government of Tanzania- is purporting to investigate what happened. 

As if this happened overnight. As if they don't know. As if our public education system hasn't been going down the drain for years now, right in plain sight. As if they had no hand in it. 

All these years of paying lip service! "Blah blah blah, we care about education, blah blah, knowledge society blah blah..." Finally here is a shock that they can't sweep under the rug nor bury in some document that no one is allowed to read. Once the investigation is done, the commission will have to release it's findings. It's going to take a beating if it doesn't tell the truth about all the problems facing the  education sector, and the way in which corruption has played a major role in killing it off. Not just the money- absenteeism, shoddy work, constantly ignoring warning signs, bad "solutions" to pressing problems like how to increase enrollment... bad, bad governance.

In the tradition of scape-goating, we're already apportioning blame. I don't find this particularly useful and I think that resignation-by-rote is silly especially since it only affects politicians. What we need to do is hold the civil servants to account, and all the institutions that are involved- not just the highly visible Ministry of Education.  

"Anyone who calls themselves a school inspector, front of the line. Yes, in front of Dr. Kawambwa. Shame on you. Procurers of things for Secondary Schools: where were the textbooks and supplementary reading, hm? The laboratory equipment? Stand right behind those school inspectors.  We’re going to build us a bonfire! Just because the biggest log is the formerly glorious political party that has presided over the death of education doesn’t mean we don’t need kindling."

The Weekly Sneak: ...Where Do You Think You're Going?

Oh dear, National Assembly. 

It's not going to be that easy to get rid of live Bunge sessions. We've been watching you for years and we have come to love you something fierce. Scary "if you leave me, i'll go crazy" kinda fierce. If we had to declare ourselves on Facebook we'd fall under 'it's complicated.' Half the time we're not sure we like each other at all. But it is what it is and we're stuck together in this electoral representative democracy of ours. So we have to keep you where we can see every. little. thing. you. do. 

You understand, don't you? It's... well, it's personal. It's about our relationship. We don't like it when you hide, it makes us think you might be playing us false. And you know how we get when we suspect that you're getting up to no good, right? So, please- think about what you're thinking about doing. Don't make us go stalker on you because you know we will. That would really make our relationship messy. And remember- we'll be watching you. Always. Always. ALWAYS. Here, let me play you our song. 

Love, 

Your Peeps. 

"So what if there is a high entertainment value in watching Bunge live? Verbal gladiator games are the least these people could do for the taxpayer. Tanzanians have a real greed for political news and parliament live is the ultimate buffet. Snatching it away is going to hurt more than the parliament’s reputation. Something terrible is happening to The Establishment’s political acumen, they need to look into that." 

Good Vibes

You know what today is? That's right! It's the kick-off of the Sauti za Busara music festival in Zanzibar and they are celebrating their 10th edition. So this blogpost is my offering to help celebrate ten 'editions' of Busara- I'm guessing they are using the term edition because perhaps it hasn't actually happened for ten years consecutively? One, two, skip a few... that kind of thing. It's such a chill festival, all flip flops and calabash-based instruments and atmospheric venue and easily enjoyed if you just dodge around the forest of telephoto lenses that the photographers (both real and wanna-be) wield like broadswords.

Sadly I won't be celebrating with them this year due to a dismal lack of planning, so no adventures to blog about. Actually that is a flimsy excuse since 'a dismal lack of planning' exactly describes my travel strategy for all Zanzibar trips, but this time around there's not even going to be a spontaneous attempt. So this humble offering is in celebration of the fact they Team Busara hasn't given up- yay!- and wishing them ten more 'editions- some of which I hope to attend. What's that? Pictures you say? Check out Dunia ni Duara. I'm betting Pernille's going to be posting the pretty and the unexpected,  rendered in jewel tones. 

The Weekly Sneak: Father Joe

Listen, this is no time for the picking of "original" topics for the weekly offering. Pope Benedict XVI has decided to resign, which is an unusual thing for a Pope to do to put it mildly. Generations of Catholics have lived and died without hope of ever seeing such a phenomenon. The Pope is citing old age, feels he doesn't have the energy to do the job well. Maybe that's the whole story, maybe there's more to it but at the end of the day it is still fantastic news. 

I am a big, big fan of people who know when it's time to let go and move on. This is not something the patriarchy is any good at, and it doesn't get more rampantly patriarchal than The Church. So His Holiness must be congratulated in the hopes of encouraging the behavior to spread. Now, if only we could get a few African presidents to see the light:

" Whatever his reasons are for throwing in the towel, it’s a wonderful development.  And it’s also great fodder for African and other political commentators who are stuck under the protracted rule of former liberators clinging to power several decades past their sell-by date. Pope Benedict XVI has just upped the ante on President-for-Lifers. I must hereby join the ranks those who cannot help but turn a beady eye to a number of Heads of State and ask: “Well? What are you waiting for?”

Race and Villainy

I forgot this week was Obama inauguration fever week, so last night instead of stressing about what Michelle wore (why bother, she always looks magnificent) I watched Django Unchained. Oh, did I love it! How many directors are still making live-action cartoons for adults? It's no hardship at all to watch Jamie Foxx stride around as Django, long of leg and goddamn fine no matter how crazy the outfit. But the movie is MADE by Samuel L. Jackson's character Stephen. He absolutely killed it. Blah blah, whatever. A movie needs a hero, but to truly work a movie needs a villain who is deliciously villainous.

When Denzel Washington became the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Actor, it was for his role in Training Day. He played a villain. This upset many people and to this day it is commonly held by some film afficionados that it was an act of racism to recognize him for playing such a bad man. Reinforcing stereotypes about African Americans as drug-dealers and violent men, that sort of thing. 

I beg to take a different view. Up until then, Washington was known for playing good guys and the truth is that he shines in any role. This man does not do bad performances. But there's something about playing a villain that really uncorks actors, lets them go places where the weak fear to tread. If an actor is given a villain role and they flub it, well. They're basically limited. Don't expect too much much from them, they have clearly not plumbed any of the depths of human character and are swimming safely on the surface with their floaters on.

Being able to play ugly, to unhinge- that's committing. That's craft. Denzel deserved his Training Day Oscar because he was so messing with his own created stereotype. He duped us. He was calm, he was kind, he was authoritative and trustworthy... until he revealed himself to be an evil bastard. How could one not love such an upset? Similarly, Jackson has been enjoying his eccentric self by playing flamboyant villains for a while now. I suspect a large part of the motivation is to escape the Magical Black Man Trope. If you don't know what I mean, think of Morgan Freeman. 

Yeah.

This is one of those things that might be seen differently depending on one's shade of Africanist or Diaspora politics. I spent a little college time writing a senior project investigating the depiction of Africans by Hollywood between 1930 and 2000. I watched Gone with the Wind and Roots and the Cosby Show and all that other ish growing up. This is not unfamiliar territory. It is why I prefer South African work- in SA, African characters are allowed complexity. My first fascination with a seriously bad guy performance was Henry Cele's Shaka Zulu. It's an incredible epic, one of the jewels of African cinema, on par with Ousmane's work. And Cele put such intensity in that role, it can never be remade. Ever.

Anyways, so: Samuel L. Jackson plays Stephen in Django Unchained and as the title character says- and I paraphrase somewhat- "...Head House Nigger... that's pretty fucking low." The only way this could have been any more interesting an encounter between two excellent performers is if Stephen had been played by squeeqy-lovable Will Smith. No beef with Will, he's done a great job with the science fiction genre and other breakouts. But I want to see his crazy gleam, if you know what I mean. Can he bring it?

Django Unchained is grand fun as a movie, if a little long and a lot wordy. But, you know, Quentin Tarantino. I committed nonetheless. Even managed not to get too exasperated by Christoph Waltz' measured tones and smug didactic attitude. If I had been Django, I might have slapped Dr. Shultz a time or two for being so far up his own righteous backside. But the movie only really begins when Stephen takes sight of Django, and offers up an Uncle Tom like you have never seen before. I hope Hollywood doesn't mess things up and give him an award for this, it'll make all kinds of people crazy. If you need to forgive Jackson for his Stephen, watch that Sunset Limited* he did with Tommy Lee Jones.

Rest of y'all- and you know who you are, who found Mo'Nique's performance in Precious dreadfully awe inspiring- if you can stomach roles for African men, or men of that descent, that just don't give a shit about your delicate nature? Watch on.  Django, Unchained. Alternate title: Stephen, Unhinged.

*excuse me, I got the movie the movie title wrong the first time around. 

Yes, I Find 'Rebranding Africa' Suspicious.

A couple of months ago, I was offered an opportunity to write a longish piece for the 'African Strategies for Transformation' issue of the Society for International Development journal Development. The topic was irresistible as presented to me: conflict between tradition and change, whichever way I wanted to swing that cat around the room, as long as I also touched on this rebranding of Africa business. The challenge was how to tackle these well-worn topics without regurgitating what has already been said, and said better. 

In the end, I wrote what amounts to a long blog post. The political is personal, and I think the occasional narrative doesn't hurt, especially when the topics at hand are serious. There's some stuff about youth in there, and a segment linking King Mswati III with feminism and early journalistic impulses. I did an interview with Ahmed Salim for the East Africa Today podcast that's being featured on the SID website this week*.

The issue is going to be launched all over East Africa any day now, and for a taste of what looks like a good read check out Charles Onyango Obbo's introduction. 

*Credit where it's due: Pernille of Dunia ni Duara took that picture, am not that good at self-portraits yet. 

Teke Linalokuijia

Technology, eh. It's great when it works. When it doesn't, it's a disaster. Generally speaking, you want people who know what they are doing to handle that stuff. Since 2011, the government has been making noises about the switch from analog television broadcast to digital. Nice idea, there's plenty of good reasons to make the transition and if I remember right The Google told me that this is some kind of international agreement.   

December 2012 was the last month in which Tanzanian television broadcasters were allowed to broadcast in analog. To be kind I have to admit that the government spent a bit of money advertizing the coming change for no less than three months leading up to the change. But, you know, this is the government of Tanzania. A nation-wide exercise, involving technology? Ha. This week in The East African: 

"The early results are in, and they are not looking good. As expected, all involved in this “national” exercise have performed somewhat below par. Rumors are starting to spread about the Great Blackout of 2013: from roughly 8 local channels or more, Dar es Salaam residents have been reduced to a piteous handful of offerings. And we're the lucky ones- other rumors suggest that depending on where you live, even the state broadcaster isn't available for a daily dose of grossly transparent propaganda. Word to the wise: the revolution might not be televised in Tanzania depending on what channels one can still access, you're better off sticking to radio until we sort this out."

...actually, radio's been somewhat affected too, but at least you don't need a "decoder" to access the wild and free airwaves.

Thirteen.

I have some leftovers in the freezer section of the blog that have been accumulating throughout the year. Posts that I started and couldn't finish, topics that are on the verge of being unfresh but that can still be salvaged, bits and and pieces strew here and there with nary a coherent thought to string them together. But I mean to start 2013 as I hope to go on, so a little organization is in order.

Here's a list of thirteen things that I hope to get around to this year:

1. Get out of town more. I have heard there are places beyond the borders of Kinondoni Municipality and it would be nice to find out if there is any basis to these rumors.

2. Read. Like, physical books, before they become extinct. Starting with the ones I have appropriated from friends, so that I can finally give them back so that they can lift the ban on my borrowing stuff from them.

3. Go back to some form of "school" for a mental tune-up. It's been a couple of years and the media-heavy diet is making me think I could do with a recalibration.

4. Burning questions: why is feminism doing so poorly in Tanzania? Follow up musing- is feminism even the right lens through which to frame a gender debate in our here-and-now? What's not happening, what could be better? Seriously, these questions burn me.

5. Taboo topic: Our emergent drug culture. Let's just say I am on the liberal end of that debate, and worried that we're stuck in the least productive mind-set about this- the War on Drugs. Going to have to think about how to frame this so I don't get into too much trouble.

6. Burning question: is the concept of exceptionalism total bullshit? I have heard at least four people whose opinions I respect even when I disagree with them say that Tanzania is 'schizophrenic.' All of them Tanzanians, all of them Tanzaphiles, all of them deeply engaged with change via their work, all of them somewhat frustrated. I have sold the gospel of How Special We Are like a traveling snake oil peddler, but this year is the year I must sit down and acknowledge the challenge and work it through. If South Africa has so clearly shown the perils of excessive self-regard, as young a democracy as they are, what should I be learning from them and how should I be re-looking at my own polity? Actually, kind of kicked off the topic with this week's submission to the EA:

7. Back to the drawing board: so, where does the power lie in Tanzania? In years of trying to figure it out, the best I can say is that it's diffuse and there are shadowy pockets of it here and there, and it's all negotiated and it shows up in the most surprising places. Which is saying precisely nothing more than: I'm still confused. Which might make it a great topic for the going-back-to-school bit.

8. Burning question: Religion. I am content to leave the topic alone, except that it has a way of not being so gracious with me. The Marxists and Africanists are all retired, nobody talks ideology let alone philosophy anymore. And the clerics are politicians are starting to get real friendly with each other. This is not good.

9. Changing times: Immigration. We have gone from being a taunted backwater to having the world interested in us. Hence: people moving in. I love it, and think there's more than enough room in the country for an infusion of immigrant energy. It's going to be very interesting to watch what comes of this as it challenges our notions of national identity.

10. Speaking of globalization and trends: ... I understand a lot of the traffic that comes this way is probably due to the interest in African opinions on development and stuff. But ever since Africa started emerging, I have been... well... losing interest. It's a bad and petulant habit- as soon as something becomes popular I don't want to play with it anymore. Actually, it's more than that: something's going on here and I find that even in the industry I dabble in, development, there is a marked shift towards taking an interest in the politics end of things, not just the money. And that interests me, especially since we're in a mode that can only be called 'anticipatory' as we start to get our thoughts together for 2015.

11. Speaking of 2015, the election year that's dragging it's feet in getting here. Only two years away now, and I'm going to take my cue from the politicians. Since they're already talking about who is going to run (or not) for which party, hunting season is open. :)

12. Clean up the blog, give it a scrub and a facelift and stuff. No really. This year. I promise. Um... yeah. I will get to it. And the Twitter account and the Facebook account (maybe) and the gmail account.

13. ... I can see why lists stop at 10. Hope you were a bit more realistic and focused about your resolutions/ To Do list for the year.