TEDxDAR 2011: The Past Is Alive

There are only ten days left until TEDxDAR 2011: "Who Killed Zinjanthropus." I am going to enjoy this one, I think. *Stepping onto soapbox* History, historicity, perspective- these things matter! Finally someone is going to talk about it on purpose. We might even avoid the dreaded "Nyerere" word. But probably not. *Stepping off soapbox.*

The biggest selling point of the TEDxDAR events for me is that they provide a non-partisan (or should I say a pan-partisan?) forum for the discussion of ideas. It's not that Ideas don't get Discussed in Bongo, but of late it has been very hard to keep these efforts from getting sucked into the vortex of partisan political agenda-setting that plagues every attempt at dialogue. So I'll be there, listening and liveblogging (I hope) and generally enjoying the fruits of Tanzanian intellectual exchange. More posts to come as I digest the four themes that have been advertized.

Just a few details for now:

1. If you haven't registered, there's still some time to do so. As free Saturday events go, there's not much better out there for people who like to talk.
2. You can still nominate speakers! I know you know someone really cool who should probably be on that podium. Get them on there.
3. The National Museum has just been through some major overhauling. Aren't you curious to see the new place? I hear there's a theater and everything... how sexy is that, huh? Yeah, you know you want to go the Museum on a Saturday. You know you do. The pickled coelacanth might still be there.

TEDxDAR: Semi-final reflections

Never make a promise on your blog. Your colleagues are likely to gang up on you and demand that you actually fulfill it whilst enumerating the various lapses in logic that you suffered during the TED event. Don't they know accountability is for public officials, not ye Average Josephine? Here, then, are a few final thoughts on TEDxDAR.*

Undeniably a fantastic event, and one that has initiated the kind of conversational exchange I am sure we would all like to see more of. I understand that the Organizing Team is looking to do this on a regular basis so I suspect that frequency is not going to be the problem. The obvious question becomes how do we expand the dialogue to become more inclusive? There is the matter of increasing access: physically through good marketing and choosing amenable venues which can accommodate larger numbers, and intellectually by offering the event in Kiswahili as well as English.

On the flip side, is this an elitist event? Without a doubt, and in the best sense of the word. Yet registration to attend TEDxDAR was FREE. FREE talks, FREE food, FREE goodies. It doesn't get better than that, does it? Sure enough the event was oversubscribed, yet people DID NOT SHOW UP thereby blocking attendance on the part of people who wanted to come (or claimed they wanted to come, since even they didn't show up after tickets were freed up). I am not sure what this says about us. Sometimes I wonder where our collective head is at.

That's it from me. I'll be updating as I get my hands on TEDxDAR info or goodies from time to time. Cheers, and thanks to everyone who attended TEDxDAR, supported it, organized it and in any way shape or form continues to work for a smarter, better vision of our future. Let's keep thinking, talking, doing.

*I hope you guys are happy. Now will you delurk and shift the discussion to the blogosphere?

TEDxDAR: And to conclude...

We are done now. The pictures are being taken on stage, the tone is mellow, the DJ has put on bass-heavy music and guests are trickling out of the tent. At the blogging table, aspirin or alcohol would probably be welcome depending on the recipient. Certainly I must thank Mr. Whatsisname from my WK days who insisted that learning touch-typing would be helpful. I hope you are still bullying high-school kids into doing their Mavis exercises :)

I am walking away from the group photo (strobe lights are brighter than they appear in the movies) and guided home through the dark by the warm glow of my Apple. It's time to shake some booty at the after party*. Tomorrow, or whenever, is time enough to do a proper post-mortem. So I'll just say this for now: mad love to the TEDxDAR team. You done good. Own it.

*Triniti, 7:00 pm onwards. I'll be the one having twitching to the break beats of James Brown.

TEDxDAR: Young Kimaro

And last, but not least, Young Kimaro. As an aspiring columnist, I have always admired the lucidity, pragmatism and humor of her writing in the Daily News. Also: she's cool peeps. She remembered to Big Up Kate Bomz (the hidden factor) for pushing like a demon to make sure she was here to support, organize and respond to Speakers for the event. Tech moment: Kate Bomz was actually online and managed to respond live.

Technology. Education. Development. x. Dar es Salaam. That's what's up.

Young Kimaro is hypnotically soft-spoken and I am tired, so forgive me if I don't do justice to her presentation. She started with illustrations from the tourism sector. We are understandably proud of our rich natural resources, but until she started breaking it down for me I did not think too deeply about how our relatively poor services are compromizing our tourism trade and making us uncompetitive in a world chock-a-block full of gorgeous places to visit. And that's just one sector.

"What if we all did what we do...better. every day, every week, every month, every year."

What if?

Young took us from the ideal to the applicable through the tool of Client Focus. And she broke. it. down. For the first time, the comparison with Asian Tigers- which never fails to annoy me because of the implicit historical insensitivity- made sense to me. She was so much better at giving me a credible explanation of the hidden factors that propelled them forward than anyone I have come across to date.

Told you she was pragmatic. Watch out for the soft-spoken ones.

TEDxDAR: Abdu Simba

Abdu Simba is a bit of a polymath, but for TEDxDAR he's here wearing what I like to think of as his 'visual arts' hat. Abdu was one of the founding members of the Flame Tree Media Trust, supporting photography in Tanzania. His talk is about a rather difficult subject to collapse: iconic images, identity and self-esteem. A subject whose complexity any African who consumes film and television is familiar with as we react viscerally to a range of emotions- from the humiliation of old reels with blackfaced minstrels to the triumphant appeal of Barack Obama's aquiline profile gazing thoughtfully into a beautiful American future.

Abdu took us through a slide show of iconic images, from the West and by contrast from Africa to help us think about the tropes, and expose the stereotypes. His ultimate destination was the iconography of Julius Kambarage Nyerere and how he has come to embody Tanzania's soul because he represents our greatest hour. I'll see about getting the slide show for you, it pretty much speaks for itself.

He did say this about the arts: in Tanzania, just as anywhere else, they are cruel masters. We may talk about 'incentivising' art all we like but at the end of the day artists are the ones who have to serve their craft or else they will die. If you are doing something else because art hailipi, you weren't an artist to begin with.

Sometimes it really is that simple. (Please don't use this as an excuse Not to Pay Artists for their Work!)

TEDxDAR: Modesta Mahiga

It is with great personal pleasure that I am blogging today about Modesta Mahiga, CEO of Professional Approach. She couldn't be here, so instead of dropping out without udhuru she recorded a video and sent it in. Committment haina feki, people.

Modesta is passionate about human resources, about developing people and that relationship to our fate as a nation. She's all about unleashing the power of the individual in order to win- in life, in business, as a collective made up of powerful actors. Her vision of our future is of a Tanzania led by confident, professional, patriotic, altruistic entrepreneurs. Of course, since TED is all about exposing such-like individuals in different fields I concur with her that this is not just rhetorical dreaming. This is already happening.

No link yet, but as soon as I get my hot little hands on the video I'll post it. It is good.

TEDxDAR: Selemani Kinyunyu

"Green is Sexy." Yes it is. With this message, Selemani aimed to recruit the participants into doing their bit for climate change* in Tanzania. Whether that means biking to work, separating trash and composting, not printing every email or any host of daily activities that can actually make a difference, however small, in the ultimate fate of the environment. He's already doing his part. Selemani's talk was about what climate change has to do with Tanzania.

I asked Selemani to try and explain what the heck this carbon trading business is all about. And he did: the market for the environment aims for reduced emissions from avoided degradation and deforestation. Carbon emmission is a good measure of environmental degradation. Since 60% of Tanzania's GDP comes from the extraction of natural resources (tourism, mining, agriculture), climate change will directly affect how NRs will be used in Tanzania. In effect, through this carbon trading market we can, as nations, buy and sell 'carbon emissions' in a global market. And this is where I leave you to venture ahead on your own because I 'failed' Economics more than once due to my complete inability to understand let alone speak Economese.

*In the interest of time I am not going to blog what Climate Change is and the fiddly bits of the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols. Please watch Al Gore's movie and use your Googling skillz.

TEDxDAR: Rakesh Rajani

Rakesh Rajani is best known to most of us for his helmsmanship of HakiElimu, the most notoriously successful watchdog NGO in Tanzania in the past five years. Using public education as a platform HakiElimu took the fight to the big boys, roasting the government in the fat of its own statistics at a time when it was political suicide to poke holes in the Primary Education Development Program in front of donors. At present, Rakesh is doing what he does extremely effectively: founding, fostering and promoting a new activist organization in Twaweza.

His talk was titled: "Development is Failing Miserably-lessons from 9 villages in Tanzania." Supported by a slide show of pictures taken by Pernilla Baernst taken in 2008, Oct 2009, Rakesh took us through documented experiences of 'failures' in various sectors. This is about getting to the core of development challenges- holding government to power, demanding accountability, rejecting the false stories and false consciousness of the development industry.

But- and this is where things get interesting- the talk was also full of stories of success. Of course 'poor' people in poor countries are not sitting around woefully acting out their poverty. Rakesh took us along as he met canny entrepreneurs and innovators who are powering along the Tanzanian economy by making the best use of what's available. If necessity is the mother of invention, it goes to stand that the powerhouses of innovation will be found where the need is greatest. Doesn't that just invert the power triangle?

I guess that ultimately, Rakesh's point is that we (Tanzania) do not lack money or people or donors or any other classic ingredient for development. What we need is imagination that knows where to look and how to create and invest where it will really make a difference.

"Imagination will make Tanzania Fly."

Now isn't it nice to get a positive development vision for once?

TEDxDAR: Lunch Break so Time for Some Pictures

TEDxDAR in pixels.

Participants checking out what's on offer.

Pete Mhunzi talking baraza-style about a bilingual Tanzania

Organizers! The people behind the excellence.

ePress Corps: Blogging, Tweeting is hard work. Check out the furrowed brows.

TEDxDAR: Babu Sikare

"I was held accountable for everything"...just like everyone else. Babu said that his family was careful not to treat him any differently than his other siblings. There is a tendency in Tanzanian families to hide the kid with the disability, or 'protect' them from the world or the consequences of their disability. Sikare pointed out that his family was incredible in terms of making sure that wasn't the case for him- they probably knew that life would hold challenges enough without them making things complicated. Touchingly, several members of his family are here at TEDxDAR to support Babu.

So Babu has struggled and succeeded to build what he calls a Normal Life and what I call Self Actualization. He's an actor, a performer, evidently successful, in spite of his very real challenges and limitations. And now he is working as an ambassador against the killing of Albinos in our fair land.* He has a pragmatic approach: creating social awareness means explaining to people what causes albinism. But there is a hidden side to the story: albino killings get a lot of press coverage because of the gruesome nature of the 'entertainment.' However, on average albinos die by the age of 35 because of cancer. Not a sexy story, no press coverage. And so to address this issue, he started an organization. Check out Afrobino.

*Like, what the heck is up with that social insanity? I can't even begin to unpack the pathologies inherent in that practice. Kulikoni?

TEDxDAR: Vicensia Shule

"I was told..." Vincensia Shule used that phrase to jump off the received wisdom on Julius Kambarage Nyerere and tell us her story: to her, Nyerere was an Artist. As she is.

While explaining Mwalimu's role in promoting culture, she broached an interesting subject: under the British, western forms of art such as theatre were introduced for the enjoyment of the colonials, and the black elites, the 'Black wazungu' aka coconuts, aka Oreo Cookies or whatever other pejoratives might be applied to such folks.

Hm.

Just to look next door for a second- Kenya has a fantastically vibrant intellectual and artistic scene with world class theatre, literature, music, etc. Tanzanian art is... well. Let's just say it's a good thing Wole Soyinka wasn't born here. We don't value arts and culture as a society, lip service aside.

Anyways, Vicensia tells us that Mwalimu established cultural groups and schools for the arts. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Culture has suffered from the same forms of neglect that the Ministry of Community Development, Women and Children, namely the Who Cares Problem.

Vincesia says that Mwalimu Failed *gasp!* the arts because he didn't put in place mechanisms to nurture and support culture and policy. We apparently didn't even have a cultural policy until 1997. He also forgot that *gasp!* This World Is Not a Socialist World. He didn't put in place a system to promote the arts and culture because it was all in his head and he didn't make allowances that we are not all mind readers nor do we all agree with his philosohies in perpetuity.

Vicensia has a very quiet voice and measured delivery, which is why I think that the challenges in her talk slipped into our Tanzaphilic ears so quietly to fester. Thanks for the corrections, Vicensia!

TEDxDAR: The Tea Break

One thing I noticed immediately coming into the TEDxDAR venue was that I already knew far too many people here. A couple of friends have remarked time and time again: Dar is very small. I deal with this by keeping as low a profile as I can manage, but in the end there is just a large group of us who are Unavoidable at Certain Kinds of Events. I wonder sometimes if this is a Tanzanian adaptation of what C. Wright Mills was writing about in 'The Power Elite."

It's not all cliques and insiders though- I managed to meet and greet a couple of Really Awesome Women. One is a blogger who sat next to us on the blogging table and introduced herself thus: "I am an independent blogger, not one of the organized ones, but I am blogging the event." Word.

So it was utterly unsurprising to find that her blog- Raging Squid- is actually hosted under the URL irreverentwench dot blogspot dot com. Link up on the blogroll soon.

Anyways: may the outsiders never ever stop infiltrating ;) It's what leads to events like TEDxDAR

TEDxDAR: Mejah Mbuya and Sarah Markes

Attention: Dreadlocks on stage! Mejah Mbuya is presenting a brief history of Dar es Salaam, accompanied by Sarah's fantastic drawings. Because, like me, Sarah considers microphones to be mortal enemies. Nice management of the situation, Sarah ;)

I have blogged about the Street Level Project before, check it out if. Chema chajiuza. It is also an excellent lens through which to present Dar es Salaam in the 21st Century, this city which some of us love so much. Karibuni Bongo, kuna historia...

TEDxDAR: Leo Mkanyia, crosspollination

Leo Mkanyia stepped in because Nakaaya was not able to join us today. Ahem. Leo Mkanyia is an Afrojazz guitarist, and performed two songs for the event. Acoustic guitar, clear voice with the slightest rough suggesting that maybe the blues is around the corner, lefty political lyrics.

As I Please: " Prof. Mhunzi says, when he moved to TZ, he conversed with his house keepers in Kiswahili. But the language of chores was English. As a result making Kiswahili the lintellectual language and English the subservient one. The resultant code was flipped. His is a fascinating way to think about the debate we've been having in this country about which of the two of our national languages we can elevate. A provocative start."

TEDxDAR: The Leadership Challenge

Oh, my people. There is something about our West African brethren isn't there? They don't suffer from quite the same Culture of Silence and Acquiscence as we do here in East Africa. No, sir. Taking a break while George Ayittey talks about my favorite thing in the world: governance. Yes: Power, the Power to Self Rule and What we Africans Have Done With It. Oh yeah, and markets and the relationship between the market and politics. We should have left it Political Economy in my opinion, you can't have a one-sided coin.

Watch the video, there's nothing else to be said.

Bloglink: Shurufu is also liveblogging this event, check out his posts.

Jamie Yang- TEDxDAR

Ah, poverty. And the business of eradicating it. Jamie Yang hooked me into his talk with this simple observation: The stories that are told about the poor are quite different than the stories that they tell about themselves.

What Jamie does is deal with energy issues, bringing light to the poor. Everything costs more when you are poor- more money, more effort, more strategizing, more diverse little income streams, more ingenuity and opportunism. Jamie works in Social Investment, the strange no-man's land between NGO funding (aka 'free money that make you lazy') and venture capital (Evil Capitalism). I can't say that I understand how it works, exactly, but I will always applaud people who put their thinking caps on to work in poverty alleviation.

Peter Mhunzi- TEDxDAR

"My goal is to encourage Tanzanians to value equal bilingualism"

He's talking about English and Kiswahili and how we treat them in Tanzania through the lens of diglossia. This is some deep stuff, and something I know that many of us Anglophones struggle to master in an Kiswahili+'Tribal'tongue society. In diglossia:

- The high language is that of 'governance' has formal prestige

- Low language is the language of everyday discourse

Not hard to see what's happening here, if you have ever wondered why our leaders speak fluent Kiswanglish. Worth noting of course: TEDxDAR is being conducted in English. More importantly- you cannot fully participate in the Intellectual Life of Tanzania if you avoid English. You cannot fully participate in the Everyday Life of Tanzania if you avoid Kiswahili. There lies the rub.

This is the first time I have heard someone acknowledge, define and promote the inescapable fact that Bilinguality is a better and more honest state of being for Tanzania than the often politically-motivated adherence to one language.

Fantastic talk by a fantastic speaker- Peter Mhunzi.

TEDxDAR 2010 Live Blogcast

Hi Folks-

Salaams from Masaki. I am sitting at the back of the tent at TEDxDAR, cursing the forest of tall men sitting in front of me getting in the way of the screen and trying to hear over the sound of the three massive fans behind me. It's going to be an interesting ride. I hope to take you along with it, in this the first liveblogging event for the Mikocheni Report.

Nadeem Juma has just welcoming us all to the event, introducing the organizers (big up Kathy Bomz) and taking care of some housekeeping. I am slightly distracted by the rain- sitting at the back of the tent it is hard for me to ignore the fine mist that is messing with the computer...

This place is IT'd to the teeth. We're talking livecasting, blogging, tweeting, texting, not to mention the usual recording and stuff. Unfortunately, the rain wasn't factored in and this means we're pausing a little bit as the people up front figure out how to protect all this sensitive electrical equipment from the ultimate enemy- water.

In the meantime, waiting on Peter Mhunzi whose talk, titled 'The Need for Bilingualism' has just been demonstrated quite nicely by our host :) Seriously, this is a topic close to my heart as well. I'm listening, more later.

The Cool Kids Are Coming to Town.

Hey, you. Been feeling a little down lately? Losing your faith in a beautiful Tanzania filled with talented people doing good works, fuelled by passion and principle? Need something, or someone to believe in? I've got some good news for you: TEDxDAR is around the corner. Please register to attend on the website. That speaker list is kicking: chock full of real-deal self-made talent, all of it Bongo flavored. If that doesn't soothe, excite and satisfy your Tanzaphilic soul, nothing will.

I know, I know- the annual Goat Races are on that day as well. Ten year anniversary: a decade of good work raising funds for charity and providing idiosyncratic entertainment. Two excellently worthy causes, happening on the same day in a city that is completely underserved in this department. What are the chances, eh? But we all know that a true Bongolander is unfazed by the idea of rocking two joints, or three, or four in one day. So come get your mind stimulated in the morning, then take the kids out for a good time and drop some heavy cash at the Races in the afternoon*.

May I digress for a minute: when the goat races started, all the attendees were either bourgeois or expat. Boy did we get a lot of flack for daring to have a little silly fun while raising money back in the day. Watching nyama choma bleat its way around a dusty track was one of those Things That Africans Don't Do. But look where they are today. Crusted with every form of Bongolander to be found for the price of a ticket. That's what's up.

Speaking of causes, there's a new blog in town. High Five to Bottom Up Thinking where MJ is going to testify about her...his...shim's experiences in conservation and development. In a similar vein to Land Affairs, this one is for you kids who like to jiggle your grey matter with some thoughtful, BS-free reportage from logical types doing hands-on development work.

On that gender tip, a retraction and an apology: it did take me a few weeks to figure this out, but Rasmus of Land Affairs is a he-blogger not a she-blogger. Which is totally cool even though I am now less one she-blogger on the Blog Tanzania list, because Sociologists are like manna.

*Calling all fellow Capricorns: what say next year we hook this Goat Race thing up? I got some ideas. Holler.

...and some other stuff that's crossed my radar this weekend

Tanzania is at the Pan African Film Festival this month! Weakness, written (yup, his script!) and co-produced by Abdu Simba and directed by Wanjiru Kairu will be screened on Friday 12th February and Saturday 13th February at the Culver Plaza Theatres in LA. If you go, tell all about it.

So, remember back in 2007 when the prestigious Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Global Conference came to Arusha bringing together thinkers and innovators from around the world and (ahem) Tanzania? Oh, you didn't go either? Well, the good news is that a band of Bongolanders are organizing a TEDxDar event that will take place on May 22nd. Link to the website coming soon. In the meantime, the TED website is an excellent place to procrastinate. It beats forwarding odious Cute Kitten/Prayer Chain/Health Scare /My Cause emails to your exasperated friends, although that can be fun too...

My favorite purveyors of shiny electronic toys, Apple, has finally fallen off the edge of the product-naming cliff. Just a month ago, they were so cool and smart and soulful (yes, and businessminded) that I could condescend to my PC friends with confidence. This year they give us...the iPad. Thanks Steve, its going to be fun carrying one of those around the office.