The Weekly Sneak: Why the Caged Bird Sings

By the time I was coming around to her, Miz Angelou was already a Grand Dame. She had that patrician thing going on, a stentorian voice full of gravitas and particular pronunciation.  Not to mention a head of hair that essentially said: 'don't mess with me. I might be warm and loving but if you piss me off I will crack your bones and bury you where even your maker won't find you.'*

And then, you know, teenage girls discover her and suddenly catch an American accent and a deep relationship with spoken word. To this day, I can't stand hearing 'Still I Rise' performed out loud, it makes me crazy. Of course I love it, even though I think the end kind of gets soggy, but there should be a moratorium on public performances of that particular poem.** 

Anyways, so I read her books. I'm so, so glad and thankful that she wrote her biography. 

Coming to an East African near you this week:

"One greyish kind of day in Washington a couple of years ago, a woman read a poem at some guy's function. It was all about passing it forward. It was quiet and deep and I heard it. It had strength and censure and I heard it. It was simple and timeless and I heard it. So I would like to quote, in memory of Miz Angelou, just the one line of Elizabeth Alexander's offering on that day: “A teacher says, take out your pencils. Begin.”"

*Scary Feminist Hair is an old and very rich artform. Think Grace Jones. Or Hilary Clinton's perfectly sized mid-chin helmet. Et cetera.  

**She's already dead so she can't kill me and bury me where even my maker won't find me :)***

*** Actually, I would love to see Still I Rise performed with great subversion by everyone who ISN't a Black Woman. Now that, folks, would be balls. Wait, I meant to say 'art'.

Do the #CharlesBump

Hey folks, 

So Charles is leaving NMG and I would like your help in sending him off in style. If you are a reader of The East African, please double your physical consumption of the newspaper for next week's edition. If you read online, buy a paper. If you buy the paper, buy 2 copies. If you buy 2, then buy 4. You get it. It is called the ‪#‎CharlesBump‬ campaign, to register our appreciation to him at NMG where they are most likely to feel it: in their wallet  Please do it whoever you are but I am inviting Tanzanian consumers especially to help out if you can. Thank you. 

e. 

PS: in case you have ever wondered, the answer is yes. he's probably a large part of the reason why a number of us rogues and reprobates, women and youth, non-Kenyans and non-males and non-Bantus managed to find a home at NMG. He's pretty awesomesauce and I intend to embarrass him with gratitude for the coming day or two. 

Easy Does It.

Hey.

First of all, thanks for letting me take a break and still coming back to check on the blog from time to time according to Blogspot's inbuilt stats thingy-majiggy. I thought for sure this thing would #dead after a few months of inactivity, but no. Y'all are generous folks as readers go, and I owe you some explanations.

I got tired and took a break. For years My Lady of the Concerned Smiles and La Dee have been hounding me to chill out and lead a healthy life-affirming lifestyle. Being a Capricorn, I ignored them because we think we're born knowing everything there is to know and advising us is a job that only the most loving, patient and non-violent folks on the planet can stand.

Well, it turns out that they are right*, and the self-imposed sabbatical has been just as sweet and healing as they tried to tell this stubborn chick. Thanks for still reading, there will be more posts coming and please remember to take the advice of those that love you. If you're a Capricorn and having trouble with it here's my contribution: just take the damn vacation, the world will still be here when you get back.

Peace.

*...sigh, I am getting used to the taste of Crow.

Blip.

Oh, Hello! And Happy New Year! What's that? Criminal negligence of a weblog? Now now, let's not get dramatic here. I missed you too, babe.

Be back in March (I think). Don't pull the plug yet, y'hear? Take care, now.

e.

The Weekly Sneak: ... Seriously?!

Mandela's funeral was always going to be difficult, it is true. But right around the sign-language guy debacle, I just gave up. Just. Gave. Up.

So this week's article is a bit of illosophy about social media and politics, and commentary on selfies by people who should have known better though I am glad they didn't. Aided in no small part by the Dar es Salaam summer heat that riseth every morning to punish us like the wrath of Ra. Tried to keep it clean, folks.

"Since the seating is alphabetical, it so happens that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirshner is sitting next to Presidents Khama and Kabila. Taking advantage of such a cordial opportunity, these three Leaders of the South totally tell Joseph to pull out his phone and take that selfie because 'when shall we three meet again?' LOL, YOLO, hashtag awesome, short URL, instagram! Just having a human moment.

How, oh how, would that be received?"

Just sayin'. Blame it on the heatstroke.

Goodbye, Madiba.

When Madiba's health started to fail for real in the middle of the year and we all realized that the inevitable was going to happen sooner than anyone was ready to admit, I tried to prepare. This article was written for The East African a few months ago:

"The Age of African Heroes is Ending

Friday 17^th May, 2013

This past week we have been forced to grapple with Nelson Mandela's frailty, his mortality. For all that I make the argument that it is dangerous to revere individual politicians, in reality everyone needs to believe in tangible manifestations of goodness. The thought of a world in which Madiba is not present to shower everyone- young, old, rich, poor, African or not- with his warmth and grandfatherly affection is quite sad. In the face of this, how does one confront the legend that is Madiba and reconcile him with the reality of his humanity? What is the nature of his legacy?

During my last stint in South Africa I was surprised on two counts with regards to Madiba's reputation. Listening to the radio one day I stumbled across a poll where South African teenagers where being asked what they thought of Mandela and how he had impacted on their lives. I couldn't believe my ears as one respondent in particular assured the presenter that Nelson Mandela was old and irrelevant and that he couldn't possibly see the point in even discussing him.

Blessed are the young, privileged enough to grow up so unfettered as to discard the memory of those who made sacrifices for their survival. In a perverse way this person was a sign of the success of the new and improved South Africa. One where the youth could, but don't have to lug around their predecessors traumas, their prejudices... and in some instances not even their wisdom. They can- and do- create their own universe of problems and advantages. How many of us have stood on the shoulders of giants and taken it for granted that the wide-open vistas before us are our birthright? Then again, how many youth on the continent have been crushed underfoot by war-mongerers?

The second surprise came during a discussion of South Africa's current inequality problems- Madiba was served a rather large portion of the blame. After all, he didn't forcibly redistribute wealth when he ascended to power, perhaps betraying the dreams of millions of what the new South Africa would be like. This is not an unfamiliar argument. Had his fence-mending ways done more harm than good, in the end? Was that his big mistake? Should he have taken his cues from the likes of Robert Mugabe?

The South African grilled chicken franchise Nando's has built a solid reputation for fearless social messaging through its controversial advertizing campaigns. During the worst of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa a few years ago, they put out an ad that essentially said that if South Africans were to kick out everyone who doesn't belong there, the only people left would be the San- the only folk with a claim to being indigenous. It challenged the prevailing message that rendered South Africa in a rigid dichotomy of 'Black' versus everyone else and touched upon- obliquely- the truth that even Black history isn't entirely saintly.

Some of the conspiracy theories about how Mandela was bought off by vested interests and installed in order to protect them from retribution made me wonder. Politicians are, after all, people. There is a universality to the profession, no matter what the motivations of the individuals within it. And power is not a force that lends itself to gentleness. Wealth? Yes, as every tediously predictable kleptocrat has proven repeatedly. Wisdom? On occasion. But gentleness?

Mandela is reassuringly human. His life is well-documented so his mistakes and his triumphs are available for all to consider. I think the single greatest service he has tried to render to his country was his work towards promoting the idea of a single, united and peaceful South Africa. And he made it work by transforming himself into a beacon of gentleness, forgiveness, conciliation. An amazing feat for a man who is, at the end of the day, just a man.

Certain ideals are not destinations that one arrives at when everything else is in place. Freedom, peace- paradoxically they have to fought for, but after the storm passes they have to be transformed into practices rather than vague notions. Mandela devoted his post-prison career to embodying pacifism. In this hard world, this is not a quality that leaders embrace openly- unless they happen to be clerics. Which has led to this- a modern world of unprecedented 'democracy' in which peace and good sense are in startlingly short supply.

We struggle with the notion of a greater good, none more so than those in positions of leadership. Nelson Mandela, I think, was pretty clear on this front. Whether he was correct in the manner that he pursued his vision of a better South Africa and by extension a better world may be a matter of debate. But at the end of the day, I think that Madiba is beloved not for being right per se, but for trying his best to do the right thing. An everyday, solid, and true heroism- that might just be the very core of his legacy."

It turns out that you can't really prepare your heart for the passing of a hero, after all. It hurts to say goodbye to you, Madiba. Thank you. Rest well.

Because Cynicism is Too Easy: In Praise of Kikwete's Speech.

The last time President Kikwete* addressed the Parliament was in 2010 apparently, according to the announcers who were covering the event. What brought the President to the House was the current turbulence in the EAC.   

One of the aspects of international relations that fascinates me, especially in our inter-African dialogues, is an overhyped spirit of competition, sometimes even paranoia. Sure, it is inbuilt into the modern nation-state model. But you can imagine how this can make regionalist and pan-African rhetoric confusing. One minute we're cosy friends, united in our 'common African identity' and interests. Next thing you know, chaos. This behavior constitutes about 75% of why I am at best lukewarm about ye olde Pan African Dream. 

So, we were all curious to see what President Kikwete would say on the matter since Tanzania is currently both victim and villain in the EAC travelling road show. The message: Tanzania is committed to the EAC, there shall be no quitting. And, for the record, Tanzania is also not going to be forced to accelerate towards a Political Federation without building a strong foundation of economic integration.

Ah, but it was a pretty piece of oration. Kiswahili lilts well and lends itself to good, strong, gentlemanly speech, and the President brought his decades of diplomatic experience to bear. A sprinkling of levity here and there, the odd add-lib, some charming informality- hey, there's the guy from the 2005 Presidential campaigns. Charisma, anyone?

This gave way to very firm statements, the recollection of EAC The First's demise in 1977 and Tanzania's comittment to the AU and to all forms of regional integration. According to what has been formally agreed betwixt equal partners, and not by any other means. The President implied patience in the face of frustrations, the importance of adhering to his citizens' wishes** on the matter of the pace of Federation, and finished by asking god to Bless Africa and Tanzania and all her peoples- a reference to the national anthem. 

My favorite bit of the speech, of course, was the part where the President pointed out that it would probably take another fifty or so years for the Federation to become a viable option.

The brutal and beautiful truth? He'll be dead, his contemporaries will be dead, I'll be dead and the kids will be in charge. Our job is to make it possible for them to achieve, maybe even excel at what didn't take the first time, or the second time. This is about a viable future, and positive legacy. And it requires an acceptance of our own limitations. Where we are now in our relationship, if we move too fast we are likely to irritate each other into a dangerous state of aggravation. Oh, look- it's already happening.

When I say I don't want Federation, it's not out of dislike for any of the neighbors. In fact, quite the opposite. Competitive nationalism is, how to put this politely... basically insane. I can't sing the 'my country is better than yours, neener neener neener!' song in public and retain any self-respect as an adult. I would love to go back to Buja, experience Kigali, revisit Kampala- this time with a lot more time to explore the nightlife- and drink coffee and get energized in Nairobi and venture beyond Nairobi too because whoeee there is some beautiful country up there and so on and so forth, Cairo to Cape Town. All within the comfort of knowing that my being a proud Tanzanian removes nothing from my compatriots, and perhaps enhances something of their own pride in identity as well, whichever identity it may be.

We were supposed to be growing a nice young generation of East Africans who would be eased into considering all East African nationals as friends, compatriots, partners in every sense of the word. Let the kids and teachers cross borders so we can attend each others' schools, intermarry with great and enthusiastic abandon, work in each others' countries, start to forget that there is a 'we' and 'them' and let the 'us' come naturally. The EAC Secretariat should have, years ago, indoctrinated the heck out of us by inserting EAC positive material in our curricula. It should have a communications department that does so much more intricate work to sell the idea into acceptability across the region. Our governments should have had us all panting for a glorious and united region by now, grasping for the dream.

You know who gets this? The radio stations, the mobile phone companies, the banks, the businesses. Having a beef is bad for business so it's all gloriously positive messaging. Yes, of course I want to sign up with the company that lets me use my simcard wherever I roam when visiting old and yet-to be made friends!

And, so. (pausing to breathe). These big words- politics, sijui economic indicators of success, sijui cooperation and development and all that, they boil down to such crucial human details. Like, maybe, attitude, behavior, intent. We can't always hide behind the official reports from this or that body, hide behind the statistics and pretend that they render the truth of our endeavors. We can't claim to aspire to a glorious vision of African Unity and prosperity, then enact it by devolving into impatience, jingoism, egotism and spite. Not even on Twitter.

I am glad that Tanzania is not leaving the EAC without a fight for the AU vision, perhaps just as much as I am glad that the threat of premature Federation has been laid to rest- for now. President Kikwete's speech soothed the local pique at recent events and introduced a much-needed note of conciliation into the story of EAC in 2013. It was also straight up retro-fabulous statesmanship, redolent of the golden era of inspirational African orators.

In five, ten, fifteen, fifty years from now when the landscape has changed and there is a different group of men or women in power this speech will be part of what gives context to our modern history. What, indeed, will we be saying about regional integration and Pan Africanism and each other then?

*thought I'd give a man his due respect today. 

** funny how that happens only in certain international arenas. we could do with more of that in our domestic policy. 

The Weekly Sneak: Division Five.

So, the Ministry of Education is having an interesting week of it. The Standard VII National Exam results improved dramatically this year, which looks good in numbers because official statistics are the ultimate measure of education success, right? 

The Ministry then announced the new Form VI grading system and it took all of, oh, three seconds for the rain of pain to begin. Their old friend HakiElimu released a statement that pretty much says it all in official language. And this piece by Niwa Elisante is a great read as well. Insert your own joke about Division Five here :)

Funny, is it? 

"... the crop of potential candidates that will emerge in the various races leading up to 2015 are going to be the product of the past 20 to 100 years of public education in Tanzania. Yes, I know, there is always a soupcon of private education involved but let’s just suspend the disbelief for a moment.

Now. Doesn’t that thought put the Division Five issue into sharp focus? Does the quality of our public education matter, after all, in the shaping of a country’s trajectory?"

Discuss. Don't worry, the pass mark is set at 20% or you could just, you know, Division Five it. :)