Mama Kikwete and the Ndlovukazi (photo Issah Michuzi)

Following exchange visits in August and October between Tanzania’s First Lady Mrs Salma Kikwete and The Swazi Queen Mother, the Ndlovukazi, who rules Swaziland jointly with King Mswati – Mrs Kikwete found herself under strong criticism from Tanzanian feminist activists. During her time in Swaziland Mrs Kikwete attended the famous ‘Reed Dance’ during which maidens reaching maturity dance before their King (and before hundreds of young men looking for wives!) and he chooses one to be his next bride. He has recently married his fourteenth wife. Continue reading →

Back in 1965 when I was working as a Norwegian member of the Swedish International Development Organisation’ project at Kibaha in Coast Province, my 13 year-old son Sjur became friendly with a group of fishermen in the harbour of Dar es Salaam. He pestered them until, on one occasion, and after he had beaten them at their own game of bao (Tanzanian chess) they agreed to take him out on a fishing trip in their ngalawa (outrigger canoe).
He was thrilled and as we were shortly leaving the country, he began pressing me to see if it would be possible to buy a ngalawa and take it home to Norway. We went to Bagamoyo to try and find one for sale at a reasonable price.

Si-haba, courtesy of The Norwegian Maritime Museum
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The government continues to pursue criminals with greater vigour than before and is also active in its war against corruption although many criticize it for not tackling the top leaders alleged to be corrupt. Continue reading →

Disturbing reports from Dar es Salaam in the middle of last year told of queues of people spending all night outside the British High Commission in the hope of getting in early the next morning to obtain a visa. There were stories about the Commission issuing only a limited number of visas each day and that officials were taking bribes to allow people to enter the premises. Continue reading →

All reports indicate that the face of Dar es Salaam has changed in recent weeks following government action at the beginning of September to remove young vendors, who were such a prominent feature of the street scene. The operation went smoothly and compensation was to be paid to those whose property had been damaged. One vendor whose stall had been removed to one of the designated areas said: “The beginning was tough but with time, we will get used to the new environment and do good business.’’

Kongo District of Dar-es-Salaam before the action

Kongo after the action

Similar action was taken in Zanzibar in November. Police had a heated exchange of words with security guards at the Anglican Church after they broke the church gate so as to collect equipment kept in the church compound by street vendors. Police demanded that the gates should be opened but this was not done and they then broke the gate. Church guards protested loudly and even threatened legal action but, according to Mwananchi, the police were not in the mood to listen. Acting Bishop of Zanzibar Diocese, Nuhu Salanya, appeared on the scene and found the police carting away the equipment. Earlier, the police went around Zanzibar town evicting more than 300 vendors and destroying their kiosks and tables. At one point they threatened members of the press corps who were taking pictures.