East Africans Seen to Be 'Gibbons'
Mtoahoja
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
COLUMN
November 4, 2006
Posted to the web November 6, 2006
Ernest Mpinganjira
Nairobi
An interesting internet-based debate on Tanzanians place in the East
African Community and the envisaged political federation by 2013 is on.
While the debate could easily be dismissed as being gossipy, it
succeeds in laying bare the mortal fear of 'East Africans'.
Most Tanzanians are afraid that their country risks being infected with
ethnicity problems that characterise politics in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda
and Burundi.
Most bloggers conclude that people from the four 'enemy' countries, who
they deride to be yang'au (gibbons) and washenzi (nincompoops), should
be kept out of the Tanzanian territory at whatever cost.
They, according to some Tanzanians, are likely to the grab land and
other resources at the expense of the locals.
The uncivil language was apparently prompted by cartoonist Godfrey
Mwampembwa's portrayal of the Tanzanian media as being docile and
subservient, having abandoned its calling as the Fourth Estate.
They instead pander to the whims of an ineffective government. The
cartoonist scoffs at journalists, making them seem to be bootlickers
(as they are seen literally licking President Jakaya Kikwete's boots in
the cartoon!).
An opinion by top journalist Mr Charles Onyango-Obbo, who, without
pulling punches, recently lambasted Tanzanianmedia and journalists for
propagating xenophobia and hysteria that could be injurious to
Tanzania's economic interests, also apparently elicited the bloggers'
venom.
Onyango-Obbo argued that vain hostility, persistent whining and
pussy-catting do not create patriots out of poorly schooled and
ill-informed journalists.
Instead, he called for a more informed and sober debate in the media on
the future East Africa; whether as a political entity or separate
states.
He observed that, while the Tanzanian media seems to be content with
mediocrity, the industry is finding its groove in young democracies
such as Rwanda and Burundi.
Onyango-Obbo then challenged the media practitioners in Tanzania and
indeed, the whole of East African, to broaden their global outlook to
create room for the free flow of ideas. This is opposed to the current
situation where the Government straitjackets information by propagating
hysteria, xenophobia and conspiracy theories.
In democratic countries, the two journalists' criticism of the media's
role would have amounted to reminding the Fourth Estate of its duty as
an enlightener.
However, Mwampembwa (known by his pen name Gado) and Onyango-Obbo
rattled industry players who have responded with strong anti-Kenyan and
Ugandan rhetoric. The responses brought out the unspoken truth that
intellectual depravity is the bane of Tanzanian media.
In a series of articles published on the Habari Tanzania website
www.habaritanzania.com, the authors describe Kenyans and Ugandans as
"imbeciles and fools" whose only interest in the East African
Federation are Tanzania's vast natural resources.
Writing in Kiswahili, Nthelezi Nesaa said, "Who does not know that
Kenya overtook Tanzania economically when the latter decided to invest
its resources in the liberation of southern African countries and
Uganda?"
The article coincided with former British foreign secretary David
Owen's recent admission that the United Kingdom actually underwrote the
1979-1981 Tanzania military adventure in Uganda that brought down the
Government of former dictator Idi Amin.
The revelations by Owen settled the long-held view that Tanzania did
not have and still lacks the capacity to launch a full-scale military
offensive to sweep a dictatorial regime out of power.
The bloggers too have overlooked data released during last month's EAC
council of ministers meeting in Arusha that indicated trade between
Tanzania and other East African States had doubled to nearly $700
million per annum since the customs union came into effect in January
last year.
More significantly, Kenya is forfeiting $111 million in revenue per
annum to allow more Tanzanian products into its market.
The bloggers also want Kenya and Uganda to reform their land laws to
enable people in the lower income bracket to acquire land before the
countries join the regional federation.
Again, the writers appear oblivious to Tanzania's flawed land laws that
enabled former Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye excise 10,000 hectares
of communally-owned land in Monduli.
Sumaye has admitted to owning huge tracts of land and large herds of
cattle with it, arguing that he is entitled to it.
While bloggers www.habaritanzania.com do not stand Kenyans, Ugandans,
Rwandans and Burundians, those on www.maoni.org, a Tanzanian-run
website, have a different view.
One Ganja Hadithi, in an article titled, 'Are the Tanzanians feeling
the Kenyan heat?' noted, "I think Kenya will always have an advantage.
Tanzania was crippled by socialism (ujamaa). '
While Tanzanians are suspicious, they always think that Kenyans and
Ugandans are very devious and cunning, but it is their own folly and
illiteracy that fuel xenophobia.
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