I would love to see Simba play TP Mazembe

The Lubumbashi-based African Champions and world’s 1st runner up, TP Mazembe will storm Dar es salaam for a great second-leg encounter against the home side, Simba of Tanzania this weekend. This is a soccer match I wouldn’t have wanted to miss if I were a Dar resident.

Simba lost by three goals to one on the first-leg  in Lubumbashi and they will need to score two goals to kick the reigning champions out of the tourney. Two goals is never a big deal for Simba, especially when ‘wekundu wa Msimbazi’ are playing on their home pitch. They did it a few years ago by kicking out the then African and Egypt’s champs, Zamalek.

I will be bringing you all the results. Stay tuned and …..

Go Simba, go!

The Dar they won’t see

Perusing today’s papers I encountered the ad: “Welcome to Dar es salaam HEAD OF STATES and ALL DELEGATES for THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM.” This (international) meeting has been very publicized here in the last couple of weeks. Some say: “It’s a huge event.” Others: “A great opportunity”. Me: “It brings chaos to a city already chaotic enough.” Yesterday we were told, loudly and clearly, that some major roads and highways will be barred — ‘reserved for our treasured visitors’ — typical of the Dar-ians hospitality, uh. This, I can tell you, is going to exacerbate the traffic situation. We are going to be stuck for hours on potholed roads of ours as we set apart the boulevards for our guests.

Why can’t we share the roads with the visitors? After all, they are coming here to talk about the African economy and development, aren’t they? So why are we hiding our bad roads? Why can’t these visitors come to Kariakoo, Posta, and Tandika where the real Africans live for hands-on experience? But this is Africa — very good at covering up, hiding the crap. But sincerely, if we are serious and want to get rid of the crap, we better learn to expose. Let them experience the constant power (electricity) cuts. Let them see what we eat, if we eat. Let them see our streets. Let them see our sanitation systems. Let them see. But they will be accommodated in posh hotels. They will be driven in the nicest cars through clean streets to and fro the meeting venue. When they go back to their countries some of them will be heard saying: “Wow, what a beautiful country!” Maybe.

Our Dar, unfortunately, is the Dar they won’t see.

Mapinduzi ya daladala

Leo wakati nakuja katikati ya jiji la Dar es salaam nilipata bahati ya kupanda ‘daladala’ nzuri yenye heshima na utulivu. Huwa ninatokea kituo ama cha Davis Corner (Tandika) au Mwembeyanga. Nyakati za asubuhi katika vituo nilivyovitaja hapo juu hali ya usafiri kwa kweli huwa ni mbaya sana. Si rahisi kupanda gari kwa ustaarabu bila kusukumana na hata wakati mwingine kuibiwa vitu vyako.

Nilipofika Mwembeyanga leo nikamkuta kijana kama kawaida akipiga debe, “Posta, posta moja kwa moja mia tano. Posta mia tano moja kwa moja hiyoooooo.” Ilikuwa ni gari aina ya Toyota Coaster nzuri imesafishwa na viti vizuri vya kukalia. Kwa kweli ilikuwa inavutia. Sikuona kwa nini nisilipe mia tano na kutumia usafiri wenye ustaarabu kuliko kung’ang’ania kulipa 250 na kukipata cha mtema kuni.

Nilichokuja kugundua baadae ni kwamba huyu bwana alituleta mjini leo si yeye peke yake anayefanya hivyo. Wako wengi. Ila cha kusikitisha ni kwamba wanafanya kazi hii kwa kujificha. Swali ninalojiuliza ni hili: Kwa nini wasitangaziwe kwamba kama kuna mtu ana gari lake zuri nyakati za asubuhi wakati kuna shida ya usafiri ni ruhusa kupeleka watu mjini kwa gharama yoyote ambayo abiria wanaosubiri watakuwa tayari kulipa? Ningekuwa mhusika wa mambo ya usafiri katika jiji la Dar es salaam ningetoa tangazo la hivi:

“KAMA UNA GARI YAKO NZURI NA UNGEPENDA KUPAKIA ABIRIA WAKATI KUNA SHIDA YA USAFIRI (HASA ASUBUHI NA JIONI) UNARUHUSIWA KUTANGAZA KIASI CHOCHOTE CHA NAULI AMBACHO ABIRIA WATAKUWA RADHI KULIPA ILI UWAPELEKE WAENDAKO”.

Kwa namna hii tutasababisha ushindani wa wenye magari kuwakimbilia abiria wakiwaomba wapande magari yao na hii adha ya abiria kugombea magari itaisha. Pia hata wenye magari yao binafsi ambao huwa wakitoka kazini anaingia yeye mwenyewe na kuendesha gari la watu sita akiwa peke yake wanaweza kuwa wakitafuta walau mchango wa mafuta kwa kupakia abiria wawili au watatu nyakati za asubuhi au jioni.

KILIMO KWANZA!

Mvua imeanza Dar

Jiji la Dar es salaam leo limepata baraka za mvua

Cynthia: Our leaders do not read :)

I was touched by the article in The Guardian (Tanzania) of October 19th, 2009 by Cynthia Stacey. She wrote about several things she observed while here in our ‘peaceful’ country — Tanzania. I will post her last few paragraphs which I found both amusing and educative.

“But before I close, what’s to do on my return … let’s see … Ah yes:

• Suggest to good guy P.M. Pinda he reconstitutes the municipal councils, and sets up a working central alternative instead
• Ask Tanroads boss Mr. Mrema what criteria were used to give only two companies exclusive rights to erect billboards, before we all suspect the reason
• Find out how the new billboard and advertisement control regulation, 2009 (under the P.M.’s Office) will be properly administered, so what’s left of ravaged Dar es salaam, is people oriented, not billboard dominated
• Request any of the four mayors to walk to the Post Office and see it they feel shame at the chaotic mess in front of, supposedly passenger bus stops, but taken over by phone card vendors etc. instead
• Lobby gorgeous airport czar Prosper Tesha to pretty up J.N.I.A. (Julius Nyerere International Airport) to match the technical improvements in the offing.

Now this is the part I like the most about her article:

“As the first aspect of the country passengers see, the airport forms a definitive and lasting impression ironically, being very shabby and run down, it is currently an accurate barometer of the country, or many urban areas at least.

…. anyway, Prosper, me darlin, can you do a few cosmetic changes to your territory: a little paint, hanging plants, palms in pots, some good African art, but no more Kariakoo market style Chinese waste bins in departures please … we need a bit of class and sophistication , to equate with that descriptive word ‘international’ ….. bye”

The booming of skyscrappers in Dar

One of the towers in Dar es salaam

Kwa wale ambao mna kitambo hamjaja huku kwenye jiji la Dar es salaam mnaweza kushangaa mkifika hapa. Dar yetu tuliyoizoea ishabadilika sana sasa. Kila kukicha zinaota ghorofa za hatari.

Fashion iliyopo ni ya majengo marefu ya vioo. Kama kiongozi, hili nimeliona ila nimekuwa nikihoji ubora wa haya majengo hasa pale inapotokea mtikisiko. Sijui ni kwa namna gani mainjinia wamezingatia vigezo vya dharura.

Mambo ya kuzingatia katika ujenzi wa majengo ya namna ni pamoja na:
1) Kuzingatia usalama wa watumiaji inapotokea majanga ya moto au tetemeko
2) Upatikanaji wa huduma kama maji hasa kwenye floor za juu.
3) Ubora wa lift/elevator hasa pale umeme unapokuwa umekatika au ni mdogo
4) Nafasi za maegesho n.k

Chondechonde….