Freeman Mbowe

Freeman Aikaeli Mbowe (born 14 September 1961) is a Tanzanian politician and chairman of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA – Party for Democracy and Development).

Mbowe Campaigning

Mbowe was elected to the National Assembly in 2000 representing Hai Constituency (Kilimanjaro Region). He won 64.5% of the vote, which was the highest percentage of votes won among constituencies with opposition MP's.
In preparation for the 2005 elections, Mbowe was nominated as CHADEMA's presidential candidate.Jumbe Rajab Jumbe, a Zanzibari was chosen as his vice-presidential candidate. The election was originally scheduled for 30 October 2005, but was postponed until 14 December due to the death of Jumbe.

Mbowe and Komu Campaigning

Mbowe criticized the lengthy postponement, saying a week's delay would have sufficed and that his party cannot afford to finance extra campaigning. Chadema eventually settled on Anna Maulidah Komu to be the running mate.
He placed third out of ten candidates in the 14 December 2005 presidential election, winning 5.88% of the vote. Although there are rumuors that many of the votes in that election were stolen by the ruling part Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) going to their presidential candidate, Jakaya Kikwete.

Care-seeking patterns for fatal malaria in Tanzania

Background

Once malaria occurs, deaths can be prevented by prompt treatment with relatively affordable and efficacious drugs. Yet this goal is elusive in Africa. The paradox of a continuing but easily preventable cause of high mortality raises important questions for policy makers concerning care-seeking and access to health systems. Although patterns of care-seeking during uncomplicated malaria episodes are well known, studies in cases of fatal malaria are rare. Care-seeking behaviours may differ between these groups.

Methods

This study documents care-seeking events in 320 children less than five years of age with fatal malaria seen between 1999 and 2001 during over 240,000 person-years of follow-up in a stable perennial malaria transmission setting in southern Tanzania. Accounts of care-seeking recorded in verbal autopsy histories were analysed to determine providers attended and the sequence of choices made as the patients' condition deteriorated.

Results

As first resort to care, 78.7% of malaria-attributable deaths used modern biomedical care in the form of antimalarial pharmaceuticals from shops or government or non-governmental heath facilities, 9.4% used initial traditional care at home or from traditional practitioners and 11.9% sought no care of any kind. There were no differences in patterns of choice by sex of the child, sex of the head of the household, socioeconomic status of the household or presence or absence of convulsions. In malaria deaths of all ages who sought care more than once, modern care was included in the first or second resort to care in 90.0% and 99.4% with and without convulsions respectively.

Conclusions

In this study of fatal malaria in southern Tanzania, biomedical care is the preferred choice of an overwhelming majority of suspected malaria cases, even those complicated by convulsions. Traditional care is no longer a significant delaying factor. To reduce mortality further will require greater emphasis on recognizing danger signs at home, prompter care-seeking, improved quality of care at health facilities and better adherence to treatment.

How to Cook Sausage in Stainless Steel

Cooking in stainless steel is often recommended over nonstick cookware, according to ConsumerSearch.com, because of its ability to conduct heat evenly regardless of the type of burner used. This will result in an improved sear on the outside part of the meat product, which will ensure a crisper outer sausage casing. As the sausage cooks, the oils from the sausage help lubricate the stainless steel. This eliminates one of stainless steels biggest drawbacks, which is food sticking to the pan.

Step 1

Spray stainless steel pan lightly with nonstick spray. Although the sausage will help with lubrication of the pan, the sausage will not drip oil until it starts to heat up.

Step 2

Turn the heat of the stove top to medium to medium-low. Keep the temperature at this level or lower to ensure the sausage cooks thoroughly on the inside while preventing oil from spattering out of the pan.

Step 3

Place the sausages into the pan so that they are parallel to each other and have some space between them.

Step 4

Turn over the sausages with tongs continuously so that each side of the cylindrical sausage is seared a dark brown.

Step 5

Cook at least 10 to 13 minutes until to allow the internal temperature of the sausage reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 6

Pierce the center of the sausage with the meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If the temperature is not 180 degrees, continue cooking.

Step 7

Remove the sausages with tongs and place on a plate or dish for serving.

Tips and Warnings

• Sausage patties are cooked in a similar manner to sausage links and must be browned and cooked until the internal temperature also reaches 180-degrees. Patties may take a shorter amount of time to cook because their surface area is larger than the surface area of a sausage link.
• Heat the sausage up so that the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Failing to do so puts you at serious risk for food illness, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chaga people

The Chaga (also called Wachaga, Chagga, Jagga, Dschagga, Waschagga, or Wachagga) are Bantu-speaking indigenous Africans and the third largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They live on the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, as well as in the Moshi area. Their relative wealth comes from not only the favorable climate of the area, but also from successful agricultural methods which include extensive irrigation systems and continuous fertilization practiced for thousands of years. They were one of the first tribes in the area to convert to Christianity. This may have given them an economic advantage over other ethnic groups, as they had better access to education and health care as Christians.
The Chagga descend from various Bantu groups who migrated from the rest of Africa into the foothills of Kilimanjaro. While the Chagga are Bantu-speakers, they do not speak a single language but rather a number of related Chagga dialects. These dialects are related to Kamba, which is spoken in northeast Kenya, and to other languages spoken in the east such as Dabida and Pokomo. The Chagga area is traditionally divided into a number of chiefdoms. The Chagga are culturally related to the Pare, Taveta and Teita peoples. They follow a patrilineal system of descent and inheritance. The Chagga subsist primarily by agriculture, using irrigation on terraced fields and oxen manure. Although bananas are their staple food, they also cultivate various crops including yams, beans, and maize. In agricultural exports, the Chagga are best known for their Arabica coffee, which is exported to American and European markets, resulting in coffee being a primary cash crop

Early history
Early migration patterns of the Niger-Congo Bantu's led the Chagga to settle in the North Pare Mountains. This is the Home of the ancestral chagga. The population growth by about eleventh or twelve century led a number of people to begin looking for a new land on which to live. They found it on the nearby and, in those days, still heavily forested southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The movement of the early chagga banana farmers to Kilimanjaro set off a period of rapid and extensive cultural amalgamation, in which large numbers of the Ongamo people and the Rift Southern Cushites were assimilated into the newly expanding chaga communities. Though apparently growing in numbers and territory, the chaga remained organised in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries into a great many very small and very local social and political units, whose histories are still largely unstudied by Western scholars. But if the Maasai settled in the open plains around much of the chaga country, they presently cannot be credited with great influence on chaga affairs during this period, another people, the Ongamo or Ngasa who were closely related in language to the Maasai, did have much influence in chaga history

Tourism Confederation of Tanzania offers cooperation

The Tanzanian tourism sector apex body Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT) has offered government the cooperation of the private sector in the tourism industry during a recent function, when meeting the recently-appointed Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and saying "kwaheri" (goodbye) to their former long-serving PS.
TCT incorporates the key sectoral associations like the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Tanzania Association of Travel Agents (TASOTA), Hotel Association of Tanzania (HAT), and Tanzania Air Operators Association (TAOA) and also includes the Zanzibar Tourism Investors’ Association, providing the main private sector platform for dialogue. It is the main private sector counterpart to the public sector. Traditionally, in Tanzania after independence, the public sector chose the tunes and the private sector was to dance to them. However, in recent years, this has changed considerably, as more investments have poured into the tourism industry, arrival numbers have grown, and earnings have multiplied, lifting tourism to the top of the economic performance scale.
Wise words were left by the previous PS Dr. Ladislaus Komba to his successor Ms. Maimuna Tarishi when he reportedly said to her: "Try to seek advice from stakeholders, although they won’t provide all the answers. But they stand a better position to give insight [in]to the development of the sector."
TCT Chairman Gaudence Temu in response had this to say: “The existing public-private partnership has facilitated implementation of strategies to improve services within the industry.
"We will give you every support needed for the sector to achieve successful growth and development, while protecting Tanzania’s natural and cultural heritage. TCT will continue to advise the government on tourism issues relating to fiscal, legislative, regulations regarding standards, environmental, infrastructure, taxation, institutional development, as defined by the National Tourism Policy and other legal instruments related to the tourism industry."
It is yet to be established though how government will eventually react to the outspoken comments made by TATO, and those of other sectoral associations recently in regard to the hugely controversial plans to build a highway across the main migration routes of the wildebeest and zebras in the Serengeti, plans which have been broadly condemned by tourism stakeholders, or other recent issues emerging in the Tanzanian media like the cancellation of the application to UNESCO for World Heritage status for the Eastern Arc Mountains, the plans to convert Stiegler’s Gorge in the Selous into a hydro-electric plant site, the increase in poaching, encroachment into protected areas and illegal logging, all of which are threatening the very foundation of wildlife and nature-based tourism.
Stakeholders in regular contact with this correspondent were unusually reserved over these issues though one did concede that: "It has to be discussed with government; we in tourism cannot just sit still and see all this happen. We must bring our experience and expertise on such matters to government’s attention. They need our advice, because it seems they have not listened very well to others."

Fighting indiscipline at our universities

Students of St. John`s University in Dodoma pay attention during the launch of the Human Rights Association coordinated by the Legal and Human Rights Centre.

It was a special day as educated young people gathered at the St. John`s University to ponder on pertinent issues that would make history in the country, especially the constitutional reforms.

Unlike other meetings, theirs was a well disciplined gathering which respected each one’s opinion and if one was to assess the situation he or she would have judged it right, that the students were eager to learn.

The day began with the launch of the human rights association that would groom them to become good leaders of tomorrow; who will have the conscious and the guts to fight corruption, domestic violence and mob justice just to mention a few.

A legal officer in charge of the human rights monitoring unit at the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) did not mince words when talking to students at the university stressing that being an activist meant abiding to its values by being not only persons but also humans.

“There is a fine line between a human being and a person. Not every person is human. A human being respects the rules of law, human rights and good governance. We don’t expect you as members of the human rights association to boycott without reasons. Neither do we expect members to beat their teachers as they are expected to be humans and not people. Whatever you do you must respect your teachers. We don’t expect you to enter into dubious contracts, or beat your wives, husbands, demand bribes for service delivery in the future that is why we are imparting you the human rights value now,” stressed Laetitia.

These words seem to be directed to the recent events where ministers attending meetings at our higher learning institutions have now been forced to do so with maximum security as if they were going to the DRC.

From the cans, abusive languages, and all you can think of has been the order of the day and no wonder

Professor Eginald Mihanjo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the St. John’s University said human rights are fundamental to all Tanzanians, adding that “we all must take part to.”

“Equality and dignity is very important. Tanzanians seem to forget that justice is fundamental to equality,” said Mihanjo.

The idea of launching human rights association seemed noble taking into consideration of the recent trend where Tanzanians especially the youth seem to have resolved to retaliate into violence whenever they feel dissatisfied with the system.

Sadly, the respect for the right to life seems to go down as time goes by, and according to retired judge Mihayo, Tanzanians ought to search their souls and shun away from mob justice.

Long gone are the days when our youths used to put up with whatever an elder said. Respect towards the elders is becoming a new vocabulary to the many and violence and taking law in own hands seem to be the only thing they can think of.

Police officers have also resorted to the use of excessive powers whenever they are called to ensure there is peace and harmony and we all have seen what happened in Nyamongo, Urambo and in our parliament grounds during the recent discussion on the constitutional reforms.

Something is obvious very wrong no wonder our youths act the way they do. Imparting the values of human rights while in school could help as the student of today is set to be a leader, police officer and a minister of tomorrow.

The violent police officers we see shoot people are our very own children and a student of today is bound to become anything in the future.

Let’s impart the human rights value to enable them learn to respect others instead of booing, to enable question things in mannerism instead of breaking chairs and throwing bottles to anyone who says something they are not happy with.

The association may be a novel idea, but parents ought to breath hard to ensure their young ones behave wherever they are. A crook of today is a nuisance of tomorrow, let us do the needful.

Let other universities keep their students busy by emulating what St. John’s has, for human rights is indeed very fundamental to not only today, but also for the future generation.

What to eat when pregnant

Water is the perfect drink during pregnancy

We all know that teenagers mostly want to feed on fast foods and ignore healthy foods. The situation becomes even more difficult if the teen is pregnant because thus means the life or nutrition of the unborn baby is heavily dependant upon what the mother eats. For this reason, the teen mother has to eat healthy foods in order to take care of her baby’s health.

Being pregnant, and a teenager, doesn’t mean eliminating your favourite foods from your diet. However, pregnancy does mean that you are providing nutrition for two. Both you and your baby are dependent on what you put in your mouth for nutrition. By learning to make healthy food choices you can increase your baby’s chance of being born healthy.

Most teens eat lots of sandwiches and hamburgers. Be sure to put lettuce, tomatoes, and other sliced veggies – the more the better – on your sandwiches and burgers when you are pregnant to increase the nutritional value of your meal.

If you are trapped in a “white bread world,” pregnancy is a good time to learn to use only whole-grain breads and rolls.

Pizza is not always an unhealthy choice for pregnant teens. Make your pizza healthier by adding lots of vegetables and extra cheese instead of fat-laden meats such as pepperoni and sausage.

Fruit juices and milk are an especially important component of a pregnant teen’s diet. Sodas and coffee Children brought up by authoritative parentsconsumption should be minimal during pregnancy. Water is the perfect drink.

And during pregnancy you will want to ensure that you're drinking more water and less of the unhealthy drinks like sodas and coffee. But if you're not a big fan of tap water or even bottled water that is plain, this might be a challenge. Here are some bottled waters that contain flavour that might help you increase your water intake and stave off dehydration.

Eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit when you are pregnant. Just don’t try to make them “tastier” by adding additional fat such as butter, creams, or sauces.

Always a good idea for reducing fat and particularly important for pregnant teens is to prepare meats by baking, broiling, or grilling instead of frying.

Calcium is vital for the healthy development of your baby and the health of your own growing bones and teeth. Instead of eating ice cream when you are pregnant, try eating more low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese.

Baked potatoes without butter or sour cream are a far healthier choice during pregnancy, or anytime, than french fries.Instead of eating candy bars or cookies for snacks, try eating fresh dried fruits or raw veggies.

Pregnancy is a time when you may think about your nutrition more than before. In previous years, we've told women that they were eating for two. This leads to many women consuming way too many calories, not to mention lots of junk food. This puts a strain on their health and that of their babies.

Now research has shown that pregnant moms need about 1 extra snack per day to help grow a healthy baby. Protein is a great choice for a snack because it is the building block for every cell. It also helps many moms when they are feeling fatigued or even nauseated.

Some moms go for fiber to help decrease some of the more common but uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy like constipation. There are plenty of ways to spend the extra calories.

Every morning you could grab an extra piece of fruit for your desk. An apple, banana or orange requires very little thought or preparation.

Carrot sticks and celery are great. But today we often use broccoli and other veggies with dips. Try bean dips, humus and other fun sauces on your vegetables.

Everyone loves desserts, but traditional desserts such as pies, cakes, and cookies are not a healthy choice for pregnancy. Make dessert time a healthy choice by choosing fresh fruit or yogurt next time.

The most important thing to remember when you are pregnant is that you are also taking care of another life, therefore your feeding habits will obviously affect another life thus you have to be considerate when choosing what to eat

feature of justine bieber

 

Background information
Birth name Justin Drew Bieber
Born March 1, 1994 (age 17)
Origin Stratford, Ontario, Canada

Genres
Pop, R&B

Occupations Singer–songwriter, musician, actor

Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, trumpet

Years active 2009–present
Labels
Island, RBMG

Associated acts Usher

Website justinbiebermusic.com

Justin Drew Bieber, born March 1, 1994 is a Canadian pop/R&B singer-songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who happened to come across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher,and then to a recording contract with Island Records. His debut single, "One Time", released worldwide in 2009, peaked in the top ten in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His first full studio release, My World 2.0, was released on March 23, 2010 and has since received similar success; it debuted at number one and within the top ten of several countries, and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single, "Baby," Bieber followed-up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never – which had an opening weekend gross that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend for a concert-film.
Bieber has been nominated and awarded numerous accolades over the past few years, winning Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards, and being nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards, among others. Bieber is considered a teen idol, and has been subject to acclaim from fans, as well as criticism and controversy from matters concerning his popularity and image.
•
Early life
Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario and was raised in Stratford, Ontario. Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant with her son. Mallette, who worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raised Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children.Bieber's paternal great-grandfather was a German immigrant to Canada.His mother's ancestry is French Canadian.
During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself.As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and placed second.Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.
Career
2008–09: Discovery and My World
While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label! ... you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?”However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13, to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes. A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher. Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher.Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher.Usher then arranged an audition with Antonio L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group, who signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records). At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun Braun became Bieber's manager.
Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in Washington, which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on U.S. television broadcaster TNT.[34] Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009.[35] Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version.[36] On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.


Hair
The bowl cut formerly worn by Bieber and its popularity with teenage girls proved to be cultural phenomenon, becoming one of the most copied hairstyles among teenage boys.
Bieber changed his hairstyle in February 2011 and a lock of Justin Bieber's hair has been sold for $40,668 (£25,024) in a charity sale on Ebay, with 98 bids in total.The hair toured America with its own bodyguard, and fans could have their picture taken with it in return for a charitable donation.Bieber donated the winnings to a charity which rescues and rehabilitates animals.
Religious and political views
Bieber is a Christian.Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in Rolling Stone sparked controversy.Asked whether a person should wait until marriage to have sex, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." Asked about his opinion on abortion, Bieber said he doesn't "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby."When asked about abortion in cases of rape, he said, "Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that." In the same interview, Bieber talked about homosexuality, stating that “It’s everyone’s own decision to do that. It doesn’t affect me and shouldn’t affect anyone else.”, with Rolling Stone commenting "It is not clear whether he intended to label homosexuality as a lifestyle choice." However, Bieber has also contributed to the It Gets Better Project,a project started in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, a teenager who was the target of anti-gay bullying. Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship, praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", citing its health care system as an exampleHe is also a Barack Obama supporter, but he does share some aspects of Sarah Palin's political views.

FEATURE OF TANZANIAN WOMEN

 

Are Tanzanian women turning into seasoned gold-diggers? Send to a friend
Saturday, 21 May 2011 12:10
digg
By Paulina Lyapa
She is seated with your friends at a gathering when you meet her. She takes your breath away; the smile, the fashionable clothes, the well maintained hair, manicured nails and a figure to match. When she opens her mouth your heart races, as she has a melting voice. You talk on, and you get to know that she is a graduate and a junior officer at a certain firm in town.

You are hooked and you soon start chatting her up. But a few weeks later you can’t stand her. Why so soon? Because she had endlessly turned you into her walking ATM machine. It started with a request for phone credit, then she asked for money to foot her salon bill, before she started giving hints that her mother was sick, and yes, could you kindly offer her some money?

It’s a tale that is all too common. Women who are gold diggers and who see a potential date as an express to money land. Tanzanian women are famed for their beauty, homemaking and bedroom skills, but one of the things that minuses their prowess is the habit by many to take men as walking wallets.

Remember we are not talking about twilight girls who make a living out of the men’s pockets. We are talking about the girl next door; the one who you would make plans to see your mother.

These women spend hours tanning, primping and shopping to make sure that they project that desired personality that will definitely capture you. Most likely she will be wearing that designer dress, but to her, this image must be maintained by all means and by a man.

They are even in normal relationships. They only believe in the traditional role of a man, and that is, whenever they are in any relationship, then every bill must be taken care off by a man. A year ago, when Isaac Malumwene, 30, an insurance officer in Dar es Salaam met his former girlfriend Penina Mushi* at Savannah Lounge, he had all the reasons to brag among his friends that he has won a bingo. Penina was beautiful and well educated and could grab any man’s attention.

But after only two months of seeing each other, Isaac was already starting to smell signs of a gold-digger. According to him, on their very first night out, Penina had the audacity to solicit Sh300,000 for her young brother’s school fees.
“I could not reject because I wanted to put my best foot forward. Besides, I had all the good intentions with her, so it never bothered me to give her the money the following day,” says Isaac.

But after two weeks, Penina came back with a different story altogether. This time, it was her village mother who was sick and she was supposed to travel to Shinyanga to nurse her. Unfortunately, according to her narration, she did not have enough savings so she pleaded with Isaac to rescue her desperate situation.

By then, a one-way fare to Shinyanga was Sh50,000, so Isaac had to part with Sh100,000 for transport and another Sh100,000 for other things including taking care of her ailing mother.
Isaac says that his ex-girlfriend, who was a secretary, in a private firm in Dar es Salaam, could afford to buy her way. But she decided to take advantage of him. The two lovebirds are no longer together as Isaac got fed up with her endless financial needs and since then he has decided to remain single.

It’s the done thing among many urbanite women. For them, burdening a man with their financial problems is as normal as gulping that glass of water. Ever thought, when was the last time you were at a bar with your buddies and a woman dared to open her purse and contributed to the bill? It seldom happens.

Mark Machume, (32), is a Dar es Salaam-based businessman who claims to have already experienced a lot at his age. He has so far dated four different women and ended up concluding that women are just after money. According to him, he started dating seriously when he got his first job with an NGO in Moshi.

He met his girlfriend at a friend’s party and after exchanging contacts, the two started meeting and ended up courting. The girl, had a temporary job as a kindergarten teacher at one of the international schools as she waited to join college.
“Her salary was Sh150,000 per month and she was still living with her parents, but I still had to take care of her mobile phone credits and other minor expenses,” says Mark, recalling his experience that occurred four years ago.

She hardly spent any money on herself as she waited for Mark to pick all her bills. So Mark, wanting to show how much of a man he picked her salon bills, bought her accessories and clothes of which she always demanded. It was a habit which Mark soon got tired of and gave her matching orders.

So, is it true that women never have money or just where does their money go? Do they save it or and if not, where do they have it stashed?
It is the same story in marriage. Anderson Kakulu, a tax officer in Dar es Salaam experiences the same with his wife who earns better than him, but still he has to buy everything at home. The wife who works as a bank-teller in Dar es Salaam spends her money on herself leaving all home affairs to Kakulu.

Kakulu, says that his money places food on the table, pays school fees for their three daughters and takes care of other expenses while the wife’s salary, well, he is not sure what she does with it. “I have done this since we got married 10 years ago. It does not bother me as long as I can afford it. But I know that, when I am not around, she uses her money to take care of the same things. For me, it is just a matter of being responsible,” says Kakulu.

Some women throw the blame to men saying that they are the ones promoting the trend. Lilian Chikawe for instance, is a 28-year-old civil servant in Dar es Salaam who says that it is men who always want to make themselves superior by taking care of everything.

“Most men think that superiority is attained by spending, no wonder women always stay behind letting men handle all money matters because doing it in front of them is like embarrassing them,” says Lilian.
Rose Kiswaga supports her. The social psychologist that also deals with relationships says that society is partly to blame for the trend because it places a woman on the receiving end.

She cites the example of the Makonde, a local tribe whereby when a mature girl spends the night out, her parents rarely reprimand her because she would return the following morning with some money or a kilo of sugar.

“So think of this girl when she grows up, her mind is set to believe that whatever she does for a man must come with a reward. The clever women will ask for that money upfront or look for treats,” notes Rose. On the other hand, women regard themselves as expensive commodities that every man must incur some costs to maintain them. Expressions like, ‘no romance without finance’ have a deeper meaning because that is what they believe in.

On several occasions, some women have intentionally hooked themselves up with rich men and readily got married without second thoughts; others have even feigned pregnancies as they think that is their only ticket to a good life. For them, money comes first before love.

“I would not die for a man just because of love. Love has to be accompanied by the size of his wallet, and even before I say I do, I must make sure that I have the guarantee of a luxury life,” says Leticia Chimbua, a salonist in Sinza Dar es Salaam.

Unity has proved good for Zanzibar

Unity has proved good for Zanzibar


By Pauline Lyapa, 29th May 2011 @ 16:00,

MORE than a decade ago, a political cloud hung over Zanzibar as two major political parties, CCM and CUF, were deeply mired in political animosity that threatened to eat into the very fabric of national unity.

The deep mistrust among leaders and followers of the wo parties was clear for everyone to see. Politicians from both sides spent most of their allotted times at public rallies to speak ill of the other party in an attempt to tarnish each other’s image.

All this political hostility and bickering originated from the results of the first multi-party general elections in 1995 that were won by CCM. The party’s presidential candidate, Dr Salmin Amour, defeated CUF’s candidate, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, popularly known as Maalim Seif.

CUF felt that they were robbed of outright victory in both parliamentary and presidential elections and that the results were ‘fine-tuned’ The political impasse that impacted adversely on Zanzibar, including slowing the development tempo to a great extent, proved so damaging that the Commonwealth Secretariat in London initiated efforts aimed at reconciling the two sides.

The Commonwealth effort succeeded in reaching an agreement, now dubbed Muafaka 1, which was signed by CCM and CUF in 1999. It did not last long due to political mistrust that crept in, necessitating the need for more negotiations, this time brokered by the governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar.

This effort met with considerable success, leading to the signing of Muafaka II. But again, even this one did not last long. There was still hope yet and again, both parties sat again to negotiate Muafaka III.

This one was no better than the others as talks completely broke down along the way. Then out of the blue skies, solution came after CUF and the government of Zanzibar realised that no good will ever come out of the impasse.

After earnest and sincere negotiations, both parties settled for a unity government, which has so far been working well