BRIEF COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO SOME QUOTES FROM BAADA YA MIAKA TAKRIBAN 50 YA MUUNGANO WAZANZIBARI TUNA LIPI LA KUJIVUNIA?
Hivi hii quote ya Mazrui on African Country colonizing another African country, ningependa kujua anaposema country based on Nyerere and Karume/Tanganyika Zanzibar, what is he referring to? What legitimacy is there to call or NOT to call Zanzibar a country and NOT Unguja or Pemba or Mafia or Kilimanjaro or Marangu or Ruvuma or Iringa?? Who did a referendum to create Zanzibar or Tanganyika?? This is a basic question and I am yet to see anyone anywhere even attempting to respond to this very basic question – I suspect because they all know where it ends and would not want to entertain that path as may kill the debate! If we are debating for the sake of a debate, then no one should be concerned really. However, if concrete decisions are to be made based on most of the existing arguments to date, this has to be a cause for serious concern to many of us who want to lead to a perfect union, a union progressed, developed, protected, defended by and for the benefit of all Tanzanians.
Wote tunajua our lands were invaded by foreigners and over the years we have forged various alliances from kijiji na kijiji hadi we got to the current level and now there are discussions on uniting East Africa, and our states are progressively evolving, as it should be. If you read more then perhaps ndugu zangu Wasandawi will have to say their land was invaded too by all the BANTU peoples and clearly you can see this line heads to a self destruction of our modern state or even a country in the end!
Do we have huge challenges? Sure we do. Shall we question the Union? I answer that back with a question, how far will you go with this question and why exactly, for whose benefit? Nyerere who championed and supported OAU to adopt the colonial borders as a baseline for new African states, in my opinion took a wrong approach AND Kwame’s way at the time, would have been the best way forward for Africa. If there was a country within geographical Africa which had its own people’s wishes and referenda which determined what they wanted as a “country” and that was overruled by the rulers/leaders, there could be a point to discuss. Technically, if we follow that pattern, then we had hundreds of countries in the former Colonial Administrative Tanganyika and Sultan ruled Zanzibar. These countries were forged and created by the invaders for their own purposes.
The Tanzania we have today was indeed facilitated by nationalists, Nyerere and Karume, for the benefit they believed was for their country men and women, and in my view deserve this and future generations’ full protection and support. By all means it (the UNION) should not remain stagnant and we should even progress further but let us stop the old fashion way of divide and rule. It is the oldest trick in the book.
Read related subject posted at: https://udadisi.com/2009/03/comments-in-response-to-article-karume.html
© TEMU, ABS 2009
Temu, I think you articulated your opinion clearly. However, we Tanzania have every right to question the benefits of so called Muungano. The notion that we’re not supposed to asked question when it come to Muungano is total wrong.
I total believe the Kwame Nkruma idea about African Union was total wrong. I think most of those union ideas were shaped depends on the place that our intellectuals went to school. In the other way it was the idea from the Colonial master system.
Zanzibar is our good partner and our friend, however for the past 50years Zanzibar has sucked Bara resources from Electricity to security with less pay out, and big government spending. The Zanzibarian believe they’re better off without Tanganyika because of Misaada from Arabia Kingdom (something which is total nonsese because you don’t run a country through Misaada).
Until we Bara people decide to sit down and have a dialogue of what will be the smart way forward, then Muungano will have benefit to us. Other than that Muungano is the part of our big spending, big government. I don’t see why zanzibar have their own president and 50 wabunge while the place need only 2 or 3 representatives. This are ligitimate arguments which need some strong opinions.
Ed
Thanks for your response. This is a debate that cannot be stopped. And it should not. That is not my intention.
However, I would like to see the debate also considering all sides and try to understand why we argue or state what we state.
You have started the statement by saying “We Tanzanians” and also referred to “so called Muungano”.
I struggle to reconcile in my thinking when a statement starts with “We Tanzanians” and at the same time seemingly ridiculing “the so called Muungano”. The Tanzania we have today, goes hand in hand with what you have referred as “Muungano”. You remove Tanzania there is no Muungano, no nation called Tanzania and vice versa. You must remember that all the time.
Totally agree that aid from any place will not run a country, and will not develop a country. A country and a nation can only be developed with its own people right at the heart of everything. The people are the ones to develop villages, districts, regions, countries etc. The people are crucial to development and not the administrative structures. These do follow later, sometimes naturally or even strategically.
I’ll remind you, there has never been a country called Tanganyika nor Zanzibar as we know it. These as you know were facilitated by foreign invaders for their own good. If you agree with this point, how does it come so easy to question what was created by Africans and not Colonial masters and if questioning Colonial masters how far will this go and for whose benefit? Without any incites, people at the grassroots what we want is free movement and allowed access to various opportunities which for young and lesser developed nations and countries can best be achieved by all coming together and have an organized way of managing these resources. The coming together for the weaker is not a choice, it is a necessity for survival and progression. If the stronger nations in the world are doing this – forging closer and closer – by the way, Europe are trying to get what Nkrumah wanted for Africa many years ago (they are far from achieving but far better shaped than us) – what makes anyone think the weaker nations don’t need to come together for the good of their own people?
Remember the Tanzania we have today has many legacy “countries” that existed before the region was invaded. You start splitting Zanzibar, you may follow with a series of other regions, effectively balkanizing the region. Who will benefit from such trends? I can tell you now, it will be the few elite who may end up being heads of states, ministers, ambassadors, administrators and the majority will continue to suffer even more – as we will be fragmenting a nation and loosing the powers that comes with economies of scales and unity.
Certainly, there are challenges and indeed they have to be addressed. Addressing these challenges in not by going in the way of questioning the union. It should be by way of asking serious impacting questions and getting solutions for the same. There are valid questions which do apply for the whole Tanzania. Example, coffee from Kilimanjaro – how do people of Kilimanjaro benefit from this cash crop? Oil from Zanzibar, how will people from Zanzibar benefit, Tanzanite from Arusha, how will people from Arusha benefit, Gas from Kilwa, how will people from Kilwa benefit, Diamond from Shinyanga, how will people from Shinyanga benefit. These are examples of questions that needs to be addressed and I know we can address these without necessarily going for debates that are aligned to break UNITY. The same applies to the question of Representation. These have to be addressed with an ethos of progressing the UNION and not reversing.
The leaders we choose and elect, must have UNITY and people development in their sight, otherwise we are to remain in this vicious circle for more generations, only changing packaging from foreign colonist who did divide and rule to African colonist doing exactly the same divide and rule. We need and must have UNITY.
In my opinion, Kwameh was right. We have missed the opportunity, Nyerere’s way is still possible with regional approach, and that is what we as Tanzanians need to embrace and influence in what Africa must become.
Ed
I like what you have hinted in terms of where one goes to school. I am assuming you are implying Kwameh got his ideas from the United States of America. Fair enough.
Not sure what we could say of Nyerere’s suggested approach – which he conceded later in the years that what they went wrong was not to constitute an action plan for a United Africa via regions.
It does not matter where the idea comes from, as we all get shaped based on our personal experiences and our upbringing.
These two giants of Africa, both agreed that UNITY is a MUST for Africa to command anything sensible in the world stage. They differed in the approach on how that was to be achieved. While Nyerere and Kwameh did not like Balkanization, Nyerere was alarmed at the possibility of a African Napoleon. There were other significant powerful forces in the world fighting the possibility of what African may become, united.
What that debate ended achieving, in my opinion, is a few African puppets and elites colonizing their own African people using the same tools inherited from their former masters.
The question of uniting the people of Africa was not addressed. They addressed a question of having a platform for the elite leaders of African countries and cement what was inherited – effectively becoming a club. What was achieved, was the front line states and liberation struggles southern of Africa. The same plan was needed for uniting African people not just the club of leaders of Africa.
In the case of Tanzania we have today, people are already united. Families are linked. Businesses are booming criss crossing the nation. Disappointingly the elite are squabbling with the governing structures instead of fostering efforts to ensure unity is even stronger.
We need a debate that fosters UNITY as I do not believe for once that all people in Zanzibar do not want the UNION, nor people from Mainland Tanzania. People are already united and want the system to work better for all.
Temu,
Thanks for the lecture and a good explanation about your view toward Muungano as well as the view from our intellectual.
What i don’t agree with you is the idea that we shouldn’t question Muungano. If we will keep up on hiding our feeling toward this Muungano then one day it will collapse over night.
I strong disagree that if Zanzibar decided to go on her own way, then Tanganyika will soon brake into peaces. I strong believe what hold people togather is culture. I agree with you that all African countries are the result of colonial map, but that argument is valid for any countries anywhere in the world.
My argument concern Zanzibar is people of ZNZ doesn’t respect the whole Muungano thing. They believe that we Tanzania bara are the beneficiary and they’re not gaining anything out of this marriage. Something which i find false and virce versa, the whole contract of Muungano was based on Wanyonge wapeni Zaidi theory. I strong believe mwalim push muungano for security reasons, at that time he saw the urgency of let ZNZ have their own BIG serikali with 50 representative in main Bunge. My question is why??
I am pro Muungano with ZNZ, but i want the whole marriage to evaluated and strengthen by all means. I want all sides of the coin to get equal benefit. I believe on government is not a solution but a problem. I strong believe ZNZ received more benefits from Muungano than Bara. We will not be able to evaluate the benefits on this thing unless we see the whole contract. Something that TANU offsprings doesn’t want to talk about.
Ed
Thanks for the feedback and for sharing your views. I should mention that it is not my intend to lecture, I am trying to share my views, and also understand others. But I am glad we are engaging.
One, thing, I am glad we are in a positive agreement that we must protect and defend the union.
You will also, I hope, agree that I have not stated that we should not work towards strengthening the union. It is the opposite I am cautioning.
I would seriously caution the notion that entertaining break away of Zanzibar from the Union will not lead to breaking the Tanzania Mainland, which is effectively the legacy of “Administrative Colonial Tanganyika”. It may also depend on how the split could come about.
It is historical proof that if we chase people from the Islands or vice versa, the chasers will end up fighting more amongst themselves as the trend will have been set. Who is to stop Kilimanjaro stating they need to have their own autonomy with their own control for their coffee and tourism Industry ? What about Sukuma region where there is plenty of minerals? What about Arusha, the northern circuit? Jamani, we need to be very careful and avoid emotions overruling the obvious risks.
I totally agree we need to keep improving the Union but we must avoid any language that is of threats or options for splitting the country. We must agree that we move forward and that we want to build and improve but not stating that person or that side is bad or any negative connotations which will continue to divide us at a time when we need to be more united and fight the common enemies such as Umaskini, Ujinga, Maradhi na Grand Corruption in the country. That is where we have enemies, not what or how many DCs or RCs or Presidents or PMs we should have. We at the grassroots, we need to build that understanding and collaboration. We have done it and we should continue doing it, while seeking improvements all the time.
If there are injustices in the country, it is evident these will be affecting the entire spectrum, not just Zanzibar or just Tanzania Mainland. Those are issues that needs to be addressed but not rolling back 40 years, we need to move forward.
Temu,
I like the last part when you said “we need to move forward”. I strong agree that we need to move forward, we need to move forward with the intensive debate on why do we need two government while we can have only one. We need to move forward with one strong nation which is not divided. We need to move forward by reaching people in Pemba and tell them muungano means everybody and not Unguja people only. We need to move forward by have representative from the areas which doesn’t agree with CCM.
I am a die hard Mwalim fun, i like the men eventhough i never met him ana kwa ana, however i think Mwalim failed to build a long lasting Muungano. Mwalim used a poor strategy of minority rule, it doesn’t work all the time.
ZNZ is sucking Tanzania mainland blood, the ireland doesn’t produce anything for heaven sake. Now can we continue to redistribute wealth from mainland to ZNZ and hope one day things will get better? I doubt. We need to have a straight dialogue and ask tough questions about what will be the way forward to strength muungano, what ways will help ZNZ to produce more for their people, why Karume family doesnt understand that ZNZ is democratic land and kingship is not an option? How can both side of muungano benefit?
If we will continue to stay kimya and send our wish to God hope things will be okay, then one day we will spill the beans and things will turn to be ugly.
Enough of babysitting each other, let get into business and play hardball.
Ed