Tanzania, unlike many other African countries, has
been spared internal strife and civil wars that have devastated many African
states. This aspect contributes to some internal stability, which, however, did
not translate into economic prosperity for the country. Although in the last
decade the country has progressed economically with average growth rates of
6-7% a year, the number of Tanzanians living in extreme poverty remains very
high. Its main economic activities are linked to agriculture, industry and
construction, not forgetting tourism that is closely linked to the diversity
and richness of Tanzania's forestry and wildlife land.
Current president, John Magufuli (2015), nicknamed “bulldozer”,
has sought to redraw public spending by betting on development, reducing
recurrent spending significantly and mobilizing efforts to mobilize domestic
revenue.
The country's current challenges in terms of economic
development are largely associated with the creation of a good investment
climate in infrastructure, agriculture and workforce, as the number of young
people entering the labour force each year is very important for this country.
It has also gradually opened the doors to the private sector.
Not everything has been peaceful for Magufuli since
taking office. He has gained fame because of some controversial decisions.
Despite winning praise for his anti-corruption stance, he has received a lot of
criticism from human rights groups because of the strong crackdown on his ideas
by the opposition parties and the media.
Tanzania may even have a “bulldozer” running the
country, with all its exceptionalities, beauties, weaknesses and limitations,
but what makes me take more account of this East African country are some of
its peculiarities or even eccentricities that swarm and are not visible to
everybody.
A - Tanzania President has disclosed his salary on TV.
It should be noted that the current Vice President Samia Suluhu was chosen by
Magufuli and is the first woman to take on such a high office in government.
B - "Liemba", formerly known as Graf Von
Goetzen, was a German warship, built in 1913, going through several phases and
periods and it was even dismantled, until the English turned it into a
ferryboat in 1926, this being the function which it plays down to the present
day. It carries cargo and people (mostly merchants) between Kigoma and Mpulungu
in Zambia and has even been responsible for the rescue of thousands of
refugees. It turns out to be the major enabler of Lake Tanganyika's trade (the
world's largest lake), and is a vital link for people living around the Great
Lakes area.
C - Drones help fight malaria in Tanzania. Malaria,
transmitted by mosquitoes, is one of the largest plights that has ever devastated
the African continent. Millions of mosquito nets have been distributed across
sub-Saharan Africa to combat this disease.
Now, Aberystwyth University of Wales, in partnership
with Zanzibar's Malaria Elimination program, is combating malaria prevention
with the use of drones to capture images of large areas of still water used by
mosquitoes to reproduce. The main goal is creating accurate maps of potential
habitats so that they can be treated with larvicides. The researchers also plan
to incorporate the drone images into smartphones to aid larvicide spraying
teams and better tracking progress.
D - In parts of Africa, albinos are being hunted and
harvested for their body parts.
In Tanzania alone, at least 75 albinos have been
killed since 2000. Unfortunately, their life expectancy is not high, because
the lack of melanin in albino skin makes them particularly wary of the sun in
Africa.
The Amnesty International recently enhanced that
"the macabre trade is also fueled by a belief that people with albinism
contain gold, and another belief is that a person with albinism can cure
HIV." Witch doctors are revered by many in the rural communities. Some
spread the belief that albino body parts can bring luck and fortune. Some
albinos choose to live in isolated protectorates and also because they are
ashamed of their children.
Witchcraft is taking very seriously. A few months ago,
Tanzanian court charged 32 people with murder after five women suspected of
witchcraft were beaten to death, and their corpses burned. Hundreds of
suspected witches are murdered in the east African country each year.
E - According to a report of the Human Right Watch,
Tanzanian migrant domestic workers in Oman and in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) face excessive working hours, unpaid salaries, and physical and sexual
abuse. The abuses include beatings, and exploitation of all kind. Some of the
cases that were denounced, amount to slavery or labour trafficking. This
situation is facilitated mainly by abusive visa-sponsorship rules in Oman and
the UAE and loopholes in the employment laws of the Tanzanian government.
F - The country has designated 25% of its land to
wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. It is among the highest in the world,
and the total area is greater than the size of Germany. As a consequence, tourism
is one of the greatest assets.
Recently, Tanzania's largest park, Ruaha, has been
named one of the 21 best places to visit in the world by National Geographic.
G - Zanzibar has the cloves as its greatest exlibris.
The main foreign export of Zanzibar is cloves. Also known as the Spice Islands,
it is the largest producer of cloves in the world.
Miguel Verde - Senior Consultant, Professor of
International Relations
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