BTS NEWSLETTER www.britaintanzaniasociety.co.uk www.tanzdevtrust.org September 2017 Volume 15 Issue No 3 An exciting AGM - new venue, Speaker: Salim Kikeke, stalls and presentations The AGM at 2.00pm on Saturday 28 October, will be at a new venue for us St Mary-at-Hill Church, Lovat Lane, London EC3R 8EE. This is where the Swahili-speaking congregation meet once a month near Bank and Monument Stations. Speaker: Salim Kikeke, BBC Swahili Service presenter, who has over 1 million people on his Facebook account! The Dira ya Dunia programme which he presents often gets audiences of 7 million, and perhaps even more tune into his programmes on football. He will talk about how the Swahili Service works, and what it offers to Tanzania. If you would like a table to sell items for good causes in the run up to Christmas, or to promote an NGO relating to work in Tanzania, please contact Elizabeth Taylor on etaylorsjut@gmail.com Chair s Report How we started, What we do now The way ahead - see page 14 Also in this issue: Tanzanian rats save lives Page 2 Tanzania Albinism Collective plays at WOMAD Page 5 Making wind turbines in Zeze Page 10 "Request for help as BTS enters a new phase" Wanted: An Assistant Secretary to write the minutes of our meetings. A Membership Officer to keep our database of members up to date. Someone to keep our website up to date. Some IT skills desirable. Could also develop social media. Volunteers to help with stuffing Tanzanian Affairs and this Newsletter into envelopes. If you have some time to spare and interest in any of these, please contact Andrew Coulson on a.c.coulson@bham.ac.uk. And come to our AGM on 28 October and join our committee.
Page 2 APOPO BTS Newsletter September 2017 Tanzanian Rats Save Lives If you were told that there were rats with a sense of smell so acute that they can detect traces of explosive on landmines, you might believe it. But rats that can identify smells associated with TB? Or types of cancer? Or bedbugs? Well, yes they can! A professor at the University of Antwerp started training rates to detect landmines in 1997, around the time Princess Diana was bringing the dangers of landmines to the attention of the world. It was better to train the rats in Africa, and so in 2000 the small NGO APOPO moved to Morogoro, where it has been ever since, associated with Sokoine Agricultural University. The conventional means of eradicating landmines are either to bring in big machines with flails that beat the ground and cause the mines to explode, or slow careful work with metal detectors with removal of the mines by hand. African Giant Pouched Rats, as big as cats, do not need big machines, do not risk lives, do not destroy the land by making explosions, don t waste time detecting every piece of metal on a site (and in war zones there is usually a lot of metal), and they can detect mines made with plastic. It takes time and patience to breed and train them. But once you have done so you have indefatigable workers who will take you to the right places, with a high degree of certainty. There were few landmines in Tanzania but plenty in Angola, Cambodia and Mozambique, where the rats have been put to work. The job is nearly done in Mozambique, where APOPO is the preferred partner. In Cambodia, where two big international companies have contracts to do most of the work, there are still many mines but the rats are also making their contributions to getting rid of them. TB has long been a curse, but never more than now, when viruses are acquiring resistance to antibiotics. TB is spreading, not least among those affected with HIV. The conventional method of diagnosis is to examine saliva samples under a microscope, and find the virus. This work is so intensive that WHO advises that a technician should not study more than 15 samples in a day. Even then they miss some cases, usually more complex ones where there are many infections. But in Morogoro when the rats are shown a batch of samples that have recently been examined, in just a few minutes they can find most of those already identified with TB and a few which have been missed. They are not perfect, but they are saving the lives of many who otherwise would not be treated till much later. If rats can be trained to do that, they can also find bed bugs, types of cancer, and illegally traded Pangolins, to take just some of the possible tasks. So here is a technology where the team in Morogoro is the world leader. Potentially it should be possible to make money. In practice the two big international companies that dominate the world market for mine clearance would rather do it their way. So the challenge for Tanzania, and for this little NGO, is to develop its technology while competing with the giants. Product development and testing is slow and expensive. APOPO TRAINS RATS TO SAVE LIVES So Apopo needs help and support. If you would like to learn more, and perhaps donate, or adopt a hero-rat, then go to their website www.apopo.org
BTS Newsletter September 2017 Past Seminars/Events Page 3 Horticultural Products Export from Tanzania to EU Markets 19 June 2017, School of Oriental and African Studies, London Tanzania has great potential to produce fruits and vegetables. But less than 20% of this production is exported. To increase this will require many changes better roads, better storage, better agricultural practices, more facilities at ports and airports, and professional exporters or cooperatives who can assemble products in bulk and get the benefits of cheaper freight costs for large consignments. It will also need a good understanding of the documentation that has to travel with a consignment coming into the EU, and the tests that may be undertaken by plant health officers at ports and airports. If a consignment is contaminated with pathogens, or does not meet the agreed high quality, it may be rejected, and then there will be no money to pay the farmers. This seminar was introduced by Petronilla Mlowe who is a Senior Food Safety Officer in UK local government, a trainer, and a consultant on matters relating to food safety. She is a member of the BTS Executive Committee, and is promoting a conference on Food Safety in Dar es Salaam on 12th & 13th October 2017. For information on this, go to www.foodsafetytz.com She was followed by Perez Ochieng who spoke about the need for up to date market information, for suppliers to respond quickly to changes in prices, and to give much more attention to quality, from top to bottom of the supply chain. For example, with a sample of sweet potatoes, 80% were rejected because of the way they had been harvested (marks from jembes meant that the product would quickly deteriorate) and transported - heart-breaking for the farmers. It takes time to develop a new market sometimes several years and very good knowledge of modern packaging products. Perez is the Chief Executive Officer of SACOMA, a UKbased NGO that promotes business opportunities, especially in agriculture, for the diaspora living in the UK. See www.sacomauk.com This event was live-streamed go to https://www.periscope.tv/jachapman82/ See also BTS Facebook Small Business Investments in Africa: Support from the Diaspora Petronilla s slides can be accessed from Past Events on the BTS website. http://www.britaintanzaniasociety.co.uk/small-business-investments-in-africa-support-from-the-diaspora-19th-june-2017/ Crowd2Map Progress on mapping rural Tanzania We are continuing to make great progress, having now mapped over 1.5 million buildings and 65 square kilometres from satellite images. You can help us map here http://bit.ly/maptanzania In June we were awarded a microgrant by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team to buy smartphones to train community mappers in 4 areas of Tanzania which we started last month. We also talked about the project at the first State of the Map Africa Conference in Uganda in July. You can read about it here http://bit.ly/sotmafrica We are also working with the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Dodoma and Mwanza, and organisations such as VSO, Peace Corps and Young African Leaders, to get rural Tanzania on the map to help everyone with navigation, planning and development. But, as you know, Tanzania is a very big country so we need your help. You can read more about the project here www.crowd2map.org or email Janet j.chapman@tanzdevtrust for more information. Janet Chapman
Page 4 Other BTS News/Travel BTS Newsletter September 2017 BTS Education Group On May 15 th we had a very interesting session on literacy with a number of presenters both at SOAS and via Skype from Tanzania. All the resources and presentations are on our Facebook Page. The date of the next session, in the autumn, will be announced shortly. Janet Chapman BTS Scotland Update from Ann Burgess The BTS Scottish Group has not held any meetings recently but some of us were at an excellent and well-attended presentation given by Julian Marcus of the Tanzania Development Trust on Sunday 4th June at the Church Centre at Christchurch Morningside, Edinburgh. Julian spoke about and showed visuals of the recent work of the Trust and in particular the Safe House and Vocational Training Centre for girls escaping from FGM. Ann Marcus sold artefacts made by the girls at the Safe House. Our Yahoo group allows us to keep in touch with each other and to share news of Tanzania and local African events. Places to stay in Tanzania that support the community Visiting Northwest Tanzania? If so, why not stay at the WomenCraft Guest House, near Ngara, Kagera region. Enjoy beautiful views in a tranquil setting while at the same time helping artisans improve the quality of their lives, as income earned through the Guest House is used as an income stream for WomenCraft s Social Impact Projects. Womencraft will even arrange cultural activities and volunteer projects for you. WomenCraft is a community-driven social enterprise that designs, produces and exports hand-woven home décor items made from natural fibre and vibrant Tanzanian fabrics. Operating from Ngara, Tanzania, within the post-conflict triborder area of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania, WomenCraft employs more than 300 women, who express their culture and talents to create products that are beautiful, functional, and durable. So if you can t visit the guest house do visit their online shop for beautiful gifts. http://womencraft.org/ Anyone travelling to Iringa? Need a good place to stay? Try Neema Guest House, a 10 minute walk from the bus stand. It provides ten en-suite rooms, ranging from large family rooms, with beautiful views over the surrounding hills, to smaller double and twin rooms. The rooms are good value and there is an excellent restaurant attached. The Centre was founded in 2003 by the Diocese of Ruaha, to provide training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the Iringa region of Tanzania. All the catering staff are disabled, so by staying and eating there you are supporting a great organisation. Profits are used to support a lovely craft centre next door, again supporting disabled people, where you can visit to see the huge range of products being made. www.neemacrafts.com Any other places to recommend that support the community? Email the Newsletter Editor
BTS Newsletter September 2017 Tanzania Albinism Collective Page 5 Tanzania Albinism Collective plays at World of Music and Dance Festival (WOMAD) Many BTS members will have attended our seminar on Albinism in October 2016 in conjunction with Standing Voice, (see January 2017 Newsletter), and also seen their very moving documentary Born too White, still available on iplayer. In 2016, Grammy-winning producer and author Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Malawi Mouse Boys, Zomba Prison Project) travelled to Ukerewe Island, Lake Victoria. This largest inland island in Africa has become a safe haven for a community of Tanzanians living with albinism. Upon arriving at the island, Brennan learned that the local community with albinism had not only never been asked to sing, but often were forbidden to, even in church. None had previously played an instrument or written a song, but eighteen of them, ranging in age from 24 to 57, joined Brennan s workshop. Brennan encouraged them to write about their experiences and to express what they wanted others to understand about their existence. But even among the willing, singingout proved hard within a group that routinely avoided eye contact, rarely spoke above a whisper, and were unaccustomed to dancing. Once the music started flowing, not surprisingly, themes of loneliness emerged in the work I Am a Human Being, They Gossiped When I was Born, Life is Hard, and Who Can We Run To? are just a few examples. Many lyrics were written in Kikirewe and Jeeta, both dialects which were officially discouraged and censored following unification of the country in 1964. As with Brennan s Zomba Prison Project releases, the Tanzania Albinism Collective offers a glimpse into music that comes from the heart and soul of a group of people, who up until now have been almost completely under represented and unheard. The resulting album is in turns beautiful, emotional, harrowing, fascinating, and most importantly, completely human. Their WOMAD appearance at Charlton Park, Malmesbury Wilts in July was the first time any of the collective have ever travelled outside Tanzania, and many will have left the island for the first time. Janet Chapman writes I was privileged to see the Tanzania Albinism Collective play its first ever concert and also take part in a moving discussion programme about the issues those with albinism still face. There is more information about this amazing event here http://bit.ly/womadalbinism For those that are inspired, please donate to the Tanzania Albinism Collective s partners on Ukerewe Island, where you can easily donate with one simple click. www.standingvoice.org
Page 6 TDT News BTS Newsletter September 2017 Small Grants for VSO volunteers working in Tanzania. The Small Grants Scheme has been running for five years. More than 46 Tanzania VSO volunteers have now benefitted from this scheme, with grants ranging from 100 to the maximum 450. The aims are to increase the effectiveness of the volunteer s project or to improve the lives of the community supported by the volunteer s project. In the latter case, the project must include matching funding in terms of materials or labour from that community. Following a hold on further volunteer funding in 2016 after a period of reorganisation in the VSO administration in Dar es Salaam we are pleased to have recently received new applications and awarded further grants to volunteers. These are described below. Reports will be posted on our web site. Funding for the small grants has come from TDT s core funding programme but we are very grateful also to Britain-Tanzania Society member and former VSO volunteer Graham Child, who has generously supported the scheme. VSO volunteers work for children s enjoyment of books and reading skills: TDT has supported two projects with a small grant in Lindi Region: These contrasting activities by two volunteers complement each other. Street Library in Lindi Volunteer: Steve Scorer Within his longer report on the successful implementation of the project Steve has highlighted the following: With the grant we bought 160 books. Nearly all are Kiswahili reading books with some reference books. These are in 2 boxes that we had made by the fundi round the corner. We (and some children) painted them and sorted the books into easy, medium and more challenging and colour coded the books. They are essentially aimed at Primary students but it is good to see adults reading them too. It is wonderful to see how popular the library is and to see the children really enjoying reading for pleasure. There were 48 members in the first 2 days and more are finding out by word of mouth. Thanks again. Steve Vitabu Mduara / Book carrousel for schools - Lindi. Volunteer Jan Rensink included this in his recent report: The aim is to enhance the reading skills of primary school children and let them experience that reading can be fun. Children in Tanzania are taught in the Kiswahili language; English is taught from Standard 4. To enhance the reading culture of the primary schools, teaching staff of 10 primary schools in the Lindi district were introduced to methods to familiarize these children with reading. In addition, a large number of books was brought in from the Netherlands for distribution to the 10 primary schools. The TDT small grant enabled the production of 10 book boxes. In the 10 participating schools in the Lindi Municipal district more than 3500 children will now have a chance to read fiction books in English at their own reading level. By changing the collection of children s reading books in June and December, children have at least 4 years of reading pleasure. Looking at the aimed project time of four years thus 14,000 children enjoy reading and profit from increasing their level in English.
BTS Newsletter September 2017 TDT News Page 7 A district representative will rotate the books among the participating schools twice a year such that the collections of all ten schools form a reading carousel for all. This will enable all children to read a large variety of children s books. Bee Hive project in Mahuninga Village, Iringa District. TDT awarded a small grant to volunteer Justice Muchati who recently wrote this short report: Mahuninga village is in Mahuninga ward, Iringa Rural district, of the Iringa region in Tanzania. The community relies on cropping, small livestock rearing and brewing local beer as other sources of livelihoods. The village is part of the Waga Community-Managed Wildlife Management Area (CWMA) which is facilitated by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The Mahuninga community had been practicing bee keeping already but in a more unstructured way using the traditional log type beehives. Beekeeping is widely practiced in Tanzania and by the fact that this village is part of the CWMA, the mindset of the communities is tailored to conservation. Habitat conservation is vital as it also serves the wildlife in the area. It was noted through the situational assessment that the main challenges which affected the bee keeping in the area have been training on best honey practices, use of traditional hives, poor markets, and poor record keeping. Thank you TDT. Through the grant from Tanzania Development Trust 10 modern Top Bar hives were provided as seed capital to the community. The hives The community groups with their new hives were handed to the group leaders. Training was provided to the community groups and we await the production of the first honey harvest later this year. Other small grants were awarded as follows: Two grant awards were made to volunteers in Kigoma working with the regional Health Department. Volunteer: Judith Wuest is a Maternal Child Health Advisor, Kigoma Regional Health Management Team Purpose of Grant: Funding was requested to purchase a laptop computer and software to facilitate Judith s role as a health advisor in the development of a sustainable process for collation and analysis of Maternal and Perinatal Death Review data to inform policy and program planning. Maternal and perinatal death is a priority issue in Tanzania. Judith Wuest writes: The computer was purchased on April 24. Judith and Berther Ndalituke, the Kigoma Regional Reproductive Child Health coordinator (RRCHCo) have completed training tutorials to gain an understanding of form construction, data collection, data packaging and transport, and data analysis using this system. We have constructed an electronic version of the Maternal Death Reporting form and have entered maternal death data for the region for the first quarter for 2017. Further training for local health teams is planned. The official handover of the computer by Judith Wuest to Dr. Paul Chaote, Regional Medical Officer, and Berther Ndalituke took place on Monday May 15. Members of the RHMT have expressed appreciation for the donation of this equipment to strengthen RHMT resources for addressing the issue of maternal child health.
Page 8 TDT News BTS Newsletter September 2017 Volunteer Nazia Sohani, also works with the Kigoma Regional Health Department. Nazia s role is to improve the collection of data from regional rural health facilities to improve delivery of services and improve health interventions and help the region to plan for priorities. A small grant was awarded to enable Nazia to travel to the remote health facilities in Kigoma region and conduct data quality assessment and assess the workload of physicians in order to identify the gaps in data reporting process. The grant provided travel and accommodation costs which would otherwise have not been available from the limited regional budget. The photo right shows Nazia visiting a regional health clinic. She writes: Since data reporting is not consistent in all health facilities, the indicators selected to conduct an assessment of the health facilities needs to be customised for health centres and hospitals. The information obtained from the visits will be used to develop an additional tool that enables assessors to obtain a better picture at bigger health facilities. This will then be used in Kigoma region when future data quality assessments are conducted. The grant from TDT to enable Nazia to make the visits will assist in improving the data collecting, reporting and analysing process at health facilities in the region, in order to better plan, implement and evaluate health services. Other small grants were awarded as follows: VSO Mtwara / VTE recycling bin project: Volunteers Gille Delaunais and Emmanuel Ocen Tanzania Local Enterprise Development is a program that helps small Tanzanian enterprises to overcome the difficulties and seize the opportunities to develop and grow. The project focus is on female owned enterprises and the ultimate goal is to create jobs in Tanzania. The grant will be used to build a recycling bin (more like a cage) on the premises of the VSO Office in Mtwara (note: that office is also in the premises of VETA). The recycle bin will be used to recycle plastic bottle and the waste will be collected and disposed of by a SME in Mtwara who collect the plastic waste, chip it and sell it to Dar at a recycling facility. The frame of the bin will be in metal and the mesh will be in plastic to assure a sustainable container and a lighter one in case it is needed to be moved. Grants for volunteers working with community groups and schools. Further grants have recently been agreed for the construction of a volley ball court at a school in Lindi and for the supply of footballs and volleyballs to 24 schools in Bukoba District of Kagera Region. Both these grants are focused on the placements of two VSO volunteers who are working with schools and young people in the region to encourage team participation, sports and health fitness, cooperation and motivational skills. A grant of 250 has also been agreed for a volunteer to support a women s group in the Wagogo tribe in Dodoma Region in setting up a small business selling solar lights. The benefits will include income and capital generation and further small business start ups. Reports and photos will be made available on our web site as these projects are completed. Jonathan Pace Bobbie MacIvor (Bryceson) passed away peacefully after a very short illness on Monday 3rd July at the age of 95. Bobby was married to Derrick Bryceson, who had a farm on Kilimanjaro, was co-opted onto the Legislative Council before Independence, joined TANU, and became Tanzania's Minister of Agriculture in the 1960s, the last white member of Tanzania's cabinets. Jonathan Pace, TDT chair, was pleased to join the family for Bobbie s funeral in Starston, Norfolk. Bobbie s daughter has said Mum would love any donations to go to the Tanzania Development Trust
BTS Newsletter September 2017 TDT News Page 9 More TDT Success Stories ANCO Orphans, Project Officer: Kevin Curley The principal aim of ANCO (AMENITY NONPROFIT CHARITY ORGANIZATION) is to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in Kasulu. Below is an extract from ANCO's evaluation report sent to TDT. It was one example of many, of how TDT money given to ANCO has helped transform a child s life. James Mwabhilizo was born in 2005. His mother has mental health problems and he does not know, and has never met, his father, though his grandmother told James that his father s name is Mwabhilizo. James used to live with his grandmother before he decided to live on the street when he was eight. James and other 300 disadvantaged/vulnerable children were identified through a survey carried out by ANCO in 2014. With the help of TDT funding transferred to ANCO account in March 2017, James was integrated with his grandmother s single parent family and was assisted to get admission at Mwenge primary schol to do a standard one course through the non-formal system of learning. James has been attending school regularly though he still faces the problem of hunger at both home and school. At the end of May 2017, James s school conducted the first term examinations for the whole school with 748 pupils. According to examinations results just released, James performed as follows: Reading and Comprehension 05%, Writing comprehension 45%, Mathematics 15%, Health/Environment 50%, Arts and Sports 70%. For these marks, James s position mentioned by his class teacher was 1.5 out of twenty pupils; 14 pupils in total were examined and 6 pupils played truancy. Installation of dehusking and crushing machines for disabled (walemavu) group in Manyoni. The machines were donated by TASAF (Tanzania Social Action Fund) to a disabled group to give them the opportunity to generate income. This was 10 years ago but the machines have sat in a store collecting dust ever since! Inflation meant there was never enough money after their purchase to get them installed. A TDT application was submitted asking to fund installation of the machines and connecting 3 phase electricity. Discussions with the DED (District Executive Director) and Community Development Office resulted in funds being released from the Constituency Development Fund in Manyoni if TDT would support the outstanding amount of 1450. This was agreed and the funds sent in June. We have just had this report from Innocent Temu, our new Local TDT representative, and secondary school teacher. I have visited the walemavu site and they are doing very well. Machines are already installed and they are now busy with grinding and dehusking. I met with two walemavu and one young man who help them in grinding and dehusking. Also I met 3 customers and they are so happy with the service and price charged. They give only one request to me i.e. to talk with my school head to see if we can give them a tender of grinding and de-husking food of our hostel students. I am happy that my school head accept their request and from now onwards grinding and dehusking students food will be done by walemavu group. I can say this is the good start and I hope they will succeed very soon. Regards, Innocent. TDT Project Officer: Phil Grant Tanzania Development Trust Every pound goes directly to projects in Tanzania
Page 10 Wind turbines in Zeze BTS Newsletter September 2017 Making wind turbines in Zeze, Kigoma Our local TDT rep for Kigoma Rural, Benedicto Hosea hosted an amazing workshop on behalf of Mboni ya Vijana (MVG) in July in which The Local Electricity Project from London came to Zeze village, Kigoma, for 2 weeks to train young local people on how to make wind turbines from recycled and local materials. Zeze village is 41 km from grid electricity. Only a small number of the population have access to solar. The workshop s aim was to give young people the tools to seek out new solutions to the problem of access to electricity utilising local materials and knowledge, whilst also providing opportunities for entrepreneurship and further education. As the photos below show it was a great success. You can see many more photos and videos from on the Mboni ya Vijana (MVG) 1 website http://bit.ly/zezewind and on the facebook page of The Local Electricity Project 2 https://www.facebook.com/localelectricity/ 1 Mboni ya Vijana (MVG) is a youth run community run organisation based in Zeze village, near Kasulu, in western Tanzania founded by Benedicto Hosea to support the community in Zeze Village where he has lived all his life. 2 The Local Electricity Project is a London based, energy-tech startup, creating tools and knowledge for people without access to electricity, to build their own electricity supply using recycled motors. Contact: samson@localelectricity.org, http://localelectricity.org/
BTS Newsletter September 2017 Swahili Matters Page 11 This is an interesting piece found in Africa Renewal (December 2016-March 2017) magazine. Writer Zipporah Musau says Diabetes, cancer, heart and respiratory diseases will be the leading killers by 2030. Maradhi ya namna ya kuishi yaletea Afrika udhia mpya Afrika, makazi ya nchi hamsini na nne zenye mapato ya chini na ya kati, itakuwa na ongezeko kubwa kuliko yote duniani katika vifo vya [maradhi yasiyoambukiza - NCDs] wakati wa kipindi cha miaka kumi kijacho. Ingawa maradhi ya kuambukiza kama malaria, kifua kikuu (TB) na VVU/UKIMWI* na hali nyingine bado zinazidi kule Afrika ya chini ya Sahara, WHO (Shirika la Afya Duniani) limetabiri kuwa, kufikia mwaka elfu mbili na thelathini, maradhi yasiyoambukiza (NCDs) zitakuwa sababu kuu ya kifo Asilimia thelathini ya watu wote Afrika huna shinikizo la juu la damu ugonjwa wa moyo, kiharusi, udhoofu wa figo au wa kuona au hali nyengineo. Athari za maradhi hayo zinauharibu uchumi kama zinavyowadhuru watu wanaoathiriwa nazo Magonjwa ya kudumu yanayotapakaa husababisha uzalishaji wa wafanyakazi kupunguzwa, uwekezaji rasilimali wa binadamu kupunguzika na ongezeko la gharama ya utunzaji wa afya * VVU (Virusi vya UKIMWI - virus of UKIMWI) = HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). UKIMWI (Ukosefu wa Kinga Mwilini - lack of protection in the body) = AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) Lifestyle diseases pose new burden for Africa Africa, home to 54 low and middle-income countries, will have the world s largest increase in [Non- Communicable Disease] deaths over the next decade. Although communicable diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS and other conditions still predominate in sub-saharan Africa, WHO projects that, by 2030, NCDs will become the leading cause of death 30% of all people in Africa have high blood pressure coronary heart diseases, stroke, renal or visual impairment or other related conditions. The effect of these diseases are as devastating to the economy as they are to the people they afflict [W]idespread chronic illness translates into decreased labour outputs, lower returns on human capital investments and increase in health care costs Donovan McGrath Gerald Belkin: Pioneering video maker and lover of Swahili language I first met Gerald Belkin in about 1969. He was a Canadian documentary filmmaker who heard about Nyerere, came to Tanzania, and was entranced by the vision of Ujamaa. His contribution was to pioneer the use of video cameras in order to enable villagers to speak for themselves. The cameras in those early days were too heavy to carry, so mounted on the back of a pick-up truck, alongside the massive batteries that powered them. Gerald invited the villagers to come, and as far as possible let them talk among themselves. His wife Paule ran the camera. They lived with their children in Mbambara village, in Tanga Region. The results were extraordinary for the villagers, many of whom had never seen themselves in photographs, and now could see themselves in moving pictures which could be played back. What they said was incredibly revealing as they explained, clearly and convincingly, why they were following some of the recommendations from outside experts, while giving good reasons for rejecting others. These are some of the frankest, and clearest, statements of how small farmers think that have ever been made. The films were used in training courses in Tanzania, and later in Sweden, and were turned into a short series of films for television. The archive was deposited at the Nordic Africa Institue, in Uppsala, Sweden. Gerald died in 2012, aged 72. He was concerned about the ethics of filming villagers without exploiting them. He realised the importance of language, and spent a year becoming fluent in Kiswahili, which he came to love, and around a year filming. He formed a lasting friendship with the playwright and academic Ebrahim Hussein. When he died he left a sum of money for the promotion of the Swahili language. With the encouragement and support of the Tanzania Gatsby Trust this was used to create the Ebrahim Hussein prize for modern Swahili poetry, some of the results of which will be read out at our seminar on 16 October for more details see page 15 Andrew Coulson
Page 12 Health Matters /Honours BTS Newsletter September New Organisation to support health projects in Tanzania BTS is very pleased to welcome the creation of TUHEDA, the Tanzanian UK Healthcare Diaspora Association. It aims to support projects in the health and social care sectors in Tanzania, and to find ways in which health workers in this country can get up-to-date knowledge about health challenges and innovations in Africa. Membership will be open to all health professionals, not just to doctors. TUHEDA is in the process of creating a constitution and applying for charitable status. Its interim officers are: Chair: Dr Hamza Hassan (hamzadr@hotmail.com), Secretary: Dr Mohamed Salim (mzsalim@hotmail.com) Treasurer: Dr Gideon Mlawa (gideonmlawa@btinternet.com) We hope that TUHEDA will have a long and glorious future, and look forward to joint working and exchanges whenever they are appropriate. HONOURS AWARDED Congratulations to BTS member Stephen O'Brien on being awarded a knighthood (KBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June. Stephen who was born in Mtwara, has a lifelong interest in Africa and especially Tanzania. He was MP for Eddisbury in Cheshire from 1999-2015. He created, and was the first Chair of, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tanzania, which continues to flourish. He is currently the United Nations Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Congratulations too to Amy Hathaway, who has been awarded an MBE for her work with Forever Angels, a small NGO which supports abandoned or orphaned children and their families around Mwanza.
BTS Newsletter September 2017 Future Seminar/Events Page 13 Modern Swahili Poems - Ushairi wa Kiswahili wa Kisasa Monday 16 October 5.05pm SOAS Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG See page 15 for more details of this seminar and book launch Informal Housing in Dar es Salaam: A Tale of Three Cities". Monday 20th November 5.05 pm SOAS Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG The speakers will be Stephanie Burcher and Tim Wickson, both of the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL. Now home to a diverse population of over five million people, Dar es Salaam is a vibrant and expanding hub in East Africa. However, the rapid pace of growth has vastly outstripped the capacity of the planning system and housing market to respond, leaving 80 percent of the population living in largely unplanned, informal neighbourhoods. For many, this housing crisis manifests itself in a lack of access to basic infrastructure, including water and drainage, substandard living conditions, and high levels of urban risk, with vulnerable residents increasingly confined to hazardous land in order to remain within reach of city-centre economic opportunities. This seminar will discuss the everyday realities and challenges faced by residents of different types of low-income neighbourhoods in Dar es Salaam, as well as the opportunities for action already being undertaken by the residents themselves. It will close with a discussion on the role of progressive urban planning in approaching some of these issues, and supporting the growth of a more equitable city. All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Tanzania. We congratulate Jeremy Lefroy for his re-election as MP for Stafford. He has wasted no time in reestablishing the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tanzania. This will continue to provide a valuable route for raising matters relating to Tanzania. Jeremy and his wife Janet worked in Tanzania for eleven years, from 1989, are still involved with a farm on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, now farmed organically, and still go back as often as they can. BTS hopes to collaborate with the APPG in at least three events in the next 12 months. These are provisionally arranged to take place, in the Houses of Parliament, as follows: Tuesday 12 September. A briefing on Tanzania: Current Economic and Political Outlook. Committee Room 6 from 6.00-8.00 pm. Tuesday 12 December. A reception to celebrate Uhuru Day (which is three days earlier), with a leading Tanzanian speaker and a speaker from TDT. 6.00pm, venue to be confirmed. Tuesday 6 March 2018. Releasing the Potential of Agriculture in Tanzania. More details to follow. If you are interested in attending any of these events, please drop an email to etaylorsjut@gmail.com
Page 14 BTS A NEW VISION BTS Newsletter September 2017 How we started BTS was created by a small group in the UK and in Tanzania who wanted to maintain good relations between our two countries at a time when formal diplomatic relationships were broken. Starting in February 1965, a small group met informally. In 1972 they had discussions with the Tanzanian High Commissioner in London, George Nhigula. In 1974, by which time the Tanzanian High Commissioner was Amon Nsekela, a decision was taken to form a society. The first meeting, chaired by Bishop Trevor Huddleston, was in February 1975. The membership in England was predominantly former civil servants, teachers, doctors, missionaries and others who had worked in Tanzania before or shortly after Independence in 1961. A separate chapter was set up in Tanzania, chaired by Augustine Mwingira, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. By the time the constitution had been created, diplomatic relations between the two countries had resumed. The British group grew steadily as an organisation to keep people in the UK who had worked in Tanzania in touch with current developments. The Tanzania Development Trust was started as a charity to support small development projects. Much energy was devoted to making students from Tanzania welcome in members homes. Our journal Tanzanian Affairs began, and later a Newsletter. There were seminars, events, garden parties, receptions and visits, and a database was created of organisations in the UK supporting projects in Tanzania. BTS, with more than 800 members, became, to the best of our knowledge, the largest friendship organisation linking the UK with an African country. What we do now TDT is now highly professional. It has recruited a cadre of Local Representatives in the most deprived parts of Tanzania, and become skilled in assessing project proposals and detecting fraud. Most of its projects are very small, but one, the Safe House and Vocational Training Centre for girls escaping genital mutilation, in Mugumu near Musoma, is much larger. A related project involves use of computers around the world to improve the digital maps near the Safe House, and potentially in other parts of the country. BTS, in association with SOAS, runs a successful seminar programme. An Education Group was formed in the early years and has restarted regular meetings, in contact by Skype with colleagues in Tanzania. The Newsletter and Tanzanian Affairs both flourish. Neither BTS nor TDT employ paid staff. So our activities, which are very labour intensive, are kept running by volunteers. These include the TDT Chair and TDT Project Officers who make long and often challenging trips, at their own expense, to visit as many TDT projects as possible. Neither BTS nor TDT could function as they do now without the work of Elizabeth Taylor who is Secretary of both organisations, and Janet Chapman who is a TDT project officer and who has been behind many of the most exciting BTS initiatives in the last few years. Jonathan Pace, Chair of TDT, and Robert Gibson its Treasurer, spend hours of their time on it. Ben Taylor, editing Tanzanian Affairs, Sue Mitchell our Newsletter editor, and Petronilla MLowe, working with the diaspora, have major long term commitments to our work. Without this level of time commitment we could not function. The way ahead more with the diaspora and your help We are moving into a new phase, in which BTS relates more to people living in the UK who have continuing links with Tanzania, especially Tanzanians resident in this country but also Brits working as academics, consultants or employees of NGOs. But to do it we need help. The two committees (BTS and TDT) meet four times a year, in London, at 3.30 and 5.30pm, which enables committee members from outside London to get back home after the meetings. We need to welcome more Tanzanians and young people onto our committees, while making it clear that these are working committees in which those who attend are expected to carry out activities and take responsibilities outside the formal committee meetings, and to recognise that those who do not attend the committee meeting risk losing touch. The Tanzanian Chapter faces similar challenges. It too needs younger blood, and a greater focus on the immediate problems facing Tanzania, for example in its schools, hospitals and health centres, and in community development. This may involve more focus on specific projects, and closer links with TDT, and a willingness to use IT to enable those not able to get to meetings in Dar es Salaam to take part. Our Tanzanian friends are working out how to develop a new agenda. We wish them well and look forward to seeing how they work it out and to working with them. Can you help us run BTS? See next page
BTS Newsletter September 2017 BTS News Page 15 Wanted: An Assistant Secretary to write the minutes of our meetings. A Membership Officer to keep our database of members up to date. Someone to keep our website up to date. Some IT skills desirable. Could also develop social media. Volunteers to help with stuffing Tanzanian Affairs and this Newsletter into envelopes. If you have some time to spare and interest in any of these, please contact Andrew Coulson on a.c.coulson@bham.ac.uk. And come to our AGM on 28 October and join our committee. AGM 28th October 2.00pm on Saturday 28 October, Speaker: Salim Kikete St Mary-at-Hill Church, Lovat Lane, London EC3R 8EE. All welcome Modern Swahili Poems - Ushairi wa Kiswahili wa Kisasa a seminar and book launch on 16 October, SOAS, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG In 2014 a prize for modern swahili poetry was created in Dar es Salaam, using money left by Gerald Belkin. A little of his story is told on page 11 of this Newsletter. The competition was first held in 2014, and attracted a lot of interest. 81 of the poems submitted for the first two competitions have now been published (Diwani ya Tunzo ya Ushairi ya Ibrahim Hussein. Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, Dar es Salaam, 2016). This seminar, run in conjunction with the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at SOAS, will introduce this literature to audiences in Europe. Ahmed Rajab a retired journalist with the BBC Swahili Service - will chair the event and give an introduction to the modern development of Swahili poetry. The poems will be read in Swahili, with English translations, and then discussed in English. So this event will be meaningful to anyone interested in poetry from the African and Arab worlds - and its contemporary impact.
BTS Newsletter September 2017 Volume 15, Issue 3 Back page A seminar and book launch Modern Swahili Poems - would be Ushairi greatly appreciated. wa Kiswahili Andrew wa Kisasa Coulson Monday 16th October 2017, at 5.00pm SOAS, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG Informal Housing in Dar es Salaam: A Tale of Three Cities Monday 20th November 2017, at 5.00pm SOAS, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG Tanzania APPG Event Tuesday 12 December, 6.00pm Houses of Parliament A reception to celebrate Uhuru Day BTS Who s Who & Contacts BTS President: HE Ali Hassan Mwinyi, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania BTS Vice-Presidents: Derek Ingram, Esther Mwaikambo, Ron and Liz Fennell, Trevor Jaggar TDT CHAIR: Jonathan Pace o7901563322 J.pace@tanzdevtrust.org TDT EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Dr Elizabeth Taylor 01869 243479 etaylorsjut@gmail.com TDT TREASURER: Robert Gibson treasurer@tanzdevtrust.org TDT FUNDING APPLICATIONS: Phil Grant applications@tanzdevtrust.org TDT CARD SALES: ann@marcuses.co.uk BTS Scottish Group contacts: Ann Burgess 07858 481038 annpatriciaburgess@yahoo.co.uk BTS Diaspora contacts: Petronilla Mlowe mwakatumap @gmail Fadhili Maghiya fadhilimaghiya02@hotmail.com BTS Tanzania Chapter contacts: Hon Secretary: Ms Rita Mkama honsec@bts.or.tz Chairman: Ambassador Paul Rupia chairman@bts.or.tz AGM 28th October 2.00pm on Saturday 28 October, St Mary-at-Hill Church, Lovat Lane, London EC3R 8EE. Speaker: Salim Kikeke Karibuni We welcome the following new members: Nicola Davidson, Haslemere, Surrey Jane Carter, York Sir Andrew Pocock, Baston (former High Commissioner and honorary member) Charles Cavenagh, London BTS CHAIR Andrew Coulson 0121 475 4615 a.c.coulson@bham.ac.uk BTS MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY All enquiries to BTS Executive Secretary BTS TREASURER All enquiries to BTS Executive Secretary BTS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Dr Elizabeth Taylor 01869 243479 etaylorsjut@gmail.com BTS EDUCATION GROUP CONVENOR Janet Chapman j.chapman@tanzdevtrust.org EDITOR TANZANIAN AFFAIRS Ben Taylor ben.d.taylor@gmail.com WEB EDITOR Ben Taylor ben.d.taylor@gmail.com BTS NEWSLETTER EDITOR Sue Mitchell 020 3665 1144 33 Viola Ave, London SE2 0TQ suemitchell1953@hotmail.co.uk NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 1 st December 2017. Tel 02036651144 but email preferred