W2C011T
Zanzibar's lost images
The other evening I sat at home leisurely watching the talking box. It was a hot and humid evening when the children's show depicting cartoons ice skating was very refreshing.
I have developed some interest in the children's programmes because they remind me of the good old days.
And I am sure they are also of interest to other adults too, at least to those who care about the welfare and future of the adults of tomorrow.
I could notice broad smiles and <-/laughters> from my children. In brief, they were happy and joyful.
They have always expressed the wish to join me around the TV set whenever the 45-minute children's programme is over. But I have always refused to succumb to their wish to have a look at programmes meant for adults. You never know what will be on stage.
I am very much ware that there are those who call themselves liberated by urban civilisation and feel this is a wrong attitude and an exhibition of selfishness and unfairness.
But I am one of those "uncivilised" who feel that this rule of not allowing children to see programmes meant for adults has all the ingredients of perfection in a society which strives for a sense of morality.
Once the cartoon series were over, came a local show in which pupils were competing to solve riddles, some of which were new to me because they touched on latest inventions, developments and technology. It was very interesting.
After the riddles were put on the floor and solved, there appeared in a three-minute script of a carnival in Brazil, a merry making festival of colour and fun.
It was a colourful extravaganza in which the old and the young participated in different styles. They were celebrating the New Year.
When the 10-minute masterpiece of fanfare came to an end and the TVZ brought back the viewers from Rio de Janeiro, one of my daughters - like a lost kid at the end of a hard day's play - turned to me and asked a simple, but tormenting question: "Daddy, why don't we have such a thing in Zanzibar"?
I kept quiet for a while and after a deep thought I felt it was unfair if I did not respond. I knew that the question was simple, but it was not that simple to give an honest answer.
This was because the matter touched the roots of Zanzibar, currently shaken up by latest inventions and adoption of imported cultures brought in by travellers, cinemas, television and videos.
The question touched on the current trend of the Isles' lost images, but I had to tell her and as well as to bring to the attention of those who care the images which make Zanzibar what it is are dwindling.
In fact Zanzibar had until in the recent past had a similar carnival to the one of Brazil. But while the Latin American festival has survived and continues to be the pride of the Latin Americans, the Zanzibar one has been neglected and dumped in the files of history.
Unfortunately, nobody seems to care! Instead, the Islanders seem to be in a hurry to shed their cultural heritage and pick up trends of the so-called modern era. Customs and way of life of their predecessors are considered to be outdated.
While the Brazilian carnival is marked to celebrate the New Year, the Zanzibar festival is dedicated to welcome the Holy Month of Ramadhan.
I still remember the good old days when I was young. Participants would be busy for weeks preparing for the show on the wheels of the <ea/>hamali carts.
Its mass participation, with spectators jamming the streets made it unique.
This used to be a night when the whole of the Zanzibar town was transformed into an explosion of colour and sound. People danced, jumped and sang the whole night.
The other sad, but somehow funny part of it, was that at the end of the carnival, fighting among some competitors or their supporters was a common phenomenon. Fists and sticks were considered to be part and parcel of the festival.
However, certain rules had to be observed during the fighting, such as that one must confront an opponent of his age and should only use hands and sticks.
And when an opponent raised his hands or utters words of surrender the fighting must stop forthwith.
Then a hand shake must follow, perhaps with vows for vengeance at the next show the following year.
At one stage, the British colonialists had strong reservations against the carnival. They felt it was associated with some sort of an arranged forum to settle old scores. To their minds it was also connected with witchcraft, evil spirits and other hidden intentions.
But public pressure from the local population forced them to accept it as integral part of the Zanzibar culture. It touched the sensitive parts of the Isles social fabric.
Perhaps what convinced them to succumb was the fact that the festival, which used to be held during the Muslim month of Shaaban, was part of the celebrations to welcome the holy month of Ramadhan.
During the show, some characters, would appear with funny faces, depicting various animals, birds sea creatures and unknown characters, such as those of devils and <ea/>jinnis. These clever disguises created a lot of interest among the young ones.
I still remember when I was about 12 years. I had gone to see the festival with my uncle who had to keep on patting me again and again so as to stay awake as we stood besides the street waiting for the carnival procession.
And when the <ea/>hamali carts approached, my sleep just faded.
On board of one of the carts, decorated with colourful papers, paintings and flowers were crows crying madly.
There was an old man busy selling fruits while another one fishing with a rope made up of coconut fibre. From that time till today I keep on wondering how they trained those crows to feel in their natural habitat.
On board another cart was a well clad school teacher, busy writing with charcoal on a white board. It was a biology lesson. I remember vividly when he asked the students, some as young as four and some as old as 50, which was thicker ... blood or water.
The old man replied emphatically:
"Blood". But soon after, one of young kids shouted: "No... No... It is porridge". The teacher laughed, but the students showed angry faces and one of them wanted to beat the little kid for lack of seriousness in the class. What a contrast!
Another incident which is still fresh in my mind involves a short, muscular, strong featured labourer with <-/acquiline> nose and deep set eyes. His <-/nick name> was Morombe.
He had carried mangoes in a wheel barrow and complained that he had worked so hard at a building site and was now selling the fruits and yet he could not make ends meet.
A friend asked him what was wrong with him and Morombe said he had a football team of 13 - eleven players and two substitutes.
He was a very good actor and really won the hearts of the audience, but I still doubt <-/todate> if the laughing audience understood the serious message behind that comedy at that time, now more than 30 years ago.
In brief he was pointing out the importance of family planning. I wish there could have been a film to <-_records><+_record> that sad story of Morombe which is today common among some people who feel that mass production of children is both wealth and prestige.
Then there was a young man, dressed in a wet <ea/>kanzu, holding a beautiful umbrella, made of paper. He was singing: "<ea_>Kuku mweusi<ea/>...<ea_> kuku mweupe<ea/> .. <ea_>ramba ramba<ea/> ... <ea/>jua litok<ea/>e" (black chicken ... white chicken ... pray for the sun to shine".
He roamed around alone and it was approaching midnight. I wondered how could one expect sunshine at midnight in these tropical islands.
And suddenly out of the blues emerged a boy who poured a bucket of water on the umbrella. The young man and his umbrella fell down.
In a nutshell, the fancy portrayed everything - education, history, entertainment and culture. It portrayed amazing talents that the Islanders possess, their struggle for better life and ability to ponder on the world of tomorrow, as was the case of the warning for the need for family planning.
Another event that has disappeared in the Isles and unknown to the present generation is <ea/>vinyago, a show of puppets. This show is conducted in complete darkness, usually under trees, and light or smoking around the area is prohibited.
Two places in Zanzibar town - Baraste Kipande and Mwembe Dodo - were popular in staging the shows.
The show used to depict different characters, including animals and birds. One of the most popular creatures used to be the lightning zombie, popularly known as <ea/>kiparamoto.
It starts with one actor emerging in the shape of a bird taking a flight. He changes himself to look like an animal.
He turns around with curious rhythmic steps, standing on the right foot and lifting the left one.
As lightning fades on his body, the other dancers join in to provide cover and escort him silently. They disappear, leaving the spectators to do the guess work for the night and many days to come, on who was who on the stage and what was the message behind a particular show.
In the list of Zanzibar' s lost images are the kites. Once upon a time, and especially during the Holy Mouth of Ramadhan, kites used to fill the sky of the Isles. It was a hobby that kept boys busy.
There was a time until the early Sixties when the Zanzibar Electricity Board used to launch special exercises after every three to four months to clear power lines and poles of kites stuck on the transmission lines.
But today, one could look around for eight to 10 months and won't see a kite <-/airbone>. And even when Ramadhan comes, one could easily count their number.
The funny part of the "kite craze" is the last day of the holy month of Ramadhan when it turns out to be a "day of sacrifice". The boys will cut off threads of their kites to let them free as part of the celebrations to welcome Idd el Fitr.
The other speciality during the Holy month of Ramadhan was of night roving man-made character called <ea/>gongoriko (whatever that means). This is a character prepared by young boys and is moved around by youngsters, usually between the ages of six and 12, calling on those who are asleep to rise and take a last meal which could give them energy to sustain the need for food until sunset the next day.
But <ea/>Ngongoriko, who was accompanied by traditional old songs which have been passed on by one generation to another, has now disappeared.
Instead, older youths have taken over the duty of waking up people with songs. Some of which are immoral and unethical. The same applies to several old games for both boys and girls.
The list of Zanzibar's images which have either disappeared or on their way to oblivion is long and it looks like that some of them will never make a comeback.
But it is worth remembering that culture and understanding way of life of the predecessors is essential to the progress and stability of a society.
Democracy, equality and civil liberty are all rooted in the struggle and culture of the past. By losing its culture and customs, a society takes the risk of losing what the elders have given it and above all its identity.
It is high time that those responsible for preserving and promoting Zanzibar culture and old images take a serious look at this trend where the Isles old images are being washed away one after another.
W2C012T
SADCC registers positive economic growth
PEACE, collective self-reliance and economic integration were terms that were repeatedly underlined in speeches and remarks at the 11th Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) summit held in Arusha recently.
Heads of State and government of countries forming SADCC met on August 26, to deliberate on the plight of their impoverished and heavily indebted countries and chart out strategies for revamping of the ailing economies.
The summit, preceded by a two-day SADCC council of ministers meeting between August 22 - 23, took place against a complex background of slow economic growth, emerging peaceful climate and uncertain political, social and economic developments in other parts of the world.
The positive signs included hopes of the end of apartheid and peace initiatives in Angola and Mozambique. That creates the necessary conditions for peace and stability an element highly desirable for economic development and intensified regional co-operation.
The summit was attended by President Mwinyi (Tanzania), President Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique), President Quett Masire (Botswana), President Sam Nujoma (Namibia) and President Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia).
Others were President Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Prime Minister Obed Diamini (Swaziland), Chairman of Military Council and Head of Government, Major General, E. P. Ramaema (Lesotho), Prime Minister Fernando Franca van Dunem (Angola) and Malawi was represented by the country's Finance Minister, Mr. L. Chimango.
At the end of the summit, no one came out knowing as to when apartheid will be abolished in South Africa, but many were convinced that the eradication of the evil system was inevitable and its end was sooner than later.
Addressing the summit, Botswana President Quett Masire, called on the world community to increase pressure on the racist regime, saying that "our collective well-being in the sub-region will be <-/guaranted> when apartheid is dead and buried."
In a joint communique at the end of the summit, SADCC leaders said, the situation in South Africa was a source of concern in the region. "<-/Inspite> of the removal of some racist laws ... apartheid is still in practice.
"The majority of the people are still denied of their economic and political rights. The appalling cycle of violence still <-_cause><+_causes> havoc and mayhem and <-_scuttle><+_scuttles> the process of negotiations for a constitution acceptable to all," he said.
In his opening speech to the SADCC council of ministers, Prime Minister and First Vice-President, <ea/>Ndugu John Malecela, called on the international community to remain steadfast in opposing apartheid in all its guises. He said "gross injustices are still perpetuated by the regime. South Africa has not honoured several of its promises and political trials are still continuing."
He also said the process of negotiation was tactically being delayed by the racists, since they were the ones who set the pace and dictate the terms in the whole process.
"It is like a game of football where one of the competing teams has a referee amongst the players," he said. Apparently, implying that in the South African question the Boer regime is a judge to its own case.
News on the possibility of the lasting peace in Angola was received with delight, following a recent agreement that is somehow sounding credible between the government and Unita bandits. However, the summit expressed concern over a slow progress in the peace process in Mozambique.
Mozambique President, Joaquim Chissano, briefing the summit said MNR bandits were causing systematic delays, "Several rounds of talks have taken place between the Mozambican government and Renamo, but there is still a deadlock in arriving at a final peace accord.
"The government has agreed with the mediator's proposals that it should recognise the privileged status of Renamo; and Renamo should in turn recognise the Mozambican state, the government, the constitution and the main laws of the country. 
"In contrast, Renamo has refused to agree with the mediator's proposals, thus negating the independence of Mozambique, the sovereignty of the Mozambican nation, the Mozambique state, its institutions and laws," President Chissano, explained and pledged to pursue further the negotiations until peace was attained.
Leaders of the 10-nation organisation also deliberated at length on the role of SADCC in the post-apartheid era and the organisation's strategic fitting in the proposed establishment of the common market for Africa and Pan-African Economic Community by the year 2025.
The summit repeatedly underlined acceptance of a democratic South Africa as the 11th SADCC member. President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe said:
"We look forward with joy to the membership of a democratic South Africa as that would increase the resources of SADCC and enable it to accelerate the developmental pace of our countries."
All SADCC member states are undergoing economic, political and social changes. Structural adjustment programmes implemented in most SADCC countries have resulted in improved economies, particularly in the last three years.
In 1990, all SADCC states, except Zambia, registered positive economic growth. Botswana was leading with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 6.9 per cent, followed by Malawi - 4.8 per cent, Lesotho - 4.1, Swaziland - 4.0, Tanzania - 3.6, Namibia - 2.7, Zimbabwe - 2.0 and Zambia minus 1.9 per cent, there are no records for Angola, whose GDP grew by 0.6 per cent in 1989.
But high rates of population growth led to decline in GDP per capita in some SADCC member states, except for Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Tanzania. Economic achievement have had little positive impact, if any, on the people's standard of living since most of the SADCC countries face heavy debt servicing burden, this is serious in Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania.
Economists, however, forecast a bright future for the Angola's economy after the end of 16 years of hostility and conflict. It is anticipated that the end of civil war would release resources hitherto used for defence and security to other social and economic development activities.
On food situation in the sub-region, the latest food security assessment for the region indicate that domestic availability of cereals stands at 11.698 million tonnes, compared to the requirement of 14.496 million tonnes. Thus a deficit of 2.8 million tonnes in the demand of cereals for the 1991/92 season. The situation has worsened compared with the previous year when deficit was 0.95 million tonnes of cereals.
All SADCC countries would require imports, according to the assessment, to ensure their required food security levels. The situation is expected to be more difficult for Mozambique, where 0.98 million tonnes are required. Angola will need 0.62 million tonnes, Lesotho - 0.21 million tonnes, while Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which reported grain surpluses during the previous year, are assessed as grain deficit in 1991/92 and will need to import 0.26, 0.20 and 0.19 million tonnes of cereals respectively, If they are to maintain their normal level of food reserves.
Opening the SADCC council of ministers meeting <ea/>Ndugu John Malecela, was vocal on co-operation between SADCC member states, asking the respective countries to raise above mere rhetoric. He expressed concern on the slow pace in implementation of the SADCC programmes and urged intensified efforts.
Clarifying later, SADCC executive secretary, Dr. Simba Makoni, said despite its only 11-years-age the 10-nation has already laid down foundations for co-operation. However, he said, the SADCC programme of action has so many projects that have far outstripped resources. There are 571 projects valued at 8.5 million US dollars according to, Dr. Makoni.
Dr. Makoni, in an interview with journalists in Arusha, said that SADCC would encourage projects which were of priority. However, according to analysts, it is difficult to convince an individual country that a particular project is not a priority.
The pace of co-operation amongst SADCC member states could also be affected by what could be crudely termed as "selfishness", where some countries would not be enthusiastic with projects that do not benefit their countries.
Voicing concern on this aspect, <ea/>Ndugu Malecela said "we must remember that in unity not all of us can benefit equally at the same time. We in SADCC must be prepared to die a little for economic co-operation and unity for our organisation to be a reality."
Opening the SADCC summit President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, said the task ahead of the organisation was even more challenging and there was need for it to redesign its strategies to cope with the emerging trends at the global scenario.
Giving remarks on the same point, President Mugabe said, in the light of the recently signed treaty of an African Economic Community by the year 2025, Africa needs to strengthen its capacity.
"If, as is increasingly evident, the 1990s are likely to be a decade of trading blocks and growing multi-lateralism, particularly with the consolidation of Europe into a common market in 1992, the establishment of the United States-Canada-Mexico free trade area, the Australian-New <-/Zealend> free trade area and similar arrangements in Asia. 
"<-/African> must surely strive harder at economic integration and co-operation during this decade," he said.
SADCC Executive Secretary, Dr. Makoni said in cognisance of that fact a consultative conference would be held in Maputo next February. He said that the conference would deliberate on strategies for economic integration in the sub-region.
Rukwa's grain production nose-diving
THE inauguration of the 226-kilometre Tunduma-Sumbawanga road rehabilitation project by the Prime Minister and First Vice-President, <ea/>Ndugu John Malecela, last month marked a hopeful start of a new era to hundreds of <-_thousand><+_thousands> peasants in Rukwa Region. Improvement of the road is expected to boost transportation of people and goods between Tunduma and Sumbawanga, thus stimulating further economic activity in the region, one of the country's leading grain producers.
However, persistent transportation snags to and from Rukwa Region had continued to deny residents of the region further development of their areas and improvement of their standard of living.
Of late grain production is reportedly nose-diving. In a report by regional authorities to Premier Malecela, who visited Sumbawanga last November, they said maize production in 1989/90 season dropped to 164,000 tonnes from 194,000 tonnes harvested during a previous season.
Therefore, the improved road would be an incentive to peasants to cultivate more land so as to get bumper harvests. With the road peasants will easily send their crops to markets.
Farmers will also be assured to get farm inputs especially chemicals for treating plant diseases.
The road is also expected to open up the region for industrialisation and make it possible to introduce other crops that can grow in the area. The region is said to be ideal for the cultivation of several other crops such as coffee, cocoa, fruits, sunflower, <ea/>simsim and castorseeds.
Inaugurating the road the Premier said the government appreciated problems that residents of Rukwa Region have been facing for many years. He said in early 1960s people travelling from Mbeya to Sumbawanga were forced to pass through Abercone (now Mbala), Zambia before reaching Sumbawanga.
In the mid-seventies, the situation slightly improved despite the fact that the road was still in a bad shape and it took a Land Rover more than 10 hours to travel between Tunduma and Sumbawanga.
However, due to heavy rains which the region occasionally receives, rail and road routes leading to the region get problems.
In 1989 the region was cut off, for several months, from other parts of the country when the Ugalla river flooded and a bridge along the Tunduma-Sumbawanga Road collapsed.
Last year, the issue of rehabilitation of the road was a subject <-_a><+_of> hated debate in the National Assembly. A Member of Parliament for Sumbawanga Urban, <ea/>Ndugu Theonas Kinyonto, threatened to block the then Ministry of Communications and Works budget estimates.
However, the issue was later resolved after heated tug-of-war between the MPs and the government. <ea/>Ndugu Kinyonto and an MP for Mpanda, Major Sigela Nswima, were vocal and claimed that Rukwa Region although one of the country's bread-baskets, is virtually neglected and the welfare of people is in <-/jeopardly>.
They charged that Rukwa Region was for years Tanzania's cinderella."
Nevertheless, the Minister for Works, <ea/>Ndugu Nalaila Kiula, said encouraging words during the inauguration ceremony of the Tunduma-Sumbawanga Road, when he said that the road was now among the government's priority.

W2C013T
Causes of fraud
CASES of embezzlement, falsification of financial statements and manipulation of accounts for fraudulent ends are of late very common in Tanzania.
A week hardly passes without a reported case of theft in a public firm, a co-operative - or a private institution. The trend is apparently growing and assuming worrisome proportions.
In courts of law throughout the country, there are many cases of stealing by servant and heavily <-/querried> audit report are common as the accounts of many (especially public firms) reflect widespread fraudulence.
However, fraud is not a new phenomenon, and Tanzania's is not a unique case. It is said that fraud is as old as humanity.
From today, the National Board of Accountants and Auditors (NBAA) and the Tanzania Association of Accountants (TAA), will jointly hold a seminar to deliberate at length on the question of fraud.
The two-day seminar will be held at the Bwawani hotel in Zanzibar. During the seminar, whose theme is "The role of the accountant in controlling fraud and embezzlement", participants will brainstorm on various topics that include causes, detection and prevention of fraud.
The central issue would be how the cadres in the accountancy profession would help to check the alarming trend of theft and embezzlement of funds, especially in public concerns.
Fraud is described as a practice of deception with the intention of cheating others, consequently obtaining material advantage by unfair or wrongful means that involve trickery and deceitful action.
Professor S. Sharma of the Arusha-based Institute of Accountancy, in an article published by the accountancy (the NBAA journal), states that reasons behind fraud mostly hinge on the "needs" and the "opportunity".
He argues that the needs spring from ambition-related life-styles that precipitate fraudulent habits.
For example, he says, ambitions and lust for improving living standard through deception was likely to lure persons into committing <-_frauds><+_fraud>.
Sometimes, fraud resulted from an individual's financial problems, sickness or other social obligations.
According to sociologists, such obligations compelled individuals to commit fraud and in most cases they had a sincere intention to repay the money when the financial position improved. However, in actual practice such a situation never arises and on the "40th day" things worsened.
Professor Sharma says that a person who commits fraud is generally a trusted employee whose motives are rarely doubted and his explanations challenged.
There is a common argument saying that some persons are regarded as honest simply because they did not get the opportunity to become dishonest.
Discussing the causes of fraud, the NBAA Registrar, <ea/>Ndugu Ludovick Otouh, views the issue psychologically, citing the theory of man's hierarchy of needs that tend to change in an ascending order. The theory was put forward by American <-/Pyschologist> Abraham Maslow in the 1940s.
Maslow saw that man was always motivated by needs in <-_this><+_these> actions, whenever a set of needs is satisfied, those needs cease to be his <-/motivator>. He identified needs in an ascending order that start from the basic physiological ones such as sustaining life through food, shelter and clothing.
After satisfaction of physiological needs the next set of needs are those related to security and affiliation such as having freedom from physiological dangers like assurance of food, job, property and acceptance by a community and a sense of belonging.
The next stage, according to Maslow's theory, a man would tend to long for esteem and finally aim at self-actualisation - that is maximization of his potentials.
After revisiting Maslow, <ea/>Ndugu Utouh concludes, however, that human needs are not necessarily in a hierarchy and they are supposed to be achieved through effort and <-/hardwork>.
Some people also resort to illegal and dishonest means of achieving these needs and to build their status or ego.
<ea/>Ndugu Utouh also looks at frustration as one of the causes of fraud. He says sometimes an employee may feel that he is being cheated by his employer because <-/inspite> of being a very hard and sincere worker, he fails to make the ends meet from a wage or salary. He may also feel that his employer does not even appreciate his efforts and contribution to the profitability of a firm.
Such an employee is often convinced that he is not committing crime - but merely compensating himself for his thankless service.
<ea/>Ndugu Utouh suggests that it is important for employers to strive to pay their workers meaningful salaries and rewards if they are to minimize incidents of fraud in their institutions.
Methods commonly used in <-/commiting> fraud are mainly through the manipulation of accounts and misappropriation of cash or goods. NBAA has a long list of ways through which people employ in <-/commiting> fraud.
NBAA officials told the Daily News that several people misrepresent facts and figures, sometimes giving an impression of good performance of a company, while in reality the situation is the reverse.
These include inflating profits, overstatement of stocks by duplication of transactions, overvaluation of certain items, pre-dating sales invoices, creation of fictitious documents in support of credit sales or inflation of cash sales.
Other styles of fraud involve deliberate omission of records, erroneous accounting and falsification of records.
<ea/>Ndugu Utouh asserts that the rate of fraud could be checked by instituting strict internal control in an organisation. The accountant, a person trained in his profession that involves measuring, classification, summarizing and interpretation of financial information that is used in economic decision making, is the best advisor to the management, <ea/>Ndugu Utouh says.
He says that the accountant is normally the custodian of the organisation's assets and in most occasions involved in authorisation of payments and a signatory of cheques. The two day seminar, he says, would enhance the knowledge of participants in improving internal control and checking cases of fraud.
About eight papers are to be presented at the seminar which is to be attended by accountants, auditors, senior government and parastatal officials as well as executives from the private sector and members of the police force.
Man-eaters - Mkuranga's nightmare
Last Tuesday, a tragedy hit Tengerea village, in Mkuranga ward, some 50 kilometres South of Dar es Salaam. A boy, Ramadhani Abdallah Mchechembeli (5) was ambushed, killed and eaten up by lions. It all started with two boys, Ramadhani (deceased) and Rajabu (7) both sons of <ea/>Ndugu Abdallah Mchechembeli (56), who had gone to play with friends at a neighbouring house about half a kilometre away.
Rajabu, who survived the ambush, told the Sunday News team that went to the village to gather and record the first hand account of the tragedy, that his younger brother met his death as they were returning home. It was around 7 p.m., well after sun set, he said. 
Narrating the story Rajabu said: "when we were going home after a short distance we saw some animals. They were three, one looked like a cub. I was shocked and asked Ramadhani what were those things?
"He said don't worry these are simply wild pigs, they are not going to hurt us. I told him look they are not pigs. <ea_><ea/> (these are dangerous beasts.. let's turn about and go back).
"I decided to stop, but Ramadhani went ahead. Suddenly I saw the <ea/>dudu (he kept referring to lions as <ea/>wadudu) charging towards us and grabbed Ramadhani. I took to my heels ... and dashed to <ea/>Mzee Ndunje's house where we had earlier gone to play and reported the incident."
The deceased father, <ea/>Ndugu Abdallah Mchechembeli, said that he was informed of the unfortunate event a few minutes later by <ea/>Mzee Ndunje, who was accompanied with some few villagers came to his home and asked on the whereabouts of Ramadhani, since they did not believe a story given to them by Rajabu.
"We started to trace the beasts on Tuesday night, but since most of us were still shocked, having a mixture of worry and disbelief we did not go much far in combing the bush.
"On the following morning we started combing the bush. Then finally we managed to spot the remains of my son's body... we recovered a few parts only. The head, some ribs, the left hand and the right leg. The recovered pieces were broken and had very little flesh... even the skin covering the head was taken off," said <ea/>Ndugu Mchechembeli as he was describing the saddening event.
"Look... <ea/>jamani (brethren) I was now pretty sure that my little son is no more. I just collected the pieces of his remains and arranged for burial. I had to wait for necessary authority from medical and police officials... that was granted on Thursday and we buried my boy's parts", <ea/>Ndugu Mchechembeli said.
He said further that several people, at least 1,000 from some six villages in the ward had gathered on Wednesday and started to hunt for the man-eater lion. They were under the command of Mkuranga Ward Secretary, <ea/>Ndugu Damian Mwarabu.
<ea/>Ndugu Mwarabu said that they started hunting the lions by tracing the <-/pugmarks>. "We followed them up... from the <-/pugmarks> we were later convinced that there were more than one lion. The search went on for the whole day on Wednesday but we did not manage to get hold of the beasts.
"Come Thursday. More and more people volunteered for the hunting of the man-eater-lions. There were about 3,000 people from several villages in the ward, armed with <-/matchets>, shot-guns, <ea/>Gaboris and clubs. 
"We had mobilised the veterans the elderly - since the villagers had resolved to resort to traditional rituals in fighting the lions. My brothers I can assure you, it worked, the lion fell on Thursday afternoon," said the Ward Secretary.
<ea/>Ndugu Mwarabu said we traced the <-/pugmarks> of the lion and found that they were seen only going into a thick bush, but they were not seen on the other side of it. This meant that the beast was still asleep in the bush.
"We went ahead following the <-/pugmarks>... slowly slowly. It was a terrible exercise. But finally we spotted the beast ... it was sleeping deep in the bush... probably getting a siesta... time 2.00 p.m.".
However, the Ward Secretary said, the veterans discouraged them from shooting the lion at that time. They said the beast must be killed well after mid-day, around 3.00 p.m. "We were told that some rituals... and the will of ancestors have to be obtained first," he explained.
He said that at 3.30 p.m. a villager from Hoyoyo, <ea/>Ndugu Ali Hemed Mbege (50) pulled the trigger and the lion was shot. Unfortunately, <ea/>Ndugu Mwarabu, said the lion charged towards <ea/>Ndugu Mbege, who was injured during the fracas later <-/ensured> between him and the beast.
The lion was shot at again and the second one demobilised the beast, as angry residents came in and finished the job. "After a few minutes the once terrifying beast was in pieces. 
However, despite the killing of the beast on Thursday, the situation is still tense at Mkuranga. On Friday morning residents found a warthog half eaten, it is believed to have been eaten by a lion.
It was also reported on the same morning (Friday) that a lion had attempted to enter into a hut in which was a girl undergoing traditional initiation rites (Mwali). Apparently the beast did not manage to enter into the hut, but damaged supporting wooden rods.
The girl's mother told this reporter that they heard the lion moving about. "But we were scared stiff to go out," the mother, <ea/>Ndugu Khadija Binti Seif, said.
However, Binti Seif, refused to grant permission to this reporter and the Sunday News photographer to go and see the Mwali, console her and get her experience with the terrible visitor, whom she never welcomed. She also refused to allow Sunday News photographer, Madanga Shaaban Madanga, to get her picture. "You just take mine on her behalf ... not even at a fee ... no ... no ... <-/noway>," she insisted. Mkuranga village Chairman, <ea/>Ndugu Huruka Kizengero, said that people in the village have been advised to move in groups. 
A veteran at the village, <ea/>Mzee Nassoro Penya, (60), said there were incidents of trouble-making lions in the past in the neighbouring wards. 
W2CO14T
AIDS: THE SECOND DECADE
In November Tanzania will mark 10 years since the first case of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was reported in the country's Lake zone region of Kagera in 1983. As the AIDS epidemic enters the second decade, women including young girls of primary school age are increasingly becoming more infected with the AIDS causing virus- HIV.
More and more women are increasingly contracting HIV as early as the age of 15 and below, according to a study by the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) in the lake zone region of Mwanza . This feature emerging just at the end of the first decade of AIDS leaves a lot of doubt on the kind of life styles developed during the first decade of AIDS in Tanzania. It further poses challenges on how to confront HIV/AIDS during the second decade.
For example, now females are increasingly becoming infected at an earlier age while more males are infected as late as the age of 45. With unprotected sexual intercourse remaining as the cause of more than 90 per cent of all HIV/AIDS cases, a high rate of infection in two far apart age groups imply that the old who are expected to be more responsible as fathers seem to increasingly enjoy unprotected sexual intercourse with the less informed young girls.
"There exists sexual intercourse amongst pupils and between female pupils and businessmen....", reports the Tanzania-Netherlands Research Project on AIDS (TANERA) which has an intervention programme for primary schools in Mwanza region. A more bitter parent in the same region puts it this way: "Fathers are now sleeping with daughters". And, a frank elderly man expresses the misconception behind the poor state of affairs: "The young girls are still safer and less infected with the HIV".
An AMREF study on HIV/AIDS prevalence by age group in males and females show that females aged between 15 and 24 years are getting more infected than males of the same age both in rural and urban areas. Yet, this is the age at which most young people get their education both in primary and secondary schools.
One of the <-_implication><+_implications> is that the second AIDS decade might witness an increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases among primary school pupils and secondary school students especially girls. Unfortunately, sex education which is the only effective way of addressing the AIDS issue is not yet allowed in primary schools where effective intervention for increasing AIDS cases in secondary schools can take place.
Before AMREF could prove the increasing prevalence of HIV among the young girls especially the primary schools age group many people including primary school teachers thought that the primary school age group was safe from HIV. Now primary school teachers informed of the AMREF study agree that an increasing number of HIV cases in primary schools means an increasing number of AIDS cases and deaths in secondary schools. The teachers argue that the earliest age at which primary school girls start engaging in sexual intercourse is between 12 and 14 when most are in between class five and seven . If they contract HIV at this age, most will develop AIDS after primary education or while in the secondary schools.
Even in the villages where moral standards are still considered to be high, HIV prevalence among females in the age group is as high as 3.5 per cent compared to about one per cent for their male counterparts. In the urban areas the same percentages for females and males in the same age group are 16.5 and 5.8 respectively, according to the AMREF study.
The situation is expected to be more serious in the rural areas where girls who do not get a chance to secondary schools and happen to be HIV positive will end up getting married as early as possible. As a result, AIDS experts say there the number of childhood AIDS, so far ranking very low compared to urban areas, will rise sharply in an environment where there is little or no adequate health facilities.
Even though HIV prevalence among males in the 15 to 24 age group in rural areas is still very low (1%), the high HIV prevalence rate among females in the same age group in the rural areas (about 3.9%) means that the prevalence rate among the men will rise sharply because this is the most common marriage age for both females and males.
There is a strong feeling amongst health experts that AIDS education should be introduced in primary schools as early as possible to try and minimise the possible impact of AIDS in the rural areas where usage of condoms is virtually not acceptable and majority are not accessible to effective information.
Some experts have gone as far as saying that at least a quarter of all HIV/AIDS cases and orphans might come from the rural areas by the year 2000. According to the latest National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) report on the current and projected future AIDS situation, at worst by the year 2000 there will be about a million AIDS cases and one orphan per every AIDS case.
Since women who. are the major agricultural producers are also the ones who are increasingly being affected by HIV/AIDS, the pandemic might have a negative effect in food production in the country during its second decade.
And, primary schools being some of the institutions where it is easy to reach many female pupils right from the time they become sexually active, pressure has been mounting to introduce AIDS education in the schools.
It is not only TANERA and AMREF that do not see why AIDS or rather sex education in primary schools is being delayed by the Ministry of Education. Parents themselves are becoming increasingly vocal about the issue. About 60 per cent of parents in Mwanza town prefer that their children receive AIDS education at school rather than through parents in the homes, according to a Weekly Mail survey of 100 homes of different economic and social background recently.
According to this survey 65 per cent of fathers and 30 per cent of the mothers would prefer their children to have AIDS or rather sex education in schools rather than in homes. The major reasons are that the parents feel ashamed to discuss sexuality with their children and over 80 per cent have limited knowledge on the subject especially those coming from rather poor families.
According to TANERA, primary school pupils' knowledge and awareness on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) other than AIDS is so low to enable the pupils protect themselves from HIV infection effectively. For example, the organisation reports that 42 per cent of primary school pupils in Mwanza have never heard of STDs other than AIDS.
As many as 32 per cent of the pupils think HIV can be contracted through sharing eating utensils with people with AIDS. About 29 per cent of them think HIV can be transmitted through mosquito bites and as many as 11 percent think transmission through shaking hands is possible.
On the other hand a TANERA pilot intervention programme in three primary schools in Mwanza has been able not only to evoke discussion on 'taboo' topics like condom use among the pupils but also to increase condom use from two to nine per cent.
According to the evaluation of the intervention programme, promiscuity is reported to have dropped from 18 to 10 per cent. While knowledge on STDs increased from 58 to 93 per cent, misconceptions on modes of HIV transmission decreased from 32 to six per cent. Even though these scientific evidences cannot prove that HIV transmission in these schools has reduced, they are proof enough that AIDS or rather sex education can work effectively in primary schools. Unfortunately these successes can not be replicated in other primary schools because the Education Ministry has only been promising to introduce AIDS education in the schools curriculum.
But as HIV/AIDS increasingly affect women more than men, challenges to AIDS information, education and communication during the second AIDS decade will increase not only in the education but in almost all sectors as well because women are difficult to reach due to their low status in the society.
Dr. Heiner Grosskurth of AMREF in Mwanza says more information, education and communication efforts in the second decade of AIDS need to be directed to women and especially in rural areas where according to an AMREF study there is equally a high HIV infection rate among women. The study on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the region show that even in the 26 to 34 years age group more females are infected than males especially in urban and roadside settlements.
One of the possible <-_explanation><+_explanations> why in this age group women in the rural areas are less infected (about 3%) than their male counterparts in the urban areas (about 3.5%) is that the males in this age group in urban areas are already becoming economically strong to manage the common money-based sexual relationship in towns. At this age the males in towns and roadside settlements either have jobs or businesses which give them an income which they can exploit to have sex with the economically poor females in both the 15 to 24 and 26 to 34 age group.
This explanation might also apply to the 36 to 44 male age group which has the highest HIV prevalence rate of about 13% in the towns and about 11% in roadside settlements. According to AMREF, in this region as is the case in most regions in East Africa HIV infection is 1.5 times more common in women than in men.
Some of the factors such as multiple sex partners, travel to Mwanza town, separated or widowed and even presence of STDs are very <-_closed><+_closely> related to one major thing: The low economic status of women which seems to force the women especially young ones to have an economically-based unprotected sexual relationship with the old, established and economically strong men some of whom think young girls are safe from the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Aids Pandemic hits Women harder yet prevention strategies lag behind 
The male/female ratio of AIDS has decreased from 1.16 to about 1.05 in the past three years only, according to latest National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) reports on HIV/AIDS/STDs surveillance. 
This implies the AIDS pandemic hits women harder than men. The project leader of the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) in Mwanza region Dr. Heiner Grosskurth says by the year 2000, there are expected to be as many HIV-infected women as men.
As the AIDS pandemic enters the second decade in the country, the dangers to the next generation <-_mounts><+_mount> as more women are getting infected. AIDS experts estimate that about one of every four children currently born to an HIV-infected mother is also infected, and there will be at least one AIDS orphan per every AIDS case in Tanzania by the year 2000.
The Expanded Programme on <-/Immunizaton> (EPI) office in Mwanza fears infant and child deaths from AIDS may increase by as much as 50 per cent during the 1990s to wreck successes achieved in child survival in the past two decades.
Dr. Grosskurth says, however, that current efforts to control HIV infection have limitations for many women. So far these efforts include encouragement of partner reduction, widespread condom promotion and the control of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
For example, in an ongoing AMREF's STDs intervention programme in Mwanza records show that women are less infected than men . "But, when tested women are as highly infected as men with the difference in figures being for reasons ranging from late discovery of STDs and <-/undereporting> to shyness women attach to treating the diseases", says Dr. Grosskurth.
On partner reduction, the Mwanza Regional AIDS Coordinator, Dr. Madukwa says the "stick to one partner" campaigns are good but they are silent on the fact that women in many areas have sex with more than one man not for pleasure but for economic survival.
W2C015T
Mara faces imminent mini-famine
"<ea_><ea/>" which means "eat your fill", is the name of a restaurant at Bukima Village, Nyanja Division in Musoma rural District. The message in the two Kiswahili words is that there is plenty to eat.
However, the good tidings for thousands of people in Mara who, for the past two years, have experienced shock following the destruction of cassava the people's staple food - by the cassava mealy bug are shortlived.
Already signs of trouble are emerging. A field trip to the most hit areas of Nyanja Division recently revealed that some villagers are not sure of their meal tonight and most of them are only assured of some food for the next two months.
What happens after that? "God knows," answered the middle-aged Mumwi Nyakali, a peasant at Bukima Village when asked about what he had for the day's dinner for his family of eight. All he had was a bible lying on the ground at his side.
Bukima village, as were all villages in Nyanja Division and most villages in Musoma Rural District, is historically a cassava growing area and cassava was the people's staple food.
Suddenly came 1988/89 and the cassava mealy bug invaded the area destroying the cassava plantations, leaving the people without food. What followed were hardships among the people.
The early food <-_shortage><+_shortages> experienced were nasty. "Marriages were broken and families separated," explained <ea/>Ndugu Mewama Bere, the Bukima Ward Secretary.
He narrated an incident of a man at Buanga Village, <ea/>Ndugu Mtwala Kaitira, who stole a 50 kilo bag of maize from his in-laws farm "in order to save the kids from starvation. The village government fined Kaitira, but the <-/inlaws> were more understanding. They allowed Kaitira to take the maize in consideration of their grand-children's welfare."
Mumwi Nyakali of Bukima Village did not steal. He only turned into a beggar. "Every morning I woke up on an empty stomach, go to the lake-shore where fishermen called and I begged for the small fish <ea/>dagaa," said Nyakali.
He normally left the children lying in the dust unconscious in the hot rising sun. The fishermen occasionally gave him some <ea/>dagaa to last the Nyakalis for three days, but when the kids could no longer bear trouble in their empty bowels they wandered about in search of anything to eat.
"The children picked mangoes, cooked them and ate them with the small fish," said Nyakali.
A villager from Butata Village, 85 year-old Musese Mwai, who collapsed and remained unconscious for about 15 hours, said he and his family of five survived on boiled greens and mango fruits. One day he collapsed only five metres from his house when coming from a begging mission where he had obtained just a kilo of flour. He had not eaten any food for three days. There was no food in the home and the pets had to eat grass.
The people's cry reached the government and it eventually stepped in to ease the situation with emergency relief food aid in 1989 and 1990 and Mewanga Bere said each mouth in a family was allocated four kilos of maize.
Voluntary organisations too came in. The Roman Catholic White Fathers provided food aid to critically hit areas in Nyanja Division. According to <ea/>Ndugu Bere a family of eleven and above was given two bags of maize, a tin of beans, a 50 kilo <-/bulgar> wheat bag and each family received a gallon of cooking oil.
The food aid distribution, however, was not that much efficient. Some villages missed some allocations. Nevertheless, the food aid helped the villagers to gather strength and begin thinking about the future. They found energy to cultivate food crops.
They were too glad when the government provided sorghum and millet seed for planting in the 1990/91 season. The result was an encouraging effort by the people to grow drought resistant crops.
"I cultivated one acre of sorghum mixed with sweet potatoes," said Mumwi Nyakali. Nyakali and family have eaten all the potatoes and what remains is an acre of sorghum to be harvested soon.
The peasants had made considerable effort to waive the food shortage but the rains were insufficient and the soils tilled for many years are infertile. The sandy soils of Musoma Rural have continuously been tilled without being re-inforced with fertiliser or manure.
The ward secretary for Bukima said the fertilisers were too expensive for the common peasant and the use of manure was not common among many people. Some were hesitant to use manure for traditional beliefs.
Nyakali expects about two <ea/>debes of sorghum from his farm and this can hardly feed his family for two weeks. "We are not going to survive after August," he said with concern which was echoed by Mzee Musese Mwai who has nothing in the house except a handful of finger-like sweet potatoes.
Mtwale Kaitira, ashamed of having to steal from his <-/inlaws> again, pulled up his socks this season. He is one of the few people with reasonable food reserve in Nyanja Division. He boasts of two granaries of paddy and sorghum. But this will not take the eleven people family to the next harvest season.
Mzee Musese Mwai, whose survival depends on his 9 year-old daughter, has only expectations of two <ea/>debes of sorghum from his half-acre <ea/>Shamba. When all this is gone what next!
"Starve to death," said the old man who like most people of his age are resigned to fate.
"The government should continue giving us food aid because by September we will go back to the past experience," Mzee Musese said warningly.
The Mara regional administration concedes that is what is going to happen after August. Regional Development Director Godwin Mgendi said the region would suffer a food deficit of 8,000 tonnes in September.
The National Milling Corporation (NMC) Musoma Branch had 400 tonnes of food and this added to this season's harvest had removed queues for food at the NMC shop along Mukendo Street in Musoma township, he said.
Mara Region has ordered food-stuffs worth 10m/- from Mwanza NMC branch. Another consignment of paddy worth 29m/- has been ordered from the strategic grain reserve (SGR) in Shinyanga and more requests have been forwarded to the central government for food aid from food surplus areas in the country.
Aware of the barrenness of the soils in the region, the regional administration has mobilised 1,300 tonnes of fertilisers to be distributed to the cotton growing and the food growing areas managed by Global 200 project.
"Those will be our areas of concentration and we will ask the people in the other areas to use manure," said <ea/>Ndugu Mgendi, But there is hesitation or <-/reluctancy> among the people to the use of manure and the regional leaders know it.
"We have an uphill task to educate the people in the region on the usefulness of manure," Mgendi admits.
But surely, those who fainted for lack of food last year and those who were embarrassed should rather heed the call to use manure than go through the nasty experiences again, shouldn't they? 
Life at Lake Tanganyika stadium has light moments
The Tutsi and Hutu make up the Burundian people. However, while the Tutsi are semi-hermitic the Hutus are Bantu. The Hutu constitute the majority of the Burundi population but the Tutsi are the minority.
The present friction between the Tutsi and Hutu is basically the result of their temperamental differences. The Tutsi are a proud royal class tribe but the Hutus are a humble and polite people, characteristic of most Bantus.
So the Tutsi regard themselves the traditional rulers of Burundi. Many of them are in the Burundi army, and others hold most key posts in government.
The Hutus form the bulk of the toiling masses on the land to produce food and other crops. They have been <-/sub-dued> into accepting the status of a lower class for many years.
The Tutsi, therefore, have made themselves the masters in Burundi and the Hutus are the villains. It is said that a Tutsi man may get married to a Hutu woman but a Hutu man cannot get married to a Tutsi woman.
These tendencies of Tutsi looking down on the Hutus were even evident at the Lake Tanganyika Stadium in Kigoma, where the two tribe-refugees were accommodated as they first arrived from Burundi.
Fights erupted between the Tutsi and Hutu refugees on the Tanzanian soil at the stadium. Officials of the Tanzania Christian Refugees Service (TCRS) had to separate the two to avoid a Burundi battle in Tanzania.
The Tutsi refugees were then shifted to a guest house within the municipality but this again was a mistake on the part of TCRS officials since they were treating the Tutsi as a superior class of <-_refugees><+_refugee>.
"The Tutsi are given special accommodation while the Hutus are left to sleep on wet ground in the stadium in the cold without any cover," the Hutus complained.
One might wonder how come we have Tutsi refugees when it is the Tutsi who are reportedly the aggressors. The trend of events in the Burundi ethnic crisis <-_had><+_has> changed of late. The Hutus - the young people in particular - have vowed not to run away from their country anymore.
So where the Hutus are the majority in the villages and have weapons, it is the Tutsi who
receive the beating and finally flee for their lives. The killings among the Tutsi and the Hutus are more pronounced in the rural areas but the towns are relatively calm.
So in Kigoma, we have the Tutsi as well as the Hutu - both refugees. It is easy to tell a Tutsi from a Hutu. A Tutsi has a pointed narrow nose while a Hutu has a flat nose.
I even learnt that a Tutsi has a long neck but a Hutu's was short. For women, the Tutsi has a good leg-line, 'a Primus beer bottle type' so the saying goes in Kigoma.
Life at the Lake Tanganyika Stadium is just miserable for human tolerance. Children, women and the old sleep on wet hard floors and others manage to spread grass on which to sleep.
The good thing about Lake Tanganyika Stadium refugees is that they have piped water supply unlike their counterparts at Hereushingo and Kitanga in Kasulu District.
The refugees at the stadium are better-off. They can even chose what to eat. For instance, I talked to some whom I found cooking their own food instead of taking food provided by the relief aid agencies.
"We cook our own food because we don't want the maize flour <ea/>ugali," a woman replied. They instead prepare <ea/>ugali from cassava flour and eat it with Lake Tanganyika sardines (<ea/>dagaa).
These refugees buy cassava flour and sardines from the markets in Kigoma town. Most of them become labourers and work for Kigoma residents to earn money. Others engage in some petty businesses. It is with this money that they buy sardines and cassava flour.
It is not that the refugees, especially at Lake Tanganyika Stadium, are all the time misery.
Some find light moments of falling in love with mates. I witnessed a young man and a girl embraced together in a dark corner talking in whispers.
But for a crowd of 4,880 people living together, one should expect more than just love affairs. Sexual <-/harrassment> incidents have been increasing at the stadium. I happened to be around when two young men cornered a girl trying to hold her forcefully.
Some of the beautiful refugee girls have been taken away from the stadium to live as partners with some young men in Kigoma town. The refugee girls' status has suddenly changed, particularly the elegant Tutsi girls.
Like this girl I saw at Mkatanga Bar in the company of a young man.
She had a pointed nose and her leg was the 'Primus beer bottle type'. I remembered to have had seen her before at nearby restaurant having her dinner.
Now she was at Mkatanga Bar drinking Primus beer like myself. 

W2C016T
Roving Reporter
Controlling quality of condoms
Many of us tend to feel <-/embarassed> when seen with condoms or when talking about them. 
But <ea/>Ndugu Mary Mhembe is an exception. "Why should I feel ashamed or <-/embarassed> of condoms...?" she asks in a matter of fact tone. She has all the reasons in the world not to.
A senior laboratory technician with the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), <ea/>Ndugu Mary Mhembe might be a woman, but if there is someone who handles the inflated-<-/baloon>-like things the way you do a biro in the office, then it is her. 
She is one of three TBS experts who are assigned to operate a quality condom testing machine, among many other machines at the bureau.
"It took us about two weeks to learn how to operate it," says <ea/>Ndugu Mhembe, the only female member in the bureau's textile and leather laboratory. Her two male colleagues are textile technician and technologist. She is a leather technician. 
The two-week "tuition", says she, had been provided right here in Dar es Salaam by experts from the Programmes for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATCH), a Seattle (USA) based organisation who are the machine's developers. The machine, which is a valuable asset as far as quality control of condoms is concerned, is one of four installed in Africa. Others are in Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe, according to <ea/>Ndugu Mhembe.
Looking just like any other <-/sophistcated> laboratory testing machine, this one <-/consits> of several components designed to test condom's for leakage, elasticity, length and airtightness i.e. sterility.
"Dimensions required for condoms are specified according to locally accepted criteria or preference," explains <ea/>Ndugu Mhembe as her well manicured fingers rip off a package ready for testing. 'Quite understandable, isn't it? All human beings males for that matter) are not the same ... right?' 
She goes on <-_the><+_to> explain that the length of a condom, excluding the teat, is measured to the nearest 1mm, whilst the width is measured to the nearest 0.5 mm. "The double wall thickness is measured and divided by two to obtain single wall thickness," she adds in her cool voice.
For unsealed packets, reported among condoms stored in hot and humid climates, the machine has a "package seal integrity test" component for examining a package's tight seal integrity. 
It also has an air inflation apparatus designed to test condoms for bursting volume and bursting pressure. This is a compact unit composed of an air regulating and two air dispensing systems, condom holders and pressure gauges. 
Length limiters, to standardise the length of the condom subjected to testing, are there too. Air is supplied to the condoms at a constant flow rate, volume burst can therefore be obtained by recording the time to burst multiplied by the calibrated flow rate corrected for ambient temperature and pressure. 
Another apparatus is a water tester designed to test condoms for leakage. It is a compact, portable unit composed of two identical water metering and displaying systems with condom holders. 
Other components, which are for either safety and correct examinations used by the machine's operators, include a stop-watch or digital timer, centigrade thermometer and barometer. 
Others are vinyl, latex or thin cotton gloves.
"Apart from operating it, we have also been  trained on how to maintain the machine too," explains <ea/>Ndugu Mhembe, who is married and has two sons, as she struggles with a hissing air-hose which had loosened its grip from its coupling. 
The machine, which had been donated by the World to the Ministry of Health, Health Organisation arrived in the country late last year. The original recipients were the National AIDS Control Project (NACP).
Why then had it been installed at TBS? "Because they (TBS) are the <-/gurantors> of standards and, more so, a supplier can not conduct own quality tests," NACP's assistant manager, Dr. Swai, told me. 
According to NACP, condoms are donated by the USAID on request by the Project, a total of 40,000,000 pieces of condoms have been received by NACP since the project began in 1988. 
"Distribution of these condoms, down to the regional level, is done by the NACP," said the project's manager, Dr. Nyamryekunde, adding that from there the regions are responsible for distributions to the districts. 
Condoms meeting the international standards are the ones distributed, he said.
A random survey by the Daily News on Saturday has revealed that some condoms find their way in the country by private importers too. Efforts to establish <-/wether> they are taken to TBS for quality testing before being sold to the <ea/>wananchi hit a wall. 
A Day with misplaced kids 
When Japanese art student, Maoko Hisatomi, visited Tanzania late last month, she did not know that an ear, which in her mother tongue is called <Japanese/>mimi is <ea/>sikio in Kiswahili.
But when she and her aunt, professor Chizuko Tominaga, niece Natsuko and family friend Tsunemasa Suginomori, paid a visit to the Tanzania Welfare Counselling Mission (TAWECOMI) camp in Dar es Salaam on August 30, it was another story.
"I have learnt a lot of Kiswahili words here," Naoko had said after the end of their exciting three-hour stay at the camp, situated within the Tanzania Boys Scouts Association's compound at Upanga.
She had been referring to the 70-plus misplaced children and youths who are being taken care by the charitable mission which, under <ea/>Ndugu Jane Malongo and her assistant, <ea/>Ndugu Celina Patrick, is engaged in rounding up the loitering youngsters in the streets and counselling them on how to become responsible citizens of the future.
Naoko had spent the <-/three-hours> learning <-/Kishwahili> and at the same time teaching some Japanese by chatting with the equally excited youngsters. "I wish I could stay with them longer - they are wonderful," she said.
Her niece, Natsuko, who is pursuing photo-journalism courses back home, was both shutter-release happy with her sophisticated Nikon camera and playful as a kitten throughout. She exchanged jokes with the TAWECOMI members and even helped in making the camp's <ea/>ugali dish for the day.
So did Tsunemasa, an economics student who also responds to his nick-name <ea/>nomo. He had spent the memorable hours under a scorching afternoon sun playing with the boys all kinds of games including soccer, karate, traditional dances and climbing trees. When it ended he was sweating profusely.
"<-_Its><It's> hard to believe that they have been found loitering in the streets. They are like any normal children and some of them are very intelligent..." he had said with his hands on the shoulders of <ea/>Ndugu Richard Mathias and <ea/>Ndugu Raphael Mwinyi, the camp's chairman and secretary respectively.
If the trio were happy and excited, professor Tominaga, who is an associate professor with the Mivagi Gakuin Women's College at Senai in Japan, was most impressed both by the youngster's behaviour and Tawecomi itself.
"I am very much impressed by your self-help style of voluntary work. I hope your plans will be realised in the near future. If you need cooperation with our group (she also is the chairperson of Japan-based Women's International Network-win) please <-/contanct> me," wrote the professor in the camp's visitors book.
Professor Tominga, who had spent the entire period of their stay at the camp talking to <ea/>Ndugu Jane Malongo and <ea/>Ndugu Celina Patrick under a tree-shade, said afterwards that Tawecomi really deserved all the praise. "What the mission is doing is valuable and they must be assisted by all means," she added.
The atmosphere of excitement at the camp changed into a solemn one when the visitors called the whole camp for a group picture, indicating that their time of stay was up.
It was touching to see the misplaced children and youths emotionally <-/biding> <ea/>kwaheri to their charming guests after escorting the foursome part of the way. This <-/cleary> <-/potrayed> how, <-/inspite> of being what they are, the youngsters were after all human beings like any other who can give and take whatever the society can offer or accept.
"This is the hardest part of our task," <ea/>Ndugu Jane Malongo, who is affectionately called "Mama" at the camp, said of her three-phased mission. Rounding them up in the streets is the first phase, followed by counselling - fighting with the children's odd habits and all evils.
"We are currently engaged in transforming them from street-hood to normal community life," she said, adding that apart from some minor hiccups they have been <-/succesful> to some extent.
The third phase, she said, would include educational programme. The Ministry of Education and Culture has already started to assist the camp by providing teachers under a goal-oriented system which would be academic and later on vocational.
Tawecomi's long-term plans include the shifting of the premises to Tabata by next month according to Malongo.
The mission, which is made up of orphans, the homeless, the handicapped and those neglected by parents, was formed in 1975. But it was until February last year that Tawecomi was officially registered by the Registrar of Associations under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It started with 30 children whom, after being rounded up in the streets, were assembled at an open-space near the Kivukoni fish market where they were enticed to stay together while being fed, clothed and allowed to play football.
"I don't know how to thank everyone who has helped us," said <ea/>Ndugu Malongo, adding that Tawecomi's doors were open to all misplaced children. 
It was books, books and people
Tanzania is the world's leading users of the Kiswahili language. But the East African lingua-franca seems to be alien to many people in the country, especially to school children - the future generation.
This, at least, was observed last week by the Daily News on Saturday during the third national book-week festival held at the Arnautoglou Hall in Dar es Salaam.
Apart from book exhibition, the week-long festival also involved a total of seven secondary schools from the city in a special quiz that included such subjects as: Geography, History, Political Education, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, General Knowledge and Kiswahili.
Jitegemee came up tops after registering 45 <-_point><+_points>, followed by Mzizima who got 34 points and third placed were Forodhani with 32 points. Kibasila and Shaaban Robert tied at fourth position with 31 points each.
All schools did extremely well in all subjects, but Kiswahili...
"This is quite shocking," the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, <ea/>Ndugu Mary Chipungahelo, had said soon after the results were announced during the closing ceremony last Friday.
<ea/>Ndugu Chipungahelo, who was the chief guest at the occasion, attributed the student's poor show in the Kiswahili subject to their preference of alien and slang words rampant in the streets plus lack of Kiswahili books.
She also called upon school teachers and the students themselves to be serious on the subject in order to safe-guard it from being swallowed by foreign and street influence.
Her words not only <-_holds><+_hold> a lot of weight, but also <-_echoes><+_echo> those said by Canadian writer, Northrop Frye, that, "education is a matter not of filling buckets but of lighting fires.."
The <-/Candian> Organisation for Development through Education (CODE) stresses Frye's comments that lighting those fires is a difficult proposition in an <-/enviroment> where reading material is scarce.
"The dearth of books in the developing world is a formidable obstacle to literacy and, by extension, education," adds CODE who were one of the 12 foreign publishers who took part in the festival. Forty three were local publishers.
Organised by the Publishers Association of Tanzania (PATA), the festival was opened on September 2 with this years theme being "Publishing for Schools"
According to PATA's Executive Secretary, <ea/>Ndugu T. A. R. Kamugisha, the festival <-_were><+_was> to include seminars which would have focused attention on the need for increased publishing and distribution of school reading material.
<ea/>Ndugu Kamugisha went on to explain that the seminars were also meant to encourage writers of text books and supplementary readers; to examine the problems that hinder the development publishing and distribution of school reading material.
Due to some unforeseen problems the seminar could not be held as scheduled.

W2C017T
Eye on Africa
Amref takes specialist services to the needy
Somewhere in the remote areas, where the nomads live, there are people in need of help - the people who are <-/devorced> from the established social amenities. And it is these people a non-profit making organisation operating in Tanzania, strives to reach and render services to.
This organisation is the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) an independent non-profit making organisation which has been working for more than 33 years to improve the health of the people. AMREF'S major projects are in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Other countries covered include Ethiopia, Somalia and Southern Sudan.
AMREF was founded in 1957 by three surgeons - Sir Archibald McIndoe, a New Zealander, Dr Tom Rees an American and Sir Michael Wood a Briton who had been the foundation's director until 1985.
The organisation in general aims at identifying health needs and develop, implement and evaluate methods and programmes to meet those needs through service, training and research.
In Tanzania, the foundation has been in operation since 1961 when it got involved in the health services of Tanganyika. By 1970, AMREF was receiving an annual grant from the Tanzanian Government.
The scope of the organisation's operations in the country hinges on extending various health services provided by the Government and voluntary agencies especially in rural areas <-_were><+_where> Tanzania's bulk of the population is concentrated.
To meet the needs of its people, Tanzania established 2600 dispensaries, 239 health centres, 129 district and rural hospitals as well as 17 regional hospitals. AMREF tries to supplement these services especially by reaching the remote areas.
One of the organisation's exemplary projects is the Loliondo flight <-_clinics><+_clinic> which delivers curative and preventive health services to remote health stations. AMREF provides support and supervision to the health workers at these stations.
This programme covers areas between Mara and Arusha regions. Once every two weeks an AMREF plane flies to Loliondo hospital, picks up a medical team with vaccines and other medical supplies and stops at each of the five airstrips in the areas where clinics are to be conducted.
Under the Specialist Outreach, there is the Bugando Specialist Outreach programme which provides surgical and specialist services to outlying hospitals in northwestern Tanzania. It covers areas from Lake Victoria to the west and the Tanzania/Burundi borders to the east.
There is also the Northern Tanzania Outreach which also caters for Zanzibar. There are requests from the Ministry of Health for AMREF to extend its services to Pemba as well. Then there is the South-Eastern Tanzania which is characterised by isolated district hospitals with little or no contact with referral centres.
As such the AMREF plane picks up specialists from Dar es Salaam and takes them to hospitals in southern Tanzania. In this way people in remote areas could have access to specialist treatment.
One of AMREF's longest running projects is the mobile surgery. The AMREF general surgeon accompanied by a theatre nurse, makes regular round surgical trips to a number of hospitals especially in the remote areas where he undertakes busy operation schedules and provides consultancy services. In addition he assists and trains staff manning those hospitals.
By the same token AMREF has a reconstructive surgeon who works mainly on leprosy cases, burns, congenital defects, <-/turmours> and polio deformities The operations are carried out at Moshi, Kolandoto, Sikonge and Kabanga which are all mission hospitals. The organisation also attempts to train surgeons in these hospitals.
In 1984, the foundation started the malaria unit at Dareda mission at a time the <-/diseasse> was claiming many people in the area. Work concerning anti-malaria drug sensitivity has also been done at Haydon, Ndala, Turian, Langala, Songea and Mafia island.
Clinical visits in the anti-malaria campaign also cover Loliondo and Nachingwea. AMREF had informal links with the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and the research centres at Amnai and Ifakara (STIFL) in this programme.
Probably one of AMREF's most challenging tasks is its determination to reach people in inaccessible remote areas. To do this the organisation has a radio network to cater for East Africa's arid and semi-arid areas. Even then it is difficult to reach all such areas because of the poor roads and poor communication.
The medical radio communications system run by AMREF covers 100 stations throughout Eastern Africa. There are also plans to install radio facilities at Sumbawanga and Mpanda as base stations.
Although there has been an increase in the number of vehicles used by AMREF to reach people in remote areas, problems still remain. Not everyone could be reached when the need be and as frequently as possible because of the poor state of the roads, long distances, high costs and uncertain availability of fuel.
Nomadic peoples like the Wamasai sometimes find themselves in remote areas on both sides of the Tanzanian and Kenyan border where they have no access to medical facilities.
AMREF tries to reach them using the mobile clinics and their flying doctor service. But even then such services are held at intervals that are viable. As a result even preventable diseases among the nomadic people prove to be lethal so long as they are not reached for treatment.
AMREF is also involved in the AIDS Health Services Support Project started in July 1988 with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). This project is targeted at educating and training health workers and giving epidemilogic support and supply of technical information as well as laboratory facilities.
The organisation believes that prevention is better than cure. As such, AMREF undertakes research on the best ways of preventing diseases. In addition the foundation carries out educational programmes.
The organisation has discovered that many of the problems afflicting the people in the rural areas result from lack of safe drinking water. AMREF knows that people are prepared to work for their own benefit so long as they are mobilised. It is in this vein that the <-/>the organisation mobilises villagers and provides the technical <-/knowhow> in finding safe drinking water.
The activities of AMREF can be summed up as follows: providing primary health care and training health workers; development, printing and distribution of training manuals, medical journals and health education materials; application of <-/behavorial> and social sciences to health improvement; airborne support for remote areas.
Other activities include ground mobile health services for nomadic pastoralists, medical research, running medical radio communication system, health project development planning and development as well as providing consultancy services in all medical areas.
But the going for AMREF is not always smooth sailing. As a non-profit making organisation, AMREF depends on donations from the government, donor agencies and other sources. For this year, the foundation set a target of raising 2880m/-(16 million US dollars) to meet the ever rising demand for its services.
For fund raising purposes, AMREF has offices in Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.
The Nairobi-based organisation employs 700 staff in Africa running more than 60 separate <-/helth> projects.
And from a very humble beginning, AMREF had grown into a broad-based international institution with more facilities in its heated battle against diseases especially among the people in the remote areas. All the same people should not forget that AMREF's activities are limited without spiritual and material support from individuals and donor agencies. 
Ten nations yet to ratify African charter on human rights
TODAY is the Africa Day of Human and People's Rights. Any African country with high regard for human rights will toast the 5th anniversary of the ratification of the African Charter on Human Rights. The Charter is supposed to be the backbone of the continent's peaceful survival.
The charter, which is being honoured today, was first adopted in June 1981 but was not put into force until 21st October, 1986. Today, at least 41 African Countries have ratified the African charter on human and people's rights, with only 10 nations yet to sign.
It is the remaining 10 countries which the Amnesty International is trying to persuade to eventually ratify the important charter these are: Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles and Swaziland.
In June this year, the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) assembly of the heads of state itself called on those states to ratify the charter.
If these 10 countries have nothing to hide, if they have respect for human rights, if they have the interest of their people at heart, it is <-_helped><+_hoped> they will sign the charter without further delay.
The African Charter covers a wide range of individual rights such as the right to life, freedom of conscience, the right to speak freely and the right to join organisations such as trade unions and political parties, the rights which are similar to those in other international or regional human rights declarations.
But the African Charter on human rights contains some distinctive features reflecting the cultural and legal traditions <-/perculiar> to the continent. These characteristics include the right for political exiles fleeing persecution. This right helps them to get asylum.
During today's festivities to mark the 5th anniversary of the ratification of the Charter, African Countries (those which have already ratified the Charter) will look back and see how well they have implemented the Charter they support.
They should make their citizens aware of the rights the African Charter guarantees. For What is the point of adopting a charter which the citizens of that country are ignorant of?
The Amnesty International, the organisation which has gone flat out to publicise and promote the Charter, wants all the African countries to implement the charter effectively and ensure all the people on the continent enjoy the full benefits of the charter.
On this Amnesty International says: "The African governments took an important step towards human rights in creating the Charter, but more important are the steps they take to live up to their obligations under the charter."
In other words, the Amnesty International is speaking against the hypocrites who have signed the charter while at the same time they are victimising people, denying them the same rights they profess to promote.
There are some countries on the African continent which have dented Africa's name in so far as human rights are concerned. Their records on human rights are doubtful because they do not warrant fair trial, freedom of expression, association, assembly and the rights to travel and seek asylum, to participate in one's government and so forth.
There are still fears in certain quarters that Africa still has countries where people fear to raise a finger when there are even glaring and terrible civil and political abuses of power. It is in such countries that people have to look left and right to ensure they are not being watched before they could whisper anything about "their" governments and even when they are wronged by those holding authority or their accomplices.
By including the African charter on Human and People's Rights as a major obligation for African governments, by adopting it in 1981, the African countries underscored the importance of making people aware of human rights. They rejected the rule of terror!
As part of its regular work the Amnesty International is submitting for the first time a report on human rights violation in Mauritania to the annual meeting of the Africa committee which is charged with the responsibility of monitoring the <-/implemention> of the charter .
The commission's meeting was scheduled for October 8 to 15 in Gambia. Members of the commission serve for six years in their individual capacity rather than as representatives of their governments. This is seen as a deliberate effort to make them impartial.
At the meeting the 11 member commission was expected to examine reports of Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania and Togo on their implementation of the charter. Apart from reviewing the reports, the commission has broad powers to investigate human rights issues and present human rights violations before the OAU assembly of heads of state.
The commission has the task of interpreting the charter, promote human rights and encourage national and local human rights <-/intitutions> to do their work without fear of intimidation.
W2C018T
Banking and Business
Financial institutions conference: A postmortem
FINANCIAL managerial and operational restructuring of banks and financial institutions was started in 1991 with assistance from the World Bank and other donors. The Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1991 gave the Bank of Tanzania supervisory and regulatory powers. Key components of the reform process included the <-_needed><+_need to> foster competition among banks and financial institutions to improve efficiency and establishment of formal and efficient cheque clearing system to improve the collection process and establishment of money and capital markets including stock exchange to facilitate open market operations of the Central Bank to improve monetary control, to provide transparent equitable and efficient mechanism for channelling investment finance.
Similarly, the introduction of advisory services securities underwriting and loan syndication facilities to foster the restructuring and privatisation of parastatals, was envisaged, as well as increasing lending capacity of the financial system and the development of mechanisms to provide finance for micro enterprises sector, the <-/small holder> farming sector and the informal sector in rural and urban areas.
The conference noted that <-/small holder> farming sector and the informal sector in rural and urban areas <O/> competition and efficiency with some reservations. As a result of the Banking and Financial Institutions Act scope has been opened for new banks and financial institutions both local and foreign and established platform for competition. Meridien Biao Bank and Standard Chartered Banks have already started their operations with a lot of dynamism. It was also noted that transparency and uniformity in entry/chartering, ownership, branching, expansions of the banks and financial institutions have enhanced competition and efficiency in the financial system. Competition has further been enhanced by an Act in 1993 by allowing establishment of regional unit banks and regional financial institutions with starting capital of less than T.Shs. 1 Billion for banks and less than T.Shs. 50O Million for non-banks.
The experience of the Bank of Tanzania on compliance with prudential and supervisory requirements has not been quite satisfactory so far. Compliance with policy and procedural guidelines on licensing of banks and financial institutions has been lacking in many respects. It was noted that no single applicant has managed to lodge an application with all details in the guidelines in a manner that will make an evaluation process short.
The details required include financial strength of the applicant, integrity, economic justification and business responsibility. The conference also noted that weaknesses in risk management of assets by banks continues to be a problem. The conference noted trouble credits not being detected and evaluated periodically as part of the credit policy of the Banks. It was noted that loan files still show positive recommendation of credit even where previous amounts were not <-/retired>. Credit investigation is <-_week><+_weak>, leading to admission of poor collateral such as marshland for a house!
Guidelines for measuring capital adequacy as set by the Bank of Tanzania have not been adhered to by some financial and banking institutions. All banks are required to have enough capital to provide cushion  for absorbing possible loan losses or other problems, funds for internal needs, expansion and added security for depositors.
Among the critical observations was  that all banks and financial institutions which existed before 1991, failed capital test and shareholders had to infuse new capital or had their license periods extended on account of lack of capital <-/inspite> of two years grace period  given to them by law to have their capital repaired. The Bank of Tanzania also noted that there was <-/over concentration> of risks to a single customer, group of customers, geographic or economic sector, industry or activity. This was cited as a cause of major losses by the Banks and restricting profitability and provision of credit to <-/under segment> of the economy. Banks' compliance with reserves against deposits was also noted as being weak and between January and May 1993 penalties were levied on some banks.
Most of the institutions examined by the Bank of Tanzania exhibited weaknesses in their own internal control systems. In other cases there were no written operating manuals and people without discretionary powers were allowed to take major decisions without written approval and approved guidelines from their top policy making authorities.
The Bank of Tanzania has reminded banks and financial institutions of their role to "<-/bserve> and implement the requirements of the guidelines/circulars in <-/fulfillment> of the law. Generally compliance to  these guidelines and circular has been mixed with partial compliance by some and almost total non-compliance by some banks.
Management of Financial institutions was observed as lacking in strategic planning  managerial behaviour, internal incentive systems, inadequate supportive structures, accounting and internal control mechanisms." The conference recommended that time has come  for the Bank of Tanzania to have a say in the selection of board members of financial institutions. In fostering competition and efficiency the Bank of Tanzania will work very closely with the banks and financial institutions to adhere to international practices to create sound competitive and efficient banking system in Tanzania. 
Whither the fertilizer industry?
AS the Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) is preparing valuation reports and prospectus of companies to be privatised it has reached a dead end as regards what to do with the Tanzania Fertilizer company.
It seems the Ministry of Industries is inflexible on its stand that the plant is dead and that it should be abandoned there being no need to consider a rehabilitation option. The National Chemical Industries is at cross roads  as whether to support the Ministry of Industries or to believe the various studies conducted by the TFC management and consultants that the fertilizer plant is viable if a re-investment of $18m is made by way of soft loan, especially from the African Development Bank (ADB) or the European Investment Bank (EIB) 
TFC consultants contend that phosphate-based fertilizers would be produced locally and imports be made of types of fertilizers like urea and ammonium sulphate which cannot be produced economically locally.
The Ministry of Industries had invited Indonesians and south African firms which have shown interest in a joint venture arrangement.
The problems of the fertiliser company <-_dates><+_date> back to May 1991 when the sulphuric acid plant blew up. It was the lifeline of the factory, as in addition to providing inputs for intermediate products for downstream plant it also provided steam.
TFC was commissioned in 1972 as a joint venture between Klockner of West Germany and NDC with the latter having a controlling interest of 75% and the former providing management and also acting as procurement agent for TFC for key raw materials like imported phosphates from Lebanon.
Indeed Klockner derived its income from management fees, commission for purchases of spares and equipment and did seek to ensure that the factory was profit oriented. It is no wonder that within 3 years of its operations TFC had made an accumulated loss of m/=.
NDC shares were transferred to NCI in 1979 and sooner Klockner surrendered its share as being worthless and left the dilapidated factory to the local management with no future both technically and financially. TFC had sulphuric acid plant, phosphoric and ammonium sulphate plant, TSP granulation plant and a bulk blending plant.
After the collapse of the sulphuric acid plant in 1991 various studies were conducted as what to do with the Tanga-based fertilizer plant, in order to revive it. The studies include a TFC in-house appraisal of 1991, an Indonesian study given in 1992 as well as a SINTEF (Norway) study completed in 1992/93.
A more significant study was given in 1992 by the TFC, a revised economic appraisal on the rehabilitation of the factory.
The most viable alternative of the four options evaluated was to construct a new sulphuric acid plant and rehabilitation of down stream plant and add some facilities which would enable TFC, jointly with NUWA to produce aluminium sulphate used for water treatment. The national consumption of the latter stands at 19,500 metric tonnes and the whole of it is imported under donor grants. Export to Zambia of the product is also feasible.
Fertilizers found to be profitable to be produced locally are NPK, TSP and DAP while the rest would be imported. The estimated cost of rehabilitation, 18m dollars  is contrasted with $40 million used annually by the government to import fertilizers whose national demand is estimated at 182,000 to 230,000 tonnes per annum.
Imports are dependent on erratic foreign exchange allocations from import support donor programmes, dwindling year after year. The latter is an unreliable source of financing the nation's imports of fertilizers.
The 1993/94 Budget established a farm inputs fund from which allocations would be made to produce fertilizers in time.
The Indonesian exports produced a study sympathetic to the idea of rehabilitation of the fertilizer plant. Among the recommendations was the replacement of the sulphuric plant, and the phosphoric acid plant, the TSP granulation plant and utilisation of bulk blending for production of NPK as well as upgrading utilities and services at the factory.
The SINTEF study financed by NORAD appeared shallow and prejudiced, according to some experts. The report used TFC studies and data to make conclusions that would serve the interest of the financiers of the study, the experts SAID. The <-/Norwegians> report recommended complete dismantling of the factory at Tanga and the creation of a new company to specialise on  importation of fertilizers. Their view was that TFC was run down and hence "technically and financially" <-/unviable> due to high import content and lack of economies of scale. The highest production figure was in 1983 when 61,000MT of fertilizers were produced.
Other recommendations included the phasing out of subsidy on fertilizers because imported fertilizers were facing unfair competition from locally produced fertilizers. The effect was to make fertilizers too expensive for farmers to afford, the government apparently having accepted this advice.
Another recommendation was marketing of rock phosphate at Minjingu, its nutrient value not established, with 50,000 tonnes to be distributed raw and also exported to Kenya.  A small fertilizer plant to be set at Arusha to produce SSP (Super Phosphate) without regard to existing infrastructure at Tanga, and a bizarre recommendation to turn the factory into a port terminal to be handed over to THA together with the jetty.
The report's suggestions were tantamount to condemning Tanzania to a perpetual importer of fertilizers  while having all the materials to produce fertilizers locally. A small country like iceland has its own fertilizers plant.
Depending on imported fertilizers is dangerous to the agricultural sector which is the backbone of the economy since procurement is erratic dependent on foreign exchange allocations from OGL or donor funds. TFC after a rehabilitation would have a rated capacity to produce 105,000MT of TSI, NPK and DAP in addition to 19,500MT of aluminium sulphate.
The general view at present is that TFC should be retained in its present form and rehabilitated because it owns or rents warehouses in all strategic regions which consume facilities in maize and tobacco growing areas; it has a potential to own its transport fleet to reduce the cost of transportation and hence the final price of a bag of fertilizers.
Further the investment needed, $18 million is not too high compared with annual expenditure <-_fo><+_of> $40 million for importing fertilizers.
TFC has facilities and trained manpower to handle a production of fertilizers better than any other local institution.
There is also substantial justification for each country to have its own fertilizer plant, experts believe, citing various considerations, like the fact that fertilizer is a basic industry, a necessary input to the agricultural sector for a country with 80% of the labour force in agriculture and accounting for 75% of foreign exchange earnings and 50% of GDP.
A lot of investment has been made on Minjingu phosphate mines including road infrastructure, a wasted investment, were Tanzania to become a perpetual <-_imported><+_importer> of fertilizers. There is no evidence that <-_importer><+_imported> phosphate is superior to Minjingu phosphates as some "import oriented circles" would have us believe.
Arguments for importation of fertilizers based on the view that locally produced fertilizers are slightly more expensive are suicidal, <-/over stretching> the principle of comparative advantage.

W2C019T
Shauritanga tragedy revisited
No help was given to the girls
June 18, 1994 has gone down in history as a day when the worst fire accident robbed the country of 42 youthful lives, at Shauritanga Secondary School in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region. Staff Writer CHARLES KIZIGHA is in Rombo since last Monday , compiling reports on the tragedy.
The Shauritanga Secondary School students were supposed to be on the first term vacation. However, some <-_for><+_of> those in forms Two and Four started arriving at the school on June 16, for special tuition classes arranged for them in preparation <-_of><+_for> the national examinations towards the end of this year.
It is still not clear how many students were at the school on June 18, but according to the register of the school's headmaster, <ea/>Ndugu Stephen Moshi, there were 82. However, physical count of the remains of the survivors put the number at 90.
According to the students who survived, the fire reportedly started some minutes after 10.00 p.m. after they had gone to their dormitories at the end of that evening's study session, known as 'prep'.
The building which was gutted down by the mid-night fatal inferno was partitioned into three dormitories - Gezaulole, Chamwino and Butiama. Since over half of the students were on vacation, one of the three dormitories was used as a store, where beds, mattresses and other personal effects of students were stored in . 
The cause of the fire is yet to be established, although preliminary and still unconfirmed reports had it that the fire started in the Gezaulole dormitory which was being used as the store, and later spread to Chamwino and Butiama.
On June 21, I talked to Pili Flavian Marandu at Huruma Missionary Hospital, who was lying on her stomach surrounded by doctors and nurses. She had severe burns around her neck, waist, thighs, legs and arms.
While talking to her, Pili said : "I have come for treatment. I have severe burns. Our dormitory, Chamwino/Butiama, caught fire abruptly. I was half asleep, and I heard my colleagues screaming.
"I think it was Neema who was shouting fire... fire... fire! Then I jumped out of my bed and rushed to the door where many of us were there screaming as we struggled to get out.
"We tried hard to break the permanently closed door, but during the process of doing so, a number of girls fell on me.
"I, however, managed to get out of there by breaking one of the windows and jumping out not knowing where I was going.
" I remember to have walked down the stairs and dropped on the grass. Minutes later, I was helped by some girls, I think from Songambele dormitory, she said.
"While the girls were shouting for help to rescue those in the dormitory, nobody moved an inch. I was then picked by the headmaster who brought me here", she said.
On the same day, Headmaster Moshi, who has led the school for eight years, told the Minister for Education, Prof Philemon Sarungi that he had expected 110 forms Two and Four students, but only 90 turned up.
He said the students occupied Songambele and Chamwino/Butiama dormitories, but was not sure how many were in each.
He said he was informed that the fire started in Gezaulole and spread to other dormitories very fast.
He informed Prof. Sarungi that he left the school premises at around 10:00 p.m. after the students had gone to their dormitories leaving behind a watchman, Peter Francis. When he reached home about quarter a kilometre from the school, he heard screams of girls and decided to drive back.
While driving back, he met Francis at the entrance of his house frantically telling him that the dormitories were aflame and nothing could be salvaged including the students.
On reaching the school, the roof of the dormitories had already collapsed and there were no more screams of the girls. He said that he found some students who had escaped were unhurt and some had severe burns.
When he tried to enter the gate, he was refused by the crowd of people outside the gate on grounds that the fire was caused by electricity fault and he would be <-/electrocutted>.
He told the Minister further that at the gate, he pleaded for help from the crowd to try and stop the fire from spreading to the school laboratory.
As he, moments later, walked into the school compound, a group of people followed him and managed to extinguish the already subsiding fire and immediately took the four severely burnt girls to the nearby Huruma Hospital.
Thereafter, he went to the police station where he reported the matter. The Matron of the school, Aquiline Moria, managed to leave her apartment along with her two children unhurt.
However, she has since then not reported at the school.
"I do not know where she is, but I suspect the fire started from her apartment and spread to Gezaulole dormitory", he said.
<ea/>Ndugu <-/Vicent> Kimario whose daughter, Judith (19) was in Form Four and died in the inferno, said: "I received the news of the incident as I was coming out of church at Rombo Msinga. The "informer" was not sure if my child was one of the deceased. However, I sent someone to go and <-/find-out>.
"Later in the afternoon, I was told that Judith was no more. I informed my wife, Fortunata, about the incident and we consoled ourselves that it was God's wish.
"We were deeply touched when we heard over the radio that President Ali Hassan Mwinyi had sent us a message of condolence and the Government and CCM joined us during this difficult time.
"I thanked Minister Sarungi for coming to console us, I appreciate the gesture", he said.
Evata Henry (16) of Form Two who was schooling with her sister, Monica (18), who was in form Four, but died in the inferno, said. 
"I was not fast asleep, and I jumped out of bed after hearing girls screaming in my sister's dormitory. I saw fast moving flames ravaging the rafters of the rooms on our side (Songambele dormitory) and girls were running out through the door. Pieces of burning timber were dropping on the beds and the floor. I managed to get out through the same door.
"While outside, some girls called the watchman, Francis, to come and help breaking either windows or doors. Instead he answered: "Go back to the dormitories. There are no elephants around. The girls insisted for help , but the reply was: "There are no elephants," while running towards the gate . I think he went to the headmaster's house."
Evita added: "I am ready to go back to school after it is rehabilitated, but not as a boarding student. I will never sleep there again."
Last Wednesday, the burial day, I visited Phillip Saika bar which is about 16 metres from the school gate and met one Pancras Victor who works there. He said the fire did not last more than 20 minutes, "but what surprised me was that nobody volunteered to move towards the school compound to help the poor girls.
"All what I can say is the fire was of its own kind. I have never seen something like that before."
Oliver Mrema, a Form Four student, who was in Chamwino/Butiama dormitory managed to escape unhurt. She told me that "I do not know how I managed to escape. It was purely the mercy of God. My bed was the second in the row from the Gezaulole dormitory from where they said the fire started.
"All what I can remember is that I heard Neema - head girl - shouting to the girls to get out fast. She opened the door which was normally <-/use>, but at that moment I saw flames in Gezaulole and in our dormitory moving very fast as if the wind was blowing.
"I ran straight to the door where I found colleagues scrambling, but I managed to get out fast," she said.
"While outside, trying to see where to run to, other girls who were trapped inside were trying to push the permanently locked door but in vain. With the assistance of others, mainly from Songambele, we tried to break the door while at the same time others were calling the watchman who in turn said: "Go back to the dormitory, there are no elephants around."
We repeatedly shouted for help from Francis, but he turned us down. We saw him running away towards the gate. As the fire flared up, we saw the matron with her two children running away too. We were left helpless and after failing to break the door, we decided to run away.
"Minutes after reaching the gate, we heard a big bang and that was the roof collapsing into the dormitories. I heard girls screaming continuously for a minute or so, and a deep silence followed.
"We saw the Headmaster coming and by that time the seriousness of the fire had decreased. The entire saga, I believe, never lasted more than 15 minutes. This kind of fire cannot be caused by an electrical fault. Someone must have done something.
"How come an entire block of that size catching fire <-/sponteneously>", she asked.
Genesavour Mark Kimario (19), a Form Four student, who escaped death from the Chamwino/Butiama dormitory said: "I was shocked by the behaviour of both the matron and the <-/warchman>. I was one of the first to come out after Neema woke up and opened the door for us. At that time of getting out, the <-_first><+_fire> was almost all over the house. My bed was very close to the door, but still, it took me about two to three minutes to get out, because of the confusion inside.
"As I was outside, other girls from Songambele dormitory and ours decided to help our friends. We tried to break the prohibited door, but failed. While doing so, we called the watchman who was just staring at us, saying we should go back to the dormitory as there were no elephants around.
"Seconds later, the matron passed by with her children running away. There was nothing much we could do to save the lives of our beloved friends as the fire was getting stronger.
"We immediately rushed to the gate and minutes later, the flames cooled down as the roof collapsed. We heard screams which were heart-breaking, and there was a dead silence thereafter."
Cuprian Peter (19) a Form Four, who was also in Butiama/Chamwino dormitory, said: "My bed was the second from the wall separating our dormitory <-_with><+_from> Gezaulole. Actually my bed was opposite to that of Oliver Mrema.
"I heard two girls screaming, and others were trying to break the unused door. I think they could not move towards the door we usually use because they could not see, as there was a lot of smoke and flames.
"I jumped out of my bed immediately and by sheer luck, I managed to go through the door which we usually use and join the friends who were outside trying to break the permanently closed door. We failed.
"We asked the watchman to come and help us, but he refused outright, and just gazed at us as if nothing serious was happening. Out of the blue, he said: "Go back to the dormitory, adding that there were no elephants in the compound.
The matron passed us while trying to break the door , but never bothered. She just disappeared with her two children. But I think the matron had panicked and did not know what to do as she was always very helpful to us. We had never had quarrels with her.
"What surprises me most, was the type of fire that burnt our building. The fire spread very fast and it only lasted between ten and 15 minutes.
"I could have understood if the fire had started at the administration office where some kerosene is stored for use by the students when there is no electricity at the school." 

W2C020T
Environment
Report for the people
African journalists were recently exposed to techniques of reporting environmental issues sensitive to values and expectations of their society.
"You should take up the responsibility of communicating to the world the reality as you see it," Mr. Absalom Mutere, Principal of the school of Journalism at the University of Nairobi told representatives from Shihata, Daily <-/New>, Maelezo, Radio Tanzania, <ea/>Uhuru/<ea/>Mzalendo, Kenya Times, and Financial Times of Uganda, and the Tanzania Film Company.
Outlining the causes of Africa's underdevelopment, Mr. Mutere emphasised the need to educate the outside world which had been fed and continued to be fed on negative reports about the continent and her people.
He said: "We have not adequately redressed the situation."
Mr. Mutere was addressing participants of a five-day workshop of Mass Media and Environment which was held in Dar es Salaam, organised by the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE) based in Nairobi, Kenya.
The workshop was sponsored by UNESCO and a German Foundation (FES).
He noted that there were obstacles which affected the manner in which environmental issues were reported.
He suggested that priorities should be identified so that a framework could be drawn to develop their relationship.
Environment, he said, should be related to sustainable development, a continuos process which observes sound management of resources and also how these are generated.
Mr. Mutere advised journalists to establish contacts with experts in various fields to enable them balance views of those which cause environmental problems and those who are directly affected.
"To be educators we must re-educate ourselves," he said, adding that there was a lot of wisdom and knowledge among the people in the rural areas who had for many generations developed a harmonious relationship with their environment.
Africa's environmental problems are, in the main, caused by being integrated in the global system which has reduced the continent to mere sources of raw materials, cheap labour and markets for finished products from the industrialised countries. 
Developing countries, forced by immediate economic needs, cut down trees, destroying vast areas of forest land.
Removal of vegetation reduces productivity of land and exposes the soil to erosion. That is one of the reasons why food production has dropped in Africa.
According to statistics by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 742 million hectares may become useless for agriculture.
Paul Harrison, in his book - The Greening of Africa - says Africa's environmental crisis will deepen and perpetuate food, poverty and financial crises. "It threatens not just the hope of progress but even the hope of survival," Harrison adds.
On the other hand developed countries have many industries responsible for depleting the ozone layer that protects us from ultraviolet radiation believed to cause skin cancer and other problems.
The industries in these countries are also responsible for 90 per cent of toxic waste in the world.
With the ozone layer destroyed, Africa will be one of the regions most hit because, according to scientists, ultra-violet radiation strikes equatorial and tropical regions with greater intensity.
This is only a rough picture of some of the important events that a reporter on environmental issues needs to know to get a guide when drawing up a framework for dissemination of important information.
What then is environmental journalism and how can the media play its role effectively in the emerging stream of consciousness?
A senior UNEP official, Mr. David Lazarus told the ACCE workshop that Third World nations and their media must define a different reality for their citizens.
"You must talk to your communities in terms that they understand," he said "the UN can only give government options," he added.
He further said: "But it is you who must interpret them to the masses so that these options will be given a fair hearing. We must begin at home."
Mr. Lazarus advised journalists to adopt a co-operative and rational approach with decision makers in their countries.
"<-/Persuation> is better tool for raising environmental consciousness, " he told the participants from Ghana, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
He emphasised that environmental dimensions should be integrated in development, the biggest story of the day, in which Third World countries were heavily involved.
ACCE Executive Director Kwame Boafo said journalists reporting on environmental issues should play a pro-active role, beaming red light to sound warning of possible problems that could arise out of mismanagement of the finite resources.
He said such an approach would help develop knowledge and awareness among the masses about environmental concerns.
This, he said was different from a reactive role in which journalists only reported when a disaster occurred.
Summing up, Mr. Lazarus told the workshop participants that the poor and their plight could be made visible provided that journalists could open their eyes first to examine their own souls and motives. 
Journalists unite to save environment
A newly formed society, Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) held its first Workshop in Dar es Salaam on Monday to<-/intiate> an alternative approach to dissemination of development information.
Taking note of the urgent need for a well informed public, JET Chairman Reginald Mhango called for an increased interaction between researchers and journalists to develop sharp focus on environmental issues.
A participant, Professor Marjorie Mbilinyi said the JET initiative was a logical move to broaden a journalist's perception of his or her relationship with other disciplines 
She said it was good for journalists to be engaged in research because "there is mutual benefit to be gained by both the journalist and researcher."
"A researcher can physically hand over material to a journalist, who will reinterpret and simplify for fast dissemination to the end users," she told JET members and other participants at the day-long workshop which was held in the conference room of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) along Nkrumah Street in Dar es Salaam.
JET Vice-Chairperson Rose Kalemera said there was a big distance between policy makers and planners on one hand and the people on the other. She added that policy makers often treated environment and development as separate issues, an attitude which underplayed efforts to bring about sustainable progress in the country.
A working document was prepared during the workshop for a research proposal by <ea/>Ndugu Kalemera on environmental effects to women during the villagisation programmes.
The research proposal is only part of a major project to establish JET Information Resource Centre on Environment and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the PANOS Institute of London.
A researcher from the University of Dar es Salaam said journalists should follow the example of those who have <-/succesfully> reached the masses through simple and effective language on environmental issues.
Addressing JET members, <ea/>Ndugu Magdalena Ngaiza cited regional publications, <ea_>Nipe Habari<ea/> and <ea_>Mtoto wa Kagera<ea/>, which she said were so popular in rural areas because they were written in Kiswahili that most people could understand.
"The challenge is how to take relevant information to the producers in this country who are, in the main, women. They deserve more information than they currently can get," she said.
An official from the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) <ea/>Ndugu Mary Mutimagwe said "preventive" rather than "reactive" approach should be followed when planning conservation of the country's resources.
"We should not wait until we have a disaster in order to take environmental management seriously," she said.
"She said the preventive approach was only possible if the general public was well informed about environmental issues and that such education "should begin at home and continue at all stages of one's life."
JET is a registered non-governmental organisation which collects and disseminates information on environment, development, health, science and technology, women and family planning.
The association will set up a data bank on these issues for future use in development plans.
Important activities of JET this year include shooting a film on women and environment in rural areas across Tanzania.
The script was written by Kalemera and the film will be shot by Hardashan Gill, a freelance journalist and founder member of JET.
The London-based NGO has also provided funds for carrying research on villagisation programmes and subsequent environmental problems to women, and another one on indigenous communication systems in rural Tanzania.
Another research project will be on indigenous technologies which, among its objectives, is intended to bring energy conservation to the front line of <-/enviromental> politics in Tanzania.
JET members deserve a pat on the back for initiating a forum to address burning issues of their country.
They need support, materially and financially, to achieve the ultimate goal: Sustainable Development.
Development dialogue 
Natural disaster decade takes off 
Thousands of people died in the Ethiopian drought, thousands others died in the Sahel and several thousands died in other natural disasters like earthquakes, flood, fires and storms in the 1980s. These are sad <-/occurences>.
Considering that natural disasters have adversely affected the lives of a great number of people and caused considerable damage to infrastructure and property worldwide, especially in developing countries, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate the 1990s as a decade for natural disaster reduction. 
Under resolution 44/236 adopted at the 44th session of the Un General Assembly on December 22, last years the international community will endeavour to reduce - through concerted international action - the loss of life, property damage and social and economic <-/distruption> caused by natural disasters, especially in developing countries in the 1990s beginning on January 1, 1990.
The goals of the decade are to improve the capacity of each country to mitigate the effects of natural disasters "expeditiously and effectively paying special attention to assisting developing countries in the assessment of disaster damage potential and in the establishment of early warning systems and disaster-resistant structures when and where needed."
Another goal is to devise appropriate guidelines and strategies for applying existing scientific and technical knowledge, taking into account the cultural and economic diversity among nations.
The third goal is to foster scientific and engineering endeavours aimed at closing critical gaps in knowledge in order to reduce loss of life and property.
The fourth goal is to disseminate existing and new technical information related to measures for the <-/asessment>, prediction and mitigation of natural disasters.
Lastly to develop measures for the assessment, prediction, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters through programmes of technical assistance and technology transfer, demonstration projects, education and training tailored to specific disasters and locations and to evaluate the effectiveness of those programmes.
Organs, organisations and bodies of the United Nations system will accord priority to natural disaster preparedness, prevention, relief and short-term recovery including economic damage risk assessment in their operational activities.
During the decade, the UN Secretary-General in association with relevant organisations of the UN system would assist in the formulation and implementation of public information programmes aimed at raising awareness of disaster prevention among the general public.
The UN would also work closely with resident coordinators and field representatives of the UN system to achieve the objective and goals of the decade. A special high level council would be established to take appropriate action to promote public awareness and to mobilise the necessary support form the public and private sectors.
There would also be a scientific and technical committee for the international decade for natural disaster reduction. The role of the committee is to develop overall programmes to be taken into account in bilateral and multilateral co-operation for the decade.
The Secretary-General would also establish a small secretariat at Geneva. The secretariat would be responsible for the day-to-day co-ordination of the decade activities.
At national level, all government will be required to formulate national disaster-mitigation programmes, as well as economic, land use and insurance policies for disaster prevention; and particularly in the developing countries, to integrate them fully into their national development programmes.
They would also be required to participate in international action for the reduction of natural disasters and establish national committees, encourage their local administrations to take appropriate steps to mobilise the necessary support from the public and private sectors, take measures to increase public awareness of damage risk probabilities and pay due attention to the impact of natural disasters.