Serengeti Advisers - Media Report May 2009-1

CORPORATE FINANCE ECONOMIC & PUBLIC POLICY MEDIA

JUNE 2009

MEDIA REPORT: MAY 2009 President Jakaya Kikwete was the first African head of State to visit the White House under the Obama administration, an event that did not go unnoticed. Meanwhile, residents of Mbagala have been trying to piece their lives back together in the aftermath of the armoury disaster that has been rocking the area with explosions. On the competitive side of things, the NECTA Form VI results are in, and the Busanda by-election brought about another face-off between CCM and the opposition.

In the Business Notes section, The East African comments on the quiet collapse of Tanzania’s fledgeling dairy industry, while The Business Times ponders a report on the implications of EU-EAC Economic Partnership Agreements. To wrap things up, Yellow Couch raided the news stands, picked up a few local magazines and settled down for a cozy read.

Headline News Analysis May was a two-story month for the press. Nothing could hold journalists’ attention longer than the vigorously contested Busanda by-election, not even the loss of lives and destruction of houses in Mbagala, although that story generated a few more headlines over the course of the month. The top two stories together took up nearly a quarter of the headline count, while no topic –apart from Mengi-Aziz conflict- was able to generate more than a week’s worth of interest. The clear bias towards political stories is interesting to note in this instance, considering the financial and human cost of the Mbagala bombings and the military’s role in it.

Top-Ranking Headline Stories Military/Society: Mbagala bomb blasts At the very end of April, a number of bombs exploded at the Mbagala barracks during what turned out to be a routine exercise at the armoury. A number of military personnel and civilians lost their lives, and properties close to the blast site suffered some damage. The round-up of the full story can be read on page 4. Politics: The Busanda by-election The campaign for the parliament seat left open after the passing of Mr. Faustin Kabuzi Rwilomba (CCM-Busanda) in March kicked off on the 3rd of the month. The opposition parties, Chadema in particular, have been giving the ruling party significant pressure and visible competition whenever a seat in the legislature comes free‘Chadema yazindua kampeni kwa kisukuma’ [Chadema launches campaign in KiSukuma] (Majira Jumapili, 3rd May), ‘Chadema, CUF vyaikamia CCM jimboni Busanda’ [Chadema, CUF a menace to CCM in Busanda constituency] (Mwananchi, 3rd May). However, CCM’s greatest threat seemed to come from within the party as reports exposed internal divisions and general party member dissatisfaction in Geita which might cause them to perform badly at the polls: ‘CCM yahofia kilio Busanda’ [CCM fears defeat in Busanda] (Majira, 8th May), ‘Waziri Ngeleja awekwa kiti moto Busanda’ [Minister Ngeleja put in the hot seat in busanda] (Mwananchi, 11th May). In spite of the electoral irregularities- ‘CCM wanswa wakinunua shahada jimboni Busanda’ [CCM caught buying voter registrations in Busanda] (Nipashe, 12th May), ‘Chadema wakwamisha kikao cha Tume Busanda’ [Chadema hold up Commision meeting in Busanda] (Mwananchi, 13th May), ‘Polisi zaidi wamwagwa Busanda’ [More police sent to Busanda] (Mwananchi, 19th May), the election itself was more peaceful than had been anticipated. CCM managed to retain its seat in spite of early reports to the contrary: ‘Opposition changes Busanda poll history’ (The Guardian, 25th May), ‘CCM wins, turnout low’ (The Guardian, 26th May).

Media/Corruption: Mengi vs. Aziz Last month, Mr. Reginald Mengi of IPP Media publicly exposed his list of ‘the most corrupt’ people in the country. The exercise gave rise to some intense reactions that varied in perspective depending on the media house: ‘UVCCM Tabora yamwonya Mengi’ [UVCCM Tabora warn Mengi] (Habari Leo), ‘Mengi, Dk. Slaa wapongezwa’ [Mengi, Dr. Slaa congratulated] (Nipashe Jumapili, 3rd May), ‘Hoja ya Mengi yaligawa taifa’ [Mengi’s statement divides the nation] (Tanzania Daima, 3rd May), ‘Rostam hits back at Mengi’ (The African, 4th May). During the week in which the apparent controversy was at its peak, a couple of papers questioned the utility of the whole exercise: ‘Where is the Govt?’ (The Citizen, 5th May), ‘Mipasho ya Mengi, Rostam ni kwa manufaa ya nani?’ [Mengi, Rostam war for whose benefit?] (Majira, 6th May), ‘Malumbano ya Mengi, Rostam hayana tija kwa Watanzania’ [Mengi, Rostam argument is of no use to Tanzanians] (Uhuru, 6th May). In the event, both Mr. Mengi and Mr. Aziz continued to fight for the truth on behalf of the Tanzanian people: ‘Rostam reports Mengi to PCCB’ (Daily News, 6th May), ‘Mengi sues Rostam Aziz for 10bn/-‘ (Daily News, 7th May). The Government eventually stepped in: ‘Warning to Mengi, Rostam is dismissed as too belated’ (The Citizen, 12th May). Corruption: The Liyumba trial Mr. Amatus Liyumba, who was charged in January with three counts of misuse of office in January in a joint case with his former BoT colleague Mr. Dawson Kweka, almost tasted freedom when the prosecution asked for his charges to be dropped after the defense had pointed out their defects: ‘Prosecution asks court to drop Liyumba charges’ (The Citizen, 7th May), ‘State now admits charges against Liyumba defective’ (Daily News, 7th May). This tactic would allow the State to avoid having Mr. Liyumba aquitted, and would buy the prosecution time to rectify the mistakes that it committed when charging Mr. Liyumba the first time around. Indeed, later in the month the court dismissed the charges against Mr. Liyumba and Mr. Kweka, whereupon they were immediately arrested and put in remand by plainclothes policemen who were attending the trial: ‘Lawyers protest as freed Liyumba arrested again’ (The Citizen, 28th May). Mr. Liyumba was charged with two counts of abuse of office and occasioning pecuniary loss to the government the next day, although Mr. Kweka was not: ‘Liyumba charged afresh’ (This Day, 29th May). Crime: The Zombe trial The murder trial of former Dar es salaam Regional Crime Officer, Mr. Abdallah Zombe, is approaching its end. The last accused presented

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evidence that incriminates Mr. Zombe, involving him indirectly in the arrest of three gem dealers and their taxi driver before their murder. Mr. Zombe had requested another chance to make clarifications on letters written by him that his fellow accused presented as evidence but the court denied his request: ‘Huge NO to Zombe’s second chance plea’ (The Guardian, 6th May). Mr. Zombe was seen to become quite emotional as the end of the trial approached, even as his lawyers argued strongly that there is no evidence linking him directly to the murders: ‘Zombe abubujika machozi’ [Zombe sheds tears] (Nipashe, 7th May), ‘State has no proof against Zombe’ (The Citizen, 8th May). The judge’s ruling is expected in June; ‘Verdict in Zombe trial next month’ (The Citizen, 21st May). The Zombe trial was the subject of the main story in our February report. Accidents: Mwakyembe in car accident Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe (CCM- Kyela) was involved in a car accident when his car overturned as he travelled back to Dar es Salaam from Makambako. He suffered some head injuries, and was airlifted to Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute the next day: ‘Mwakyembe apata ajali mbaya Iringa’ (Tanzania Daima, 22nd May).

year. All three may have been complicit in the allegedly corrupt hiring of Alex Stewarts Government Business Corporation as a gold assayer for the government. The hearing of their trial started this month: ‘Mramba-Yona-Mgonja trial: Hearing gets underway’ (This Day, 18th May). Athough the gentlemen orginally had 13 charges against them, the government reduced them by two with the result that they are now facing 11 charges ‘Mramba, Yona, Mgonja wapunguziwa mashitaka’ [Mramba, Yona, Mgonja charges reduced] (Habari Leo, 19th May). Education: NECTA Form VI Results The yearly crop of NECTA Form VI results came out at the start of the month. This year the girls performed better than the boys by one percentage point: 90% of female candidates passed as opposed to 89% of the male candidates. In addition, girls’ schools were well represented in the top ten list of schools, with Kibosho Girls and Marian Girls Schools taking the top two spots on the top ten list. In spite of this, only one girl made it onto the top ten candidate list ‘Its girls again’ (The Guardian, 2nd May). 53,758 students were registered for the exams, 51, 563 candidates sat for the exam and 45,716 candidates passed. ‘Kidato cha sita: ufaulu wapanda’[Form VI pass rate increases] (Habari Leo, 2nd May).

Dr. Mwakyembe is one of a handful of CCM MPs who are perceived to be vocal and dedicated in their fight against corruption- his willingness to question his own party has endeared him to the public. In light of his popularity, and the high incidence of politicians who have died rather abruptly during this administration (including the outspoken Amina Chifupa and Chacha Wangwe), news of his accident was received with great trepidation. Dr. Mwakyembe allayed any fears of foul play: ‘Mwakyembe speaks out’ (The Citizen, 23rd May). International Relations: President Kikwete visits the US President Kikwete went on a 9-day tour of the United States in the middle of the month. Along the way, he met up with Tanzanian communities living in America ‘Watanzania wamlalamikia Kikwete’ [Tanzanians complain to Kikwete] (Habari Leo, 19th May), strengthened Tanzania’s links with Silicon Valley ‘Kikwete visits home of Google’ (Daily News, 20th May), got an award, ‘Medics honour Kikwete’s lead in health’ (Daily News, 22nd May)…and was the first African head of state to visit the White House since President Obama came into power ‘JK and Obama for discussions on good governance’ (The Guardian, 21st May), ‘Fundo lawajaa Wakenya, kisa mkutano wa Kikwete na Obama’ [Kenyans resentful over Kiwete-Obama meeting] (Nipashe, 25th May).

When confronted with a live journalist, an interviewee can take the opportunity to let their professionalism- and their opinion of their audience’s intelligence- shine through. “We do not have time to argue with the Church. We have a whole year in which to implement our manifesto. We shall tell people what we have done when the time comes” CCM spokesman Capt. John Chiligati, when asked to comment on the Catholic Church’s plans to influence the 2010 elections. (The Citizen, 3rd May)

Society: Transsexual Woman Dies In the middle of May, the police picked up an unconscious woman on the beach in Mbezi and took her to Mwananyamala Hospital as it appeared she had been assaulted. During her treatment it emerged that she was a transsexual going by the name of Mama Victoria. When the news leaked out of the ward, residents of Dar es Salaam flocked to the hospital hoping to get a chance to gawk: ‘Aliyebadili jinsia azua kizaazaa Dar’ [Transsexual causes an uproar in Dar] (Mwananchi, 18th May). This was apparently reason enough for the press and the public to make free of her personal and family information. Mama Victoria passed away a couple of days later, the cause of death is suspected to be suicide ‘Dar sex change man is dead’ (Daily News, 21st May).

“We don’t carry out our duties by revealing them to the media. I cannot, therefore, tell you if we are investigating them or not.” Director of Criminal Investigations Robert Manumba, upon being asked whether the government was investigating allegations raised during the Mengi-Aziz war of words. (The Citizen, 5th May)

Corruption: The Mramba/Yona trial Former Ministers under the Mkapa regime, Mr. Daniel Yona (Energy and Minerals) and Mr. Basil Mramba (Finance), and former Permanent Secretary of Finance Mr. Gray Mgonja were jointly charged with abuse of office and occasioning pecuniary loss to the government late last

SERENGETI ADVISERS

Watch Word

“It is true that we have a patient here who arrived this morning, unconscious. Up until now the patient hasn’t been able to talk…our professional ethics require us to protect the dignity and privacy of our patients- doctors do not release information to people who are not relatives. Please keep that in mind.” – Dr. Suleiman Mtani, Chief Medical Officer, Mwananyamala Hospital. (Mwananchi, 18th May)

MEDIA

JUNE 2009

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ON AIR: Zain Africa Challenge

Business Notes

This year marks the third season of the Zain Africa Challenge. The company formerly known as Celtel started bringing universities together for a televised general knowledge competition in 2007, with yearly expansions marking the company’s territorial reach. This year sees bright young minds from public and private universities in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone pit their wits against each other in a 31game tournament. The winning team takes away some money for their institution in addition to their own cash prizes.

This Day: Faster economic growth in 2008 - The national economic growth rate accelerated by 0.3 percentage points in 2008 as the GDP expanded at a rate of 7.4%, up from 7.1% in 2007. Finance Minister Mustapha Mkullo, who was presenting his economic report to the parliamentary committee on finance and economics prior to the Budget Session, said that the growth was mostly driven by the agriculture, fishing and service industries. The 7.4% GDP growth rate was only slightly lower than the 7.5% growth that had been predicted by his ministry a year earlier. Expectations for 2009 are considerably lower due to the global economic crisis, with projected economic growth performance of between 4% and 6% by government and IMF estimates. (27th May)

Highlights: No singing, no dancing and no odious panel of judges crushing youthful dreams. Lowlights: Tanzania’s performance Channel: ITV Day: Mondays and Wednesdays, 21:00 - 22:00

Inbox Dear Serengeti Team: “Privatisation like a Ninja invasion” viz, street lighting in Dar; you guys sound like you are from Star Wars episodes in your language. Evidently, with every issue of the Monthly Media one gets the sense that nothing could be better, information wise, than what you produce. I enjoy the subtlety in your summaries, sometimes supported by Kipanya’s powerful and ingenious understanding of the centrifugal going-ons in Bongo. Keep up the excellent standard. Regards, Juma V. Mwapachu, Arusha Dear Serengeti Team: I could not believe the following statement came from a respected body such as yours, yet here I am with a copy of the report: “Reginald Mengi and Rostam Aziz played out their feud for all to see, in a manner which suggested that perhaps the term ‘independent Tanzanian media’ is the punchline of a bad joke”(Serengeti Advisers Media Report, April 2009). You managed to buy the catch that the issue is about a feud between Mengi and Rostam. The issue is not about them, the issue is not about media freedom- the issue here is “about billions of taxpayers money stolen.” And that is the story almost all are forgetting, and taking the escapist stand, that it is all about the battle between Mengi and Rostam. Your punchline, which will be taken up by most people who respect Serengeti and other readers of your report, is a real draw back in the fight against corruption, as much as I am sure it is not your intention. I stand to be corrected. My unsolicited advice: your Headline News Analysis should not be bloated opinion pieces, but wholly analytical. If it is opinion, clearly indicate the author, so that we can challenge him or her with words. Otherwise in all, I think you are doing a good job, and I enjoyed reading most of your publication. Best wishes for your future publications. Kind regards, Anthony Muchoki Dar es Salaam

SERENGETI ADVISERS

MEDIA

The Citizen: Boosting value-added export performance - The Benjamin Mkapa William Mkapa Export Processing Zone (EPZ) is close to opening, bringing the number of EPZs in Dar es Salaam up to three. 20 investors have already put in applications, eight being from the US, Oman , India, Abu Dhabi, Japan and Dubai and the remaining 12 being Tanzanian. It is intended that at least 80% of the goods produced in EPZ be exported, with an annual minimum export turnover of 100,000 USD for local investors and 500,000 USD for foreign investors. The country currently has a total of four EPZs and is planning another 14 EPZ projects throughout the country, with each site covering 2000 hectares. (7th May) The East African: Milk producers hurt by Kenya’s exit - The exit of Kenyan dairy processing firm Brookside has had a palpably negative impact on the northern Tanzanian milk industry. When the firm started operations in 2004 they were collecting 1000 litres per day. Collections had increased to 6000 litres per day (13,500 in peak season) by 2008 when Brookside was closed by the Government of Tanzania for failing to rehabilitate the defunct Tanzania Dairies. The initial agreement between the Government and Brookside required the company to revive the state-owned company, although collections would have to reach 60,000 litres per day to justify the building of a Ultra Heat Treatment plant which comes with a 100 million USD price tag. Brookside’s exit from the market has brought the price of raw milk down to Tshs 150 from Tshs 400 per litre, and left Tanga Fresh with no direct buyer for the 30,000 litres of excess milk they generate per week. (May 4th) Business Times: Estimating the cost of free trade and regionalism - Whether it trades independently or as part of the EAC, Tanzania could lose trillions of shillings in customs revenue as a result of entering into an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union, according to a report recently released by the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF). With the gradual lowering of tariff barriers between the EU and the EAC, income from trade taxes will be reduced significantly- Tanzania raised 44.2% of her internal revenue from said taxes in 2007. The EPA could be beneficial to the EAC if on balance the region exports competitively to Europe, although there are concerns about competitiveness because of the heavy subsidization of the European farmer. (May 1st)

JUNE 2009

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Main Story

The Mbagala Explosions

“The Dar es Salaam Red Cross announced that over 500 children had been missing since Wednesday. Initially, some 1,180 children had been reported missing, according to Red Cross chairperson Mayasa Mikidadi” (The Citizen, 1st May) May began with the city of Dar es Salaam scrambling to deal with the aftermath of bomb explosions that occured at an army barrack in Mbagala, a suburb located about 15km from the city centre. With the number of casualties rising with each passing day, ‘Blasts toll rises as probe is expanded’ (The Citizen,1st May) and ‘Death toll in ammunition blasts climbs to 18’ (The Citizen, 2nd May), President Kikwete cut short his visit in Arusha, where he was attending an East African Community’s heads of state summit, to survey personally, the damage the blasts had caused, ‘What Destruction!’ (1st April, The Guardian).

residents if they wanted to prevent any future disasters, ‘Mbagala disaster was avoidable’ (The Express, 7th May). The story took a worrying twist after a report that victims of the tragedy took to the streets complaining that a week after the blasts, they had yet to receive any help from the government, ‘Waandamana kudai misaada Mbagala’ [Protests over aid in Mbagala] (Mwananchi Jumapili, 10th May). Some victims also grumbled that they were being discriminated against because of their political affiliations, ‘Bomb blast victims complain of skipped houses in valuers` exercise’(The Guardian, 6th May) One editorial was scathing, labelling those responsible for aiding the victims incompetent, ‘Ugawaji misaada Mbagala mbovu’ [Aid distribution in Mbagala flawed] (Tanzania Daima, 12th May). And a few days after the Defense and National Service Minister confidently proclaimed that the situation was now under control, another blast happened: ‘Bomu lalipuka tena Mbagala’ [Bomb explodes again in Mbagala] (Mwananchi, 12th May) prompting one headline to ask, ‘How safe is Mbagala?’ (The Citizen, 13th May). This latest explosion led the over 3,500 victims of the blasts to ask the government to find them new homes, ‘Mbagala bomb victims demand relocation’ (The Guardian, 15th May). This plea became more urgent, after fresh explosions hit the area, ‘Another bomb blast rocks Mbagala Camp’ (The Citizen, 30th May) and ‘Bomu lajeruhi wanajeshi saba Mbagala’ [Bomb injures seven soldiers in Mbagala] (Mwananchi, 30th May).

Some military officials told reporters, anonymously, that things could have been even worse but for the bravery of the army’s missile experts who they claimed were able to limit the explosions to only a few missiles, ‘How Dar Survived’ (The Guardian on Sunday, 3rd May). Nevertheless, questions still remained as to what caused the explosions in the first place. In his attempt to reassure the country, the President explained that the explosions occured when soldiers were inspecting ammunitions stored at the camp, ‘JK: Army intact despite Mbagala blasts’ (Sunday Citizen, 3rd May). However, this did not assuage everyone as one editorial questioned the wisdom of storing such dangerous materials within a residential neighborhood, ‘We must draw vital lessons from Mbagal bomb blasts’ (The Guardian on Sunday, 3rd May). This sentiment seemed apt especially with the news that over 4,000 homes had been destroyed as a result of the blasts, leaving thousands struggling for shelter, ‘Watu 4,000 walia misaada Mbagala’ [4,000 people cry for help in Mbagala] (Habari Leo Jumapili, 3rd May).The print media was full of harrowing headlines that included this story in one of the sunday papers, ‘Jinsi bomu lilivyokata kichwa mama, mtoto Mbagala’ [How a bomb severed the heads of a mother, child in Mbagala] (Mwananchi Jumapili, 3rd May). On his visit to the site of the tragedy, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda promised the residents of Mbagala that the government would not forget their plight and that it would do everything it could to help them rebuild their lives, ‘Waathirika mabomu Mbagala kufidiwa’ [Those affected by Mbagala bombs to be compensated] (Habari Leo, 4th May). While some in the area were still fearful to return to their homes, the Minister of Defense and National Service, Dr. Hussein Mwinyi, assured them that there was nothing to worry about anymore as the situation had been contained, ‘Mbagala ammo store safe after explosions, says state’ (The Citizen, 5th May). Dr. Mwinyi also told reporters of the formation of a team that will inquire the cause and effects of the blasts, ‘Team to probe Mbagala blasts announced’ (The Guardian, 5th May). However, one commentator questioned the minister’s advice, arguing that the government needed to find a way to re-settle the SERENGETI ADVISERS

The situation was not helped when the Regional Commissioner, William Lukuvi, made some rather insensitive remarks telling Mbagala residents to learn to live with bomb blasts the way those living in Kipawa do with airplane noises coming from the nearby airport. This led one editorial to wonder what the government was playing at, ‘Govt must clear cloud over Mbagala’ (The African, 27th May). With the government struggling to secure the safety of the area, the month ended with some good news for Mbagala residents, ‘Mass eye, ear screening for Mbagala blast victims today’ (The Guardian, 30th May). The whole tragedy raised some troubling questions on issues of city planning and residential expansion: why would the army store such dangerous weapons amidst civilian homes or why did the city allow for housing construction near an evidently unsafe ammunition storage facility? And what happened to the children who were separated from their parents? No one has yet been able to get answers to these questions. Nor was there a definitive answer on the number of casualties suffered as a result of the blasts, leaving Dar es Salaam residents with more questions than answers.

MEDIA

JUNE 2009

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MAY NEWS Week 1: 1-7 May News Story Mbagala Blasts Mengi vs Aziz Zombe Case NECTA Result PM Raila Visit Other Stories Total

English

Kiswahili

Total

Appearances

Rank

7 5 3 1 1

1 2 3 4 5

Total

Appearances

Rank

5 7 3 1 1

1 2 3 4 5

Total

Appearances

Rank

7 7 4 2 2

1 2 3 4 5

Total

Appearances

Rank

6 3 5 3 1

1 2 3 4 5

25 13 6 4 3 55

45 22 19 7 6 50

70 35 25 11 9 105

106

149

255

Week 2: 8-14 May News Story Mbagala Blasts Busanda Election Mengi vs Aziz Robbers Killed Dar Zombe Case Other Stories Total

English

Kiswahili

10 1 8 4 3 82

24 29 16 7 7 77

34 30 24 11 10 159

108

160

268

Week 3: 15 - 21 May News Story Busanda Election Mbagala Blasts Transsexual Woman Dies Mramba/Yona Case Kikwete Tour-USA Other Total

English

Kiswahili

1 12 2 4 5 79

46 31 12 7 4 58

47 43 14 11 9 137

103

158

261

Week 4: 22 - 31 May News Story

English

Busanda Election Liyumba Case Mwakyembe Accident Kikwete Tour-USA Zanzibar Boat Accidents Others

10 12 10 7 3 108

38 20 19 4 7 136

48 32 29 11 10 244

Total

150

224

374

SERENGETI ADVISERS

Kiswahili

MEDIA

JUNE 2009

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May 2009 Top 10 Stories

Mbagala Blasts Busanda By-Election Mengi vs. Aziz Liyumba Trial Zombe Trial Mwakyembe Accident Kikwete Tour-USA Transsexual Woman Dies Mramba/Yona Trial NECTA Result Other Stories

Number of Headlines

Headlines Share (Percentage)

152 127 59 36 35 29 20 16 11 11 662

13.1 11.0 5.1 3.1 3.0 2.5 1.7 1.4 0.9 0.9 57.2

Top Ten Stories Headline Share

TOTAL Stories

Attention Span Index 19 21 8 3 4 5 5 4 2 1

1158

Mbagala Blasts Busanda By‐Election Mengi vs.  AzizMbagala Blasts Busanda By-election

Liyumba Trial Mengi vs. Aziz Zombe Trial Liyumba Trial Zombe Trial

Mwakyembe Accident Mwakyembe Accident Kikwete Tour - USA Kikwete Tour‐USA

Transsexual Woman Dies

Transsexual Woman  Dies Trial Mramba/Yona NECTA Trial Mramba/Yona Trial

Other Stories Attention Span Index NECTA Result

Other Stories Attention Span Index Mbagala Blasts Mbagala Blasts Busanda By-election Busanda By‐Election Mengi vs. Aziz Mengi vs. Aziz Liyumba Trial Liyumba Trial Zombe Trial Zombe Trial Mwakyembe Accident… Mwakyembe  Kikwete Tour - USA Kikwete Tour‐USA TranssexualTranssexual  Woman Dies… Mramba/Yona Trial Trial Mramba/Yona  NECTA Trial NECTA Result

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Series2

Days in the News

Methodology The top five weekly stories and top ten stories of the month are extracted from a survey of headlines in 17 newspapers: 5 English dailies, 2 English weeklies (one regional), 7 Kiswahili dailies, and 3 Kiswahili weeklies. Number of headlines surveyed in May: 1158.

SERENGETI ADVISERS

MEDIA

JUNE 2009

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YELLOW COUCH Who is stacked and who is lying flat on the local magazine rack? Gone are the days of state media monopolies: Tanzania is in the midst of a fast growing media boom. A visit to a newstand anywhere in our Bongoland reveals a sight that brings cheer: hundreds of offerings! With each passing day it seems that someone, somewhere, is launching some kind of a publication. This trend is not limited to newspapers alone: amongst the Newsweeks and the Cosmopolitans, the visitor should notice the attractions of our very own Made in Tanzania publications. So, what are these fresh magazines really like? Yellow Couch perused four publications this month.

by football, so it was inevitable that a magazine like Number 10 would appear on the scene. This venture arrives at an interesting moment in the history of sports journalism. In the television age, sports magazines have struggled to retain their relevance. If someone can watch the game live on tv, why should they bother reading about it? To counteract this conundrum, Number 10 tries to offer more analysis and less news reporting. Furthermore, with the global popularity of European leagues, the magazine works hard at balancing its contents between local and international football. For this style of sports writing to be succesful, you need not only good writers but informed connoisseurs of the game. Unfortunately, Number 10 has neither. While Number 10 may be interesting, it fails to illuminate the subject at hand- but it should be noted that this is not for lack of good ideas. The April-May issue, for example, included an interesting article about how live TV coverage of elite European games in Tanzania has focused attention away from domestic leagues. This is an interesting and worthy subject, but the quality of the writing is unable to rise to the challenge. As a result, the article amounts to nothing more than ineffectual whining. There is a market for a good local football publication, but at the moment Number 10 does not appear to be that publication.

Bang! is a bi-monthly that proclaims itself to be the ‘first lifestyle magazine of its kind in Tanzania.’ By the looks of it, Bang!, exclamation mark and all, intends to be the Tanzanian version of Cosmopolitan. This is, undoubtedly, a well-assembled product. It features gorgeous models dressed in the latest designs, and its ability to secure interviews with popular celebrities seems to confirm its self-assigned status as the paragon of what’s trendy in the streets of Dar. Bang! is a polished - one might say even sexy looking magazine. The proverbial shoe only drops when you start reading: decent writing is not high on Bang’s list of priorities. Consider this quote from the most recent issue, introducing an interview with two former participants of the Big Brother reality show: “Outside in the reality world Thami and Hazel developed the strength of their love because they had a chance of knowing each other better that there’s nothing they are regretting so far. They stay in different countries but it has not been a reason enough to keep them apart, they are kept together with the most things that they can do together.” (Bang!, April-June) Thumbing through Bang! is a bit like an encounter with a really beautiful woman whose attractiveness lessens with every word she utters. Yes, she is well-dressed and elegant but beyond the glossy surface is an inarticulate magazine offering inane conversation. Another entertainment publication to be found across the city is the popular music magazine, Kitangoma. It looks less polished than the likes of Bang!, but evidently looks aren’t everything. Kitangoma derives its charm from its simplicity: what you see is what you get. Its main subject is Tanzanian hip hop- or ‘Bongo-Flava,’- and a significant portion of its content is devoted to this. Readers are treated to interviews with artists, tour reviews, information on new album releases and photos of concert performance by musicians. The language and diction is reflective of the subject matter, employing the vernacular of everyday street slang, giving the magazine an inclusive, familiar, conversational quality. Reading Kitangoma is like discussing music with good friends: it is frivilous fun. Nothing more, nothing less.

The global financial crisis has come to dominate discussions across the country this year, which made the arrival of the aptly named quarterly The Business Partner quite timely. In the April-June issue, the cover story on the impact of the global financial crisis to the Tanzanian economy is one of the most comprehensive pieces on the subject. The magazine also carried articles on diverse subjects including mining, real-estate and agriculture. All this plus indepth interviews with industry leaders from both the private and the public sector provided readers with wide-ranging perspectives on the country’s economy. However, The Business Partner is poorly written. The articles in the magazine, while informed, lack clarity. They tend to obscure rather than enlighten, which is a shame considering that local business journalism is struggling. The Business Partner has the opportunity to give The Economist a run for its Tanzanian market if they combine their expertise with good writing. In the end, it looks like our magazine industry is stuffering from the same disease that afflicts our newspapers: either excellent ideas are combined with hopeless execution, or the reverse happens. And while pictures are all well and good, an allergy to the craft of writing is hardly going to do the industry any service. But Yellow Couch is optimistic. There are hip, hot and happening rags to be supported out there, whose knowledge, hard work and talent come together perfectly. It won’t be long before they hit our newstands.

As much as we love our Bongo Flava, we are even more enthralled SERENGETI ADVISERS

MEDIA

567 Kibo Road, Mikocheni A P.O.Box 105620 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania email: [email protected] [email protected]

JUNE 2009