Serengeti Advisers - Media Report September 2009

CORPORATE FINANCE ECONOMIC & PUBLIC POLICY MEDIA

NOVEMBER 2009

MEDIA REPORT: SEPTEMBER 2009 As local government elections draw nearer, voter registration in Zanzibar continued to present a problem as citizens and government disagree on valid documentation. Meanwhile, the first conviction for albino killers is received with great enthusiasmand bloodlust- by the public, but bombs are still claiming lives in

Headline News Analysis The month of September was not dominated by any one news story. The turbulence around the Zanzibar voter registration exercise earned fifteen days of media attention over the course of the month, followed by the TRL saga that was reported for a total of 10 days- the frequency of headlines in these two stories can be explained by their longevity. Other than these two, none of the top stories of the month earned more than a couple of days of coverage. The news stories were quite scattered- while the top three stories only made up 15.6% of the total headlines, the top ten stories took up 31% of the total headline count.

Top-Ranking Headline Stories Politics: Zanzibar Voter Registration Crisis The month of September saw the voter registration exercise in Zanzibar come to crisis point. The main story can be read on page four. Politics: Chadema Election Week Following the withdrawal of Zitto Kabwe from running for party chairmanship, as recommended by the council of elders, Chadema was set to elect its party officials from 186 screened candidates: ‘Chadema admits Zitto ‘freeze’ (Daily News, 1st September), ‘Zitto still too young to lead the party’ (The African, 1st September). Although Mr. Kabwe mentioned that ideological differences exist- he is a socialist while his Chairman supports capitalism- this was presented as a source of healthy debate and democracy within Chadema. Some violence resulting from the Committee of Elders’ decision as well as a vigorously contested Youth and Women’s Wing elections showed that competition within the party wasn’t only of the verbal variety ‘Chadema annuls youth wing election results’ (Daily News, 2nd September), Chadema women council votes in new leadership’ (The Guardian, 3rd September). In an interesting move, Chadema were the first African political party to launch an electronic recruitment system to increase their membership ‘Chadema’s new recruitment plan’ (The Citizen, 4th September). In the event, the party leadership did not suffer any major upsets: ‘Mbowe retains Chadema’s national chairman post’ (Daily News, 5th September), Slaa, Zitto retain Chadema posts’ (Sunday News, 6th September).

Mbagala. In the world of business, atomic energy and agriculture are exploring synergies while this month’s Yellow Couch reports on the user-end of television. Finally, we are pleased to announce that Serengeti Advisers Media Report is now also available on our blog www.serengetiadvisersmedia.blogspot.com.

Transport: TRL go slow Unsupported by the Tanzania Rail Workers Union (TRAWU), Tanzania Railways Limited workers went on a go-slow to pressurize the management into paying them their outstanding salaries ‘TRL hit by another go-slow’ (Daily News, 5th September), ‘Mgomo TRL’ [Strike at TRL] (Uhuru, 5th September). Passengers registered their displeasure with the company by rioting briefly ‘TRL passengers go on rampage in Dar over interrupted travel’ (Sunday Citizen, 6th September). TRL and RITES have faced a number of labor and service-related problems since they started operation in 2007, but the cracks were really beginning to show with this most recent event; with TRL being unable to pay RITES for leased equipment on top of the salary problem: ‘TRL to suspend operations’ (The Guardian on Sunday, 6th September), ‘RITES hits TRL with Sh14bn lease bill’ (The Citizen, 7th September). The Minister for Infrastructure Development, Shukuru Kawambwa, had to intervene through a three-hour meeting with workers to assure them that their salaries would be paid and their jobs remain secure: ‘Serikali Msalabani’ [Government crucified] (Majira, 8th September), ‘Finally, TRL workers end strike’ (The Guardian, 9th September). However, TRL continues to face significant challenges: ‘Govt to engage RITES over suspended engines, wagons’ (This Day, 18th September), ‘Rites deal remains slippery’ (Daily News, 18th September). Politics: Presidential Q&A Session One day before the event, State House announced that President Kikwete would do a live question-and-answer session that would be open to the public. People were encouraged to participate either by phone or email: ‘Kikwete to field live public questions’ (Daily News, 9th September). The session was broadcast on five television stations and at least six radio stations and appears to have been well-received ‘Hopes high after dialogue with JK’ (The Guardian, 11th September). In the post-mortem, the media focused on the topical issues of the day: religion and the state, the union question, the fear that CCM is gagging its legislators, oil in Zanzibar and the war on corruption ‘JK: Kesi tatu mpya za mafisadi zimeiva’ [Three new major corruption cases about to begin] (Nipashe, 10th September), ‘JK: Sijawafunga mdomo wabunge’ [JK: I have not silenced parliamentarians] (Tanzania Daima, 10th September),

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‘JK apinga nyaraka za kidini kuhusu uchaguzi’ [JK opposes religious documents about the elections] (Habari Leo, 10th September). Corruption: The Alex Stewart Assayers Case Former Minister of Finance Basil Mramba, along with former Minister for Energy and Minerals Daniel Yona and former Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Finance Gray Mgonja were charged last year with abuse of office and occasional loss of money to the government for according preferential treatment to M/S Alex Stewart Assayers Government Business Corporation in procuring gold assaying services. Other charges include extending the contract with Alex Stewart as well as approving tax exemptions ‘Preliminary hearing starts on Mramba case’ (The African, 17th September), ‘Mramba granted tax exemption without approval from cabinet’ (The Guardian, 17th September).

Apparently, the new regulations were put in place to capture those who did not have a voter’s card or a local government letter. At the same time the army is trying to discourage people from rebuilding their houses on army property ‘TPDF: No rebuilding near Mbagala depot’ (The African, 8th September), ‘Mbagala bado si Salama- JWTZ’ [Mbagala not safe yet] (Mtanzania Jumapili, 13th September). Soon after the announcement, three children died and another two were injured when a bomb hidden in a trash pile exploded near them ‘Fresh blasts rock Mbagala’ (Daily News, 25th September), ‘Third child in Mbagala blast dies’ (The Citizen, 26th September), ‘Mbagala waandamana hadi kwa Waziri Pinda’ [Mbagala residents march to Minister Pinda’s office] (Mwananchi, 29th September). Corruption: BoT Corruption Trial In the middle of the month, four senior employees of the Bank of Tanzania have been taken to court on for corruption, having allegedly caused the loss of Sh104 billion shillings by inflating the cost of printing new currency. Deputy Director in Charge of Currency Kisima Mkango, and former Director of Banking Simon Jengo are charged with using documents to mislead their superiors, and on the second count Mr. Jengo requested the printing of a larger number of Tanzanian bank notes than had been requested by the User Department. On the third count- that of failing to discharge their duties in a reasonable manner- they are joined by the Acting Director of Legal Services, Bosco Kimela and Director of Banking Ally Bakari.

All three accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges, however the prosecution submitted that they had confessed to having abused their offices during interrogation when the preliminary hearing resumed in September ‘Court told of Mramba and Yona confession’ (The Citizen, 17th September), Mramba, others disown PCCB confessions’ (The Guardian, 18th September). There was some back and forth about the number of witnesses that the prosecution would be allowed: ‘17 witnesses to testify in Mramba case’ (The African, 23rd September), ‘State finally yields in tussle over witnesses’ (The Citizen, 225th September). Politics: Election Guide Documents At the end of August, the Central Committee of Shura Politics of Imams in Tanzania put out a document titled ‘Mwongozo wa Waislamu kuelekea Uchaguzi Mkuu wa Mwaka 2010’ or Muslim Guidelines in the Run-up to the 2010 Elections ‘Mwongozo wa waislamu waibua mjadala’ [Muslim guidelines spark debate] (Mtanzania, 1st September). The document was launched by the Committee’s chairman, Shehe Ponda Issa Ponda, and is aimed at addressing what is perceived as systemic marginalization of Muslims by the state since independence. This document has come on the heels of Catholic Church’s recent circular to its faithful, a document aimed at influencing voters’ thoughts about the 2010 elections using a religious platform. The Muslim Council of Tanzania, BAKWATA, has distanced itself from the Mwongozo ‘Maimamu waja na Mwongozo’ [Imams come up with guidelines] (Habari Leo online, 1st September, retrieved October 2009). Not all clerics are of the opinion that religion should insert itself in politics: ‘Kakobe apinga Waraka, Mwongozo’ [Kakobe opposes Circular, Guidelines] (Habari Leo, 3rd September), ‘Kakobe ashambuliwa’ [Kakobe attacked] (Tanzania Daima, 4th September). Religion and state also received some parliamentarian interest: ‘MP mulls motion against religious debate’ (Daily News, 7th September). Society: Mbagala Blasts A change in the regulations with regards to the documents required from Mbagala bombing victims to get compensation was met with fury. A few days after the exercise had started, Temeke Municipality decided that claimants would have to produce either a housing license or a land tax receipt in order to be eligible for compensation ‘Masharti mapya ya fidia Mbagala yazua balaa’ [New compensation requirements calamitous] (Mwananchi, 4th September).

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Mr. Kimela is currently also charged with negligence in the External Payments Account (EPA) trial. ‘4 in Sh100bn BoT scam’ (The Citizen, 16th September) ‘BoT officials in court over banknotes fraud’ (This Day, 16th September). Society: Albino Killers Trial Emmanuel Masangwa, Charles Kalamuji and Masumbuko Madata were found guilty of murdering 13-year old albino Matatizo Dunia, and sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Gabriel Rwakibalila in Shinyanga: ‘Watatu kunyongwa kwa mauaji albino’ [Three to hang for albino murder] (Habari Leo, 24th September), ‘Albinos want public hanging of murderers’ (The Citizen, 24th September). Demand for albino body parts in recent years has caused a major upsurge in murders, with albinos being targeted for attack at any age. While some members of the public feel that the death sentence is fitting punishment, and will serve as a deterrent to would-be albino killers, others are not in favor of capital punishment. The ‘guilty’ ruling has been universally popular, however, as public concern with the issue has been high ‘Three albino killers to hang…as ruling greeted with joy’ (The Guardian, 24th September), ‘Death sentence is a non-starter’ (The Guardian, 25th September). Power: Tanesco in the news It emerged that one of the Directors of Strategies Insurance Limited and PharmaAccess International- the company that won a tender to provide Tanesco with health insurance services to the tune of 3.7bn Shillings- is also a Tanesco board member. ‘Ufisadi wamtisha Ngeleja’ [Corruption shocks Ngeleja] (Tanzania Daima, 17th September), ‘Serikali yachunguza ufisadi wa bima Tanesco’ [Government investigating Tanesco insurance corruption] (Mwananchi, 17th September). This news came relatively soon after the government

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had to launch an investigation into 1.4 bn Shillings that were apparently used to renovate 17 houses for senior Tanesco staff ‘Tanesco kitanzini’ [Tanesco in trouble] (Habari Leo, 17th September). The current Managing Director of the utility company, Idris Rashidi, was appointed by the President in 2006 during the peak of the power crisis and the Richmond debacle. In a departure from the usual presidential appointment, Mr. Rashidi’s position was recently advertised: ‘Tanesco boss’ exit set as job is advertised’ (The Citizen, 19th September), ‘Mystery surrounds TANESCO job advert for MD’s position’ (This Day, 19th September), ‘Behind Dr. Rashidi’s exit’.

Business Notes Daily News: Atomic Agriculture - lending its support the government’s Kilimo Kwanza strategy, the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) has declared its interest in using radiation technology to improve seeds, insecticides, pesticides, food processing and preservation. However this would require serious government intervention to ‘facilitate the commission to enable it [to] start applying the technology.’ The discovery of uranium deposits in the country supports TAEC’s vision of a future in which Tanzanian will be able to use radiation technology to improve the local food supply. (8th September). The Citizen: The World Economic Forum on Africa comes to Dar- The 2010 World Economic Forum on Africa will be hosted by Tanzania, making it the first time that the conference will be held in East Africa. Although traditionally meetings of this magnitude have historically been held in Nairobi, it is rumored that Dar es Salaam may have benefitted from the ongoing unpopularity of the Kenyan government, which lost its bid to host. The World Economic Forum on Africa is ‘renowned for its informal style that engenders frank and open discussions’ over the course of three days. (21st September). The African: Chinese Business- While speaking to at a luncheon on the eve of the US-Africa Business Summit, President Kikwete challenged American investors to follow the example set by their Chinese counterparts: “The Western Media paint a very bad image of Africa, and that threatens investors, while the Chinese are grabbing the opportunity to invest in Africa.” The President had recently inaugurated the new Tanzanian Embassy in Washington which cost the country Tshs 13.5 bn. SinoTanzanian relations have been very cordial during the fourth administration, especially in the area of economic diplomacy. The Guardian: International Mobile Banking- The regional mobile phone service company Zain is offering international mobile banking through their Zap service. According to their press release, “this is the first time in the world any mobile bank account has been configured so that its users can receive funds from any point directly to their mobile handset as well as send funds directly to their bank account.” The Zain network is available to 100 million people across the African continent.

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At Leisure: A glance at the Sunday Columns The Pro-Kiswahili Lobby: “It is getting tougher to defend the use of our national language, Swahili” laments Madaraka Nyerere in his Letter from Butiama. Even the national carrier is likely to serve its passengers in English, to his dismay. And that’s not the only place in which service insists on dealing only in English- Madaraka goes on to relate his experiences at a tourist hotel where the waiter steadfastly refused to speak to meet him halfway as he ‘ordered a few more items from him, all the while using Swahili while he responded only in English.’ Mr. Nyerere makes a decidedly grim and somewhat dramatic comparison with the beleaguered French who have unsuccessfully tried to stem the tide of English linguistic imperialism when he states that ‘perhaps it is only a matter of time before Kiswahili, whose speakers do not care whether they themselves speak their language correctly or use it, also crumbles.’ As he concludes that ‘the struggle to defend the use of Kiswahili might also have to involve transforming myself into someone who looks like he speaks the language,’ the least he could do is list the visual attributes of a Kiswahili speaker. (Sunday News, 6th September). The Pro-English Lobby: in her Snap Shots at Life, Angel Navuri sees the language issue as one where Tanzanians have to adapt to a labor market that clearly privileges those who can speak English over those who cannot: ‘Professionals [from] countries like Kenya and Uganda manage to grab jobs in this country because they are seen to be fluent in the language.’ This leads her to a very utilitarian assessment of the situation- ‘The national Kiswahili language can still be used but should not be given priority like the English language especially in this era.’ Ms. Navuri asserts that contrary to popular belief, most people in the ‘new generation’ prefer to use Kiswahili rather than English, and she acknowledges that ‘in the past, Kiswahili made tremendous progress in developing the language and literature, partly because there was a parallel development in […] economic and political pursuits.’ However, the pressure to succeed in the contemporary environment means that English cannot be ignored because ‘Young people follow activities which will provide them with future security.’ As far as she is concerned, languages cannot be treated as static entities because ‘after all, a language is only as good as the people who use it. (The Guardian on Sunday, 6th September) The Cynical View: Adam Lusekelo touches very lightly on the issue of language by taking the opportunity to tease Steven Kanumbaprolific Tanzania film producer, director, actor, scriptwriter, composer and singer- about his home-brewed English during a recent interview in South Africa. He advises him not to worry because ‘it is very easy to be shot down by a bunch of mediocrities.’ Ascribing Steven Kanumba’s roasting at the hands of the mediocrities to jealousy, Mr. Lusekelo was more interested in exposing the real day-to-day frictions that arise in our multi-lingual and multi-cultural societies: ‘If people want to laugh at all those lingual hostilities in any language to others, they should hear Indians speaking Kiswahili.’ He goes on to point out that even mighty Kiswahili isn’t welcome everywhere in East Africa: “Listen to the Baganda in Uganda. They don’t want to speak Chiswahili. That is the language of the oppressor. The language was spoken by some murderous Ugandan dictator and his goon squad. It reminds them of terrible days.” Whatever the language of interest may be, Adam Lusekelo offers this pragmatic advice to those who are concerned with getting it right: ‘language and school help in furthering careers.’ (The Sunday News, 20th September)

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Main Story

Zanzibar Voter Registration Crisis

A diplomatic row was triggered between Zanzibar and the United States after the latter’s State Department issued a travel warning advising its citizens against visiting the island, ‘Zanzibar slams US travel alert’ (The Citizen, 1st September). The Zanzibar Minister of State in the Chief Minister’s Office, Hamza Hassan Juma, accused the US of spreading ‘lie[s] to the world.’ Soon after, the Civic United Front (CUF) Chairman Professor Ibrahim Lipumba and his aides discovered burnt registration cards in a government-owned warehouse in Dar es Salaam, ‘Kadi za kura zanaswa Dar zikiteketezwa’ [Registration cards found burned in Dar] (Mwananchi, 10th September). Following this discovery, Prof. Lipumba demanded the resignation of the head of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Judge Lewis Makame for incompetent leadership ‘CUF calls for resignation of NEC top boss Makame’ (The African, 11th September). Weeks of negative coverage forced President Amani Abeid Karume of Zanzibar to address the matter. Speaking to CCM elders in the south region of Pemba, he insisted that the government was not going to change the rules just so it can palliate a few disgruntled voices, ‘Karume: Vitambulisho vya Mzanzibari ni lazima’ [Karume: Zanzibari ID cards necessary] (Mzalendo, 13th September). But the scuffles at polling stations between riot police and local residents impeded voter registration drives for the second consecutive day, ‘Pemba voter registration exercise still suspended’ (The Guardian, 14th September). Two days later, minor altercations devolved into full blown violent protests and the police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, ‘Zanzibar sasa ni balaa tupu’ [Zanzibar now is all chaos] (Mwananchi, 15th September). On the political front, CUF kept up the pressure on Judge Makame to resign, alleging that his statement that the burned identity cards were from 2005 was misleading and that the batch had actually included documents dated for 2007/08, ‘CUF adamant on Makame’s resignation’ (The African, 15th September). The CUF Deputy Director of Public Relations and Publicity Ashura Mustapha told reporters that the recent incidents only underscored the need for an independent electoral commission. In Pemba, the violence escalated after attempts by the Field Force Unit (FFU) and soldiers to pacify angry protestors resulted in civilian casualties ‘Nyumba zachomwa moto’ [Houses fire bombed] (Majira, 16th September). In what appeared to be a retaliatory move, unidentified people razed a house belonging to the North Pemba Regional Police Commander (RPC) Mr. Yahya Hemed Bugi in the Unguja Urban West region, ‘Pemba RPC’s house torched in Unguja’ (Daily News, 17th August). The attack did not dissuade the government from it’s aggressive posture. It warned CUF politicians that they would be arrested and thrown in jail if it was discovered that they instigated the violence, ‘Some MPs, Isles reps to be held responsible for Pemba chaos’ (This Day, 17th September). As the crisis deepened, Judge Makame refused to accept any responsibility for the problems in Pemba, arguing that the issue was not within the NEC’s jurisdiction, ‘Makame: Ya Kulaumiwa ni Tume ya Uchaguzi Z’bar’ [Makame: Zanzibar Electoral Commission to blame] SERENGETI ADVISERS

(Mwananchi, 18th September). The statement was met with confusion by the ZEC Director Salum Kassim who told reporters that he could not believe such words would be spoken by the national chairman of NEC, ‘Kauli ya Makame yaichanganya Zec’ [Makame’s statement baffles ZEC] (Mwananchi, 19th September). Judge Makame’s comments only worked to sharpen CUF’s criticism of him, who accused him of reneging on his duties and being disingenuous, ‘NEC haiwezi kujivua vurugu za Pemba - CUF’ [NEC cannot remove themselves from the events of Pemba] (Nipashe, 19th September).

State House Director of Communications Salva Rweyemamu injected himself into the debate when he suggested that CUF were partly responsible for the chaos in Pemba due to their refusal to conclude the political reconciliation talks with CCM, ‘State House tells off CUF’ (Sunday Citizen, 20th September). While CUF kept up the pressure on the ZEC, ‘CUF yataka makamishna wake kujiondoa ZEC’ [CUF ask their commissioners to leave ZEC] (Nipashe, 21st September), the situation on the ground deteriorated further with reports that violent protests had now erupted in Unguja, ‘Polisi wamimina mabomu ya machozi kwa helikopta’ [Police use helicopters to drop tear gas bombs] (Mwananchi, 22nd September). But Pemba was still the epicenter of the whole dispute, despite the aggressive pushback by the police, ‘Riots still mar[red] Zanzibar poll register’ (Daily News, 23rd September). In an interview with the Tanzania Broadcasting Channel (TBC), the Deputy Chairman of CCM Mr. Pius Msekwa expressed concern that should things continue along this path, then the Isles were in danger of going the way of Kenya and Zimbabwe. The only solution to the crisis, he advised, was to form a government of national unity, ‘CCM yafikiria mseto Zanzibar’ [CCM thinks about a coalition in Zanzibar] (Majira, 26th September). The President attempted to play down the crisis, assuring the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that he was on top of the situation in Zanzibar. He reiterated his stance that only the parties involved can resolve the issue, ‘Isles crisis under control – JK’ (Daily News, 28th September) and ‘JK akataa udikteta Z’bar’ [JK refuses to dictate on Z’bar] (Habari Leo, 28th September). CUF Chairman Prof. Lipumba called the President’s statement ‘misguided’ and accused him of possessing ‘neither the desire nor the ability to resolve Zanzibar’s political impasse,’ ‘CUF scoffs at Kikwete’s remarks on Zanzibar’ (The Citizen, 29th September). As attempts by CUF to demonstrate near State House failed, ‘CUF wazuiwa kukaribia Ikulu’ [CUF stopped from nearing State House] (Majira, 30th Majira), September ended with the political crisis in Zanzibar still unresolved. What the commentators said CCM has got its priorities all mixed up with its leadership focused more on Machiavellian political machinations than the actual process of governing, writes Dr. Azaveli Feza Lwaitama, ‘Pemba unrest and State Violence’ (The Citizen, 23rd September). In this purported ‘land of peace and solidarity across ethnic and religious divides’ it is sad to witness the Zanzibari government, in effect, employing it’s security and military apparatus against its own people. Why, Dr. Lwaitama asks, did the CCM Central Committee and the National Executive Committee, in their recent gathering in Dodoma, chaired by President Kikwete himself, ‘not spend…time deliberating on the impending political catastrophe in Zanzibar? Furthermore, the Zanzibari government should not use

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arcane laws to deny the people their fundamental democratic right to vote. ‘If existing Zanzibari residency laws seem to get in their way, then these laws ought to be repealed immediately as a matter of urgency.’

For Adam Lusekelo, the whole spectacle in Pemba was a nightmare instance of déjà vu, ‘Not the Isles violence again!’ (Daily News, 23rd September). ‘Are we going to witness violence after violence after every five years in Zenj? This just cannot go on forever,’ he declared. Why is it that every election cycle, we have to hear about problems coming out of Pemba? Is it simply that folks in Pemba are born trouble-makers? This argument ‘will no longer wash.’ For Lusekelo, the issue here is clear: people in Pemba tend to be overwhelming supporters of CUF and this is at the core of the problem for the CCM led government in Zanzibar. But ‘the people of Pemba have got their preferences…Nobody can force them to change heart by force, least of all beat them up, tear gas them silly and prevent them from their democratic right to vote.’ Doing so will only lead to their radicalization. Should it lead to this, things will turn really ugly ‘This cannot go on forever and the last thing the Zanzibar government wants is [to] face the people with their backs to the wall.’ The current troubles in Zanzibar are eerily reminiscent of the problems the Irish experienced for decades, writes Hilal K. Sued, ‘Can luck save the Isles the fourth time?’ (The African, 26th September). He warns that ‘what the Union Government [is doing] is the Ulsterisation of the Isles – the approach first used by the British Government in the 1960s to quell sectarian unrest in one part of its Union – Northern Ireland.’ But this strategy ‘failed miserably.’ After years of fighting and thousands of death, a tenuous peace has been achieved. This came about through patient and sometimes painful dialogue. Both the Union and Zanzibar Government would do well to take heed of this example from history. We may be fast approaching the point of no return. The window for peace is closing. The Union Government needs to show leadership on this issue or things will ‘slip out of hand, or even when the luck that holds it down runs. Yes luck – for I have no other explanation for the apparent absence of open conflict.’

Watch Word “It should be understood that I’m a mere chairman and not the owner of the party. I believe that one day my tenure will come to an end and another member will lead, all we want to see is the achievement of our goals as a political party” Chadema Party Chairman, Freeman Mbowe, commenting on Zitto Kabwe’s withdrawal from the race for chairmanship. (Daily News, 1st September). “Personally, I have no problem with independent candidates, neither does the government.” Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Mathias Chikawe, explaining that the government’s appeal against the second High Court ruling in favor of independent candidates is actually a matter of constitutional law (The Guardian, 9th September) “I have neither given it a thought not made my stand public anywhere.” Former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, responding to questions about his rumored intention to run for President in the coming general election. (The Citizen, 14th September) “I think its better they stay here because they are safer here… anyone can come and see them here…I think if Germany had never brought them here they could most probably still be down there (in the soil at Tendaguru in Lindi)” Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Museum of Natural History commenting on the Government of Tanzania’s efforts to repatriate dinosaur skeletons and other artifacts from Tanzania. (Daily News, 19th September)

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Dear Serengeti Team:

Jamii Forums Jamii Forums is a veteran of the Tanzanian internet presence. Claiming over 14,000 members, it changed its name from Jambo Forums in 2008 after some legal troubles, and currently claims over 600,000 posts in 31,000 threads.. The Forum is open to both Kiswahili and English users, which attracts members both incountry and in the diaspora. The topics range widely from politics to entertainment and lifestyle. Although the political section receives the most attention, in general Jamii Forums provides a good view of which current topics are receiving attention, and occasionally it can be a platform for breaking news. Due to the anonymous nature of the Forum- administrators and members both conceal their Real World identities- evaluating the quality of information on Jamii is left entirely up to the user.

It was not easy to believe that this publication was from Bongo! I wish to encourage you keep on keeping on. However, try and see if it is possible to change the color on your contacts because they are not very clearly seen!

Highlights: An excellent diversity of opinions and interests keeps many of the interesting discussions lively. Lowlights: The very light-handed moderation means that discussions can, and often do, devolve into off-topic brawls. URL: www.jamiiforums.com

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Keep it up! Derek Murusuri Morogoro Dear Serengeti Team: I subscribed to the SAL publications and I must say I am very impressed. It is extremely informative and definitely beats reading the online papers. When I was in Dar we talked about the possibility of you guys gearing this more towards Tanzanians who are abroad. A few of the Tanzanian blogs are helpful, but they are not as professional as Serengeti Advisers. Regards to all, Diane McDaniel USA

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SEPTEMBER NEWS Week 1: 1-7 September News Story Chadema Election Week Elections Guide Documents TRL/RITES Go-slow Z’Bar Vote Registration Fireoutbreak Death Other Stories Total

English

Kiswahili

Total

Appearances

Rank

13 5 5 6 2 82

41 12 10 3 5 89

54 17 15 9 7 171

6 3 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5

113

160

273

Total

Appearances

Rank

5 5 3 1 1

1 2 3 4 5

Total

Appearances

Rank

6 5 3 1 1

1 2 3 4 5

Total

Appearances

Rank

4 3 4 2 2

1 2 3 4 5

Week 2: 8-14 September News Story Kikwete Public Speech TRL/RITES Issue Class 7 Exams Z’Bar Vote Registration Mahita Trial Judgement Other Stories Total

English

Kiswahili

13 2 5 2 2 89

22 15 8 6 5 107

35 17 13 8 7 196

113

163

276

Week 3: 15 - 21 September News Story Z’Bar Vote Registration BoT Scam Mramba,Yona Trial Tanesco Story TRL/RITES Issue Other Stories Total

English

Kiswahili

9 5 4 4 3 78

28 13 10 9 7 96

37 18 14 13 10 174

109

163

272

Week 4: 22 - 31 September News Story Z’Bar Vote Registration Mramba,Yona Trial Mbagala Blasts Albino killers Trial Food Shortage/Drought Others Stories Total

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English

Kiswahili

7 7 7 6 8 94

19 13 11 8 5 117

26 20 18 14 13 211

129

173

302

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September 2009 Top 10 Stories Number of Headlines

Headlines Share (Percentage)

80 54 42 42 34 33 23 23 14 13 765

7.1 4.8 3.7 3.7 3.0 2.9 2.0 2.0 1.2 1.2 68.1

Z’Bar Voter Registration Chadema Election Week TRL/RITES Go-slow Kikwete Public Speech Mramba,Yona Trial Elections Guide Documents Mbagala Blasts BoT Scam Albino Killers Trial Tanesco Story Other Stories

Top Ten Stories Headline Share

TOTAL Stories

Attention Span Index 15 6 10 7 5 7 6 3 2 3

1123

Z'Bar Voter Registration Chadema Election Week TRL/RITES Go‐slow Zanzibar Voter Registration Kikwete Public Speech Chadema Election Week TRL/RITES Go-slow Mramba,Yona Trial Kikwete Public Speech Mramba,Elections Guide Documents Yona Trial Elections Guide Document Mbagala Blasts Mbagala Blasts BoT Scam BoT Scam Albino Killers Trial TanescoAlbino Killers Trial Story Other Stories Tanesco Story

Attention Span Index

Other Stories

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Days in the News 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 September: 1123.

SERENGETI ADVISERS

MEDIA

SEPTEMBER 2009

8

YELLOW COUCH

the fresh young minds of the city’s schoolchildren. The kids share their stories, dreams, hopes and aspirations. No donor mumbo-jumbo here. Skonga offers a vision of kids being kids: smart, silly, mischievous, passionate, shrewd, innocent and full of hope for the future… and it warms the heart.

12 Hours on Any Given Sunday

In a particularly humorous episode of the African-America animated series, The Boondocks, the main character embarks on an intriguing experiment. Huey decides to spend two weeks watching nothing but black television shows. The motive behind this rather eccentric decision is to see what he would learn about African-Americans through this cultural prism. Taking a page from Huey’s experiment, Yellow Couch decided to spend half a day in thrall to territorial television to see what would emerge from a few hours of watching local channels. The following is an account of Yellow Couch’s great telly box screen adventure: It is nine o’clock on a Sunday and a children’s program is on at Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC). Jukwaa La Watoto [The Children’s Platform] is imbued with a charming and endearing quality: all its presenters are kids, from the studio anchor to its field reporters. This particular weekend, the topic under discussion is homelessness and child labor, and the kids do a tremendous job with such a weighty issue. On closer inspection, it becomes clear that the choice of topic is not accidental: the episode is coming to us courtesy of Plan International, an NGO dedicated to the elimination of child poverty. This symmetry of subject and the sponsor’s declared mission raises questions, such as: who decides on content? Is it the donors bankrolling the show, or is it the creative team? Based on the episode, it appears to be the NGO, which begs another question: when did international aid organisations start acting like Hollywood film studios? While the Couch was marinating on these questions, TBC moved on to another exercise in canny adaptation: Sesame Street in Kiswahili, with local songs thrown in. It is a hoot. And for a moment, it feels like all is well with the world. A few minutes later, a brief flip through the other channels reveals CNN on Dar es Salaam Television (DTV), while on the Mwanza – based StarTV channel, the German Deutsche Welle Television is holding fort. On Channel Ten, Cartoon Network is in full swing and East African Television (EATV) is relentless with its MTV impersonation, treating the audience to uninterrupted music videos. Capital TV is entertaining viewers with a Bollywood musical. It is encouraging to see that our local stations are such internationalists, connecting Tanzanians to the outside world in this way. Either that’s what they were doing, or they have no original programming so the foreign channels and content provide convenient schedule fillers.

Speaking of the future, a show on ITV offers an exciting glimpse of how it might come to look like when it comes to football. Tanzania Dream profiles young soccer players selected to join the elite Tanzania Soccer Academy. In interviews interspersed with shots of players showing off their skills, these young men speak about their aspirations of becoming world-class professionals. Under the tutelage of their English coach, the players get a footballing education that is unprecedented on these shores. The game is more than hard practices, they are told: training also includes guidelines on what players should eat and a scientific analysis that underpins the modern game. The transformation of Tanzanian football is compelling, and the audience is right there bearing witness thanks to ITV. The football conversation continues at TBC with the broadcasting of the European Champions League Preview magazine. However, frustratingly, it soon dawns on the viewer that the matches being previewed have already been played, shown on this very channel three weeks ago. How the program made into the air confounds belief, but so it goes. On Star TV the music magazine show is thankfully more up-to-date. ‘Bongo Beats’ features the rap star Joh Makini. The interview has a relaxed, street corner banter quality to it. The simple unpretentiousness makes it all the more compelling. Before we conclude this troll through TZ’s TV landscape, a word about Cable Television (CTN): what the hell are they doing? They seem to be using the space granted to them by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) like a Dar street billboard - steal other people’s hard work, in their case CNN or the BBC, and get advertisers to pay loads of money for it without lifting a finger to create original content. What is even more troubling is how they have managed to remain on air for so long while doing absolutely nothing to merit staying there. So what has half a day’s dedicated watching revealed? For one, it appears that NGOs are a bad influence in the arts in this country. Their dogmatic proselytizing of their agendas tends to stifle creativity, and children become vehicles of information dissemination instead of explorers of their imaginations. Also: investment in original content development is at best at its infancy, at worst, non-existent. This explains the predominance of Mexican telenovellas, South African Soaps and Nigerian films. Tanzanian television may be a little too deferential to outsiders yet, but it is on the way to find itself.

By mid-morning ITV is hosting its weekly omnibus of the longrunning South African soap, Isidingo, while a Mexican telenovella is occupying viewers over at Channel Ten. Meanwhile, following the news headlines at Star TV, a talk show about socio-political issues comes on. The guest- an economist from the University of Dar es salaam- goes on and on about mining and how it needs to replace agriculture as the number one source of income for majority of Tanzanians. Unfortunately, it is unclear how he proposes folks realize this grand ambition. As the morning fades and the early afternoon rolls in, a program on EATV catches the eye. Skonga is an original production, and it subscribes to a very basic formula. The presenter, a young-ish man named Alan Laki, goes around schools in Dar es Salaam and talks to students. That’s it. While on paper this may appear banal, on screen its effect is revelatory. Viewers get a refreshing and honest insight into SERENGETI ADVISERS

MEDIA

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SEPTEMBER 2009