Levels, Causes and Consequences of the Fear Phenomena: Findinngs from a Pilot Study in Tanzania

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Tanzania is the most democratic nation in the East Africa region although according to UNDP n d popular attitudes towards democratic practice in the country are ambivalent Sunday Citizen 15 01 2012 A comparative civic study done by Riutta 2007 concluded that Tanzanians were generally interested in politics Despite this there is also a sense that citizens do not get the chance to truly engage in the political process for several reasons includng fear apathy and domination by a single party for a good part of the country s political history Citizens often lack awareness of their rights and how these rights can be voiced and channelled into the government system Indeed according to critical analysts Chaligha et al 2002 Schellschmidt 2006 Jensen 2010 Tanzanian villages are more used to receiving government directives than being involved in making decisions that involve the government In 1993 the renowned judge Lugakingira had occasion to observe that Tanzanins found contentment in being receivers rather than seekers and hinted that over the years since independence Tanzanians have developed a culture of apathy and silence Lugakingira 1993 Lange et al 2000 found that the culture of silence that developed during one-party rule seemed to prevail and apparently there was no culture of voicing discontent not to mention taking action An African Afrobarometer Survey of 2002 concluded that Tanzanians exhibited a high level of patience which was manifested through uncritical and passive acceptance of the status quo Chaligha et al op cit The survey went on to claim that there was a tendency among Tanzanians to accept whatever their leaders gave them resulting in a paradox whereby trust in government institutions and satisfaction with the performance of political leaders endured even if people were disgruntled The same survey found that civic compete

Religion and the State in Tanzania

For the first two decades of independence Tanzania enjoyed an apparently tolerant and cordial religious climate. But since the departure of the father of the nation, Julius Nyerere from active politics in 1985 deepening religious tensions and strains began to emerge not only between the state and major religions in the country but also inter and intra-religious strife became common. Since then the country has witnessed deepening state-religious tensions and inter- and intra-religious schisms and conflicts. This paper outlines the contentious relations between the two main religious faiths (Islam and Christianity) vis-à-vis the state since colonial times (German and British) to the seemingly tranquil ujamaa period and the more contentious post- liberalisation era. Key words: Tanganyika; Tanzania; German; British; Colonial; Religion; State; Relations; Christianity; Islam Resumé: Pour les deux premières décennies de l'indépendance, la Tanzanie a connu une atmosphère religieuse apparemment tolérante et chaleureuse. Mais depuis le départ du Père de la nation, Julius Nyerere des politiques actives en 1985, des tensions et des souches religieuses ont commencé à émerger. Les aggravations sont apparues entre l'Etat et les grandes religions dans le pays, et les conflits inter et intra-religieux sont devenu communs. Depuis, le pays a été témoin de l'approfondissement des tensions état-religieuses, des schismes et des conflits inter-et intra-religieux. Le présent article décrit les relations controversées entre les deux principales confessions religieuses (Islam et christianisme) vis-à-vis de l'Etat depuis l'époque coloniale (Allemagne et Angleterre) jusqu'à la période apparemment tranquille d'Ujamaa et l'ère post-coloniale la plus controversée . Mots-clés: Tanganyika; Tanzanie; Allemagne; Angleterre; Colonial; Religion; Etat; Relations; Christianisme; Isla

Livelihood Opportunities Through Informal Housing in the New Capital City of Dodoma, Tanzania

Between March 2008 and March 2009 we conducted a desk study and field work on informal and low cost housing endeavours undertaken by building artisans in the new capital city of Dodoma in Tanzania. The study focused on the livelihood opportunities that can be derived from the informal housing building sub-sector as semi-skilled artisans’ grapple with the realities of unmet housing needs of the designated capital city of Tanzania. The argument is that there is a market for construction of low-cost housing in informal settlements in the new capital city even though these settlements are beset with problems of lack of legal tenure, poor infrastructure and sanitation. It is further argued that informal construction work offers possibilities for employment and income earning for semi-skilled artisans. It was felt that a detailed study of informal housing building would provide a better understanding of the key factors and trends affecting the livelihood opportunities of people in the sub-sector and the expectation was that the findings would enlighten on the phenomenon and stimulate policy debates on how the sub-sector can be developed sustainably considering the fate of those concerned. The results show that the sub-sector could contribute immensely in the construction of the new capital city as well as improving the livelihoods of the practitioners if only they were well organised in cooperatives, enabled capacity-wise and training and given legal recognition. Key words: Artisan; Building; Capital; City; Dodoma; Informal; Housing; Livelihoods; Policies; Poverty; Settlements; Sub-sector; SWOT; Tanzania; Theory; Urbanisation; VulnerabilityRésuméEntre Mars 2008 et Mars 2009, nous avons mené une étude théorique et travail de terrain sur le logement informel et peu de coûts efforts entrepris par la construction des artisans dans la nouvelle capitale de Dodoma en Tanzanie. L'étude a porté sur les moyens de subsistance qui peut être dérivé de la construction de logements informels sous-secteur de s'attaquer semi-qualifiés des artisans avec les réalités des besoins de logement non satisfaits de la capitale désigné de la Tanzanie. L'argument est qu'il ya un marché pour la construction de logements à bas prix dans des établissements informels dans la nouvelle capitale, même si ces établissements sont en proie à des problèmes de manque de tenure légale, la médiocrité des infrastructures et l'assainissement. Il est en outre soutenu que les travaux de construction informelle offre des possibilités d'emploi et de revenus pour les artisans semi-qualifiés. On a estimé qu'une étude détaillée de la construction de logements informels permettrait une meilleure compréhension des facteurs clés et les tendances affectant la possibilités de subsistance des populations dans le sous-secteur et l'attente était que les résultats seraient éclairer sur le phénomène et de stimuler les débats politiques sur comment le sous-secteur peut être développé de façon durable considérer le sort des personnes concernées. Les résultats montrent que le sous-secteur pourrait contribuer énormément à la construction de la nouvelle capitale, ainsi que l'amélioration de la subsistance des praticiens, si seulement ils étaient bien organisés en coopératives, ont permis le renforcement des sages et de formation et une reconnaissance juridique.Mots-clés: Artisan; Bâtiment; Capitaux; Ville; Dodoma; Informelles; Logement; Les moyens de subsistance; Les politiques; La pauvreté; Les colonies; Sous-secteur; SWOT; Tanzanie; Théorie; L'urbanisation; La vulnérabilit

The Minorities of Indian Origin in Tanzania

Historical background Indians were part of Tanzanian society long before Tanzania appeared on the world map as a nation in the 1960s. For centuries, trade between the Indian continent and East Africa was controlled by the pace of the monsoon winds and was at times dangerous for tradesmen. The main trade items that were transported by dhows included cotton fabrics, ivory and spices. Before Arabs occupied the East African Coast where they introduced a new architecture by constructing strong tow..

The development activities, values and performance of non-governmental and faith-based organizations in Magu and Newala districts, Tanzania

In Tanzania, a 'civil society sector' with roles in governance and development is a recent, largely externally-driven phenomenon superimposed on previously existing social and religious organizations. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are imagined to be 'close to the poor' and therefore better at implementing 'development' activities and playing a role in democratization. This study examined the position and role of religious organizations within a wider range of CSOs at the local level in two rural districts (Magu, prosperous, largely Christian and Newala, remote, poor, largely Muslim), to assess whether faith-based organizations play a significant and distinctive role in development

Faith in forms: civil society evangelism and development in Tanzania

This paper examines the position and role of religious organisations within a wider range of civil society organisations (CSOs) in two districts in Tanzania. We argue that where development agendas are externally generated and civil society is driven by supply-side factors, religious organisations are not very different from other CSOs. Whether faith adherence and religious values and beliefs lead to different kinds of development outcomes is open to question, partly because most Tanzanians claim some kind of religious motivation and partly because there are probably very few institutional settings in which religious attitudes do not have some kind of influence