Tanzanians' Gripe

The other day I was in Tanzania on a a business mission. I travelled to the coast of the country and found myself in Bongo(this is swahili for brain.This is the name given to Dar es Salaam, the country's business hub, implying that you've got to use your brains to survive here).

This particular day was exceptionally hot(but I was made to understand that this was the 'normal' weather of the place). To avoid an 'involuntary' sun tan(what am I saying? My dark complexion beggars description!) I decided to spend some two or three hours in a certain restaurant before going about what had taken me to Dar es Salaam in the first place.

I took a table at a corner, ordered a drink and a local English daily. I nursed the drink as the contents of the daily paper gave my eyes something to look at.

My peace and quiet was 'forcefully' intruded upon by the voices of some three young men who sat at a table a few metres from mine. I folded the newspaper and furtively cast them a glance.

The threesome were well groomed and the subject of their engrossed conversation forced me to pay even more attention. One of them was saying: "There are so many Ugandans, Kenyans and Congolese in our country. They are taking up every opportunity that would have helped us Tanzanians." One of the other two interjected, "They are surely a pain in the ****!" We Tanzanians are like tourists in our own country." The last one quipped, rather rhetorically, "Most employers want to employ these guys. If it is school, we've gone to school and have an education. Maybe even a better education than most of those who come here. What do they have that we don't, anyway!"

By this time I was wide-eyed and straining my ears to get every word, fullstop, exclamation, all. I was to learn later that many a Tanzanian thinks on the same lines as these three guys. Their discussion of foreigners in their country is, most of the time, negative.

They see them(guys from other countries especially neighbouring ones) as people who've come to 'steal their opportunities'. This is highly unlikely. one can never steal an opportunity. An opportunity is taken advantage of. Simply 'lapped up'. opportunities are quite evasive 'creatures'. When they are not taken up the moment they present themselves, then the next thing is you realise they've done the disappearing act.

My word of advice to Tanzanians: If people from other countries do see the innumerable opportunities that your country has to offer, open your eyes and see them too! The more you continue complaining, the more you close your eyes to the opportunities.