ASHDEN AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

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Company Zara Solar of Tanzania won first prize in the Africa Award category of the world’s leading green energy awards this year. All award winners, including Zara Solar representative Mohamedrafik A. Parpia, were received at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London by former US Vice President Al Gore. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Ashden Awards personally congratulated them in a separate private ceremony.

zara_solarA man stands in front of his solar home system- Photo Ashden Awards www.ashdenawards.org

Zara Solar provide high-quality, reliable solar-home-systems to areas in the North of Tanzania around Mwanza particularly those which are not connected to the electrical grid. Continue reading →

TANZANIA IN THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

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NEW AFRICAN in its May issue included an interview under the heading ‘Jakaya Kikwete – SADC cannot abandon Zimbabwe.’ The first question was: “You have been to Europe twice in recent months. Did Zimbabwe come up in your discussions with European leaders?” Reply: “Oh yes. Everywhere. The US, Europe, the Nordic countries. Zimbabwe is a big story of huge interest. There is a lot of dissatisfaction in Europe and beyond on what is going on in Zimbabwe and they see President Mugabe as some kind of devil. They think that we in Africa should have done something to have him removed….. But we have been saying: fine, you can condemn when something is not going right but our approach has been to say let’s talk about the issues”. Continue reading →

MISCELLANY

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A series of some 10 earth tremors including one estimated at 5.9 on the Richter scale hit northern Tanzania between July 12 and 18. They were close to the Ol Doinyo Lengai mountain, an active volcano on the floor of the Rift Valley The last major eruption was in 1966. No major damage was reported, but several of the tremors caused panic in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, when buildings shook violently. Workers were evacuated from several high-rise buildings in Nairobi as uncertainty spread. The tremors also affected Arusha where the building housing the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was evacuated on 17 July – IRIN. Continue reading →

OBITUARIES

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AMinaPress coverage of the death of Amina Chifupa – photo Issa Michuzi

The death of Amina Chifupa on 26th June 2007 caused a large outpouring of grief in the press and among ordinary Tanzanians. Aged only 26 and a Special Seats MP representing the ruling CCM’s youth wing, Umoja wa Vijana, Amina was something of a celebrity and her colourful life had been closely followed in the media.

Amina died some days after being admitted to the Lugalo Military Hospital in Dar es Salaam from what was described as complications from diabetes and malaria, although some speculation surrounded the exact cause of her death.
Thousands of people from all walks of life gathered at the last rites ceremony in Dar es Salaam, including veteran politician Mzee Rashid Mfaume Kawawa, the Chief Sheikh, Mufti Shaaban Simba, as well as musicians and media celebrities.

President Jakaya Kikwete described Amina as a fearless girl who staunchly stood for the truth. ‘Many of us will remember Amina for her contribution to debate in Parliament and elsewhere in society, notably among the youth. She was strong, creative and always ready to stand for the welfare of the youth and the nation at large’

In an unprecedented move, the National Assembly was adjourned for the whole day and the Speaker announced that he would be leading a delegation of more than 30 MPs from Dodoma to Dar es Salaam for the last rites, and later to the burial at Amina’s mother’s home village of Lupemba Village, Njombe District in Iringa Region

In her remarks, Special Seats Representative Zahara Ali Hamad (CUF) said the death had robbed Tanzania of a fully dedicated leader who during her short tenure in the public service did a lot for the nation.

‘Most of the legislators fear to speak the truth, particularly when it comes to drug abuse and trafficking, but Amina feared nobody. The government should honour her by making sure that it fights drug trafficking even more vigorously’ he noted.

Amina was born on May 20, 1981 and attended primary school in Mwanza. She completed her schooling in Dar-es-Salaam in 2001. Soon after that, she worked with the Dar es Salaam-based Radio Clouds FM as a broadcaster. She held the post until she ventured into politics in 2005 through the CCM youth wing.

REVIEWS

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Edited by John Cooper-Poole
Our reviews pages have often featured books distributed by African Books Collective [ABC]. This is an organisation of 114 independent and autonomous African publishers from 18 countries. It is non-profit making, commercially self-sufficient, and receives support from funding agencies for development of publishing capacity in Africa. ABC stocks largely English language titles in 56 subject disciplines. Some 150 new titles are added each year. There is an emphasis on scholarly and academic books, literature, and general culture titles. There are a small number of children’s titles in Swahili, and some titles in French. If you would like to receive monthly new title email announcements from ABC please send an email to Justin Cox – email address available from editor

BANAGI HILL, A GAME WARDENS’S AFRICA. John Blower. Librario Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-904440-35-5. pp 303. Can be ordered at www.librario.com or from Brough House, Milton Brodie, Kinloss, Moray IV36 2UA. Tel. 01343 850617. £11.99.
This book is a good read. It is a saga of one man’s life and work in the “old” Africa of the 1950’s and 60’s. As well as bringing back many nostalgic memories to those who were John’s contemporaries, it will also appeal to others who prefer their adventures second-hand. I knew John and the Serengeti back in 1953-4 when I was District Officer Musoma in which district Banagi lay, and I remember many of the places and people he mentions. I find it interesting that though the book is entitled Banagi Hill, his experiences in this area occupy only seventy pages of the book and the author only spent four years there. But it was a wonderful area and I for one understand his evident love of the place. If he were to go back there today, he might be disappointed, for there is now a luxury tourist resort nearby at Seronera, and the area swarms with tourists. Continue reading →

TANZANIAN TAKES TOP UN JOB

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Tanzanians felt proud when they learnt that the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Asha-Rose Migiro, had been appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the UN. The Guardian wrote: This is a pointer to her personal skills and experience in world politics coupled with her country`s dynamic internal and foreign policies…indeed, she adds to the list of Tanzanian `super stars` on the international social, economic and political scene. President Kikwete named former Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals Bernard Membe as the new Foreign Minister.

Asha-Rose MigiroAsha Rose Migiro, recently appointed Deputy Secretary General of the UN

CCM STILL POPULAR

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President Kikwete and his ruling CCM party have lost none of their popularity on the mainland judging by the results of the parliamentary by-election held in Tunduru on March 18. CCM candidate, Mtutura Abdallah Mtutura, got 35,876 (64%) of the votes. Of the opposition parties CUF got 32%, CHADEMA 3.8%, the United Democratic Party (UDP) 0.22% and the Democratic Party 0.18 %. The by-election was held to fill the vacancy left by the death of the former MP who had died of injuries sustained in a plane crash in Mbeya.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced in February that it would not allow private candidates to be nominated for elections in spite of a High Court ruling a year earlier which stated that this was unconstitutional. NEC Chairman Judge Lewis Makame said the High Court decision directed the government to prepare a legal system which would help private candidates to take part in elections. According to article 30 (5) of the country’s constitution, the rule which does not allow private candidates ‘shall remain in force until the time cited by the High Court is over’ – Guardian.