Obama Nation

From Actualite Afrique - Africa News, I peeped the following article regarding Tanzania's reaction to President Obama's big win last week. 

Two things to note in this here news piece IMO: 1.) more than a lil' bit of pardoning the prez for not focusing more on Africa in his first four and *hoping* he will do so in the next, and 2.) a very pointed discussion about how Western politicians "graciously concede defeat" and "the huge transparency gap" in the way Western elections are run versus those in most African countries.  While these remarks could really be aimed at any African politician in any African country, they particularly bring to mind Raila Odinga who famously contested (probably rightly) Mwai Kibaki's 2007 presidential win in Kenya....to the detriment of the political stability of his country and the safety of his countrymen.

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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - U.S. President Barack Obama's re-election was the major story in Tanzanian newspapers this week but accompanying editorials focused on its ramifications on other parts of the world.  "As the world's strongest economy, not to mention its military might," wrote The Citizen, "the U.S. has the capacity to dictate a lot of what happens elsewhere across the globe."

The private daily recalled how Obama's 2008 victory at the polls was received with a lot of excitement in Africa, probably, because many regarded the president of the 'Big Brother' nation as "one of us" with his roots in Kenya.

Given Africa's generally parochial politics, where leaders tend to abashedly direct national resources to political supporters and their villages of origin, there was a belief that Obama would spoil the 'continent of his father.'

"It is clear that in the world's biggest democracy, matters are not run on the basis of the big man's whims.  It is American interests, and not the president's interests (and sentiments) that reign supreme," the paper explained. 

The Citizen said irrespective of who occupied the White House, the U.S. had specific areas of focus and "development partners" must not expect much simply because there is change or otherwise at the top of its administration.
 
"However, the executive's background and style of leadership must surely influence the implementation of initiatives that benefit recipient nations while serving American interests as well," the daily said.

Also, the paper pointed out that the American business, security and cultural dominance can be sustained only if poverty and social upheavals are put in check in other nations, including those in sub-Saharan Africa.
 
"That is why we expect President Obama will use his second and final tenure of office to boost partnership with developing nations in areas of health, poverty alleviation, and education.
 
"As he had aptly said in his 2008 acceptance speech, his victory was not about him, it was about 'us.'  And for a man who leads the country touted as 'the land of opportunity,' the pronoun 'us' is not just about Americans; it is about the world at large," The Citizen added.

Meanwhile, The Guardian pointed out that the U.S. electoral system was touted as the best in the world in terms of its openness in partying and campaign styles.  But just like any system, it may not be lacking its own demerits.

Yet there were many lessons that African countries and individual politicians could learn from the polls, said the daily, noting in particular how the loser graciously conceded defeat.
 
"What Africans may learn here is that the loser need not wait to be prodded into accepting defeat.  Even before Obama spoke, Mitt Romney had conceded defeat at his Boston campaign headquarters."

The paper quoted Romney saying: "This is time of great challenges for America; Republicans and Democrats should work together to avoid partisan bickering and political posturing....leaders should reach across the aisle to solve the nation's myriad problems....We look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics."

The Guardian also hailed Obama's statement as the re-elected president promised to work with leaders of both parties on national issues and discuss ways to 'move the country forward.'

"This is definitely a major lesson for African leaders.  Not every idea from an opponent is discarded.
 
"We see a difference that whereas many an African politician handed defeat would at this juncture plot to deny the process its logical run, the thoughts of the former rivals are engaged in plotting the way forward for their country," said the daily.

The paper, however, cautioned that any tampering with the electoral process should be challenged through formal mechanisms.

In addition, The Guardian observed a huge transparency gap between the way the U.S. elections were run and those held in most African countries, partly because of logistical bottlenecks.
 
"In our recent memories of presidential elections, we know that it was only in Ghana and in Zambia where orderly handover of power took place," the paper added.

Southern Comfort

Greetings, readers.  I hope you have all weathered the storm in stride.  It's been one week since Sandy and things are nearly back to normal for most of us in Manhattan, but it's a long road ahead for those on the islands: Staten, Coney, Long.  Here's hoping Mayor Bloomberg makes good on his word to restore as much as he can as quickly as possible. 

At any rate, I wanted to put out this lil' bloggy entry about my weekend in South Carolina last month.  Yes sir, I was indeed Lady Antebellum for a day or two.  It was great fun and a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of Yankee country.  I hope you enjoyed the photos of me in a kayak and weren't left scratching your heads too long as to the connection between water sports on the Waccamaw River to special needs education in East Africa.  It's all about to become clear. 

You’ve no doubt heard of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" of Titanic fame, but now it’s time you meet the "Indomitable Mary Gale" of Pawleys Island, SC, and more importantly, the International Association of Special Education.  Mary Gale Budzisz is the past president of IASE and has become a dear, dear friend of mine since we first met in 2009.  I had just begun the research for my project and was applying for an Echoing Green grant (which I would not receive) and by happy circumstance, I stumbled upon IASE and Mary Gale.  We had some email exchanges, then a phone conversation, and finally met each other face-to-face in Arusha when MG came to Tanzania to visit a project site that IASE was involved with at the time.  We have kept in touch ever since and are particularly in sync now that Toa Nafasi has risen from the ashes phoenix-like.

IASE is a fantastic organization, by the way, and I encourage all my readers to take a look at their newly revamped website and become a "friend" if possible.  Check them out here: www.iase.org.  Along with all the good work and awareness they bring to the issue of special needs education and learning differences in the United States, they run volunteer sites all over the globe in developing countries to bring that same work and awareness to places where these types of disabilities are unknown.  Mary Gale has been involved with projects in Bangladesh, India, Mexico, and Tanzanian neighbor Malawi where there is a similar project to Toa Nafasi.  So needless to say, knowing MG and being part of the IASE network has been a huge resource for me.  We have talked about collaborating on everything from recruiting volunteers to donating supplies and MG has already come through on one big "get": due to her familiarity with Curriculum Associates, the publisher of the Brigance assessment module, The Toa Nafasi Project will be the recipient of two donated assessment kits, worth several hundred dollars apiece!  So, lucky us and many thanks to Curriculum Associates, Brigance, IASE, and the indomitable MG!!

For a long time now, Mary Gale and I have long been planning my sojourn down to Pawleys to visit her, talk SPED, kayak, and "wear rags 'round our heads," and with me here in the States now and this project going great guns, we figured there was no better time than the present.  I flew from New York City into Charlotte and then to Myrtle Beach.  MG picked me up at the tiny Myrtle Beach airport and we headed to Pawleys, stopping at a local dive for some dinner.  The food was great (blackened Cajun fish and coleslaw), but the ambiance was even better.  The waitress named Louann or Louelle or some such variation was dressed in gold lame and seemed to be playing the part of a waitress named Louann or Louelle in a local dive in Pawleys Island, SC.  Every word that came out of her mouth was honey-coated.  (Example: "Can I get a green salad instead of potatoes, please?"  "You surely can, darlin' girl, comin' right up, sweetiepie, anythin' else, sugar?")  It was fantastic.  I know the South has a lot of issues but customer service ain't one of them.  Louann/elle was phenomenal.

Mary Gale lives in a lovely little cottage in a non-gated community with other lovely little cottages.  From the outside, they are all beautiful homes, each one a little different, but generally of the same aesthetic.  On the inside, however, I might venture to say MG's is quite different!  Fit for a modern-day Maasai, the whole abode is done up in shades of red and black with tokens from all her various travels.  There's little evidence of her husband Frank's taste anywhere except maybe in the TV room where the football paraphernalia is.  Otherwise, there was the guest bedroom where I slept for the first time ever on a water-bed (!); the gorgeous sun-drenched breakfast nook where we started our mornings with a bit of work and chatter over coffee; the living room, outfitted with black leather couches and Maasai wall hangings; and a stunning collection of vikapu in the kitchen.

 

 

 

On my first day, after doing a wee bit of work at the breakfast table, MG and I headed out to the marshlands of the Waccamaw River to get our kayak on – hence the photos from last week which show the start, middle, and finish of my virgin voyage.  Apparently, I did pretty well.  I didn’t tip over and only ran the nose of my kayak into the brush once….or twice….(actually MG doesn't know this because she was too far ahead but I dinged both my kayak and my paddle into a metal birdfeeder in a particularly narrow passage!)  Still, I think she was quite impressed and I was actually really glad we did it.  It was so peaceful and calm on the canals of the marsh with majestic cypress trees draped in Spanish moss - a real Cape Fear moment.  Navigating the river itself was a bit more precarious and I begged off after only about twenty minutes or so.  But we had a lot of fun, and I didn't see a single snake nor a gator neither!

 

 

Now, of course there has to be some funny little story here because this circumstance clearly BEGS for a funny little story (just as unlikely and potentially humorous as "Sarah in Africa" was in 2007, "Sarah in a kayak in South Carolina" is in 2012.)  As we were getting ready to go out on our kayaks, we came across a group of teenage boys hanging out on one of the little landing sites, no doubt preparing to engage in some nefarious behavior.  I was content to let them smoke their doobies or look at their Playboys in peace, but MG went right up to them and started asking them what their intentions were.  And I’m glad she did.  One of the youngsters, a certain Hamilton Tiller ("The ladies call me Hammy") had brought a BB gun to the marsh with him!  MG asked what he planned to shoot, maybe ducks or something, and he said, "Naw, just gonna shoot straight up in the air."  Well this did not sit too well with Mary Gale who, taking a seat with the boys at the landing, gave them a lesson in physics and how what goes up, well, it must come down again!  She also said that we would be kayaking out there and she didn’t want to have to be dodging bullets on what was an otherwise idyllic Saturday outing in October.  (At this point, I may have piped up and quipped something to the effect of "Yeah, and what a shame it would be for me to have come all this way from New York City just to get a cap in my ass in South Carolina."  Probably not all that helpful, I felt a little levity was called for as we were now all quite uncomfortable, me finding myself in the middle of the lecturing parental figure and the wayward adolescents, not knowing which side to be on!)  Finally, however, MG wrapped up her sermon and I asked the boys if they couldn't find other extracurricular activities to be involved in like track and field or Mathletes or something.  This suggestion was met with, "Wow, you really are from the North."

 

Throughout the duration of my trip, MG kept up her "indomitable" persona with an endless supply of one-liners.  They actually weren’t really one-liners since other than me, I don’t know anyone who likes to talk so much and about so many different things.  I tried to make note of some of the best zingers:

“We don’t get our trash collected out here, it's too far, but there’s a lovely little dump I like to go to.”

“I used to go to church but they pissed me off, collecting money for the pedophiles and all that.”

“Let me tell you about this place in Bangladesh I visited....Well, I can't say too much, but it was god-forsaken, I tell you.”

Thank goodness her husband Frank was a man of few words or the three of us would have talked ourselves silly all weekend long.  But Frank's passion is football not conversation and he had mapped out every college game on TV from sunrise to sunset before I even woke up in the morning.  Here’s a good shot of MG, Frank, and their bulldog Luka at the sliding door.

 

And here, dear Toto, is evidence we’re not in Manhattan anymore.  Down South, there definitely was not an Obama supporter for miles around but, political differences of opinion aside, I found every Southerner I met a belle or a dandy, and greetings in South Carolina were more than cursory, conversation more than passing.  It was actually a refreshing change from the brusqueness of the Yankee Northeast and reminiscent of Tanzanian affability.  I’ll note here that I did NOT engage in any politics or election talk with anyone for the entire 48 hours I was there.  Quite a feat for the Washington DC-born New York City-dweller.

On my last day, we went to the Pawleys Island beach and roamed about a little bit.  It was a gorgeous cloudless day and, though a little chilly, we could still walk in the surf barefoot.  We beachcombed but very few shells were to be found.  We did spot this starfish however with a strange orange spot on his head that we thought might be a wound.

That night we went to another typical down-home Southern spot for dinner and some live music, a place called The Pit, which was actually quite nice.  We sat outside and listened to a relatively famous local group called Ten Toes Up and I had my red wine and flirted with the boys in the band.  (Not really, but in my mind, I was pretending to be the bad preacher's daughter from Footloose.)  This didn't last long however as I am a.) thirtysomething, and b.) Jewish.  Also, MG wanted to get home to Frank and Luka.

Finally, just before I caught my flight out of Dixie, we had a quick lunch at the neighboring golf club.  Not too much to say about it, though it was another lovely day in Pawleys with good food and great company.  The whole trip was just a weekend jaunt but it was so much fun and such a departure from my usual NYC weekend activities that I felt compelled to share.  Plus, Mary Gale's name is sure to grace this blogsite again many times, so I wanted to put that out there.  I'm not sure what next week's entry will bring, but hopefully something good.  Good things seem to be the trend these days, hurricanes aside.  Until next time!!

Hurroween in the NYC

Well, I don't know if you can make out the pic below but that's basically what it looks like in real life as well as on camera.  It's a sign on my neighbor's door that she clearly posted before fleeing the scene, graciously leaving some sweet treats behind.  I don't want to call it "stygian darkness" as that might be a tad dramatic, and surely there's another circle of hell to be had somewhere....I just can't think of it now.

Hurricane Sandy made landfall in NYC around 6pm on Monday night and as I pooh-poohed her, she made me pay, oh yes, she did!  I went to bed amidst a light rainfall albeit fairly gusting winds and woke up in a near-post-apocalyptic nightmare.  Everything has been shut down below 26th Street for the past 72 hours.  EVERYTHING.  You can practically see tumbleweeds wafting across 7th Avenue.

Now, I'm not exactly a stranger to power outages having lived in rural Tanzania for nearly five years full-stop, so I know how to make do without electricity.  But I will say that this particular scenario of not having juice in a Western country is a bit surreal.  I suppose that when I'm living here in the States - and particularly this year, 2012, when I have been here more than I have in TZ - I do take for granted that things are supposed to work properly.  And quickly.  And without question.  When I'm in the Tanz, it's kind of become a foregone conclusion that some kind of snafu is going to occur whether it's natural disaster, bureaucratic chakachua, or tomfoolery of some other sort.  Hold-ups, run-arounds, and shenanigans of every type under the sun are not only not aberrations, they are the norm.

But Sandy is different than a TZ power outage as it has been a full three days of darkness with no abatement.  And worse than the dark is the cold.  Additionally, for the most part in TZ, power cuts are due to rationing rather than inclement weather though I've experienced the latter as well, particularly in the rainy season, a nuisance but ironically essential as TZ relies on hydro-electric power.  Still, though everyone in TZ complains bitterly about TANESCO, their response time to most of the issues seems immeasurably better than what we are experiencing with Sandy!  I get that New York has a much higher demand and more sophisticated electrical requirements than a small town in Kilimanjaro and I honestly don't mean to malign Con Ed or any other emergency personnel, but you would think that the powers-that-be would have a system in place for when these things occur.  Hapana.  Here we are in the greatest city in the world, the nexus of the universe, the place terrorized by King Kong and Godzilla, saved by Batman and Spidey, where Jay-Z experienced an empire state of mind, where Harry met Sally, where Rosemary had a baby, and where a tree grew in Brooklyn....I know there was nothing we could have done about the storm itself; I just wish we could have been a little more up to the task of getting up and running again, particularly in areas where there was no significant damage or destruction.

Anyway, though I may bemoan no internet, no television, no hot water, no refrigeration, no New York Sports Club, no Starbucks, no Halloween parade, and no New York City marathon for the next few days, I've actually been very lucky.  There is some serious suffering going on out there and the temperature is dropping.  So, a heartfelt pole sana to all those affected by this storm in any way and, hopefully by next week's post, things will be back to normal.  (My South Carolina kayaking entry is almost done, so you'll get to feast your eyes on that in a couple days.)

Be safe everybody!

Wait for It

Okay, so these photos don't make much sense without the background story, but time is tight this week and I won't get around to a full-blown post until the weekend.  So, until then, just bear with me, enjoy the following randomness, and trust that it will all come together in the end!

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Mwanzo (Beginning)

Kati (Middle)

Mwisho (End)

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory

Again, from The Tanzania Daily News out of Dar es Salaam, attention was paid recently to those at the crossroads of education and disability.  Can I say the stars are aligning??  Check it out:

Special Seats Member of Parliament, Mrs. Alshaymaa Kwegyir, has said that educating people with disabilities in the country is a viable investment that will help in national development.

Mrs. Kwegyir made the comments when closing a 14-day assistive technology training for people with visual impairment at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) that was sponsored by Sightsavers Tanzania.

She said that providing people with disabilities proper education will make them independent and be able to support themselves and their families.

"By giving people with disabilities handouts, it only makes them dependent and appear like a burden to society, but if we invest in educating them, then we will be making progress in efforts to bring development to our country," she said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Sightsavers Tanzania Project Manager, Mr. Enock Mangasini, said that the training this year follows a similar session as last year where fifteen people with visual impairment were trained on how to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

He said that it is heartening to see that this year, twenty-seven people were able to receive the training, noting that even more promising is the fact the trainers this year were those who themselves graduated in last year's training.

"This is promising and we hope that those who benefited from this year's program will go and spread the knowledge acquired far and wide," he said.  Mr. Mangasini was speaking on behalf of Sightsavers Tanzania Director, Dr. Ibrahim Kabole.

Sightsavers plans to train between 200 and 300 people with visual disabilities to be able use computers in the next four years.  The not-for-profit organization has pledged to continue supporting people with visual impairment by financing and providing equipment for three resource centers at Makalala Primary School in Mafinga, Iringa region, OUT and Tanzania League for the Blind (TLB) premises.

Graduates of the training program were also handed laptops fitted with assistive technology that best suit their needs as people with visual impairment.  Sightsavers promised to continue supporting similar training and called for other stakeholders to support the initiative.

OUT Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tolly Mbwette, said that this training and that of last year have been eye openers to many individuals that ICT is possible for visually impaired individuals.  "I am calling upon both national and international organizations to facilitate training like this one which have far reaching implications as they keep disability and persons with disabilities high on the agenda," he said.

In a speech read on his behalf by the OUT Deputy Vice Chancellor (Personnel), Prof. Martin Victor said such training helps society widen knowledge and understanding of disabilities and persons with disabilities in both training and using ICT services as well as get rid of stigmatization and negative attitudes towards people with disabilities.

In addition to OUT and TLB, the training was also supported by Tanzania Education Authority and Freedom Electronics dealers of Samsung products in the country.

It's Official!

The Yankees have won the American League East....

....and....

....The Toa Nafasi Project is a bona fide 501c3 tax-exempt charitable organization!

 

Another Worthy Example....?

Is it possible that, so closely on the heels of my recent entry about inclusive education in Liberia, a school in Tanzania has followed suit?  And, if so, how amazeballs is that??!!  And even more amazeballs, if that is at all possible, is this quote from a disabled student at that school: disability is not inability.  I think I may have to bite that for Toa Nafasi's promotional materials.  Four very powerful words indeed.

From The Tanzania Daily News, a recent article reports the following regarding a government secondary school at which Mheshimiwa Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania himself, once taught:

The Board Chairperson of Pugu Secondary School has promised to work on all challenges facing disabled students at the school.  Lieutenant Dr. Edward Masala mentioned some of the challenges as shortage of water, ill-equipped laboratory and library, and lack of facilities for disabled students.  The school has 65 disabled students.

"We have to provide them with good facilities to create an enabling and conducive learning environment for them like other students," he said.  Lieutenant Dr. Masala was giving his keynote address during a Form Four graduation ceremony held at the school on Thursday.  He commended the graduates for behaving well before sitting for their final examinations scheduled early October this year, calling upon them to avoid using mobile phones during class hours.  The headmaster of the school, Mr. Rukonge Mwero, said education was their heritage before urging them to thoroughly prepare for the coming exams.

One of the graduates, Ezekiel Mgaya (20), who is disabled, said he was happy to graduate because it shows that disability is not inability.  He urged the public to support disabled students in order to make themselves independent, something which will be beneficial not only to them but also to the nation at large.

A total of 107 students, three of them disabled, graduated yesterday.  Pugu Secondary School was among the most popular schools in the 1970s and 1980s, having produced prominent politicians and professionals including the former President Benjamin Mkapa.  The "Father of the Nation," the late Mwalimu Nyerere, also taught at the school.