Tanzania can benefit from strategic investment in national pride

Tanzania can benefit from strategic investment in national pride

Travelling to a few places so far, I discovered that the Tanzanian passport can change the way one is treated at airports and international borders. While my looks and haircut have a few times suggested that I come from a different angle of Africa, showing my passport changed ‘the atmospheric pressure’ of those moments.

A few times, my luggage was shallowly searched, and I was told, “We know Tanzanians, they don’t get in trouble here.” On one occasion a young immigration officer at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France said: “I’m done with the checks, but I must tell you, I love this passport, it is colourful.” He admitted it was his first time laying hands on a Tanzanian passport. He particularly found the tourist attractions advertised on the passport pages stunning and unique.

Many people out there hold us Tanzanians, collectively, in high regard. We are respected and loved as people with integrity. There is the extant historical aspect of this, especially with citizens of countries Tanzania helped in the past. But there are also present-time experiences of other people with Tanzanians across the world. The subjective experiences can be different from one individual to another, and there is as well some room for error. However, the overall picture of Tanzania and Tanzanians is objectively leaning strongly on the positive. Certainly, those who travelled years back laid the foundation for the reputation we have abroad and overseas today.

In these days of the internet, I have concluded that our good name has long gone before us. Our fame has reached far more than we can think. A quick question on Google “What are Tanzanians like?” comes with answers like: “Tanzanians are extremely friendly, welcoming and laid back, with very few specific rules to follow”; “The majority of Tanzanians are very friendly”, “Tanzanians are polite and considerate”; and “Tanzanians have a strong sense of national pride.” It is the last one that today’s discussion centres on.

Globally today, ideologies thrive by infusing them in young people. In countries where young people have a global audience at their disposal, they grow up expressing any ideas that have been given to them. It is not uncommon to see Chinese children shedding tears while singing their national anthem, or hearing American children expressing strongly their passion for their country. That is exactly how strongly such has been communicated to them.

While for Tanzanians, this sense of patriotism and national pride has probably developed naturally over the years, there is a need for strategic investment into it in order to march at pace with the circumstances of this time, lest we are overtaken. Today countries and different organisations in the world work to make young people develop loyalty to what they offer. It is more like how celebrities build their fanbase.

There are two aspects to undertaking this. Firstly, young people as soon as they start learning, need to be taught our national values and our patriotic practices. They should not only be taught to memorize them. But rather, to understand them, experience them, feel them, and cherish them dearly.

In the same regard, young Tanzanians should be progressively informed that we as a nation despite our not being the richest, are ‘outstanding’ in our values, and do not linger in mediocrity, we are ‘different’, we are ‘contented’, we are ‘beyond price tags,’ and we have goals and dreams to achieve.

Quick action is needed to rescue those who grow up in the country but do not hold Tanzania dear. Many young people are proud of popular cultures or even other countries, languages, etc. because of the exposure they have had through films, music, the internet, etc. which do not necessarily portray the real life of people in those countries.

There are chances that they will gradually cherish the values of those countries which are sometimes different to what we cherish as Tanzanian people. As such, investing strategically in infusing patriotism and national pride will go a long way to remedy such situations.

Nonetheless, the perception of adults massively influences how young people grow up thinking about their countries. If adults are only heard saying negative things about the country, that is what children internalize. They may not say it like the adults, but that shapes their thought and perception as well.

Living in Nigeria during my adolescence, I so often heard people saying, as if with regret: “You cannot make it in this country!” There was truly a high unemployment level then, and there were graduates who did jobs no one will expect them to. This influenced how my contemporaries and myself thought about the future. It kept ringing in our heads. Whenever I just sat to think about my future, I heard this imaginary whisper again and again: “You cannot make it in this country!” We can prevent situations similar to this by speaking positive things about our country.

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Tanzania Confirms Second Marburg Outbreak After WHO Chief Visit
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Tanzania Confirms Second Marburg Outbreak After WHO Chief Visit

Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus, confirming a single case in the northwestern region of Kagera after a meeting with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The confirmation follows days of speculation about a possible outbreak in the region, after the WHO reported a number of deaths suspected to be linked to the highly infectious disease.

While Tanzania’s Ministry of Health declared last week that all suspected cases had tested negative for Marburg, the WHO called for additional testing at international reference laboratories.

“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”Amelia Clemence, public health researcher

Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at Kagera’s Kabaile Mobile Laboratory and confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one positive case, while 25 other suspected cases tested negative, the president told a press conference in Dodoma, in the east of the country today (Monday).

“The epicentre has now shifted to Biharamulo district of Kagera,” she told the press conference, distinguishing this outbreak from the previous one centred in Bukoba district.

Tedros said the WHO would release US$3 million from its emergencies contingency fund to support efforts to contain the outbreak.

Health authorities stepped up surveillance and deployed emergency response teams after the WHO raised the alarm about nine suspected cases in the region, including eight deaths.

The suspected cases displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg infection, including headache, high fever, diarrhoea, and haemorrhagic complications, according to the WHO’s alert to member countries on 14 January. The organisation noted a case fatality rate of 89 per cent among the suspected cases.

“We appreciate the swift attention accorded by the WHO,” Hassan said.

She said her administration immediately investigated the WHO’s alert.

“The government took several measures, including the investigation of suspected individuals and the deployment of emergency response teams,” she added.

Cross-border transmission

The emergence of this case in a region that experienced Tanzania’s first-ever Marburg outbreak in March 2023 has raised concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly following Rwanda’s recent outbreak that infected 66 people and killed 15 before being declared over in December 2024.

The situation is particularly critical given Kagera’s position as a transport hub connecting four East African nations.

Amelia Clemence, a public health researcher working in the region, says constant vigilance is required.

“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”

The Kagera region’s ecosystem, home to fruit bats that serve as natural reservoirs for the Marburg virus, adds another layer of complexity to disease surveillance efforts.

The virus, closely related to Ebola, spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.

Transparency urged

Elizabeth Sanga, shadow minister of health for Tanzania’s ACT Wazalendo opposition party, says greater transparency would help guide public health measures.

“This could have helped to guide those who are traveling to the affected region to be more vigilant and prevent the risk of further spread,” she said.

WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says early notification of investigation outcomes is important.

“We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response,” she said, noting that existing national capacities built from previous health emergencies could be quickly mobilised.

The situation coincides with leadership changes in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, with both the chief medical officer and permanent secretary being replaced.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Source: allafrica.com

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