Delegates to the Tanzania Diaspora Conference listen to The President of the United Republic of Tanzania Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete delivering his speech at the Fantasy Land Resort in Edmonton, Canada
A historical moment as Tanzanians in Canada come together under one roof for the conference
"...Thank you Your Excellency for gracing this occasion..."
Ok let's have our photo taken
Happy Tanzanians are delighted to unite
All the way from Washington DC is Mr Phanuel Peter Ligate who is delighted to be here with His Excellency as he represents Tanzania Diaspora in the USA
The Director General of the National Social Security Fund Dr Ramadhan Dau (left) with his team are in town for the conference, ready to introduce the now popular WESTADI Scheme to the \Tanzanian Diaspora in Canada
President Kikwete with the NSSF delegation led by its Chairman of the fund's Board of Directors, Mr Abubakar Rajabu (left)
Happy to be here
We Love you Mr President...
Awesome to having you around Mheshimiwa....
Smiles all around as President Kikwete is mobbed by the excited delegates
Hohohohohoooo You have made our day sir
Now, why should I remove my shades...? Just click...
"....Hey mom and dad, when will youi take me to our motherland...?
Just can't wait to take the next plane to Tanzania
Smile guys...
President Kikwete with Taarab King Mzee Yusuf (right) and Bongo Fleva guru Profesa J
Peace, says the DJ of the night and organising commitee member
Oh what a night....
When you guys are done, dinner will be served....Just tell us when
Guess its time to migrate back home...
Is this really happening....?
Wonder if the videographers will do the needful
Who said minus 2 is chilly?
sigh...
Another round of applause please.. Hey AICC boss clap some more
I could spend the whole week here....
Now, when is dinner served?
Mr Pres is awesome, man!
Hi!
Now, why did I have to leave so early as Balozi in Tanzania...
No worries, we are one
Roses are red....
This is what am talking about...
Songas boss in the House!
Oh, let the night stretch on..
Hey, some guy is taking our photo here....
Tanzania investment Centre's boss Mr Mbilinyi ready to woo back home Tanzania Diaspora
Makofi tafadhali...
Zanzibar will love this, don't you think so Mr Elibahati?
Bird's eye view
"Mom.. when will my cake be cut?
We are Bongolanders in Canada!
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| Mzee Yusuf and profesa J mobbed by fans at their table |
National Anthems
Mhhhh..... I can smell dinner
Guys remember home sweet home. East or West home is best...
4 comments:
It sure is nice to see previous Tanzanians get together.
It is however high time to bring to the attention of all Tanzanians and the world that in 1971, Mr Nyerere and his government nationalized properties of fellow Tanzanians who happened to be of different ethinic group; these people were 2nd or 3rd generation Tanzanians; worked very hard and developed the interior of Tanganyka;build railwaylines; developed trade; also gave their lives doing that; they were the economic force of Tanzania and then suddenly their assets were taken away WITHOUT COMPANSATION. This was not fair and to me was like Aparthetide againt non black population. Now these people have become overseas citizen; successful people and thus it would take any President to request these successful people to return to Tanzania.
I think the government of Tanazania should not "HIDE" from this injustice done to their fellow "Tanzanians"of non black origin; the government should address this and apologise to these group of people who lost everything and also consider compensation for nationalising their properties. Nationalising their properties and verbal redicule from the leaders, made these people leave Tanzaniais; A "BLACK SPOT" in the history of Tanzania.
Returning to Tanzania - what assurance we have that same thing will not happen again.
Historians should write about this history so that the new Tanzanian generation can realise what injustice was carried out by Mr Nyerere's government in 1971 and draw their own conclusion.
We still have a "bitter taste" in our mouth about Tanzania. Sorry Mr President.
Open Letter to Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania
PART 1
Mr. President, welcome to Edmonton and to the Tanzanian Diaspora Conference you plan to address.
The stated intent of the conference is to get the Tanzanian diaspora to become engaged in the socio-economic development of Tanzania. You have publicly championed such an engagement ever since you were the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I have many questions and concerns on how hospitable your country is to such an engagement.
Let me first give you a little background about me and my family, and some of my observations about our adopted countries. That will put in better perspective my questions and concerns.
My family, relatives, friends and I immigrated to the U.S. or Canada in the late 60s and early 70s. All of us left Tanzania under unpleasant circumstances, and came here with almost no material possessions, but we did bring with us something extremely valuable – a zest for hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit, an unwavering determination to succeed and a fanatical desire to provide better lives for our yet unborn children.
We were welcomed with open arms in our adopted countries and the generosity offered us by strangers was unbelievable, for which we are eternally grateful. The only thing our adopted countries are asking of us in return is good citizenship, nothing more.
What struck us most upon arrival was the recognition of the freedoms availed to us, the corruption-free judiciary, government bureaucracy and law enforcement agencies, and the sacrosanct property rights. We were also surprised to see something very unfamiliar: a bright line demarcation between the affairs of political parties and the day-to-day affairs of the government, the separation of powers between the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches of the government, and laws supported by a culture engrained to be tolerant to dissenting views, no matter how abhorrent or distasteful those views may be. I classify all these matters in a category called intangible infrastructure.
.....continued
PART 2
Now we are no longer awestruck by the rights and privileges emanating from this intangible infrastructure. We take them for granted, and our children and grandchildren don’t know anything different.
I firmly believe that a whole range of conditions are necessary for people to thrive and succeed, and a strong intangible infrastructure is one absolute requirement. Our adopted countries offer us a strong foundation of those necessary conditions. In such a climate, we succeeded in businesses and other endeavors beyond our wildest dreams, and when we failed, the failure was entirely self-inflicted. We are proud to see our children and grandchildren march down a similar path.
It pains me to see that the country of my birthplace, almost 50 years after independence, has failed to create the conditions necessary for a thriving economy, depriving millions of its citizens the inalienable right of self-actualization. A few comparative statistics highlight this very painful situation.
...continued
Part 3
Fifty years ago, Singapore, a country devoid of natural resources, had a per capita GDP about on par with that of Tanzania. Today, Singapore’s per capita GDP is about 40 times that of Tanzania. Even North Korea, hardly a country to benchmark against or emulate, has a per capita GDP about 20% greater than that of Tanzania.
We gave up our Tanzanian citizenship many decades ago. Reclaiming that citizenship would be tantamount to a treasonous act against our adopted countries which have offered us so much and asked for so little in return. Our loyalties to our adopted countries are unwavering. However, many of us are always on the lookout for new business opportunities, and, like any businessman, we evaluate our opportunities, in part, based on past experiences in similarly situated circumstances. We are not necessarily the size of multinationals, but together we can become a force multiplier to rival them.
Mr. President, with that as a background, please allow me to ask you questions on three topics.
In the late 60s and early 70s, during President Nyerere’s reign, property rights were trampled on under the decades-long misguided ujamma policy. Under unjust laws, my family’s businesses and properties were nationalized without compensation or due process. The Asian community, many third or fourth generation children of immigrants to Tanzania, felt the brunt of this xenophobic misguided nationalization policy. We strongly believe we are entitled to a long-overdue, just and fair compensation. Do you have a mechanism in place, arbitrated by a neutral third party, to unconditionally compensate the legitimate owners for these unjust actions?
Reports from our few remaining relatives in Tanzania suggest that corruption, deeply embedded in just about all levels of the government, has been rampant for many decades, and has got worse from the early 70s. In such a climate, why would investors want to even consider investing in Tanzania?
Property rights are weak and the rights that exist cannot always be counted on to be enforced by the often corrupt judiciary. Those of us who were burned once by the unjust, uncompensated confiscation of our properties, would want to see strengthened property rights, the unfettered free movement of capital and an honest judiciary before we risk investing in Tanzania. When do you expect to change your legal system and strengthen the property rights to the level we are so used to and take for granted in our adopted countries?
Mr. President, there is a benefit to engaging the diaspora, but your timing is completely premature.
You need to first focus on unburdening your citizens of the unwarranted albatross the successive failed governments have shackled them with for the past 50 years. Once the necessary intangible infrastructure is in place, the resulting hospitable conditions will let your citizens unleash their long suppressed talents and ambitions, and your country will march down the path to exponential economic growth.
You will be pleasantly surprised to see the foreign investors that then follow. I will happily be one of those investors.
M. Jiwani
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