Tanzania: Tutafika
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Local/Global Encounters
Tanzania: Tutafika1
AIDAN EYAKUZE
ABSTRACT Aidan Eyakuze narrates the experience of the Tanzania Scenarios project and its contribution in establishing grounds for personal and collective engagement by Tanzanians from various walks of life. He explores how the scenarios have been used to open up conversations about difficult issues in the public realm and the reactions that this has provoked. More specifically, he explores issues of self-identity and how this might impact the collective future Tanzanians face. Eyakuze was one of the lead local conveners working voluntarily for the Tanzania scenario project organized by the Society for International Development. KEYWORDS engagement; identity; personal responsibility; interdependence
A learning journey Yeye mwenyewe amejivunjia uaminifu (He showed himself to be untrustworthy). Shabani, a 30-year-old fisherman in Pangani, a fishing village on the northern coast of Tanzania, spoke these words. We were on his dhow and Shabani had just finished telling us about a boat-selling deal that went sour, and he was responding to my question of how he felt about it. He had sold his first boat to a fisherman from Lamu in neighbouring Kenya, and was only paid 50 per cent of the price when he delivered the boat. The balance was never paid as agreed.What struck me was that Shabani seemed quite philosophical about being cheated by the boat buyer. I was not sure how to interpret his response. He seemed almost sorry for the boat buyer, suggesting that he would be the loser in the long term. Or was he being resigned and fatalistic, a nice guy who finished last? We had just completed our ‘learning journey’ on Shabani’s boat, on the second day of our second scenario-building workshop. Our learning journey instructions were simple: go out and observe, meet people you would not ordinarily talk to, let them be your teachers, and return with a story to share with the group. I returned from Shabani’s boat wondering if Tanzania was a nice country, which finishes last. TheTutafika Tanzania Scenario Project had two main objectives. The first was to highlight the long-term strategic issues facing Tanzanians individually and collectively. The second, more specific objective was to contribute to the content and tone of the debate that will inform the 2005 General Election when Tanzanians will chose a new president and a new government. At a fundamental level, we wanted to persuade Tanzanians of Development (2004) 47(4), 87–90. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100076
Development 47(4): Local/Global Encounters all descriptions, to engage in the political, economic and social processes that affect their lives. We wanted to do this first by raising their level of awareness about these processes and helping them to understand how these forces interact. Then, armed with a better understanding, we hoped that they would be convinced to participate actively in these processes.
Personal engagement The first task was to assemble a team of people to build the scenarios. This task wa
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