By Mr. Peter Oefferlbauer
Department of Philosophy
Salatorian Institute of Philosophy & Theology

After teaching in Kibosho Seminary 1971-73, I had never visited Tanzania. I would have been ashamed to come for a few weeks for a superficial visit and spend more money than most people here have in 10 years. But first thing after retiring in Austria, through the Papal Mission Works, I offered to teach here, and the Salvatorian Institute was quick to invite me to what became 2 academic years. My time in Kibosho had been very decisive for me, for my view of life, so to be back here is very exciting, with many joyful moments with seeing old friends again.

Now one student urges me to write about this rare experience of living in this country again, a generation later. But some clever guy once remarked: After 3 weeks in another country one can write a book, after three months an essay, after three years one keeps quiet - Partly because one gets used to the foreign things and doesn't notice their strangeness any more, partly because the more you know the less you understand. So in my 4th year in Tanzania, if I write nevertheless, I do so in the hope that my very personal observations and selected snapshots of Tanzania 30 years apart, might be of some wider interest. They are also intended as a declaration of love to this country and its people.

My very first impression upon arriving was both times, contrary to what one knows from West Africa, the strong trend to Western-style clothing, especially with men. This has increased greatly 30 years later with the massive sale of second hand clothes (before only the Churches handed out such imports). I notice some discussion in the papers now about protecting local textile industry or keeping cheap clothing available for all. At any rate, one sees surprisingly many smart looking men with carefully matched shirts and trousers. In this regard Europeans seem more negligent (or they are just not as good looking). But I still find suits and ties and shoes too hot in this climate. Thanks to the ladies in their kitenges and kangas there is however a colourful local touch in dressing, and the Maasai and the Waswahili add to it, of course.

But the Maasai change also: They changed the colour and design of their shukas, show less skin than before, use bikes and cellular phones, and you hardly see their warriors now standing on one foot leaning on their spears, as they were doing everywhere. Even on the 100/-banknote, which then was good in the East African Community and cost 350.- Austrian shillings. Now 100/- are less than 2.- Austrian shillings, but this year the Austrian shilling has melted into the Euro, while the Tanzanian shilling happily survives.

Another Tanzanian symbol is greatly changed: The ice on top of Kibo has disappeared, as I was shocked to see from the Swiss Air plane. Only the glaciers on the Moshi side are still there, also shrinking. And even greetings change: "unatoka wapi, unakwenda wapi?" was common then, now I missed it until I heard it a few times in the northwest of Tanzania.

I will write here mostly about changes, so I must also put on record that around Ndanda I had the impression of little change, of returning to the earlier Tanzania. And especially around Kibosho, where the dominant language is still kichagga, the environment, houses, roads and all, looked absolutely familiar and unchanged, many kilabus for mbegge still around, and the familiar social life. Everywhere I see more brick-houses and fewer traditional huts, but I am surprised about so many abandoned buildings and building sites where work seems to have stopped long ago. A lot of money is tied up in them; cement blocks definitely cost money and not just your own work, as was the case with traditional huts of free local material. The former subsistence economy has become monetarized and is, for more and more things, even in remote and poor areas, increasingly integrated into the modern economy.

Generally, the country seems on the move now, more traffic, more business, more colour, the markets overflowing, the shilling rolling, lots of street-vendors everywhere, whereas then Nyerere's policies restrained the economy to avoid a widening gap between rich and poor. There were no street-children (or AIDS-orphans) by then yet¹, Europeans were not discouraged to stroll alone in the old Dar city centre by night, there was no fear yet of insecurity. Of course, Dar es salaam exploded since then, with all the promises of a city as an outlet of the global economy and of there getting one's share in the bliss of modern life - urbanisation has belatedly reached here. Dar had about 10 parishes then and 43 now! In St.Joseph's DSM I saw more young men in church than women, reflecting probably the age and gender distribution of immigration.² The entire society appears younger than before, fewer elders visible - what will this mean for the traditional status and influence of elders? In Western societies, due to rapid change, the experience of the elders already appears worthless and youth is in high esteem. Also AIDS is likely to make this society still younger.

The entire population has almost tripled. Problems must have multiplied, and one can only marvel at the capacity of people to cope somehow. Suicide and homosexuality were then claimed to be non-existant in Africa - now they are occasionally mentioned in papers. The slums of Nairobi were already famous by then, luckily Dar still has nothing to show like Mathare Valley, or Nairobi's security problems.

The daladalas are far more efficient than any Western metropolitan transport system. A European can never get closer to Africa than on buses, where he can admire mutual consideration and help, tolerance, patience, making room for new passengers, holding other people's children, helping with luggage etc. I know I will miss this in Europe.

There are now more and some better roads and more cars and trucks. The Zambia road was being tarred then by the Americans to balance the Chinese who were building TAZARA (gone are the days now when the competition between Capitalism and Communism sometimes helped a country). It has been redone since and is presently being made wider - will that not lead to even faster driving and more accidents? To Moshi was only a mud-road, but on to Arusha and Nairobi was hard-top. Unfortunately the fast road to Moshi has almost finished traffic on the railway line to Moshi and Arusha.

Since my first stay here, bicycles have come by the thousands, and even if not built here, they bring genuine progress in transporting people and goods. The bicycle has succeeded better than Nyerere in making the men do their share in work if you see all the produce and charcoal transports.³ Water carrying has been taken off women's heads and turned into a job for young men on their bikes. On the good main roads one must feel sorry for the bikers though, the way they are being chased off the road by reckless fast drivers.

Along the Central Railway I saw carts and ploughs drawn by cows, oxen, donkeys, and wondered why this hasn't spread to other parts of Tanzania yet (like cucumbers and other vegetables). Or why the donkey is not used to carry loads in the Uluguru Mountains where roads and cars don't reach, as donkeys have since the days of Christ in other mountainous places.

To end my associations with roads: what now "decorates" the countryside along main roads: empty plastic bottles and bags didn't even exist then, I cannot even remember, how I could cross the country by bus without this safe water in plastic bottles. But I remember that I, and others did, without problem. The entire waste problem didn't seem to exist (except discarding old, but still poisonous radio batteries). Most materials then were reclaimed by nature, like broken clay-pots or calabashes - unlike omnipresent modern plastic, which is washed ashore, even on the remotest and most beautiful beaches of the Indian Ocean. Although the garbage you see may be an eyesore, it is mostly not dangerous. To pile it up and let it burn or smoulder along the wayside, will almost certainly release poisonous fumes. Even hospital refuse is treated this way, as I had to see in Kibosho.

Plastic hotpots seem to have conquered Tanzanian households to serve quite a changed diet: if I remember well, then ugali, rice, bananas were staple food with little meat or fat. At Chagga feasts, however, lots of meat, only meat is served. Now, feast or not, more meat and sauce and vegetables, prepared with more fat, are served with the carbohydrates. Potato chips and mandasi have become very popular, fried in plenty of oil. The majority of Africans still work it off, remaining lean and muscular, not over-weight, and I often underestimate the age of people, especially older ones in surprisingly good shape - But the "privileged ones" with Western life-style, watching TV, sitting in offices and cars? Inevitably, the so-called civilisation-diseases are catching up with them! How few priests or bishops around 50 without BP and diabetes! In fact, I was shocked when I learned that the very first Maasai-priests (my students in Kibosho) were dead before reaching 50: Fred Oloishiro, Alphonce William, and Samuel Mollel, not to mention a number of others. May God rest their souls, and may those still alive learn to stay healthy with all those modern temptations and conveniences.

Secondary school-leavers, I notice, are now often older than before, lack of school fees may have interrupted their careers, and more reach A-level now. Consequently seminarians, esp. when they enter religious life, are often well beyond 30 at ordination - if with 50 they become sickly, their shorter service to the church might become a problem.

Religious congregations seem to find plenty of vocations and have begun recruiting here. Joining them promises more sharing and solidarity than the dioceses, esp. as the bishops so far have done little to equalise the income of priests, esp. between rich and poor parishes. Lack of means makes some priests walk or bicycle to their out-stations and stay there overnight - a return to older missionary ways which were abandoned by help of cars and MIVA. I remember people complaining, that before father came only once a year, but for an extended period of time, now by car he comes every Sunday, but after mass he soon leaves with a cloud of dust. So lack of means can also have some good effects.

The Church in these 30 years has become genuinely African, in clergy and hierarchy, sisters and institutions. The former European hymns have been fortunately replaced by indigenous compositions. Less agreeable I find the electric keyboards, mostly in vibrato drowning the singing and drumming, which by itself is so infectious.

Thirty years ago I was looking for, and was happy to find, Christmas here still completely free from being exploited by business interests - now I notice that the global economy is already tapping Tanzania: Scandinavian Christmas trees have been brought by ship to DSM for the very rich. It has become fashionable to write and personally bring fancy Christmas cards to friends, who proudly display them in their homes. These cards demonstrate the most important lesson of modern economy: what doesn't cost anything isn't worth anything. In churches and homes fancy decorations (imported from India?) cover nativity scenes and local Christmas trees; electronic chips perpetually play the same Christmas song. But it will still take a while here, till business will be able to steal Christmas from religion, as in the Western countries.

As a teacher, how do I compare now and then? I did expect some higher education to take place in Swahili; I did not expect the computer to play such a big role. On both counts I was proved wrong. The computer is overrated by many, it costs a lot of money and time, esp. here. It embellishes the form of students' papers at the expense of content, and gives the illusion to be abreast with modern technology, which one, in fact, is not, by being only a naive user and consumer. Students' mentality is similar worldwide due to the universal similarity of classroom atmosphere and I find it hardly changed. In Kibosho we accepted O-level, and their English was certainly better than A-level's now. Worldwide schools are not getting better, and even here, besides many other reasons, in urban areas already TV is also blamed for it.⁴ Most of the flaws that Nyerere criticised the colonial school-system for, are still with us: rote learning, not corresponding to the real needs, cheti-ism, elitism, independent and critical thinking and creativity unwanted and untrained.⁵

There seems to exist a magical belief in the automatic betterment of man by more and more schooling. A generation ago, after O-level seminarians had to do 2 + 3 years of major seminary, now after A-level a formation year and then 7 years. What next? Would not on-the-job-training be better than just lengthening formation? Nuns over 40 years of age now must go through secondary school in Bigwa. And I hear, congregations nowadays accept only candidates after O-level. Is religious vocation tied to schooling? Only St.Paul would qualify today among Jesus' apostles. It pains me to see how mothers struggle to raise school-fees - then after-graduation chances for employment are not rosy. One is lucky to find even a place with the military, which means: not in one's field, so the specific contribution to society for which one was prepared, will not happen. Much education is wasted that way without corresponding jobs. It seems, most would like to, and many attempt to go abroad. I hear that those who can afford it, send their children abroad for school and studies. Many will try to remain there. Has it been calculated how much brain drain this amounts to?⁶

In African Philosophy 30 years later I still find the same P.Tempels and John Mbiti quoted, as if there were no other thinkers. Not even here in Morogoro at our Institute, Joseph Mawinza, priest of this diocese, present in our library, seems to be widely known. Students (and teachers?) seem to prefer the well-trodden paths and seem to waste no time researching for even the little, available literature. Similarly, before and around independence there was a very creative period for East-African writers in English, these books have become classics for secondary school reading. This creativity has dried up somewhat, and, I hear, the new books on the syllabus often are hardly available, so…. Even newer publications in Swahili seem unknown.⁷ The reading-culture appears to have stagnated and even shrunk.

Tourism is more visible now, especially in Zanzibar, which then was very closed in itself. (In church there one felt that the mainly Goan Catholic community was shrinking; Now the church is full again with mainland immigrants.) After the wildlife and Kibo, also the beautiful beaches and coral reefs became attractions. We liked to go to Pangani then, it offered no accommodations except for one private house. Now there is a series of nice beach hotels. The same in Bagamoyo.

In expensive hotels the tourist will find delicious fresh tropical fruit juices, but not in the average restaurants, where one has only the choice between beer and sodas, which profit South Africa and the USA, whereas from fruit juices the profit would be local and higher. This lack of patriotism (or economic awareness) I notice also with widespread drinking habits: at feasts or parties, private, church or political, even if they open traditionally with local beer, soon plenty of beer and sodas will follow, often at staggering costs. Money is hard to raise here, and yet people literally drink it for foreign profit. In Kibosho Seminary the spiritual director Fr. Francis Bilauri fostered the Pioneers, who pledged to abstain from alcohol. Maybe the church could revive this movement to counteract a widespread problem.

When I was first here, soon after Uhuru, there was naturally more optimism, self-esteem, hope in independence and a critical attitude towards anything appearing as exploitation or neo-colonialism. Whites were often viewed with suspicion, and for little reason even arrested as spies, or had to leave the country within 24 hours. The management of enterprises and institutions had to be African (the last remaining missionary bishop was Durning in Arusha for the rather new missionary effort in Maasailand). This has changed, as a white person now I feel most welcome, I sometimes even receive preferential treatment. The colonial wrongs seem forgotten or forgiven, or at any rate are not imputed to the present white visitor, although globalisation would give ample reason for complaint.

Self-esteem seems lower now, much talk of the "poor country", many students ask how to go abroad, almost as if one had to run away from here - but is West always best? I feel Tanzania does not deserve this, it can feed its people, is a beautiful and peaceful country! It is obvious that people have the taste for life in spite of all difficulties (more so than many people in the "rich" countries who suffer from depression and loss of meaning). There is so much mutual benevolence and so many children loved and well cared for, clearly then life in Tanzania is worth living! Sept.11 should have taught us how vulnerable over-development is. Isn't there a certain wisdom in simple life, favoured by philosophical and religious traditions? Technical and economic development is a relative and ambivalent thing; a person's human qualities do not depend on it.

But man is like this: whites try to get sun-tanned and their hair curled, black ladies use hair straighteners and bleach-creams. No different from cows, who also think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and try to break through.

Footnotes

¹ See: "Street Children in Tanzania: Effects of Economy and Education." In: Children's Legal Rights Journal, vol. 20, no. 4, Winter 2000-2001, p. 2-16. This article documents the economic impact of Nyerere's socialist policy, corruption, the war on Idi Amin, the gradual liberalization and Structural Adjustment Programs required by World Bank and International Monetary Fund. During all of this I had not been living in Tanzania.

² Cf. A. Shorter, The Church in the African City, London, 1991.

³ Recently I talked with two charcoal-men: they leave Morogoro by bicycle at 4 o'clock in the morning for Mikesi (30 km), ride another 20 km into the bush, buy a sack of charcoal for 4500/- and bring it back to town, where they can sell it for 8000/-, so they do 100 km for 3500/- not considering food or repairs on the way.

⁴ In the sense that kids do their homework quickly, in order to watch TV, and generally classroom teaching and literacy have less appeal than TV. So the performance of DSM schools is said to fall behind rural areas without TV. Cf. Neil Postman, The Disappearance of Childhood, N.Y. 1982. Generally, I find uncritical TV consumption here alarming and media-education should be a priority, esp. in religious communities. The long African evenings were certainly more sociable 30 years ago, with a lot of card playing, which seems to have disappeared, also thanks to TV. See also: Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death, N.Y. 1985.

⁵ Is it realistic to expect that a bureaucratically planned and organized learning for life will indeed address the real needs of life? Is life so foreseeable? Will such an exercise not rather degenerate into expertocracy, social control and business and frustrate the best of intentions? Traditionally, life itself was seen to educate sufficiently during its course, cf. Jomo Kenyatta, Facing Mount Kenya, 1938, ch. V and conclusion. We should reclaim this educative quality of life. Cf. Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society, N.Y. 1972.

⁶ "Brain drain!" said an old priest in Ushirombo, "We have been educating here for a hundred years and where are those people? Go to Kawe in DSM!" So brain drain is not only profiting the rich West, but also the centers within Tanzania at the expense of the hinterland. On a school wall I once read Nyerere's comparison of such people with a traitor who was given some of the last food of his starving people to bring help, but he uses it only to rescue himself.

⁷ For instance, Aniceti Kitereza's rainmaker saga from Ukerebe has even appeared in German, but it took me two years here to meet a teacher from Ukerebe who knew the author as a schoolgirl and had read his book. Or who knows of Mwalimus verse-translation of the Gospels (Ndanda 1996) in the last years of his life? Such things should be hits among Catholics!