PRESS STATEMENT
11 December 2014
PRESS STATEMENT
11 December 2014
Nafasi Art Space since February this year, I have had the chance to reflect a lot about my art practice and about the Tanzanian visual art scene in general.
The current war between Israel and Palestine has once again brought to the forefront a debate about the struggles between the two peoples. The Palestinian/Israel conflict has polarized world opinion.
ZANZIBAR TODAY
Zanzibar has too much history and much too little geography!
Tanzanian government often gets a good pat on the back from donors and debtors for what they consider to be transparency, while underplaying public discontent and disgruntlement. In the international arena Tanzania is thus portrayed as home to good governance.
When seven Tanzanian peacekeepers in Darfur, western Sudan, were killed and 17 seriously wounded in an ambush by gunmen, the incident sent shockwaves throughout the country.
Normally Tanzanian lawmakers would ‘prove’ their radicalism by blasting rival parties, state authorities, public corporations or ministers for shoddy work done or millions that go missing. They would hardly ever take a swipe at a multinational corporation, much less an American one.
I grew up in the eastern region of Tanzania, where I did my primary school. All my secondary school I did in Dar es Salaam—actually, living in this very apartment. So I grew up here. Then in 1966 I completed my high school, and in 1967 I joined the university.
MRG warns that if the government moves ahead with its plan to restrict access to 1,500 square kilometres of green land that borders the Serengeti national park, as the Tourism Minister recently announced, it risks harming the lives of thousands of Maasai living in Loliondo.
The residents of Tanzania’s Mtabila refugee camp are currently being returned to Burundi against their will.