Last week we highlighted an upset African travelling companion. Innocently walking and minding his business he was told off by ladies showing parts of their bodies. He declares he finds London annoying; he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for endless corruption and conflicts back home. As I listened, I wondered if such loss of…

When Tanzania and Burundi initiated a $2.15 billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting the two countries, it was more than just another infrastructure project. It was a promise of a future for East Africa, one critical piece in its dream of regional unity. For decades, the EAC has spoken about integration, yet reality has been…

As promised in my Palaver last week, this Saturday I recount my second sojourn to Australia—or “Down Under”, to be more precise, Adelaide—which offered me another unique and very different experience. Here I go. It was in the early 1990s, more than 30 years ago, when I was assigned by my then employer, the Arusha…

To my close friends, I am known as a die-hard supporter of Tanzania’s soccer giants, Dar es Salaam Young Africans—popularly called Yanga. The evidence is plain: I often sport the Yanga jersey, especially during a winning streak and never miss a chance to poke fun at archrivals Simba Sports Club. I have even proposed (and…

Known as the animal that symbolises Tanzania for its grace, as well as its long neck and towering height—which represent vision and the ability to see both past and present—the giraffe moved slowly across the road seemingly oblivious to the tortoise it had accidentally knocked over. The tortoise lay upside down, struggling to right itself…

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is credited with the Socratic method of discourse where an idea is put forth and then challenged and analysed, back and forth, between two or more persons with the aim of clarifying, finding contradictions and getting a better understanding of the topic under discussion. Debates may well be seen as…

When we talk about health, most people immediately think of diet and exercise. While these are essential, there is a third pillar of health that is often overlooked: sleep. Just like food and physical activity, quality sleep is vital for the body and mind to function at their best. Why sleep matters Effects of sleep…

Tanzania recently launched five Special Economic Zones (SEZs) – Nala in Dodoma, Buzwagi in Kahama, the Bagamoyo SEZ, Kwala in the Coast Region and the expanded Benjamin Mkapa SEZ in Dar es Salaam. The distribution of these SEZs is heavily concentrated in the central and coastal regions, with only Buzwagi representing the Lake Zone. Large…

Proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids. Out of many, there are nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make and must come from food. These are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. Most plant foods lack one or two of these essentials, but soy is special. Soy…