Arusha News

Poetry Corner Thomas Mhando

THE CURSE OF THE LOST CITY

Deep in the jungle, shadows crawl,Where ancient ruins whisper and call.A lost city, long forgot,Guarded by time and myths that rot. A treasure waits, the map is old,Legends speak of kings and gold.But ghosts arise, the wind grows cold,A voice warns, “Leave! This tale is told!” Footsteps echo, vines stretch wide,The spirits dance, they will…

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SAKINA S. DOSSAJI

WHEN IN THE PINKEST OF HEALTH

Feeling the sun seep through your radiant skin,And the rain drops upon your rosy cheeks,Devouring lilac pink sugar candy,Savoring its tingling sweetness. All this feels goodWhen you are bright and breezy,But once you are under the weather,Nothing seems to please,Not the cascading waterfalls nor the lush greenery. Prevention is better than cure, they say.Balanced meals,…

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Freddy Mwacha

KWA NYUMBA AND QUIRKS OF KENYAN SWAHILI

Two African ladies chat animatedly in this morning bus.“How is wak, by the way?”The word “work” in standard English would be pronounced “werek”- but here, it is WAK.“Wak is fine, Agnes. How is your gal doing?” Again, instead of “gayl” it is GAL.“She is doing well, thanks God. How are the boys?”You instinctively, recognise East…

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ASK DR RAZA

Q.1: For two years, every typhoid test I take comes back positive. I have seen many doctors and taken many courses of antibiotics -yet the test never clears. What is going on? A.1: The culprit is almost certainly the Widal test, one of the most overused and misunderstood tests in East Africa. This test detects…

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UPRIGHT THINKING Madaraka Nyerere

BLAME WILL NOT SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS

I pride myself on being a well-rounded, emotionally balanced, objective individual who has long accepted fair criticism of Mwalimu Nyerere’s leadership without feeling compelled to defend him. That position shifted after I encountered a social media comment blaming Mwalimu for xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Attributing the worst forms of parochial behaviour to someone who…

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EDUCATION MUST GO BEYOND MARKS TO MENTAL HEALTH

For many years, education has focused primarily on academic achievement — grades, rankings and examination results. While these remain important, there is another area that deserves equal attention: Mental health. Today’s learners face pressures beyond the classroom, including peer influence, family expectations, social media and uncertainty about the future. Yet, conversations around mental health remain…

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