There is a stone.A dirty, old, ugly stone always thrown at us Africans. Wherever something horrible happens on the continent, it is usually taken as an African trait. Famines, civil disorder, widespread diseases, mass killings, stories of corruption, we are reminded of this horrible, hallmark trait. Us Africans?ALWAYS catastrophic. As though we are by nature…

As I write this article, the 30th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is underway in Belém, Brazil. The meeting has brought together almost every country in the world, including Tanzania, to negotiate and agree on collective actions to address climate change. As…

At first, I thought it was a joke, a mere prank coming from Kampala intended to cause laughter and amusement in Kenya. But wait. It got more serious as President Yoweri Museveni threatened that “in future, there would be war” with neighbouring Kenya for the right of a permanent corridor or territory guaranteeing Uganda, a…

Every year on 17 November, the world marks World Prematurity Day — a global reminder of the quiet but urgent crisis affecting our tiniest and most vulnerable patients. A baby is considered premature when born before 37 completed weeks of gestation. Prematurity remains the leading cause of neonatal deaths worldwide, yet many people underestimate just…

We were travelling from Singida to Tabora, birding along the way. We were not in a hurry, so the two of us were able to spot different bird species and admire the beautiful landscapes. We were driving slowly when we spotted a Martial Eagle perched on a dead tree, gripping a struggling dik-dik in its…

I watched the recent live broadcast of newly elected members on their first day in the Tanzanian parliament and noticed that some appeared unhealthily overweight. Obesity-related illnesses pose serious health risks, and while for ordinary citizens this may remain a private concern, for elected officials it becomes a public issue that should worry everyone. Obesity…

When I graduated from the University of Dar es Salaam in the mid-70s, I looked forward to beginning what I assumed would be my “boss duties” in one of the many public or government institutions in Bongoland. You see, during those years, everyone who graduated with a degree or advanced diploma from the few colleges…

I still recall that Winter of ’99 when I was in my dorm room at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. A new rendition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was on the television with the main character of Ebenezer Scrooge being played by the famous actor Patrick Stewart. I shall not forget that moment,…