When I was growing up our elders would say time and time again: The invited one gets a share. This is because our ancestors believed that peace is paramount in the society but justice must reign supreme before peace can sprout and flourish in that society. In this reflection I shall focus on creating peace…
She always seems to roll down London’s streets. Does not matter what time of day, how and when.“Spare some change please, brotho!”Always calls you brother. You are NOT the only person she throws that type of endearment. Seconds later she approaches two chatting women.“Hello dear sistrers, please spare some change.” The “sistrers” have been caught…
It was a lazy day just before the rains were due to arrive. Sunlight and dust formed a veil that obscured the mountains across the lake in the DRC. Scanning the water, we saw many birds, but I was particularly captivated by a Pied Kingfisher — the star of the morning. Upon our arrival in…
He cuts my hair, but gives me truth,About his past, his wild youth.He swears he once cut Diamond’s side,Then quotes Mandela with some pride. The scissors snip, the wisdom flows.He talks of love, of heartbreak woes,Of clients rich and fake afros.He trims and gossips, tells who’s real,Then asks if I want “just a feel?” I…
By Kusekwa Kusekwa Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in Longido district has lost a legal battle over ownership of a piece of land it had claimed belonged lawfully to the ruling party and not the property of a resident, Godfrey Lema. The High Court at Arusha declared Lema the rightful owner of the disputed piece of…
Born in Kamirithu, Kenyan supersonic writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, passed aged 87 in Georgia, USA. I first read Ngugi’s works while in Form Three (1971) at Ilboru. Back then he was known as James Ngugi. The two novels we did across secondary schools were “The River Between” and “Weep not Child”. I still remember the…
Those are the words of Dean Brackley who says that a university or any institution of higher learning should be a centre of knowledge and reflection on those who live in poverty and powerlessness. It is like saying that the reason for its existence resides outside the university, in the lives of the poor and…
Driving past Makumira, a suburban area along the Arusha–Moshi highway, always brings back memories of some of the great and historically significant figures of our country. This was equally true some 30 years ago when I used to make that journey at least twice a week. It was in 1994–95, when I was running errands…
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were yesterday expected to sign a peace deal. It promises an end to hostilities, respect for borders and a separation of armed groups. But here’s the catch: It’s being brokered by the United States and observed by Qatar. Not by the African Union (AU). Not by the…
Now that Israel and Iran are observing a ceasefire, Africa and the world can breathe a sigh of relief perhaps we as Africans can begin to voice our views. The greatest lesson from the nearly two-week conflict is that nothing surpasses diplomacy in resolving global disputes. The world held its breath, fearing that the war…
