Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday December 07,2023
Hanang Tragedy: Survival stories, ‘I thought the floods had affected the entire world’
Hanang.It’s been a while since I have witnessed this level of desperation, and I do a lot of human-interest stories in my work as The Chanzo correspondent.
I have been here in Hanang for three days now, a district in the northern part of Tanzania with 367,391 people; 188,063 men and 179,328 women.
In the dawn of December 03,2023, Hanang District was hit with mudslides and debris flows following a heavy rain that showered on Saturday December 02,2023. The mudslides and debris flow wreaked havoc across Hanang; destroying homes, businesses and leaving many dead and injured.
Government report shows that the cause of the tragedy was the breakdown of the weak rocks in mount Hanang, a dormant volcano mountain rising 3,420 meters above the sea level, after consistent absorption of rain water.
Official reports from the government confirms 76 people are dead, more than 117 people are injured, 1,150 houses destroyed and more people are still missing.
Yesterday, December 06,2023 and today, I spent time talking to survivors here in Hanang, many are still in shock, and fearful; some are still grappling with the truth that they have lost their whole family members, and others have lost hope completely. These are some of the survival stories in their own words…
Read the full story here
Samia console Hanang tragedy survivors as death toll reaches 76
President Samia Suluhu visited Hanang yesterday, and met residents of areas affected by the mudslides and debris flow which hit the place on December 03,2023.
Samia visited Tumaini hospital, one of the only two hospitals in Hanang and Katesh secondary school where residents are camped there and affected areas.
“We are with you, here in the camp and also when you leave the camp,” Samia told residents in Katesh and promised them that government will revert back with a plan on how to rebuild their lives.
Samia also explained that she has ordered a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused in Hanang, and underscore that the government has scouted a location suitable for relocation and rebuilding for the Hanang residents. The expected location is Gwadaat Hamlet in Jordom which has about 216 hectares.
Report by the Director of Presidential Communication shows that death toll in Hanang has reached 76 people. The number is expected to continue to rise as there are more people who are still missing.
Even though the response is still very low compared with the damage, several companies and individuals have come out to support Hanang residents. Government has also set special account at the Bank of Tanzania for Hanang relief.
Account Name: National Relief Fund, Electronic Account Number: 9921159801, Bank of Tanzania.
What happens when communities lead the fight against HIV/AIDS?
My earliest memory of HIV/AIDS comes from the song named Starehe by Ferouz and Professor Jay released almost two decades ago. I was just 8 years old and I can still remember every word of that six-minute-long song. I can confidently say that it remains to be among the most impactful, maybe unintentional, community-led HIV/AIDS awareness campaign to ever exist in Tanzania.
For the majority of Tanzanians and the world at large, the burden of battling against disease outbreaks and pandemics is believed to largely lay on the shoulders of government authorities through healthcare professionals and non-governmental organizations.
I was one among the people who used to believe that until I entered the world of healthcare ecosystem and saw the world through a different view from hospital and community based health interventions.
Read the full analysis here
Democracy or Dictatorship? How authoritarianism is masquerading as democracy in the world
There is an old Swahili proverb that goes “nani atamfunga paka kengele”, which translates to “who will tie a bell to the cat”. It captures the dilemma of having a good idea or a solution to a problem, but lacking the courage or the ability to execute it because of the risk or difficulty involved.
The proverb originates from a fable where the mice devise a plan to put a bell around the neck of the cat that preys on them, so that they can hear it approaching and run away. However, none of the mice is brave enough to volunteer for the perilous task of tying the bell to the cat.
The proverb suggests that sometimes people are good at talking or planning, but not at taking action or responsibility. This proverb came to my mind as I wondered who would dare to expose the glaring flaws in the current state of democracy in the West, especially when the West itself claims to be the champion of democracy and human rights, while engaging in serious violations of the democratic principles, under various pretexts, such as national security, control of disinformation and misinformation, and so on.
Read the full analysis here
Unite for Change: Join forces in investing to eradicate online gender-based violence (OGBV)
Thirty-two (32) years have passed since the United Nations, acting on behalf of the global community, declared 16 days of activism in 1991 to raise awareness of gender-based violence (GBV) and its elimination.
These sixteen days are honored annually from November 25 to December 10. These days of activism provide a chance to raise awareness of gender-based violence, consider our achievements, assess our current situation, and refine the basic objectives we set out to abolish violence against women and girls.
Combatting gender-based violence in society society with traditional approaches no longer works. The battle has to evolve, encompassing both online and offline spaces.
This broadened scope of looking identifying and advocating against Gender-based Violence and Online Gender-based Violence necessitates a comprehensive examination of the concept of “investment”. This year’s theme of 16 days of activism, calls for investment. Have we really invested appropriately?
Read the full analysis here
This is it for today, and we hope you enjoyed our briefing. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter (see below) or following us on Twitter (here), or joining us on Telegram (here). And in case you have any questions or comments, please drop a word to our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
