Hedonism-Nationalism and Corruption in Zanzibar -Tanzania.

It is June –July season again, which means many of our Tanzanian “compatriots” from different

parts of the World are coming “home”to their motherland, but just like tourists they are only

coming for holidays.



The Kenyans, Ugandans, Somalis, Comorians and others from the neighboring countries are doing the same.

They bring a lot of money into their respective countries.



In Zanzibar, these our compatriots are commonly known as “Ma-juni-julayi ” or “ Ma-JJ`z ”,but for good

reasons, I prefer to call them the Hedonists/Wapenda Anasa.



There are at least three types of hedonists of post-independence and revolutionary period in Tanzania.



Group A – The Rosed-Hedonists.



This is a completely new type of compatriots previously unknown in Tanzanian political history,

especially in Zanzibar.

One can be utterly surprised how for example, these guys become fiercely nationalists once they

leave our national borders.

They see Unguja, Pemba, Tanga,Arusha,Mwanza,Mtwara, Bukoba , Morogoro ,Dar-es-salaam and

Dodoma as paragon of the best of everything and despite often have no intention of returning

back “ home” for good.



But they always have the audacity to tell their fellow countrymen something like this:

“You don’t know how good it was before Ujamaa Politics and Zanzibar Revolution.

Our country was good and there were full of opportunities for those who could think and had means .



( Arrogantelly they forgot to say " and those who had no means were inherentelly unable to think or

because of not thinking they could find the means to use those opprotunities ).What ???



This is an obvious double tongued hypocritical statement.



Such kind of statement is usually said either while on departure at the airport leaving the “homeland “

or in the streets of Berlin, Copenhagen, Dubai, Muscat, London, Ottawa, Paris,London, New York,

Mississippi or Alabama. These type of Hedonists have no intention to return at all.



They are just a group of blind jingoistic, nostalgic nationalists who pretend not to rememeber at

all the pre-independence and revolutionary periods.



Group B –Arrogant Hedonists.

They unlike the Rosed Hedonists are always confused for not being able to differentiate between

Nationalism/Uzalendo and National Identity – The Zombies.

They usually avoid to talk about the past and present social structures.

These are our compatriots who are still clinging in older version of Zanzibar and Tanganyika have not

yet seen the bright light of Tanzanian today.



These type of Hedonists loves to talk about the “good old days” and rattles off at length about how so

Wonderful schools, hospitals, or music (there was no rape and reggae music or drug) the social structure

was good “ everyone knew where he or she rightfully belongs”, and how safe it was in old days .

They love to bemoan the state of how terrible Unguja ,Pemba and Tanganyika is doing nowadays

with all violance,drug sale ,traficking and corruptions.



They even come with bags of “Corruption-hate-Manifestos” and what is common to them all is that they all

" know what is good for Zanzibar and have ready made solutions" and it is said that some of them are secretelly

financing some opposition parties and institutions.

These are people with their own agenda and political objectives.



It is true that corruption is rampant, but what is surprising, is that these adamant Hedonists are very active

participants in promoting and sustaining corruption especially when lobbing for privatization and reclaiming

land, buildings, farms and houses which were previously nationalized and distributed to the have nots.



One should not be fooled though, because this type of Hedonits are only prevalent among a particular

group and cuts across race-tribal lines with all of various geneses ,some well healed comfortable

individuals, unemployed youths who wishfully dream for the “ promised land “ as pictured by the

anti-CCM Hysterics .



The anti-Muungano politicians dream for a country that was not only equal but even better run,

like Norway,Sweden, Finland,Danmark,USA,France,Germany,Canada, Malasia or even Dubai and Muscat .



The hedonists and their political allies know too well as to how these countries were built and for

how long until they reached the present stage.



Group C – A Comparatively well balanced Hedonist.



This is a decent compatriot, a person with good but naïve intentions.

Though this type of person is my favorite ,but he has a deficit in comphending the challenges

for development.



This type of Hedonist is often in a state of “homesickness”, especially in times of hardships and

discriminations in Asia,Europe and America.



But he is very grateful for what he have and live now after those hardships he encountered during and

after revolutionary periods in Zanzibar and Tanganyika . For him he always says”Baada ya Dhiki Faraji “.

Somehow an optimist,not a wishfull thinker like some semi-interlectuals and political hecklers .



However this type of Hedonist does not in any way see the foresaid foreign countries as being impossibly

superior and blindly defend and want to copy their politico-economic and constitutional system -



I ,therefore prefer to call him a compatriot, who see the potholes in the roads, shortages of

school and hospitals as being challenges to build a better tomorrow .



He is different from other Hedonits who sees only the potholes and no road around it or no modern

school and hospitals at all.



The first two groups of Hedonists are specialists in either Doom or Gloom.

Notwithstanding their discomforting idealizing of “old good days “ when many of them were living in

area that would be lucky to any infrastructure at all, this type of Hedonists are like oppositions political

parrots who can never say anything good and positive of today’s Tanzania`s Zanzibar, and surely gives

good thanks they managed to escape and seek asylum, permanent residence and foreign citizenship,

for their personel conveniance..



Whist group A may need to wake up and smell the ginger tea to see things for what they are, group B needs

a good dose of Bukoba or post –revolutionary Zanzibar coffee so that they can relax a little and see what

progress has actually been made since 1964 Revolition under ASP/CCM Zanzibar.



Reasonableness and Rationality are the two qualities much loved by Wananchi of Tanzania and THAT all

the shortcomings in our Muungano Constitution can and should be solved in that spirit and not

through Jazbas ,Power Greed and POLITICAL CANNIBALISM.



Its not acceptable to agree with oppinion polls based on ill informed majority who want to destroy our hard

won Unity and Develeopment . Our Freedom came Through the Bullets and not the BALLOTS.



Jiangalieni kwenye kiyooo msema wapi mlipo.

Muungano Oyee !!!!!!!


Ali Mtsashiwa
a.mtsashiwa@hotmail.com