I spotted this little anecdote at the end of a lengthy article on President Obama’s visit to Tanzania, in Habari Leo. I’ve abridged it slightly:
Earlier, harmony came close to breaking down in the Makumbusho area of Dar es Salaam, where a security official on the Tanzanian side got into a dispute with a member of Obama’s security team.
The cause of the dispute was the Tanzanian official’s refusal to allow Selina Wilson, a journalist on the Uhuru newspaper, to enter. Her ID card showed she had permission to enter at Symbion power plant [another stop on the itinerary], though her name was on the list of permitted journalists at Makumbusho.
Obama’s security official intervened and invited Wilson to enter. This angered the Tanzanian official, who then pushed Wilson, swore at her and told her to leave.
This upset the American, who went to stop the Tanzania official and insist that Wilson should be allowed in.
“I don’t see the problem, calm down sister, your problem will be dealt with. But you, my friend, why are you pushing this lady? Is that what you’re taught?*” asked the American.
It’s easy to see how it would happen. The Tanzanian security team were presumably under heavy pressure to maintain the highest standards of security.
In this case, the Tanzanian official’s response to an administrative error was to get physical. The American’s question is an apt one: Is that what you’re taught? Perhaps it is.
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* The newspaper quoted the American’s words as “Ndivyo mnavyofundishwa?” It’s fair to assume the exchange was conducted in English, however, so I can’t be sure of the exact words used.
Filed under: development, politics, Tanzania
