I read with lot of interest Mr. Maggid Mujengwa’s article entitled “Ya Loliondo Na Umma Ulio gizani”, a philosophical description of a confused society. Mr. Mujengwa depicted Tanzania as a nation that is using a flashlight in a broad day light with a notion that, perhaps, it could aid her see better. Figuratively or philosophically speaking, Socrates the philosopher used this metaphor to describe a hopeless and a confused society. One question Mr. Mujengwa failed to address was the root cause of this confusion. How could Tanzanians be convinced that, flashlight is brighter than the sun? Is it because of ignorance, confusion or desperation?
Plato, one of the greatest philosophers to have ever lived, strongly advocated in favor of an examined life; An examination of one's life addresses fundamental questions such as: who am I, what do I want to do with my life, how will I know whether I have achieved my goals, what matters to me; wisdom; a feeling of accomplishment; wealth, power; social change or pleasure and how will I balance them. If you haven't asked yourself these questions, then life becomes meaningless. You become more like a boat in turbulent high seas without compass direction, going along with the tides and currents of the ocean. A boat that is destined for a clear tragic end of capsizing, Tanzania that is.
Tanzanians are not in control of their lives. Instead, they are controlled by the events of the day, and ignorantly perceiving flashlight to be more powerful than the sun based on Socrates account on ignorance. As a nation, Tanzania has not asked itself these basic questions, because social-economic, hopelessness and despair amongst her people speak for itself. A sea of humanity flooding Loliondo is a confirmation of the broken system. Her sick hopping from their hospital beds, carried in stretchers, just to have a sip of the wonder concoction is very troubling. This signifies the dying or non-existing healthcare system in Tanzania. Tanzania does not know where it is headed; it is a lost vessel sailing in the turbulent high seas without a direction, and only waiting to capsize
I must slightly differ with Mr. Mujengwa, based on my strong conviction, that, Babu Mwasapile’s patients are not uninformed, but rather hopeless, desperate, CONFUSED and poverty burdened men and women from all walks of life. Loliondo list of visitors is made up of the mighty and the powerful, the rich, the poor, scientists and herdsmen; famous and the little known peasants. Babu has received people who have made their way by selling their few worldly possessions, as well as the flamboyant tycoons arriving in style; in their private aircrafts, all with one goal; drinking the magical mixture, with hope ridding themselves of their excruciating illnesses. This is a national embarrassment, and depiction of Tanzania as a primitive and backward country in the eyes of the world
We are not talking about dumb, stupid, or simple-minded people; we are talking of brilliant and well educated individuals serving in the government, International, private and public agencies. We are talking of people who have been humbled by illnesses, and like anybody else, must heed the need to find treatment by standing in a long queue in the middle of nowhere; away from their posh homes, and comfort of their beds to find cure from the miraculous drink. We are talking of a hopeless and a desperate society on edge.
Desperation has no class, it has no social status or identity, it has no color or creed. It affects PhD holders and the illiterate alike. We must remember that desperate and hopeless men do not value life; they have no shame or fear. Tell a man, who has exhausted all options to get rid of cancer, that his urine is the only cure to his excruciating illness. Even a King who desperately wants to live will heed the advice. These are the people flanking Babu of Loliondo’s compound trying to rid themselves of terminal illnesses, endless pain, and misery.
Babu of Loliondo could not have emerged at a perfect time for the hopeless, when divine intervention is direly needed to save their souls. Babu has exposed our desperation, vulnerability and weakness as a society. He has exposed how useless education can be in the face of human despair. He has exposed how far we are lost in the turbulent high seas, and only going with the tide and flow. We are lost. Just like DECI which was a product of greed, ignorance and despair, Babu Liliondo’s purported magic cup is nothing but a tragic health and social a time bomb yet to explode!
MUNGU IBARIKI TANZANIA
John Mashaka
mashaka.john@yahoo.com
John Mashaka
mashaka.john@yahoo.com
It was very difficult to speak against Babu at that material time. One of the most difficult point to discuss was the idea that the concoction worked only if you believed in it. It was coined, then, as a matter of faith, not science. That conception allowed discussion to be irrational for how can we discuss faith rationally?
ReplyDeleteBut it also as rightly depicted by Mashaka, a reflection of a broken society. I had an uneasy feeling at then that leaders did not condemn it at the outset because they conceived it to be politically explosive. They kowtowed to the demands of the masses not because they knew that the cup worked, but because they thought they could not stop the people flocking to Loliondo. They lacked moral(or otherwise)authority to tell the people that we, as government, do not endorse it and would discourage people to go as we do not have scientific evidence.
When government leaders appeared on newspapers and television taking the cup, they had given their endorsement!. Many a time, I told people that we will get to know in 2-3 years time. It does not surprise me that we got to know much earlier than I anticipated.
David Karani
Mashaka , you are just desperate as most of us ,trying to find a place in the society, where you will never fit. I dont see nothing wrong by trying the unthinkable, especially when a man has tried almost everything !!! so ,what is your point though !! you wanted us to come to US for treatments ?? you said it yourself that even a king and phd's were among of people who when desperate are willing to go see Babu, including YOU ( Mr) do little. Zebedayo msema kweli
ReplyDeleteWell said John Mashaka!
ReplyDeleteI am 100% agree with your points and standing.
Tanzania we are now in the coma, as hope is lost while every thing we are awaiting on possibilities and miracles and not efforts!
Just look the allegations of Malawi on the whole of Lake Nyasa possesion, our leaders asks us only to pray hard so that we win in the case but they are not talking on what efforts we have to do so that we get it?
MUNGU IBARIKI TANZANIA!
ReplyDeleteAs far as Babu and Loliondo is concerned, I would like to put the whole saga as I perceived it.
It is not despair, desperation or being lost.
Simply put, majority of us in our society are standing on weak spiritual and religious beliefs.
River Ganges is famously referred to as the worlds largest sewer, yet all walks of life; engineers, doctors, educated, illiterate, rich, poor (just like Loliondo). Flock into these water annually for pilgrimage. Bath on it, gurgle it...Devote themselves into it, the waters high on millions of harmful bacteria.
Some know the danger, some do not.
Put together by BELIEF, they stop REASONING and get carried away by beliefe. They are not desperate or in despair or lost.
My point here is, TZ's are neither lost, in despair or desperate.
On Loliondo is a matter of weak faith in individual religious faith and religious belief.
Tena wamechelewa sana,
ReplyDeleteJambo la ajabu ni kuwa Mamlaka imekataa kata kata Sheria ya Uchawi kupitishwa Bungeni, lakini kazi ya Babu 100% wameikubali!
Au ni vile Mabosi wengi wameshapiga kikombe cha Babu?
Kama Tanzania ilivyo kuwa 'Bongo Tambarale' utasikia Babu wa Loliondo Ambilikile Mwaisapile amepewa hadhi ya Ubalozi!
Muda si mrefu mtamuona babu yupo ndani ya Toyota VX-V8 la Serikali akiwa Mtumishi wa Mamlaka ktk Wizara ya Afya!!!
ReplyDeletetanzania ni jamii ambayo kamwe haitoweza kubadilika. hii inatokana na umasikini na hali duni tuliyonayo. nani angejua kwamba babu wa loliondo alikuwa tapeli kama wakina papa msofe? hakuna. na matapeli wengi watazidi kutunymelea
ReplyDeleteMr. Mashaka, I do agree with you 100%. Hii nchi nafikiri ujinga ndiyo umetutawala to the point of no return na ndiyo maana kila kukicha Kikwete na washikaji wake wanatuibia mali zetu huku wakitucheka bila sie kufanya lolote. Anytime hapa Tanzania anaweza kuja mtu toka nje ya nchi na kujifanya Mungu, basi watu wote watamkana Mungu wao wa sasa na kumfuata mgeni aliyekuja kujitambulisha kuwa ni Mungu kweli. Ok, that is a metaphor....hali halisi ya sie watanzania wengi wetu ni mambumbumbu toka viongozi mpaka raia wa kawaida na ndiyo maana tumeweka imani ya kichawi/kishirikina mbele sana. Jamii yeyote inayoamini ushirikina kwa kila kitu si hapa Tanzania tu, popote pale duniani huwa haina maendeleo. Kuanzia serikali (Kikwete na mawaziri wake wote), wachezaji mpira, wanamuziki, wafanya biashara I can say wote ni wachawi. Kwa nini wachawi? Kwanza kabisa, hawajiamini because they are incompetent na hawapendi challenges. Kwa imani yetu usiporoga wewe basi juwa wenzako watakumaliza ili wapate cheo chako ama la hushuke madaraka wakucheke. We kuroga anaroga mfagiaji wa almashauri sembuse Michuzi na wenzake? Cha kushangaza viongozi watakuambia hatuamini uchawi wakati kila kukicha wanalala kwa waganga, wanafuata nini huko maporini wakati nyumba nzuri za kulala wanazo? Siwezi kusema kama tumelaaniwa kwani itakuwa ni kosa, ila nafikiri ujamaa ndiyo ulitudumaza sana na kutokuwa na mfumo mzuri wa elimu pia unachangaia huu ujinga. Sitashangaa watu wakakutukana wewe Mashaka au hata mimi kwa kuwa tu tumesema ukweli maana pia tuna kasumba ya kutopenda kuambiwa ukweli. Mwenye hasira, ajinyonge!
ReplyDeleteMdau,
Makongo Juu
DSM
Mashaka, what good is a compass direction in a stormy sea? To know where you are getting lost to or to save you from the storm? And if the ship capsizes, what could be the third use? It certainly won't shield you from the storm, so what's it with using such an example?
ReplyDeleteMashaka, you couldn't have said this at the time the magic potion was just freshly concocted. In fact, you could have been the one advising people to interface with Babu. You should have written this tirade back then, not now after many people have realized that Babu is a hoax operator. So begin by admitting you never saw this dark side of Loliondo at it's onset or, in simpler words, be a gentleman. Then proceed accordingly.
ReplyDeleteBTW, as far as your interpretation is concerned, Loliondo has pulled the whole world to Tanzania and not only Tanzanians to Loliondo. So, to be fair, if there's any shame in it then it transcends to the world. Zooming in further on what you are saying, it appears that you are attacking the poor who can't even access or stay in hospitals for a long time due to their lack of resources, the sick who are psychologically and physically tortured beyond hope, the children who would partake any risk to ensure their parent is back to normal health or gets relief from agony, those trying their luck to 'exorcise' the incurables, etc. Why would you attack these people Mashaka? Why not just let them be and simply educate them so they may know what they are walking into before they do it? In my humble opinion, you need to write a retraction and apologize for the mistake you have made, for attacking them while you can't even lend them a helping hand. Better yet, maybe it's about time efforts were poured onto rescinding Babu's treatments if they don't perform the magic. So who are the right people to educate, what kind of education to who?
What mr Mashaka is trying to express was already expressed by social media in Tanzania such as Radio Iman the Islamic radio based in Morogoro. However, many people seem not to take the matter seriously for their own reasons. What seems to be a problem is the mentality rather than anything else.
ReplyDelete