Showing posts with label Zanzibar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zanzibar. Show all posts

December 9 - Independence and Republic Day in Tanzania

Posted on December 9, 2020

This is an update of my first December 9 post, first published in 2009.

The East African nation of Tanzania had a relatively peaceful process of gaining independence from Britain that ended with full independence in 1961. At that time, the nation was called Tanganyika. 




In 1964 the independent island nation off the coast of Tanganyika, called Zanzibar, merged with the new country. The new name, Tanzania, was also a merger.

Tanzania is bordered by Africa's largest lake, Lake Victoria, and Africa's deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika. This country is home to Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, and of the famous wildlife spot, the Serengeti Plain. Africa's second highest waterfall, Kalambo Falls, is also located there; this is a tourist spot and an important archeological site. Zanzibar, sometimes called “Spice Islands” for all the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper it produces, has wonderful sandy beaches, coral reefs, and Stone Town, which is considered the oldest still-functioning town in East Africa.

With all that going for it, it would seem that Tanzania would be a fantastic place to live. It may be a very good place to visit, but there is a lot of poverty and disease and other problems.



Mergers
Tan-ganyika + Zan-zibar = Tan-zan-ia
There are lots of examples of place names that merge together two names. On the border between California and Mexico lie two twin towns. The California town is called Calexico, and the Mexican town is called Mexicali. Can you see how the names come from Cali – Mexico and Mexico – Cali?

Take any two countries that lie side-by-side and try to figure out what a merger of those two countries should be called. Which two countries would make up the fictional country of Braziguay? How about Spanigal?

ANSWERS: Brazil and Uruguay...Spain and Portugal

See Tanzania's most fabulous sights here. 

Look at the wonderful paintings in the Tingatinga style. 





Edward S. Tingatinga settled in Tanzania and produced the first works in this style, which many artists have now adopted.

Tingatinga paintings are made with bicycle paint and have bold colors and sharp contrast. Originally painted on masonite, tingatinga paintings now also decorate objects as varied as wooden trays, drinking glasses, and spare tires.



Tingatinga originally most commonly painted elephants, giraffes, lions, giraffes, and zebras/antelopes/oxen. He painted the animals so that they filled most of the frame, in the Swahili fashion, and he positioned the animals in a decorative way.

Now try to draw and color (or paint) your own tingatinga picture.



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October 29 - Naming Day in Tanzania

Posted October 29, 2019

This is a bit of a mouthful:

The United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

Isn't it smart that this African nation clipped a bit from its four-syllable-name and clipped a bit from from its three-syllable-name and came up with a much shorter name?: 

The United Republic of Tanzania.

This renaming occurred on this date in 1964.

Compare, contrast:

Tanganyika was what is now the mainland (continental) portion of present-day Tanzania.


Zanzibar is the archipelago of islands off the coast of Africa. 


Tanganyika (mainland Tanzania) includes the famous dormant volcano Mount Kilimanjaro plus portions of three of Africa's Great Lakes: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, and Lake Victoria.


Above, Lake Tanganyika.
Below, Lake Victoria.


Above, Lake Malawi.

Tanganyika (mainland Tanzania) is famous for its many hominid fossils - ever heard of Lucy? - and possibly being the birthplace of all humankind. 


Zanzibar is famous for its spices - especially cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. These islands are sometimes called the Spice Islands.
















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October 14 – Nyerere Day in Tanzania

Posted on October 14, 2014

Celebrating Nyerere Day in Tanzania is a bit like celebrating George Washington in the U.S., because Julius Nyerere was the first president of the African nation and is considered Baba wa Taifa, or Father of the Nation.

Nyerere was a teacher who was born in Tanganyika and educated in Uganda and Scotland. He helped form the Tanganyika African National Union, and when the United Kingdom granted Tanganyika the rights to self-rule, he became Chief Minister. In the early Sixties, Nyerere led his nation to full independence and became its first president.


Soon Tanganyika united with the nation of Zanzibar; the new nation was named Tanzania, and Nyerere continued to serve as president. He was elected and reelected and re-reelected – five times! – but nobody ever ran against him! 

Democracy in action? (Not quite.)


This particular Nyerere Day, 10/14/2014, conservation activists and other friends of elephants and rhinos have planned a march on behalf of elephants and rhinos. It was especially planned for Nyerere Day to have more impact, but the original planned date of October 4 was the date when most of the Marches for Elephants and Rhinos were held elsewhere in the world. People in more than 130 cities worldwide, including Washington, D.C., marched on behalf of endangered elephants and rhinos that Saturday.

According to the folks at March Against Extinction, one rhino is killed every nine hours and – even more shocking and horrifying – one elephant is killed every fifteen minutes!!!

Some of the Washington, D. C., marchers chanted things like “E is for Elephant, not Extinction!” and “1, 2, 3, 4, ivory's what they're dying for...5, 6, 7, 8, stop the trade, it's not too late!”

  • Check out this website to learn more about endangered species—and how to help them. 

  • Check out this video to see some amazing wildlife in Tanzania.

Also on this date:


Anniversary of the October Revolution in Yemen











World Egg Day






Plan ahead:

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