True leadership entails being able to differentiate the big picture from the
ordinary. This even goes for the tourism industry. For this matter, I found it instructive what The EastAfrican columnist, Charles Onyango-Obbo, wrote in a thought-provoking piece in December 2021 titled “African nations need big dreams”. It followed what is known as the Kusi Ideas Festival in the Ghanaian capital of Accra.To quote Onyango-Obbo: “Recently, I read that the top destination
in the world for people of African heritage in Europe is Ghana. So successful
has it been that it has gone to 'Beyond The Return'.
"Ghana likely feels it is the centre of the Black world. And
as the Black world is set to be the biggest in the decades to come, it might
rightly feel it is on the way to being the centre of the world.
"In many ways, it talked itself into that position, with
little more than a slogan and some action to match it. And that precisely is
it.
“One lesson Ghana today teaches us is that a people and country,
cannot become what they can't imagine themselves to be. People that dream small
of themselves, can't find greatness. That imagination and vision do not need to
be based on evidence of past accomplishment, or national competence."
I couldn’t agree more with Onyango-Obbo on the need for Africa to
dream big. And looking at Tanzania, it is without any shred of doubt one of
those countries that has every reason to dream big of itself. It has even been
described in the past as a "sleeping giant", given all its natural
resources.
And unlike some of our African brothers, there are real
accomplishments to be proud of that are patently attached to the name of our
father of the nation, Dr. Julius Nyerere.
And speaking of Nyerere, I recently read of an Arusha Declaration
Museum for the purpose of sharing our historical journey through socialism and
self-reliance. Better late than never they say! My big concern though is that
it will only end up being visited by groups of local students on study tours.
My bigger dream would be for it to comprise the final itinerary of
a global tourism promotional effort.
To illustrate this, I’m happy to reveal that I have initiated what
is known as the Dr. Nyerere Remembrance Kilimanjaro Expedition. It also
involves one of the sons of Nyerere himself. The idea stems from a moving
statement by Nyerere to the Legislative Assembly in October 1959, two years
prior to our Independence.
Nyerere put it, “We, the people of Tanganyika, would like to light
a candle and put it on top of Mount Kilimanjaro which would shine beyond our borders
giving hope where there was despair, love where there was hate and dignity
where before there was only humiliation.
“...we cannot, unlike other countries, send rockets to the moon.
But we can send rockets of love and hope to all our fellow (humans) wherever
they may be."
This was Nyerere simply at his finest.
Within Tanzania itself, very unfortunately you will be
hard-pressed today to find anyone who can intelligibly speak about it at all!
This depressing state of affairs has been accentuated by how the
Uhuru Torch (candle) has been virtually reduced to a CCM activity with all the
attendant problems. My belief is that it is now time we view it through a very
different lens. In my thinking, the torch has increasing importance in today's
world and it is my aspiration to see Tanzanians closing ranks to spread this
powerful message to every corner of the planet.
You ask about the means to do so. Pretty straightforward indeed.
Through sportspeople. It was none other than Nelson Mandela who spoke
eloquently about the "power of sports to change the world..."
Thankfully, sportsmen and women are less pigeonholed today than
used to be the case. They enjoy some latitude to express themselves over
troubling issues.
On this specific note, only a couple of days ago on the 6th of
April, the world marked what is known as the 'International Day of Sport for
Development and Peace'. It falls under the UN and the purpose is to
"showcase the role of sport to drive social change and community
development, and to foster peace and understanding."
The Uhuru Torch could essentially be a pillar in rallying
attention to all manner of ills, of which Africa has tragically its fair share.
For instance, last week saw another international observance day
called International Day for Mine Awareness. The issue of landmines is
something the late Princess Diana brought high-profile attention to by a visit
to Angola in 1997 and her son, Harry, has attempted however small to carry on
her good work. Over 5,000 people "were killed or injured by mines around
the world in 2021." Imagine involving Harry to be part of the Kilimanjaro
Expedition to raise donor funding and the publicity that would be generated out
of it in the UK and beyond?
One can also bring in a matter that certainly affects Tanzania -
namely that of Neglected Tropical Diseases. The scourge of NTDs was
well-articulated in an article by President Samia around the time of the Kigali
Declaration on Malaria and NTDs. We could fully utilise the Kilimanjaro
Expedition to bring a sense of urgency to ending NTDs in parts of the world.
The causes are inexhaustible. When one thinks of the monstrous loss of
desperate souls attempting to cross the high seas of the Mediterranean to get
to Europe, the Kilimanjaro Expedition comes to mind as a powerful channel to
bring to focus this shameful matter.
To bring a huge sense of occasion to these events, one could
extend annual invitations to global leaders of various hues. Who would want to
miss out?
It is my earnest appeal in closing to any Tanzanians of goodwill
to help support this patriotic initiative. Quoting the Daily News from 4th
January 2022: “Tanzanians must continue offering support to government efforts
to revive the tourism sector and enhance its contribution to economic
growth."
The Royal Tour has doubtlessly been benign for the tourist
economy. This one though is not foreign-inspired but rather home-grown. It
seeks to elevate our tourism to a whole new plane. Above all else, it will pay
a premium on the many great African sportsmen and women over the years that
have brought pride to the continent and wish to be a part of a bigger
continental narrative.
Our tourism numbers I’m most certain would see an astronomical
jump in only a few years. The branding cost with the Nyerere name would be
minimal but the returns would leave us all so beaming!
No comments :
Post a Comment