The Current Political Situation in Tanzanian

The below was posted on ACOA WhatsApp forum. 

@⁨Serge Banyongen⁩ shouldn't the TZ folks be the ones to initiate? It's happening in their country. They're the ones who can tell you how outsiders can be helpful.

My responses:

On moral grounds, it is neither right nor ethical for members of the Tanzanian (TZ) community to expect the African diaspora to reach out to them first. The reverse should be true. Based on my own experience in advocacy and lobbying, I have consistently offered a helping hand to other communities without waiting for them to contact me.

 

For example, I supported the Kenyan community without them first reaching out to the Sudanese community in Ottawa or to the Friends of Sudan group. When I began lobbying Members of Parliament and Senators, Dr. Sam Kwoffie approached me and introduced me to the late Hon. David Kilgour, M.P., P.C. Likewise, the STAND for Darfur student movement in Canada and the U.S. invited me to participate in their planning, operations, and logistics efforts — and together, we made a meaningful impact.

 

In 2008, rally organizers in Columbia, North Carolina, reached out to me to help plan and coordinate a major rally that drew over 8,000 participants — entirely organized by concerned citizens of North Carolina (see Ottawa Citizen for details).

From a moral perspective, if there were no Tanzanians in Ottawa or Canada, would we simply fold our hands and watch, or would we take action to make a difference in Tanzania and across Africa? I write this based on more than 20 years of advocacy and lobbying experience in Canada, the United States, Europe, and on university campuses in both Canada and the U.S.

To suggest that the African diaspora in the national capital should wait until the Tanzanian community reaches out is not only backward thinking but also a convenient excuse for inaction — a form of complicity that risks placing us on the wrong side of history.

 

Let me offer a few recommendations:

1. Leadership and Coordination:
   I understand that ACAO leadership may hesitate to take initiative due to funding concerns. However, ACAO (which already has contacts for most diaspora community members) could call a meeting to discuss the situation. From that meeting, a demonstration committee could be formed — not as a representative of ACAO itself, but as a coalition acting on behalf of the broader diaspora community. This would protect ACAO from legal liability while enabling it to play a facilitative role.
2. Immediate Actions:
• Organize rallies across Canada.
• Send letters to Members of Parliament, Senators, human rights groups, and churches.
• Coordinate with partners in the U.S. and Europe to ensure alignment and consistency of action.
3. Long-Term Goals:
• Work toward influencing foreign policy in host countries.
• Propose sustainable solutions to help prevent similar political crises in the future.

 

In short, the African diaspora must take the lead — with or without Tanzanian participation. The issues at hand are bigger than any single country. We must think beyond narrow boundaries and avoid excuses such as “TZ should reach out first.”

Let me conclude with the Parable of the Good Samaritan:
Did the victim reach out to the Good Samaritan for help?
Be the judge — and choose to stand on the right side of history.

The planned rally should also highlight political crises across Africa, not just in Tanzania.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

Here are some links for your use.

 

©Thanks for your interest, Hustin

The Theologian