The Identity of a Tanzanian Woman

Rasel Mpuya Madaha 한국외국어대학교 아프리카연구소 2010 Asian Journal of African Studies Vol.28 No.-

This paper focuses on the identity of a Tanzanian woman and addresses several questions: what is the really identity of a Tanzanian woman; how does her identity reinforces woman’s oppression; will the identity of a Tanzanian woman change; what efforts are taken by them to improve their identity; is the potentiality of a woman’s power under explored? Accordingly, my experience as a Tanzanian man, researcher (rather anthropologist), teacher, consultant and program manager dealing with women and indeed a witness of many potentialities of Tanzanian women, is important and is used in this paper. In other words, methods such as participant observation, informal interviews and conversations with men and women, including 300 students, from Tanzania have been an important part of this paper. Moreover, the paper is nourished by in puts from my bellowed wife currently confused by the way American women wear and smoke; a behaviour considered unacceptable and only embraced by immoral women in Tanzania. Again, my daughter Miriam kept ignited my heart to write the article- her mother says “how comes a girl behaves like a boy: she is active destroying her dolls and often wants to touch our expensive digital TV instead”. Tanzanian women are expected to be calm. My Tanzanian experience, a lens of its own, has been facilitated by critical discourses on identity, feminism, beauty, globalization, post-colonialism, history, culture, nationalism, philosophy, development, colonialism and gender focusing on Tanzania and abroad. Social sciences data bases and references from UB library have been utilised and analysed using content analysis. Secondary data from NGO and Unpublished research, whereby I participated as team member or principal researcher, has also been used. Simply stated, Tanzanian women are diverse yet they have achieved great success as far as empowerment is concerned. However, challenges such as early marriage, modernization, domestic chores, acculturation, female genital mutilation, patriarchal values, and globalization remain a hurdle in women empowerment. Comically, dismissing of Tanzania women, by middle class feminists, western and local, as homogenous has led to under exploration of the potentiality of Tanzanian women. In fact, the role of Tanzanian women living in rural areas has not been accorded the required scholarship.

Role of Food Security Groups in Improving Vegetable Production in Tanzania: A Case study of Chalinze village, in Chamwino District, Dodoma Region

Madaha Rasel 한국외국어대학교 아프리카연구소 2008 Asian Journal of African Studies Vol.24 No.-

Organizing the rural poor into groups provides a voice and forum, which enable them to become conscious of their situation and conditions. It can provide the opportunity to explore the possibilities of various situations to their problems so as to improve their standard of living. This suggests that it is easier to induce social change by involving groups of people rather than attempting it through individual contact. Before the current economic trauma in Zimbabwe, there was evidence that farmers groups which sprung up all over had a significant impact on agricultural production. In 1983 maize production rose over 50% thanks to the labour sharing arrangement. This means that pooling together resources for example labours will help farmers achieve what they could not achieve individually. Extension systems have also adopted the use of farmers groups so as to reach a greater number of its intended beneficiaries. For example, the food security group members in Chalinze village grow vegetable for food and cash. There are several reasons for growth vegetables, but the most important one is for food. Currently the World is in severe food shortage resulting from the rising use of food for fuel, global warming, and sky rocketing prices of oil in the world market. For the same reasons Tanzania is facing the same crisis. The extent of the severeness of the food shortage is further increased in rural areas of Tanzania where by a lot of energetic young people migrate to urban area in search of a secure employment at the expense of agricultural production in rural areas. Tanzania of which economy depends on peasant agriculture is busy finding ways to feed its people supposedly to be producers. Under those circumstances farmer groups will provide sustainable solution to food insecurity. The practice of providing intensive assistance to a small number of progressive farmers and expecting that the effect of such assistance will reach other farmers directly by autonomous diffusion processes is not realistic and leads to increased social and economic inequality. On the other hand, emphasis on promoting self-reliant local groupings appears to be in conformity with the growing opinion in the world that the main constraints crippling agriculture in the developing countries are man-made. In other words there is no way one can achieve sustainable agricultural development in rural area without organizing peasants into formal groups. The overall objective of the study was to assess the role of Food Security Groups in improving vegetable production in Chalinze village. The design of the study was a cross-sectional survey. Primary data were collected by using questionnaire. A sample size of respondents was randomly drawn by using a table of random numbers. Food Security Groups play a significant role in improving both vegetable production and food security for the household members. Food Security Groups allow group members to communicate and exchange ideas with other group members. Furthermore the groups can easily be reached by development agents. The findings of this study highlighted the role of food security groups in improving food security. Furthermore the findings shed light and provide strategies, which will be used by policy makers, local and regional planners as well as other development partners who are interested in improving the situation of food security and Food Security Groups. The conclusions and recommendations emanating from the study are presented in the full paper.

Can Rural Women Networks Lead to Women Empowerment in Tanzania?

Rasel Madaha 한국외국어대학교 아프리카연구소 2011 Asian Journal of African Studies Vol.29 No.-

Empowerment of women, and so is gender equality, is at the heart of the MDGs. Sadly, progress towards attainment of the same has been slow -moving on all fronts meaning that women and girls, especially in developing countries, continue to suffer. Accordingly, creation of new and strengthening of existing rural women networks, as argued in this paper, is necessary for women empowerment in Tanzania and elsewhere. Rural women networks do empower women by enhancing their capacity to make purposive choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes. Specifically, rural women network have served as a safety net where members share the risk among themselves; have provided an avenue for members to learn and apply new entrepreneurial skills; have served as a voice for women against atrocities committed to them in their specific locations-a task unlikely to be adequately addressed by government and politicians who are responsible to large populations; and finally have served as a means to foster communication between network members and development partners such as NGOs (local and international) and local government authorities. Besides, development agencies, especially those working in the Global South, find it easy to deal with networks of women as opposed to individuals. My experience as a Program Manager living in rural area of Tanzania has been important to this paper which focuses on JUWAKI, a Tanzanian rural women network with an outstanding performance.

The Identity of a Tanzanian Woman: a Potentiality Under explored

Rasel Mpuya Madaha 한국외국어대학교(글로벌캠퍼스) 아프리카연구소 2010 Asian Journal of African Studies Vol.28 No.-

This paper focuses on the identity of a Tanzanian woman and addresses several questions: what is the really identity of a Tanzanian woman; how does her identity reinforces woman’s oppression; will the identity of a Tanzanian woman change; what efforts are taken by them to improve their identity; is the potentiality of a woman’s power under explored? Accordingly, my experience as a Tanzanian man, researcher (rather anthropologist), teacher, consultant and program manager dealing with women and indeed a witness of many potentialities of Tanzanian women, is important and is used in this paper. In other words, methods such as participant observation, informal interviews and conversations with men and women, including 300 students, from Tanzania have been an important part of this paper. Moreover, the paper is nourished by in puts from my bellowed wife currently confused by the way American women wear and smoke; a behaviour considered unacceptable and only embraced by immoral women in Tanzania. Again, my daughter Miriam kept ignited my heart to write the article‐ her mother says “how comes a girl behaves like a boy: she is active destroying her dolls and often wants to touch our expensive digital TV instead”. Tanzanian women are expected to be calm. My Tanzanian experience, a lens of its own, has been facilitated by critical discourses on identity, feminism, beauty, globalization, post‐colonialism, history, culture, nationalism, philosophy, development, colonialism and gender focusing on Tanzania and abroad. Social sciences data bases and references from UB library have been utilised and analysed using content analysis. Secondary data from NGO and Unpublished research, whereby I participated as team member or principal researcher, has also been used. Simply stated, Tanzanian women are diverse yet they have achieved great success as far as empowerment is concerned. However, challenges such as early marriage, modernization, domestic chores, acculturation, female genital mutilation, patriarchal values, and globalization remain a hurdle in women empowerment. Comically, dismissing of Tanzania women, by middle class feminists, western and local, as homogenous has led to under exploration of the potentiality of Tanzanian women. In fact, the role of Tanzanian women living in rural areas has not been accorded the required scholarship.

Can Rural Women Networks Lead to Women Empowerment in Tanzania?: A Case Study of Kinyangiri Entrepreneurial Women Association in Kinyangiri Division, Irimba District, Singida Region, Tanzania

Rasel Madaha 한국외국어대학교(글로벌캠퍼스) 아프리카연구소 2011 Asian Journal of African Studies Vol.29 No.-

Empowerment of women, and so is gender equality, is at the heart of the MDGs. Sadly, progress towards attainment of the same has been slow‐moving on all fronts meaning that women and girls, especially in developing countries, continue to suffer. Accordingly, creation of new and strengthening of existing rural women networks, as argued in this paper, is necessary for women empowerment in Tanzania and elsewhere. Rural women networks do empower women by enhancing their capacity to make purposive choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes. Specifically, rural women network have served as a safety net where members share the risk among themselves; have provided an avenue for members to learn and apply new entrepreneurial skills; have served as a voice for women against atrocities committed to them in their specific locations―a task unlikely to be adequately addressed by government and politicians who are responsible to large populations; and finally have served as a means to foster communication between network members and development partners such as NGOs (local and international) and local government authorities. Besides, development agencies, especially those working in the Global South, find it easy to deal with networks of women as opposed to individuals. My experience as a Program Manager living in rural area of Tanzania has been important to this paper which focuses on JUWAKI, a Tanzanian rural women network with an outstanding performance.