Tanzania

Tanzania, with a size 2.5 times as Japan, is located in the Eastern Africa facing the Indian Ocean, right south to Kenya. When European colonialism overwhelmed African continent in 19th century, it initially belonged to Germany. Then when Germany was defeated in the World WarⅠ, England took over. (Note: Independence in 1961) Around about 1864 a conference for settlement of colonial borders was held among the European powers and African Kings. The Kaiser of Germany cordially asks the Queen Victoria of Great Britain. "Kenya has a mountain with snow on top, so does Uganda, so I would really like Tanganyika as well to have a mountain with snow in Mt. Kilimanjaro." (Note: Tanganyika and Zanzibar were to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964) It resulted in the borderline between Tanzania and Kenya turning north around Mt. Kilimajaro, the highest mountain in the African continent, now part of Tanzania. Tanzania has the lowest part of Africa as well. Lake Tanganyika has a depth of 1450 meters, second deepest in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia. Tanzania thus has both the highest and lowest points in the African continent.

Lake Tanganyika is located in the western-most part of the famous African great rift system. The rift is formed by convection of mantle in the earth. As the African rift is right at the rising point of the mantle, the continent is still being pulled apart. And it is predicted that Eastern Africa will be separated from the African continent to become a land in the middle of Indian Ocean in 130 million years or so.
Water of Lake Tanganyika flows into Atlantic Ocean through Congo River. The lake water has its uniqueness in strong alkalinity (ph9.7) and habitation of fish in excess of 340 species. While it stretches out approx. 600km long from north to south, the water is not influenced at all by the atmospheric temperature as the lake is located in the tropical zone all along, so that the water temperature at the depth of 3-7m is maintained stable. This inhibits natural convection of the water in the lake and accordingly the water below 250m deep lacks oxygen making no biological creatures exist in it.
The reason for high alkalinity of the lake water lies in the rift itself. Some geologists in 1956 witnessed a volcanic eruption of Mt. Oldoinyo Lengai, north of Ngorongoro Reserve, and successfully recorded the scene by cameras. The color of magma erupted then was not red, but black. Unfortunately however, the film at the time was monochrome and did not serve as scientific evidence. Color film was available in time for the next eruption in 1964 and it was proven that magma in the African rift was black. The black magma is called carbonatite. Water of Lake Tanganyika is not salty at all. It is alkaline not caused by salt but by entirely different matter.

Surface and underground water of Tanzania is alkaline because of volcanic nature in the rift. Soil of Tanzania therefore is free from salt damage, which is one of the most important problems in agricultural development. Soil in northern Tanzania is rich in red clay but poor in the south. Fauna in the north shows much of short grasses but little in the south. Woods in the south is mainly composed of bushes while mainly tall trees in the north.
Tanzania is a land of wild animals. Savannah in Serengeti has more than 5 millions of grass feeding animals. As growth of grasses begin in rainy season, more than 2 million animals, mainly wildebeest (gnu) followed by zebras and species of gazelle, join the annual event of the great migration. From March to May every year, tourists can have an opportunity to witness the great drama of the Nature with 200 thousands of the animals in a single look.
Cattle and other domestic animals feed on short grasses, and never on tall grasses. Among other wild animals, gazelles also feed on short grasses. Domestic animals can hardly survive in an environment where no gazelle inhabits. Pastoral tribes are meant to live together with gazelles. The southern-most end of pastoral tribes in Nilo-Saharan language family lies in the northern part of Tanzania. In the world of the Nature, life of tribes is dependent to the soil and the fauna. In the southeastern part of Serengeti live Hadza tribes (hunting, gathering) of bushmen that belong to Khoisan language family. Right east to them live Mbulu tribe (half pastoral, half agriculture) of Kushu language in Nilo-Saharan family. And all other areas are territories for agricultural tribes of Bantu language in Kordofanian family.

Contacts and then exchange between agricultural tribes in eastern Africa, Tanzania in particular, and Arab-Asiatic races began some 2,000 years ago around 1st-2nd centuries. Born over the long history of exchange, and completed in 13th century, is a mixed breed of Arabian and Bantu language, which is Swahili. Peaceful exchange of trade and culture had long been being carried out with Swahili as a medium until 15th century, when Portuguese armed invasion began. Then Ottoman dynasty proceeded with their own invasion into the Eastern Africa expelling Portuguese, and subsequently slave trade began.
Bantu farmers in Tanzania, through cross cultural communication over the years with Arabic culture different in numerous forms and areas of life, had succeeded in settling down what we may call "swahilization" brought about by Swahili language, and Arabic urban life style that had been adjusted to their own culture. As result of the first wave of modernization, a unique Swahili civilization had been structured in Tanzania. And by the time the second wave of modernization from Europe arrived, Tanzania had already had a system ready by which to take the wave in without extreme difficulty. In 1960s African countries acquired independence one after another. While the first president of Ghana, Mr. Nkrumah, needed at least 8 official interpreters at his inaugural speech, President Nyerere of Tanzania needed none of those, thanks to Swahili that had been commonly heard nationwide in the country. He was able to utilize Tanzania's own political language symbol at the outset of Tanzania's independence.

Effectiveness of the system for receiving different culture shows up remarkably at the time of sudden inflow of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi. More than 1.2 million refugees moved into Ngara and Kibondo Regions of northwestern Tanzania in short period of time after May 1992. While it took 8 months for United Nations to work out and implement its measures, farmers of Tanzania provided the refugees with land (living space), foods and other living essentials. And there was not a soul of refugees died for starvation. This is tremendous. It certainly is a proof of civilization built up by generations of people in Tanzania through strenuous efforts during its long history of cross-cultural communication. It is an irony that because there was neither death for starvation nor tribal oppression in Tanzania at the time, the world news media never reported the fact, which therefore is scarcely known to the people of the world. We believe that it has to be known much more widely to the people world over and appreciated much more highly by the world. One can easily guess what could have happened if similar situations should have occurred in other countries in Africa.

In Africa, where obstinate tribal conflicts keep taking place one after another, Tanzania is the only single country that has no such conflicts. (Note: Tanzania has more than 120 tribes, the largest number of tribes among countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, while approx. 80 in Kenya, 70 in Zambia and 60 in Uganda.)
Minorities are being liberated at various parts of the world these days, but every one of such liberation of minorities is accompanied by racial unrest or conflicts as can be seen in former Soviet countries. The world had better learn good lessons from Tanzania.
Mind you, Tanzania is the most popular country among returned members of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers who wish to re-visit the country of their former assignment.

Japan Tanzania Development Cooperation Advisory Council (JTAC)
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