The Importance of Documents

Yesterday's edition of the Business in Africa Online reported that a group of Zanzibaris filed a lawsuit with the Zanzibar High Court. The suit calls into question the legitimacy of the four-decade old agreement between the Indian Ocean Archipelago and mainland Tanzania. Prior to confederation, the mainland was called Tanganyika. The secession movement gained momentum in December when the government was unable to produce the original charter signed April 26, 1964. Unless the document can be produced and seen, Rashid Salum Addiy, spokesman for the plaintiffs, says the legitimacy of the agreement is in question. There is no word yet on when the case would be heard.

Darwin's Nightmare

In this morning's issue of Scripps Howard News Service, there is a review of the Oscar-nominated documentary Darwin's Nightmare by Hubert Sauper. The setting is Lake Victoria and the protagonist is the Nile perch, which was introduced in the 1960's with deleterious effects to the lake's ecology. The documentary receives three out of four stars. Its message is not uplifting. Nevertheless, it does reinforce the reality that "Third World squalor offsets Western splendor".

Oldonyo Lengai Erupts

The only active volcano in Tanzania, Oldonyo Lengai erupted earlier this week. No injuries or deaths were reported. The mountain is sacred to the Maasai, who call it the "Mountain of God." It last erupted in 1983. It is believed that ash from earlier eruptions created the "shifting sands" located west of the mountain.

Environmental News from Tanzania

Tanzania's Vice President Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein has ordered a halt to some of the more deteriorating assaults on Tanzania's environment. Dr. Shein is concerned primarily with "reckless tree felling, use of plastic bags, uncontrolled grazing and invasion of reserved forest and mountain areas." His implementation plan is sketchy. Nevertheless, he did indicate that pastoralists should vacate reserved lands immediately. In addition, he said that "the manufacturing, importing, buying and use of plastic bags of 30 and 65 microns in thickness is now prohibited." Dr. Shein also expects "small-scale" miners to vacate reserved areas in three months. Source: Tanzania goes green -- news24.com.