Independence…
Sometimes I take independence lightly. I wonder if we really are free 51 years later. We all sing the songs — what have our leaders done for us? We cuss out corrupt leaders and their No Action Talk Only (NATO) political parties, and condemn their lack of vision for our country. We grew a rift valley between the poor and the rich and religious conflicts that threaten our peace. And most of us are still waiting for the next-generation Nyerere, and the crazy few, Obama, to bring us change. Shame! But I feel like we have forgotten our past.
It wasn’t just one person that fought for our independence. And it didn’t happen overnight either.
Our independence is beyond Nyerere negotiating with the English Monarchy in 1961 to declare Tanganyika independent. It started long before that. It started in people’s homes, from the very first invasion. When they spoke among themselves and decided not to take it. When our chiefs rose against colonialists and refused to give in. When Mkwawa felt it was better to die than sell out, or the Ngoni chiefs faced the hanging poles in the Maji Maji but died proudly for their land. We mustn’t forget the struggle and how far we have come. Maybe the final deal was diplomatic, but we can’t forget all the people that died for this land. We can’t let their blood go in vain. We can’t compromise this independence. We can’t take it lightly. It took years of trying, millions of lives lost in horrifying ways, hands cut, fighters lost in untold stories. It took our great grandfathers’ heads, slaughtered in front of their families to scare the people from fighting for what was rightfully theirs. But we didn’t act scared. My thoughts are We Fought, Hard, and when they knew we’ll eventually win big, they gave it up “diplomatically”. And now that it is Ours, what are doing with it?
We mustn’t forget where we came from.
Can you imagine carrying the man around, just because he declared himself the man and had big guns? But you know what makes me proud? The Men and Women that didn’t take it and fought no matter how unlikely they were to win, that were unafraid to die just so our generation can be free. The Men and Women that fought with spears, guns, words, actions, and everything they had to be free. We shall not forget them. We mustn’t forget who we are as people.
Look at them, angry and unafraid. Even when they knew that death was upon them, they looked proud, with a no victim look on their faces, begging no one for mercy. Warriors — with no regrets for fighting for their land. Our Forefathers.
They died, or risked death, just so we can be free. We no longer have to fan some governor’s wife’s face or take humiliation. We no longer have to pay head rent to the man, or forcefully work for him, pray to his gods, bow to him, build his home, farm for him and then wait for him to maybe give us food, the very food we grew. We are Independent!
But look at us now! Begging, calling him back, and asking him to take what we fought for with blood and sweat, for what, short-term political prosperity in our terms? Luxury cars in our drive ways? What about all the generations we are sacrificing? How can we be that short-sighted?
But look at us still, calling onto our leaders to save us? Nobody fought for us before, we can fight! With votes, raised voices, and unity. Independence wasn’t a one man’s fight, it was everyone’s fight. We are free now, so let’s start acting like it!
Fine, so elections are far off, but Independence didn’t happen overnight, and neither will progress. And maybe we think our voices won’t be heard, that they are more powerful than us. You may remember the story of Sisimizi na Tembo, indeed little ants can kill a big, fat, elephant if they work together. Our strength is unity. Let’s not take our independence lightly, let’s fight and progress, Together.
But today let’s celebrate our Independence. We have come a long way to get here, a long way to Freedom.
Happy Independence day Tanganyika Tanzania!
Photos courtesy of the Maji Maji National Museum, Songea, Tanzania.
