My Journey to Tanzania Africa: Campus is Alive and on a High

The protesting slowed down on Saturday and Sunday. The government hit the students hard on Friday Night with the arrest of 42 students. So they laid low and waited to see what the government was going to say regarding their request for an increase in living sty-pen. With the arrest and public broadcast of the protest on Saturday morning the students new the government had gotten their message and that they had to give an answer.

Meanwhile; the students started sending messages that if their fellow classmates where not released they would continue to rally and protest! Most of the UDSM officials where not expecting a quick release of the students and therefore more protesting; but the problem with that is that if the students protest/disrupt class for more than 3 days in arrow UDSM will be shut down, indefinably! And the students don't want that either because there is only 5 weeks of the semester left for them!

That being said the government did the unexpected and released all 42 students on Saturday night! It was quite an event. They all came back to campus running around announcing their release and talking how the government is listening, scarred, going to give them what they want. It was quite an exciting event to watch. All the students where so excited and thrilled by the news! If this would have been a culture for kegs and load music - it would have been happening all night! :)

Then Sunday comes and I don't know what the students are thinking but they are pushing their luck, in my opinion. So after taking their complaints to the government they took them to the duca, campus store, about the increase in prices! Which I think is crazy! There goods are cheaper than anything in the markets down town, the food and water are the same price as the cafeteria and that food and water is being subsidized by the government! But anyway; the students went crazy about 8pm last night throwing rocks and such at the store. They broke the water and pop refrigeration containers, broke the glass containers that held all the freshly backed goods, and hurt some of the workers! It was awful- I felt bad for the workers! They are trying to survive just as much as the students are!

So the duca was closed this morning as well as one of the cafeterias. But good news the government made an announcement that the Minster of Education was coming to campus to deliver news of the students request. This had the campus alive and on edge all day, until he finally showed up, late - typical Tanzanian way, at about 1pm. The crowd was huge! There where students everywhere! I wish we could have stayed and observed the whole thing, but that was not in our safest interests. But we did watch the Minister arrive with sever military vehicles full of soldiers. We took that as our queue to leave.

The reports coming in are that the Minister reported nothing. He just go up there and presented a bunch a fluff about having received the students request and that it was being evaluated. He didn't say how much of an increase, when it would happen, etc. Not what the 1,000s of students waiting had in mind! Needless to say it broke out into a rite. With students throwing rocks at the Minister and military. There where even two gun shots fired that hit two different students; my roommate said the one was hit in the shoulder and the other in the knee! Also for the second time in less than a week tear bombs where fired into the crowd, until the military could get the Minister off campus!

It was later reported that all the students have reorganized at revolutionary square to figure out what there next move is going to be. There is a lot on the line! There daily necessities of life, final exams, closing of campus, jail, etc.

On a side not my only class on Mondays is African Lit and it was happening when the students where gathering in prep for the Ministers arrival, so we meet in his office. It was kind of fun to have class there. He at the end asked us what protests are like in the US and if the government shuts down schools and gets involved. So we all had to go in and explain that protests and rallies on US campuses are normal social and not towards the government (normally). And besides our government does not have control over our Universities. Also in the US it is the responsibility of the students to come to class and get information, therefore a professor would just not show up to class if protests and rallies were going on. It also in the US would probably not be dangerous for students to not join in on the protest, unlike here.

Here are some pictures from a Tanzanian friend we sent a camera with as well as some of our own-just don't tell our director! But enjoy!