{UAH} Pojim/WBK: Once tame, Tanzanian media finally goes feral, urged on by international midwives

Elsie Eyakuze is an independent consultant and blogger for The Mikocheni Report. 

By Elsie Eyakuze

Posted  Saturday, November 29  2014 at  13:21
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The free media has managed to create quite a hostile environment for the government over the course of the past few years.

Hard to tell where the relationship went sour, but it is interesting because at the beginning of the fourth administration it was as deeply involved in a crush on the incumbent and his government as the votership was.

These days the only outlets and papers that can afford to be complimentary are the ones that are already subsidised in some form or other by taxpayers' money, you know, the ones everybody ignores in the reception rooms of government offices.

In terms of sales, there can be no denying that finding something wicked to expose about our public offices is the way to make a profit. We can't get enough of bad news. Has internal propaganda finally, finally seen its last days?

This is what happens when you allow for liberalism to creep in. I have always wondered at a particular stance, most prevalent in African countries but certainly not unique to us: The need to worship whoever is in power above and beyond what is decorous, and the conflation of patriotism with the idea that one must never criticise the people and system in power.

Which more often than not results in despotism. I would argue that in fact power-mad dictators don't emerge fully formed out of the ether: Spare the rod, spoil the politician.

Which is why I am glad to see that the Tanzanian media has gone feral. Of course, it hasn't been simple or smooth; we haven't seen this much violence perpetrated against journalists or activists before.

Breaking a culture of silence isn't clean and easy work. And to be honest, it's not as though the quality of our journalism is always on par with the work that needs doing. That said, as the Fourth Estate I think we finally have our minds in the right place: Always suspect the Establishment, all the time.

I can't imagine anything more patriotic, to be honest. It's one thing to practise the vaunted Tanzania Charm Offensive on unsuspecting foreign powers, but trying to use it to manage internal politics is bad form.

Of course, there are a few things that the government does as it should, which it would like to be complimented on, but media consumers are in no mood for that kind of content. Trickle-up goodwill works about as well as trickle-down prosperity.

Good topics

Domestically, there isn't a shortage of perfectly good topics that could use some in-depth investigation. Riches abound, be it in scrutinising business practices or public services, or, well, frankly anything.

And there are always big stories lurking under the surface, but they never quite breach. Lately though, it has become common to see the international press midwife difficult topics for us. Say, by covering the decimation of Tanzania's elephant population, or the potential eviction of colourful tourist-attracting pastoralists from their "ancestral lands."

These kinds of stories, when they break overseas, generate an immediate and desirable reaction from the government. Promises to look into it/fight corruption/guarantee land security/step up anti-poaching efforts fly out of hastily-organised press conferences.

Statements are made. Something may happen or not, but the important thing is that nothing be allowed to stick to the slick skin of Tanzania's international reputation.

Which is fine. All I am curious about is why is it more important to pander to the wishes of the international community than continuously secure the trust and happiness of the local votership?

Anyway. The latest attempt to muzzle the media was an inexplicable attempt to demand that they only quote statistics sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics. That died as quick a death as it deserved, which means that vigilance will be needed since "defeated" Bills have a horrible way of coming back to life in another piece of legislation.

The Media Bill, still pending, is growing more and more ominous with every passing Bunge session as the General Election comes closer and closer.

Elsie Eyakuze is an independent consultant and blogger for The Mikocheni Report, http://mikochenireport.blogspot.com. E-mail: elsieeyakuze@gmail.com

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.