Futurethink & Unpacking Magufuli Part 2

My parents were products of a generation 'directly' informed by Mwalimu Nyerere's vision and values. This was a generation that could have easily been the original, if not, more legitimate 'YALI' for Tanzania - stemming from humble backgrounds and landing, at the time, very exclusive opportunities to study at the then just formed University of Dar Es Salaam. They were called forth, not just to build themselves, but more importantly to build a nation; and that they did. This was a generation where for long the pride of being a civil servant was vested in power or influence and respect but never claim to money.

Then things suddenly went amuck.

The father of this nation, as he so often feared, died with his vision (and values, arguably). And this same generation of privileged few, was quick, as the swahili adage goes, to divide the wood (amongst themselves) and let the boat sink; and sink it did. The boat sunk deep into an abyss of unfamiliarity as his 'children' fought in a haste to take claim to his political estate. 

To put this into context one must understand Mwalimu's role in our unique type of politics; not just as a founding father or even as an elderly statesman, but more importantly as the a political conscience or nerve center of our whole existence as a young nation; no longer requiring an official political role to be relevant – he was just simply our Mwalimu!

And so as the story goes in Tanzania's political folklore - there was a time during Mwalimu's reign (whether in power as President/ Chairman or not) and there was a time after (after his demise). He was such a force that only death could part him from active politics and this also remains to be debatable.

Then comes comrade Magufuli, a generation removed from Mwalimu; having never rubbed shoulders with him in the corridors of parliament like Mwinyi and Mkapa or even shared ugali (a popular swahili meal) with him on the lawns of State House as Kikwete may have done in his earlier days. Magufuli, being a pure scientist, is even removed from an era in which Tanzania's academia and political elite were ruled by social scientists.

Yet this everything-but-Mwalimu type politician has made his clearest agenda thus far to be that of reviving the spirit of Mwalimu in our political ethos - the irony.

But maybe not. 

I, personally, have always found it odd that leaders who had benefited (so much) from powers literally handcrafted by Mwalimu's political genius would not pay homage to him in a way that is more befitting. I mean, forget upholding his vision which may be subjective, but what of his legacy? Not a George Washington like monument in sight in Dar Es Salaam to stare down young children as they loiter curiously around continuously reminding them (and even us adults) of the unique history that has accorded us this moment (that we so often take for granted) like the many monuments we see or hear of in other countries.

Then it hit me that I too may have suffered a similar fate. Once upon a time I, along with people who over time became friends, was so consumed by the future we envisaged that our present realities didn't really matter. At that time it didn't matter what our family backgrounds were or even how our performance in school was; we simply were driven and united in our vision of the future. This #futurthink accorded even some very average or I dare say mediocre people the ability to seem exceptional, albeit in that moment. 

Then low and behold, the future (or at least what we perceive to be the future) came to be. But in reality it was just a moment in the present for which we had no future to hold onto anymore. Yet we clung onto to it and probably continue to cling onto it so much that the concept of the future no longer has a role to play in our lives. As a result we are more conscience of our realities and the walls that divide us – whether it be the jobs we have, the money we earn or even the schools we take our kids to; we only know the present. We are too busy fighting to lead the pack in the moment that we overlook our potential and what we need to do to prepare the pack for the future. Sadly, like Mwalimu’s ‘children’, in our present, we have chosen to undermine the one thing that was so potent in making even this group of 'average' people exceptional - #futurethink.

Could have Mwalimu's death taken with it our belief the healing power of the future, leaving us with only the present to fight over? I have every reason to believe so. The future is an anecdote for our present day reality. It is hope, our reason to live beyond this moment and many others ahead of it. It helps us look forward to making sacrifices that may not benefit us in the moment but will surely have meaning in the future.

Magufuli may not be the visionary statesman Mwalimu was (arguably very few past and present can confidently make this claim) but he surely stumbled across something that takes us back to the most critical component of the success of Mwalimu's nation building agenda - sacrifice. 

My parent's generation was a generation 'sacrificed' by Mwalimu so that future generations may benefit from a Tanzania that was only a vision then. They may have not accepted in earnest or even understood this unique role that they had to play for a greater good and hence why upon his passing some rushed to crack open the coffers; in process undoing almost everything Mwalimu managed to achieve in his 40year reign as Tanzania's supreme political conscience.

As Magufuli enforces this, now almost alien spirit of sacrifice, missing only the visionary zeal that colored Mwalimu's rule, he is going a long way in reviving the political conscience that once made us the soul of Africa and the nation we are so proud to be.